RIP, Spike Milligan. Really bummed about this.

On receiving an honorary CBE in 1992 from the then heritage secretary, David Mellor, who made the presentation in his office, the visibly frail Milligan had everyone in stitches, quipping: "I can't see the sense in it really. It makes me a Commander of the British Empire. They might as well make me a Commander of Milton Keynes - at least that exists."

The Goon Show was so, so great. But my favourite Spike work is Bad Jelly the Witch. (It seems that it's a local favourite; the only websites I can find to link to it are Kiwi ones.) I used to listen to Bad Jelly religiously on Sunday mornings at 7am - the 1ZB 1080 Club. Doesn't listening to radio kids' shows seem awfully quaint now? Yet that wasn't so long ago - the late 70s. 'You can come and sleep in *my* tree!'

OK. I, as a New Zealander, no longer stake partial claim to Russell Crowe. What a dork.

A truly darling seventies soul song from Can You Dig It? that currently makes me tear up like an idiot: The Winstons, "Color Him Father". How many great love songs to *stepfathers* are there in the world?

I'm trying to avoid marking essays. Can you tell?

Pondering about architecture today. I'm sure this is *everyone's* favourite building, but it's worth looking at the photos of the inside on this site. I want to go back to New York before I leave. I loved it. (Perhaps the prospect of a Costello tour would be a good excuse to waste money on another trip...) Although my favourite *theatre* building, despite the complete and utter swooning gorgeousness of Radio City Music Hall, is still the dear old Civic. It's so grand and mad and silly and magnificent!

Having just been assured via voicemail (thanks, Ben! You're a sweetie) that more than two other people read this, I hereby resolve to be slightly more regular in my updates. Very encouraging. And besides, by posting here I can be assured that no one is going to call me a 'bedwetter' for being a leftie. (Yes, this occurred yesterday. Again, arguing with these people is futile. I must withdraw honourably!)

More on this later too (I have to catch a bus), but: the rodeo is really really *surreal*. Especially when you see ZZ Top. In the Astrodome. To quote them, howhowhowhow.

I have been distracted by an enormous political argument in an obscure corner of the internet, in which Brent and I fought bravely but with futility and were eventually forced to withdraw, ostensibly for being 'rude' (although calling someone's argument 'incredibly stupid' and proving why does not constitute rudeness, in my opinion, even if they *are* a message board administrator). The entire thing has been deeply depressing. Why do I respond? Why? Why? I clearly need my head seen to. Yet I am watching CNN out of the corner of my eye, and there is actually a goddamn *Gallup Poll* on whether the American public think that yes, North Korea is in fact 'evil'. WTF????

I am so frustrated with all these retarded idiots. Who could *possibly* think that the 'axis of evil' speech was a good idea? Or that acting unilaterally without listening to your allies is regrettable but 'necessary', because the 'Euros' never 'do anything'? Or that the United States is merely a 'beacon of freedom and democracy' which has never acted in a hypocritical or aggressively interventionist fashion? Or that the United States is 'saving the world'? (I swear, someone has seriously said all these things to me in the past few days.)

I *must* get out of here. I feel like I'm drowning in idiocy.

For sheer hilarity, I urge you all to see Neil Diamond. At a rodeo, if possible.

Another thing I'm two years late on (story of my life), but The Vagina Monologues deserves an enormous raspberry blown in its direction. Gah! More on this later.

Two of my obsessions handily dovetail somewhere here: You may know this already but I saw in a local Wellington newspaper that they are going to be sound recording for the battles in The Two Towers and Return Of The King at the New Zealand Vs England one day cricket international in Wellington they said it will last about 20 minutes and they want to record yells,screams,stamping..etc sounds like fun. Hopefully we can make it two-nil as well...

Fantastic purse-related thing seen on the Antiques Roadshow the other night - big 1940s alligator handbag with a secret compartment concealing a gas mask. Both chic *and* safety-conscious!

One of the reasons why I'm going back to New Zealand. Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said there was no consumer law that protected a customer from being called an "arrogant bastard". Bwahahahaha!

Hey! Kelley Deal makes handbags! I knew I liked her!

Dan rules too, because he sends me links like this.

You know what's fun? Popbitch. Very UK-centric, occasionally spotty, no archives to speak of, but when there's a good story it *rules*. Ian McCulloch thinking his cock exploded after drunkenly peeing into a still-on condom? Magnificent! Sign up for the weekly newsletter.

And as we know, all gossip is true. :)

Is it really lame to think that a cellphone ring which plays Outkast's 'So Fresh, So Clean' is great?

So be it. I am lame.

Happy Waitangi Day, by the way.

On Friday night we saw the Breeders. They were really great, actually, which surprised me. Their drummer is excellent, and Kelley was wearing a Betty Ford Clinic shirt (ha). They also pulled a pretty big crowd. (One thing I've noticed about Houston: because most 'alt' bands go to New Orleans, Austin, and Dallas if they come down south at all, the crowds here are usually decent-sized and very appreciative. Houstonians are starved for non-roots music!)

Strange occurrences at the show abounded. Firstly, there was a seven foot tall (I am not exaggerating here) African-American guy who was the world's biggest Breeders fan and pogo-ed frenziedly throughout their entire set. Go dude! Secondly, I ended up standing next to *another* woman from New Zealand (what are the odds?) who was kinda alterna-skanky and had clearly taken a vast amount of ecstacy and ended up stripping to a strapless bra and bumping and grinding with, of all people, a creepy and profoundly dorky English professor from U of H. (Because the Breeders' music is so dangerous and sexy. Um...) The nipple-pinching was hilarious. Plus, as if that wasn't enough to look at, a guy got ejected through our emergency exit by the bartender in a loud and dramatic fashion because he was supposedly selling drugs (although he kept trying to get back in, with much yelling and banging). Generally, an extremely entertaining evening!

Alex rules. Well, we knew that, but his recent 'you da man'-ness has to do with his telling me about Brainfreeze, and (as if everyone but me didn't know this already anyway about three years ago - yes, I am old and square), it's *awesome*.