r.i.p. steve irwin

while the world mourns the loss of the crocodile hunter, i am mourning the loss of my sweet summer. i am also mindful of the loss of three bakery workers in tikrit. their deaths were the most recent logged at iraq body count.

when i just logged on there. they estimate that the minimal number of reported civilian deaths of iraqis is 41,639 and the max is 46,307.

i punked around with shelley and karen this weekend. we concocted some new signature meals and tooled around ann arbor. we ate many peppermint patties and perused many fat fashion and trashy magazines. we also laughed heartily with gusto and joy. it sure was fun to show them around the "city". shelley was indeed here earlier this summer, but everything is better with karen on hand to make wry observations. and karen was here last year when she escorted me across country, but without shelley on hand to make wry observations. and then, karen didn't get to stay and sample zingerman's or by the pound.

both karen and shelley joined me for Mass yesterday morning. and i covered sunday school for another teacher. the lesson was based on the readings about rules. i got to invoke one of my favorite phrases -- "no judgment." and we did some seated twists and opened our heart chakras like butterflies. (these are not code words for anything).

by the way, i may have finally found a yoga studio that is my speed. it's in ypsi in a strip mall, but it seems pretty special. and the color scheme is green and purple with hard wood laminate flooring. so it's going to work out i think. i liked the class that shelley and i attended on friday night. it's also a hot vinyasa studio...not the bad terrible loathsome bikram, but warmed to high 80s. very nice. and there's a vat a china gel in the corner so you can lube up and get all tingly before during and after class. (that's a line for j!s!s!)

in other news...i too am puzzled by the recent rumors of jessica simpson and john mayer. like one of my readers who posted a private note to me off-comments, i thought that he had a brain in his head. i find it even more shocking that she was linked with zach braff. and if i even find out that jason also dated her before or after the divorce from nick, it's all over.

as for the visitors, jasmine enjoyed the company of twig. we learned a lot of about size and scale this weekend. jasmine is clocking in at 145 these days; twig weighs six. there's an image for you. and given all the discussion on-blog about R-I-C-E, i should report that jasmine hasn't been that well and i needed to make her some rice to settle her stomach and to remedy some stools.

speaking of stool, i am so getting use of my eames stool. on friday, the woman staying at our house hosted a party for herself. (it's a long, weird story). at any rate, i pulled out some extra seating from my room so that more could sit fireside on the back porch. the eames stool cupped visitors' bums lovingly.