Today (Saturday) is Elvis’ birthday. His 65th. I like holidays as much as the next fellow, but it sure would be better if they took some of these winter holidays and put them where they’re really needed, like August. I celebrated tonight by going to the Fabulous 40 Watt, where they had Elvis Karaoke, free peanut butter & banana sandwiches and moon pies. Of course, that could only go on for so long, so I had to follow up with a pint of guinness at the Manhattan (from the outside, this place looks like the worst hole-in-the-wall in town – shlitz sign and all – but inside, ooh la la!) and wrapped up with a sausage from JB’s The Polish Sausage Man (with Comeback Sauce!). It was a nice way to celebrate the holiday, but I’ve decided that going out downtown by myself just isn’t what it used to be.

It was quite the day today. I was under the gun from the minute I walked into the office until the minute I left this evening. I’ll unwind tonight by watching a high school production of The Canterbury Tales , followed up by beer and some great Athens music. That’ll be just the ticket, I think.

Randy’s Epilogue is starting to get noticed. I see that Himself over at The Other Side (the counterpart to Whim & Vinegar) has included it in his daily reads. I’ve always admired Randy’s writing style, and when I bring it up with him, he just says “Aw, shucks.” Or the equivilant, anyway.

If today’s my lucky day, I’ll be told this evening that I’m going to New York City this weekend to possibly appear on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Last night, for the first time, I got through the phone line and answered all the questions correctly. Usually, the last question is very hard ("Put the following four Southeast Asian cities in geographical order from north to south… “), but last night they asked me something I knew ("Put the following four major events in the US banking industry in chronological order… “). So, if the computers pull my name out of their electronic hat, I’ll be called this afternoon and given instructions on how to play another round this evening. And if I’m in the top 25% this evening, then they’ll tell me how to pick up my plane tickets. Or, if the computers don’t select me, then I’ll try again from the beginning ("Put the following four Bangledeshi cricket players in order based on the number of lifetime runs scored from greatest to least… “).

Today’s not my lucky day. I’ll try again tomorrow. But, I did get my laptop back from the shop today, so it wasn’t all lost.

!00% Cheese Taco, a true story by Craig Mitchell. Craig says that another chapter of “She Hates My Futon” will be out in a week or so. If you haven’t ever been by My Boot, go have a look-see.

Well, blow me down! Not only has another weblog sprung up in Athens – chip’s log -- but there a big communal weblog/journal to boot – Year2000Logs. Both were set up by Chip Woods, who is also the publisher of AthensTown, “a weekly online magazine about Athens and the people who live here.” It looks like it’s been here a while, but this is the first I’ve heard of it.

Frontline on PBS this week is titled Apocalypse! The evolution of apocalyptic belief and how it shaped the western world. Of course, the show was very interesting, and as always, they’ve done a bang-up job with their website. While you’re there, be sure to take the antichrist quiz!

Last night was another night where my plans to clean the apartment were tossed aside in favor of fine cinema. The Independant Film Channel (alone worth the extra price for my digital cable service) showed Sirens , and it sucked me in. If you don’t mind a ton of nudity (the film features an artist whose paintings of nude people offends the church, represented by Hugh Grant as a fine vicar), I highly recommend this film. The beauty is outstanding… not just the flesh, but the australian landscape and the artistic imagery also was a treat to the eyes. The dialogue was well written, and the story of the vicar’s wife’s awakening (played by Tara Fitzgerald) held everything together quite well.

Walmart would like to close down a nine-year-old store here in Athens and build a new supercenter just down the road on land that’s presently zoned for residential buildings. Of course, there’s a big fight to stop the move. Walmart’s latest attempt to “reason” with Athens residents is currently featured at the SprawlBusters site.