5112, 
2027, 3185, 3124, 
5135Friday June 29 don't take my kodachrome away
MEtRoday: 5112, 2027, 3185, 3124, 5135
I wanted to drop by the Apple Store in P-Citty after work, to check out the carnage and riots that the iPhone's release would cause. I wasn't planning on buying one, unforch, but I wanted to see one even if it was over the shoulder of a four-deep mob. I figured I'd never have the opportunity to play with a floor model (at least today), but still wanted to go and see. But in true H8ST8 style, the faschist security guards keeping order in front of the store said "No Pictures!" as I tried to snap the window display. Please. So fuggit, I'm not waiting in this line, I'm going home. See ya next week, iPhone. For actual iPhone waiting-in-line commentary, check our Mr. Scott's new cheesy blog, where he documents his 8-gig purch, complete with photos from inside and outside the store. Ah, the personal freedoms of California...
Ironically, now that everyone has a camera in their phone that they carry with them everywhere, public picture taking freedoms are eroding. There are already certain Metro stops at DC where it is illegal to take photographs, and New York is even considering making it illegal to take pictures anywhere in public, or even to film video or use a tripod for more than ten minutes. It also prohibites parties of more than two people shooting pictures together for more than a 30 minute period. This includes tourist attractions such as the rooftop of the Empire State Building and, remarkably, city sidewalks since they are city property. So you can forget about taking the kids down to Ground Zero this summer, better to just stay home and take private pictures of the kids texting or working on their MySpace pages.
Thursday June 28 red carpet massacre
MEtRoday: Wednesday 3070, 3024, 3091, 5090;
Thursday 5100, 4004, 3090, 1283
Duran
Duran have announced the name for their due-in-October 12th studio-recorded
album: Red
Carpet Massacre. From the press release:
Duran Duran gear up for the Red Carpet Massacre.
After a successful trip to New York to work on some final mixes for their upcoming release, Red Carpet Massacre, the members of Duran Duran have returned to the UK to put the finishing touches on the album. Having debuted some tracks last week at both a special show at the Hammerstein Ballroom for their Fan Community, and a listening party for the media, band members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor were thrilled with the results. Feedback from those in attendance teemed with excitement for the CD, coming this Fall on Epic Records.
The band have recorded Red Carpet Massacre over the past year, starting in New York City last September with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland at The Mahattan Centre and then in the UK with producer Nate 'Danja' Hills and mixer-engineer Jimmy Douglass.
Some
track titles include:
- Nite Runner (co-written with featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) <--performed
live and studio track played at Hammerstein show
- Skin Divers (featuring Timbaland) <--studio
track played at Hammerstein show
- Red Carpet Massacre <--studio
track played at Hammerstein show
- Box Full o' Honey <--studio
track played at Hammerstein show
- Last Man Standing
- The Valley <--studio
track played at Hammerstein show
- Falling Down (co-written with Justin Timberlake)
The band, who are set to perform at both The Princess Diana Tribute (July 1) and the Live Earth Concert (July 7) at Wembley Stadium, were joined in the studio by touring musician Dom Brown on guitar.
Tuesday June 26 s(#)_p/<penis>a@m
MEtRoday: 5018, 1194, 4015, 1056, 3054
I have found my own email address and apparently enjoy sending spam email to myself. Or some phishing scam has. It's hard to tell sometimes.
Below are the titles of some of the interesting emails I've sent to me, myself or I, trying to tempt myself with some super-interesting offers and products. Apparently I have some punctuation issues. And a pottymouth.
Best prices and offers
[pens bags watches] Luxury gifts for both sexes!
EffE=CT|VE WAY OF TR(EA)T***MENT#
MEN S(AT|6SFACTION) 100%!!
BE$T $P$R$I$C$ES$ for M<ED>S
YOUR :C:O;C:K; HARD @S <STONE>
Need more 6eks?
Need gift for friends or girlfriend? Look here:
<CI@L|6] IS A REA\ <HE\P!>
With Penis Enlarge Patch you can catch fish with your penis.
TRY @ NE# PRODUC!
YOU"RE N^iGHT CH@AMP(ION)?
Give that penis of yours fabulous look with Penis Enlarge Patch.
Blister on your dick after different enlarging procedures might be possible,
but Penis Enlarge Patch is a vague exception.
100% effective male enhancement
Penis Enlarge Patch will make you real horny and confident.
Sexual energy booster
If you don't know how to allure the women - Penis Enlarge Patch knows.
Key to maximum masculinity
Try Penis Enlarge Patch and even a horse will be jealous of your penis.
Multi-action male formula
Proven male enhancer!
Effective sexual enhancement
Breakthrough in male enhancement!
Key to maximum masculinity
Brand name virility enhancers
Don't miss the best deal!
For real men only!
With Penis Enlarge Patch you will have what to grab in your hand.
Your penis is no thicker than a toothbrush. Gain some girth with Penis Enlarge
Patch.
Now you can always fight back with your penis.
Luxury trademarks
With Penis Enlarge Patch you won't stammer anymore when asked about your size.
Make ED surrender once and for all!
Hey bro, nice talking to you the other day
Add a PLUS to your penis size with Penis Enlarge Patch.
Tips for a real macho
Medical info for men over 30
MEtRoday: 1052, 5136, 3025, 5066
Today would have been my Mother's 70th birthday. So I called my Dad to see how he was holding up. He was a little shaky, as to be expected, and of course we talked about Mom. I told Dad that it was a blessing for Mom to go when she did, that way she didn't have to face the really horrible parts of this disease: not being able to move or communicate while being mentally awake yet still trapped in a lifeless, immobile body. I think that would be the worst for anybody and I felt she had already been through enough pain and anguish. My Dad agreed, and I hope that comforted him some. Wednesday is his 71st birthday, and he'll spend that with my middle brother and his family. Being with the grandkids always thrills my Dad so there's probably no other place he should be on that day.
And as we were hanging up the phone, for the first time that I can remember, my Dad said to me "I love you."
Saturday June 23 on their way back from the fire
MEtRoday: none
There's more obvious retreading from Duran Duran, as
they post not one, but two, messages along with acknowledgements of the
errors made during Sunday's Hammerstein show. Messages posted from the entire
band to the fan site are:
Lights-(cell phone) Camera-Action!
We just wanted to take a minute to thank you all for coming to our show at
the Hammerstein Ballroom last Sunday night. While it was memorable for
a lot of reasons, some of which you’ve pointed out to us in person,
we had a fantastic time and hope you all did as well.
In many ways Sunday night was the close of something old as well as the beginning
of something new. We’re so excited to introduce the new music to you,
some of which you heard at the event, and if the emails we’ve been getting
are any indication, you like what you’ve heard so far and we couldn’t
be happier.
For us it was an unforgettable night, full of fun and surprises accompanied
by a few technical mishaps and a tremendous outpouring of support from our
very loyal fans.
We know we’re lucky to have you.
Thank you to everyone who traveled by car, airplane, train, bicycle, motorcycle,
foot and spaceship to our concert in NYC. We promise, we will see you all very
soon.
With love,
Simon, John, Nick & Roger
And then from the Controller himself, who already declared that this was the worst gig they had ever played:
Dearest all who attended the Hammerstein show,
What glorious fun to see you gathered in a room together. This was the beginning
of our next chapter, the NY event was a celebration, we wanted you to be
the first to hear some new tracks and of course to witness the premiere
live performance of Nite Runner.
We all felt there was a great energy in the room, and aside from a few technical
problems we enjoyed the show immensely, it was truly a very special occasion
for us.
When we see you next time, the first song from the album will have been released
and we will have integrated more new material into the live show. The train
has already left the station, as ever we have no idea what the destination
will be, but we are happy to be on this journey with you.
Thanks again for being there.
Nick
xxxx
Friday June 22 obligatory, yet warranted
MEtRoday: 2035, 4014, 3071, 1274
Can you believe I've gone on this long and haven't mentioned Apple's iPhone? Wonders never cease I guess. Of course I'd snatch one of these up next Friday as they are unveiled, if only I had an extra $600 lying around, and also needed a new phone (which I don't) and a new iPod (which I don't). Today Apple posted a visual owner's manual, which shows the device running its paces and demonstrates how slick and sweet this latest Apple offering is. The video demonstrates how this phone really is a mini-computer, proving that Apple is producing devices that bring the future a little closer. Watch the video here.
Thursday June 21 gotham travel timetables (and a little acknowledgement from simon)
MEtRoday: 4010,
3199,
1291,
1272
6:43 wake up
7:35 get out of bed
8:21 stop fiddling on computer, get in shower
9:04 leave Jump Street
9:58 buy coffee
10:14 bus arrives
11:07 bus departs DC
12:54 enter Delaware
1:05 arrive at rest area
1:22 depart rest area
1:35 crossing Delaware River bridge
2:13 passing Camden/Philly
2:46 "Delays Ahead Be Prepared to Stop"
3:12 Turnpike splits
3:25 passing exits for lower Staten Island
3:37 Manhattan sighted
3:58 entering Lincoln Tunnel
4:02 Manhattan
---
2:01 depart Manhattan
2:50 traffic on 95
3:40 responding to an email from Ziska
3:53 pulling into Clara Barton Rest Stop for 15 mins
4:14 leaving Clara Barton Rest Stop
4:21 crossing Delaware Memorial Bridge
5:10 24 miles north of Baltimore
5:33 Balmer Tunnel, hon.
5:58 stopped on BW Parkway
6:11 crossing into DC
6:26 arrival
---
Simon le Bon reveals that Sunday's show was "a little sloppy in parts" and "a bit of a motorway pileup"; hopefully this will appease some fans who are rambling on the fan club's forums. I only wished that when they did fuck up, they scratch the song, make a joke and play the song over again. He also reveals the album will drop in October, and that the first single is spelled Nite-Runner not Night Runner. This is confirmed on the official setlist, but without the hyphen.
Two bootleg tracks from Sunday's show, studio track Box Full of Honey, and a live version of Nite Runner can be downloaded from Klaus' site, here.
This is the view of Ma'ha'a' from Hoboken:
Wednesday June 20 she said she liked the ocean
MEtRoday: 3173, 1195, 5010
Life is full of different types of changes, some of them are ups and some of them are downs. My co-worker and good friend, Kristin, is leaving this weekend on a one-way cross-country adventure, uprooting her pup's paws and planting them firmly in California soil.
After work I went to her overflowing-with-cardboard abode to hang out and have one last face-to-face with her before she left. We had some beers, ordered a pizza, talked about old times and new times.
She and Tamera, her Single Tease partner, will be blogging on their way West, fully equipped with a Fabio-supplied GPS phone to track their progress. That sounds very similar to how my li'l blogging addiction got started... While I don't anticipate this trip being as wacky as the infamous Nobody's Angels 2001 Tour, the Single Tease Gal's antics can be tracked here.
MEtRoday: 1282, 5094, 3052, 3060, 
1163, 3115
Single. Sakana. Sushi. Sake. Sapporo.
Monday June 18 it could be the atmosphere sinking
MEtRoday: none
In Steve Malins' 2005 Duran Duran biography "Notorious", Nick Rhodes is quoted saying "There are things like Save A Prayer that I can play in the middle of World War III with my eyes shut". After last night's disasterous concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom, I only wish Simon had the same confidence and memory-recognition of his own songs. The first forgotten lyrics happened about a minute into the opening number, during the first verse of Planet Earth. How many years have you been singing this song now Simon, like 27? Then missing his intro cue to the Some Like It Hot/My Own Way medley, he turns to John Taylor, who's trying to coach him through it (with little success) so Simon waits until the chorus to dive in. Mercy. It was so bad that before playing the fan-nominated song, Lonely In Your Nightmare, he blurts out "Let's hope I can remember the lyrics to it."
Simon, John, Nick and Roger were very fortunate that this was a fan-only show, because the mistakes did not stop with forgotten lyrics. During Sunrise the backing vocal track for the chorus was two lines ahead/behind what everyone else was playing. Amidst obvious signs of distress from Nick and Roger, John and session guitarist Dom Brown jammed long after the song would have normally finished in order to let the backing track play out, after Simon mouthed the words "Follow Roger", which was good advice. Roger's beats were intense and on point throughout the entire set.
Before the show began, the four members appeared on stage and said "We've got a message for you. We thought that because tonight is a very special occasion, and you are very very special people to us, and we've spent such a long time in the studio making a whole new album that you might like to hear a few new tracks. And that's it, we'll see you later." And with that, they walked off the stage and played five studio tracks over the sound system, including Night Runner, which is rumored to be the lead-off single. All the songs were very clubby and sounded really good and fun to catch a groove to. They also played Night Runner live during the encore. Here's the setlist for the show:
Planet Earth
Hungry Like The Wolf
A View To A Kill
Some Like It Hot/My Own Way
Come Undone
Lonely In Your Nightmare
The Reflex
Save A Prayer
Ordinary World
Girls On Film
Serious/Nice
Union Of The Snake
The Wild Boys
Sunrise
---
Night Runner
Rio
When coming out to play the encore, John took the mic and said "Backstage Nick just said this was the worst gig we've ever played!" Which didn't really matter to me or any of the other people there, we were just wanting a fun time, which Duran always delivers.
Since I was only in NYC for a short 22 hours, sightseeing and other events were minimal or non-existent, but I did meet Andrea before the show for some beers, and then managed to catch a midnight city bus to Hoboken, where I was staying with Andrea & David. A pub across the street from their place, the Madison, was still open and playing M's Pop Muzik when I walked in, so I grabbed a couple of beers as nightcaps before turning in. The next day I had about thirty minutes before I had to catch my DC bus but I was able to have a Diet Coke Lunch with the Chipster. And then back on the (mercifully) half-empty super-air-conditioned bus. To top that off, Melba treated me to La Lomita when I got home!
MEtRoday: 5086
Today I am traveling to NYC to a private Duran Duran concert.
From the press release:
From rehearsing in London to preparing for a trip to New York, Duran Duran are gearing up for their ONLY US appearance on June 17th at The Hammerstein Ballroom. Coming over from the UK, where the band members have been finishing up final mixes for their upcoming CD and rehearsing for their NY show, the band can’t wait to finally get in front of an audience. With the performance of a song voted on by their fans, and perhaps a new tune or two thrown in the mix, Duran Duran’s upcoming concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom will definitely be a one of a kind event.
"I'm getting ready for the summer shows and at the top of my list is the concert in New York City. We are all really looking forward to it. A couple of weeks ago we asked you, the fans, to choose a song for us to play at the show. We have the results, and you'll have to be there to hear what it is—that's a surprise for all of you. See you on June 17th."—Simon Le Bon
"We're all very excited to get back to the stage after being in the studio for so long! I can't think of a better place to come back to than New York City and a private fan show. Get ready for a great night, it's gonna be a party!"—John Taylor
Informal poll results from futurejunkie readers to which song DD will play is a tie between "My Own Way" and "The Seventh Stranger". I'd be happier with either of these.
While trying to make this day trip on the cheap, Ziska's friends Andrea and her husband David said I could crash at their pad in Hoboken. Ain't that nice? I first met A&D a few years ago when Ziska was in town, I guess that was 2005, and then when I rendezvous'd with Ziska and Kilian this past February we met up and went out with Andrea a few times (David was out of town). It's so nice of them to offer me a place to stay!
MEtRoday: none
Wow, here I am. Talking about about the validation I felt about blogging and sharing for the past year, and how therapeutic it was to write about Hum's death, and now I'm fumbling for words about my Mother's passing. It seemed I was pretty brave before, but maybe not now.
She passed away on Monday, at 6:45 pm. She was released from her ALS peacefully and, thankfully, pain-free. Many, many family members were there for her passing, and I'm glad for that. We all had an opportunity to say goodbye to her, tell her we loved her, and whisper in her ear those things that one whispers in another's ear during times like this.
One thing that I will share is that I'm glad she leapfrogged some of the end stages of this horrible disease. She did not make it to the point where she was completely incapacitated, not being able to speak to tell she was in pain or wanting to desperately contribute to a conversation but not being able to. I think this would be absolute horror, to not be able to tell someone to scratch my nose, adjust my foot, or please turn the tv up a little. To me, this would drive me crazy within my own head.
We held services Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon. Her interment will be July 2 in Arlington National Cemetery. During the Thursday service, my Uncle Landon said "When me and Joetta were growing up, she was always the peacemaker." My Aunt Darlene said "For the longest time Joetta didn't have any grandbabies. I told her she could treat my girls like her grandbabies, and she did. They are her grandbabies, too." And my cousin Deidre said "When my kids were young, every school year Jo would go out and buy them all schools supplies. This continued until they were through with high school. I'll never forget that."
Now I have to be sure that my Dad is okay. He's still choked up whenever talking about Mom, and I'm sure that will subside, but right now he's stil fragile. Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts, being married 51 years on June 2 this year.
Rest in peace, Mom, this menial post doesn't begin to show how much you'll be missed.
Joetta Collins Hooker
1937–2007
Donations to our local ALS chapter can be made here.
Friday June 08 prayer/burn/snap/dance
MEtRoday: 2065, 1189
I've got to run, my mother has taken a severe turn for the worse with her ALS. I'll be going down tonight to stay the weekend, then I'm back up on Sunday to pack for the rest of the week, including a Twin™, then Goldy's going to give me a ride back down to drop me off on Monday morning. Please say some prayers, burn some incense, snap a rubberband, do a dance or whatever your religion calls for to send good thoughts and wishes for my family.
MEtRoday: 1003,
3029,
3076, 3069
It was around this time last year that I was preparing for my trip to Munich. Ziska had invited me for so many years and for one reason or another I was unable to make it. But last year, 2006, Ziska and Kilian were getting married so enough of the excuse-making, I just had to get the damn ticket and go. And I'm so glad I did.
But in the process, Fab5Fabio sparked in me the notion that I could send text blogs from my phone while I was there, updating the folks at home at all our shenanigans. Being the technical/guru/nut that he is, he totally hooked it up where all I would have to do is send an email to a special account and it would automatically post an update to my site. We hit a couple of technical snags along the way, and deciding that I didn't want to be lugging my phone around, that I'd rather carry my camera, instead (ensuring that Ziska had Dreamweaver) I loaded up the html files to my iPod and got on the plane; I'd just work out the html manually and update from Bavaria.
It's funny to me now looking at my first few posts in Europe verses the last ones, and seeing how towards the end I really started elaborating on our daily events and including many more pix to help share what we were doing and how much fun we were having. I remember everyone would go to sleep and I'd stay up for an hour or two, writing and selecting the day's images, drinking a Munich beer or two with a big smile on my face, recounting the day's events. Then I'd fall out, getting less sleep than everyone. I'd wake up exhausted, but happy in the fact that I'd fully cataloged the previous day's history.
When I returned to America of course there were the requisite post-Euro posts, reminiscing about cars or food or culture, but I found that I kept making blog posts. And then I started cataloging Metro train car numbers. Then I tracked progress with my friends, both frivolous and serious. And it was still all kind of a silly game, knowing that only a select crowd was reading the often mundane activities I was writing about.
And then one of the Twins™, Hum, passed away on November 5. I was numb and sincerely stopped cold in my tracks, something I was not prepared for. Her passing made my comfortableness of routine that I had for the past 15 years instantly distant. One of the things that helped me make it through was to post about the girls' history and what had happened during the final moments of Hum's last evening. I received so many warm responses from friends and strangers that really made me appreciate this medium of writing. To everyone who left a comment, sent an email, made a phone call or otherwise contacted me, I can't thank each of you enough for your kind words of sympathy and understanding.
As winter rolled around, and I dove further into friend's and stranger's blogs and writings and ramblings, I found myself attending blog birthday parties & barcrawls, making friends whom I've never met, encouraging others to start blogs and finding out that people I already knew also had blogs. It's all so much fun. Also I want to thank everyone for your comments that you've posted. They really make my day.
Today is my one-year blog anniversary, June 7, 2006.
MEtRoday: 3050, 3126, 2044, 3097
I've just noticed new effects in embedded YouTube clips. Check out sassy Curly McDimple's post and clip here. Roll your mouse over the clip while it's playing. See all that new action left and right? And the rollover-magnified bottom previews (which I'm assuming are pointing to related content) are such a rip-off of Apple's Dock in Mac OS X. Are these features new or is it just the first time I've rolled my lazy cursor over a clip while it's playing?
Tuesday June 05 trapped in zoid town
MEtRoday: 3279,
3238,
5007, 5040
Have you seen it yet? The London 2012 Olympic logo? Maybe you have and you know what I'm talking about. Reportedly costing $800,000 (yes, really) it looks like a four-year-old slapped it together using Colorforms. Britons are particularly upset, knowing they're going to have to be inundated with this piece of slop for the next five years:
"There's some truly hideous sights in the world, but the newly revealed London 2012 logo tops them all."
"It is a puerile mess, an artistic flop and a commercial scandal," Stephen Bayley, founder of London's Design Museum, told the Press Association. "It is feeble. It was a wonderful chance to do something magnificent, and it was a waste of resources."
"It's boring and looks like it took a second for a 3 year old to do. It certainly doesn't appeal to children, I mean I'm 16 and dislike it, my brother is 10 and thinks it's plain."
Now, less than 24 hours after it's unveiling it is being said to be causing epileptic seizures. Yeah, that's definitely something you want to broadcast around the world during opening ceremonies.
Design by brand consultants Wolff Olins, who also designed the highly-parodied (Product) Red brand, the London 2012 Olympic logo is supplied in a multitude of Spirograph-pen colors. You can watch Olympic organizer Paul Deighton's yawnfest of an introduction here. People have already taken a Simpsons-based incestual naughty interpretation of it here, and a trippy interpretation is here. I know exactly what Kelly would say if she saw this logo.
MEtRoday: 5058,
3028,
3119, 1213
Yesterday Melba invited me over for some homemade Tacos al Carbon. She was marinating the meat and making the guac; I was in charge of making pico de gallo and bringing the tequila. Making pico de gallo is an easy process: chop, chop, chop, chop, squeeze, mix. It consists of five simple ingredients: tomatoes, onion, cilantro, serano or jalapeño pepper and limes. You can add garlic if you'd like, plus a little salt and pepper never hurt.
Saturday June 02 eastern market update
MEtRoday: none
Remember that thirtysomething episode that started off with the words "nancy is ok"? She was undergoing chemo for cancer, and this set the episode up as six or seven vignettes, having these little titles to announce each one. The same thing happened to me yesterday at Eastern Market. I was going there to pick up some fixins to make pico de gallo, and I definitely wanted to support Calomiris, a vegetable vendor that used to be located inside. They always threw in an extra banana or apple into your bag, which I though was great. I noticed that they had set up outside on weekdays, since I ride by there every day on the way to East-Mark. They appeared to be the only vendor outside trying to keep the business going, during the week and during business hours except for the flower vendor who is always there during the week, even pre-fire.
I guess I hadn't been there, actively there on a weekend, since the fire. I'd ridden through and noticed the street-festival type of vendors who have set up post-fire, and maybe that kept me away. But I had pico de gallo to make!
So the Calomiris family had everything that I needed, except they were out of white onions (I was late in the day in getting there). And no serranos, but they did have some jalapeños, and those would do. They gave me a free nectarine and a plum. Wondering around to find my white onion, I noticed that the Canales family was also there, selling their sausages and meats from the back of a refrigerated truck! Market Poultry was also there, doing the same. I didn't see the fishmonger or the baker or the cheeseman, but hopefully I just didn't look hard enough and they are there somewhere. Katie Ryann tells me they are installing temporary refrigeration units across the skreet in the Hines lot for the vendors that had businesses inside Eastern Market. I really hope so. But it was nice to see that the "inside" vendors are still there, in business.
Friday June 01 mtm season three
MEtRoday: 3098, 3151, 5029, 4007,
?3270
"Neighbors" are outside in the back of the building enjoying the weather and probably drinking beer and being loud enough to where I am hear them clearly with the windows shut, and it's too early to yell at them out the window (not that I would) or call the cops (not that I would). I'd like to go to sleep but I know they'd keep me awake and all, so I've got to find something to do with my time, and so here's an update on MTM, I know you betches are dying to know.
The opening credits for Mary Tyler Moore Season Three are nearly identical to Season Two. They've added a couple of locations shots, and the blooper shots of Mary and Phyllis from Season Two are replaced with blooper shots of Mary and Rhoda.
But hold on a minute, Mary has a new 'do! Yes, it's much, much shorter, bobbed above the shoulders. Gone is the bouncin-n-behavin Breck Girl and in is the Helmet Head. Much more pro-fessional for Mary, because she's a woman on the move. Moving right on up the corporate ladder, that is. Not only is she the lone girl in the newsroom, but in one episode, almost takes over Lou Grant's job title. But didn't she just blindly start this job two years ago with no experience? Sure! And obviously the writers have been drinking from their own Kool-Aid, because suddenly the shows are brimming with "Women's Lib" and other social movements and catch-phrases. She evens turns down marriage in one episode. Brava!
The writers still get in some zingers in about The Gays though. In one episode Rhoda returns from a date and says "Boy, what a fancy restaurant. Everything that came out was flaming, including the busboy." I guess this might be funny today if Karen from Will & Grace deliverd that line, so maybe it's hard to gauge how it was taken 35 years ago. In another episode, Rhoda goes out on a few dates with Phyllis' brother, much to Phyllis' horror. It turns out that the brother is gay, but the real relief to Phyllis is that he's not going to end up marrying Rhoda. Crisis averted!
Also, Mary's rent is now $152.50, which is a 22% increase from the previous season.
