Can you spare an extra 21 hours?

It's that time of year again, when the BIGGEST STARS come out to hel Jerry's Kids on the MDA Labor Day Telethon! 21 hours of non-stop entertainment, depressing imagery and out-and-out begging!

Where else can you see Jerry Lewis (STILL ALIVE), Ed McMahon, Jann Carl, Tom Bergeron, Norm Crosby, Billy Gilman, Larry King, Tony Orlando and Bob Zany all in one place? But wait, there's MORE! This year's on-air talent includes Celine Dion, Paul Anka, Goo Goo Dolls (STILL ALIVE), Lee Greenwood, Dave Matthews Band, Joshua Bell, Jo Dee Messina, Daddy Yankee, Cheap Trick, Rita Rudner, Neil Patrick Harris, Ray Romano, William Shatner, Donald Trump, Sean Hayes, Lance Burton, Clint Holmes, Louie Anderson (STILL ALIVE), George Wallace, Julie Roberts, Maureen McGovern, George Clinton, Village People, the casts of Phantom of the Opera, Shout, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Color Purple and The Wedding Singer and more!

That's the sound of The Universe conspiring against you.

For our Anniversarry (Three years on Wednesday!), I bought khristle the following computer system from Outpost.com:

IT'S A NIFTY-KEEN NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM!

It's a good computer... A fine computer! Checked and verified to be a fairly good bargain by not just one but THREE sources who know more about computery-type stuff than I do! It's the exact same computer as what I have, only 500 better (mine is the Compaq SR1300, this new one is the SR1800). I was right and justly proud of myself as I hit the "Confirm Order" button.

Then, exactly THREE MINUTES after the order had been placed, CompUSA sent me an ad for the following system:

IT'S THE SAME SYSTEM, ONLY NEWER AND CHEAPER AND FREE SHIPPING!!!

It's 110 better than her 1800! It's a 1910! It's got a slightly larger hard drive!

But on the down side, it would have required $170 worth of Rebates. And we HATE rebates. So we really did get the system we wanted and everything, but it was just the whole TIMING of the thing that left me feeling violated. And really, isn't that what an Anniversarry should be about :)

Guess there's no hope of a sequel NOW...

Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin is dead!

After all the cliche'ed jokes and skits about how he would someday get killed by one of those critters he liked to antagonize, it looks like it all became prophetically true. What a way to go.