Today let's talk about domain names. You know, those silly little web addresses that tell you where you are in cyberspace.

Saturday, I spent the better part of the morning searching for the domain name "churchchick.com". I have a lovely idea for an amusing Church Chick site for hip, happening churchy gals who don't fit into the Church Lady mold.

I searched churchchick.com/net/org, jesuschick.com/net/org, talesofachurchchick.com/net/org, even churchchicksrus.com/net/org. It appeared that someone was working on a church chick project and snapped up every possible variation on the name. The one that was available, strangely enough, was churchchicks.net. OK, not really what I wanted but this isn't a major commercial project here, so I took it.

Today, I noticed that my www.churchchicks.net isn't yet activated, so I did a domain search just for kicks, and all of the above are listed as available, including my www.churchchicks.net.

I know that new domain names can take up to 72 hours to activate, so I'm not worried, but I'm seriously bummed if all of those are available. I wanted to be churchchick.com.

The other thing that's a bit of a pain is that I now have to remember to renew the domain name. I got a newsletter from Shelley Hussey of the Shameless Husseys fame who said her domain name expired and now she can't renew it for less than $200. So her entire ministry on the web is messed up because she didn't renew her name in time. Never mind that her web address is her own name. Who else would want that?

I can't remember to feed the dog every day, and now I have to remember to renew two cyberspace addresses or lose them to someone else. In addition, I have to remember to balance the checkbook, pay the mortgage (shoot, what day is this?), and color my gray roots.

And my husband wonders why I am constantly writing notes on my hand. I'm always forgetting where I put the paper lists.

BACKSTAGE PASS: new posting
Check out Rochester's own LastPageFirst

I am officially a member of the Major League Baseball pressbox. That means I can use my secret code and get into the press information in preparation for pending trip to sunny Florida to write about spring training.

Fortunately, mlb.com offers a section explaining the umpires hand signals and other baseball rules and regs. Which is good, because while I absolutely love baseball, I know almost nothing about the ins and outs of the games. No player stats. No idea whose contract is worth what.

My husband seems to think that's a good thing, that when I get a chance to chat with a player it will be a refreshing diversion from the usual questions about contracts, season prediction, trades, etc. Of course, it's quite possible I'll look the imposter that I feel like I am. But my goal is to conduct interviews so that I can write player profiles for a Christian newspaper, not hash out the A-Rod/Yankees deal or wax poetic about Jeter's fall from the sex symbol throne (or at least his having to share it with his buddy).

Florida Grapefruit League, here I come!

----------------------------------------

I was fairly certain that Jack didn't like me. I had never met the man, but his letter made it clear that he and I were on very different sides of the Christian divide. Now I find out that the divide was exactly what God wanted at the time.

It began about three years ago, when I put an ad in the paper I was working at looking for testimonies of Christian faith - I told readers that I wanted to know how they met Jesus. I got a handful of responses, mostly from people who had written out their testimonies for church newsletters or outreach projects.

But the response I got from a 76 year old man named Jack took me by surprise: Jack didn't want to share his testimony with me until he was sure that we were in agreement on some issues, specifically what my intentions were with the project, and where I stood on the Catholic Church.

The project that I had envisioned was to collect stories of how people came to faith, and to use it as an encouragement to others to show that God really does save people from both the outrageous and the most mundane circumstances.

Because I was accepting submissions from all denominations, Jack didn't feel like he wanted to be a part of the project. I completely understood - it wasn't the first time that I had butted heads with evangelical Christians (which I am) about my take on Catholics. [you can read my editorial on this topic here]

Anyway, the project never really got off the ground, mostly because I learned quickly that most Christians have never thought about their "testimony" (if I had a dollar for every person who says they're a Christian but can't tell me how the began a relationship with Jesus, I'd be a millionaire) and I got distracted by other writing ventures.

But I never forgot about Jack. I've saved his letters all this time, because his stories sounded interesting, and because I was surprised that someone who was evangelical in their faith would not want to share their story.

Today, I was reminded that the project was bigger than me. (There I go, getting humbled by God again. You'd think I would have learned by now that it's not all about me.)

I received a letter from Jack, along with a copy of a letter he had received from the military. Seems that Jack had volunteered to serve in the Army as a chaplain and was denied because of his age. Jack told me that while he didn't participate in my project three years ago, it did open him to what he believes is the leading of the Holy Spirit to journal the story of his life. And even though Jack was denied the chance to serve his country at age 79, I think that the government will benefit much more from having the stories of Jack's service in the military and his faith in Christ written for generations of soldiers yet to come.

So today, my hat goes off to Jack, who reminded me that nothing I ever do is really about me. The testimony project didn't get off the ground for me, because it was probably never about me to begin with.

[editor's note: for some bizarre, computer-techie reason, many of these blogs are showing up completely in italics. While I love the use of italics to separate copy, I'm not a fan of whole blocks of text in italics. So I don't like it but I'm at a loss as to how to fix it, since the italic code is not showing up in the posting ... it's a Twilight Zone kind of thing ...]

"If I start writing now when I'm not really rested it will upset my thinking, which is not good at all. I'll get a fresh start tomorrow, and it's not due 'till Thursday so I'll have all of Wednesday unless something should happen. Why does this always happen? I should be outside playing getting fresh air and sunshine! But I work best under pressure and there'll be lot of pressure if I wait till tomorrow so I should start writing now. But if I start writing now when I'm not really rested it will upset my thinking, which is not good at all."

Charlie Brown, From You're A Good Man Charlie Brown

We've looked at an "off day" in the life of a freelancer; now let's see what a real work day looks like:

8:30 am - woke up when my husband went to work. Decided to sleep in for a few more minutes

9:45 am - got up

9:30 am - 10:00 am - checked email, made a cup of tea, let the dog out, turned on the computer, checked email, sent invoice to paper for articles

10:00 am - 10:15 am - watched Ellen

10:15 am - 11:00 am - showered, cleaned up the kitchen, talked to Cassie, who just found out she has mono, called the dr.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm - watched Starting Over

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm - went to see my husband's grandmother on my way to the credit union

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm - went to the credit union to deposit my dh's check and to the insurance agency to make the car insurance payment

1:00 pm - 3:19 pm - researching current stats for possible article on STDs for young woman's magazine

3:20 pm - 3:22 pm - heard a very loud crash and went outside to find one whole side of the gutter had come crashing down, bringing with it the gutter and huge, extremely heavy ice boulders. Said a prayer of thanks that it missed my car ...

to be continued ...

Quick note: if you're concerned about the violence in The Passion of the Christ, and wonder if it's appropriate to let your kids see, check out the info at TrueLies.com

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE ...
Sometimes, we writers have "off" days - days when we regroup, research, and generally gather up everything we need for upcoming projects. Tuesday was that kind of day ...

8:30 am - woke up when my husband went to work. Decided to sleep in for a few more minutes

9:30 am - got up

9:30 am - 10:00 am - checked email, made a cup of tea, let the dog out, caught the end of Regis and Kelly

10: am - 11:00 am - watched Ellen, brushed my teeth and got dressed during the commercials

11:00 am - 12:00 pm - watched Starting Over, had someone stop by to drop of a CD that I need to do a band bio

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - ran to the grocery store, stopped by church to drop something off, met up with a friend there who gave me a tour of the new building addition, chatted with Amy in the church office

1:00 pm - 1:30 pm - talked on the phone with my editor in FL about my upcoming trip there, discussed story ideas and her son's upcoming bar mitvah, which will be held at Roger Dean Stadium

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm - talked w/my daughter on IM, checked email, did a little web research on story ideas in West Palm Beach

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - read the newspapers, watched General Hospital out of the corner of my eye

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - watched Oprah, looked for something to make for dinner

5:00 pm - 6:30 pmish - at the computer, checking email, chatting w/my daughter & discussing her dr. appt tomorrow, my dh came home and we discussed the cell phone bill and looked at the account online (last month our daughter had 2480 off peak minutes, which was fine because we have unlimited off peak, but so far this month she's logged 650 peak, which is a problem, because we only have 300 peak to share. Who could she talk to for more than 3,000 minutes?)

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - don't really remember what I did, but it involved cooking chicken

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm - watched American Idol (is it just me, or do 9 out of the 10 contestants stink?)

9:00 pm - 9:30 pm - According to Jim (they filmed part of the show in Key West, so I was watching for familiar sights)

9:30 pm - 10:00 pm - answered an email, did some web research about ... something on tv ... can't remember ....

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm - Watched Supermillionaire. If I was on the show, I think I'd have as my phone a friends my Uncle Al, my brother in law Joel, and maybe my husband's friend Rob.

11:00 pm - went to bed and read for hours, some trite and predictable Christian romance novel that I am supposed to review...which I won't because it's just so ridiculous ...

Addendum to my post of Saturday Feb. 21, about the luxury vacation "bargain" at $15,000 a couple. My husband really does think that's a bargain. "For two people to fly to the coast of Africa and stay at a luxury resort for a week?" he asked. "You think that's a lot of money? For people who can afford it, it's a bargain."

Well, I suppose in that context ... no, I think that $15,000 for anything is a lot of money. Just one more reason why my dh and I are proof that opposites attract.

I've been pondering the most professional way to handle the contract from Breakaway Magazine. I had a question about something, and didn't want to write on the contract until I was sure that I understood what it meant. So I set the papers in the center of the table that now serves as my desk and planned to call the office on Monday. Today, I came home from church to find that the cat had thrown up all over the papers, big pieces of green leaves from the spider plant I just set out on my "new desk" in my reorganized office.

Forget the question I had about reprints. How am I going to explain the cat barf to the editor?

I am watching the sun set in Key West, FL. Not a picture, but the actual sun, setting into the horizon. For the past hour, I've been chatting with my friend Karen, who lives in England, and we've been watching the sun set via a live webcam at Mallory Square in Key West.

I'm here in Rochester, snow and wind howling outside my window, Karen 1/2 a world away in England, and we've been commenting on the sun, and the sailboats that cross the camera's path every so often.

The sun has been setting slowly, turning slightly greenish and melting into its own reflection on the water, a pinkish-coral color halo around it. The horizon has become slightly orange, the sky a deepening bluish-purple. The water takes on some golden hues blurring with purple tones as the boats cast ripples across the water. As the sun sinks into the horizon, the water sends up a horizon of bright oranges and reds and pinks, the water dotted with tiny dots of sailboats anchored to take in the display. The sky turns almost white as the sun reflects back up from the water.

And then the sun sets amidst a spectacular array of colors.

Now, I'm going to check out the webcam at the Hog's Breath and see if I can spot my mother- and father-in-law.

Random musings from the headlines of today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and Gannett's USA Today:

- Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of the infamous Rove v. Wade court decision legalizing abortion, is once again being allowed to have her day in court - this time for the other side. Almost 10 years ago, McCorvey joined abortion opponents, and now McCorvey is asking a federal appeals court to reconsider the 1973 US Supreme Court decision. If anyone should have a chance to be heard, its McCorvey. But as we all know, the Roe v. Wade decision wasn't really about McCorvey - she was simply the poster child for abortion proponents. (Remember, she didn't even benefit from that court decision. She gave birth to the child who she then gave up for adoption.)

- In New York State, lawmakers proposed a tax break for residents who are organ donors. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz is hoping to spur more people to become donors and thereby reduce the lengthy waiting lists for those needing transplants. The problem is that using tax dollars to try to influence people's choices eventually penalizes those who would not make the decision for religious reasons - which is ultimately unfair. [By the way - can anyone answer this for me: when the trumpet blows and we're reunited with our bodies and taken up at the second coming, what happens to the parts that have been donated and are fully functioning in someone else's body? To be honest, I really don't care what you do with my body when I'm not living in it anymore, but my only concern would be that if I gave someone my eyes, for example, and the rapture takes place, they'll jump out of their host body to be reunited with me. How helpful is that? Just something to think about.]

- In addition to his other, more sinister activities before he was arrested while hiding like a rodent in a little hole in the ground, Saddam Hussein was busy rebuilding the ancient Babylon, the "Just Ask" column of the D&C reminds us today. I'd heard a long time ago about Hussein's desire to rebuild the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, and today's papers says that workers had "laid more than 60 million sand colored bricks on top of the original bricks". Anyone who remembers the Bible story knows that Nebuchadnezzar paid for his sins by becoming like a wild animal, even eating grass like cattle, until he repented of his ways and turned back to God. (Does anyone else see the irony?)

- In Utah, lawmakers have sent the governor a bill designed to eliminate the firing squad as a legal means of execution, thereby denying killers the right to "go out in a blaze of glory". The governor said she would sign the bill. The fact that the option even exists is just one more reason why Utah is the weirdest state in the Union.

- If you live in Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas or Washington, today may just be your lucky day. The Mega Millions jackpot is up to $230 million dollars. Of course, the chances of you winning are infinitesimal, so I think you should just send me your lottery dollars and gamble on the chance that I'll send them back. The odds are about the same.

- There's lots of fuss about George Steinbrenner's successful bid to make Alex Rodriguez a NY Yankee. For some reason, the rest of the world is bent because the Yankees have enough money to outbid everyone else for the best players. All I can say is that the Yankees now officially outscore the rest of the league in team sex appeal.

- A USA Today story highlighted luxury options for those with bottomless bank accounts, but even those of you who believe anything is possible (like myself) will be floored by this: a recent vacation option at luxurylink.com offered a 7 night package from NY or Boston to Seychelles, with airfare and beachfront spa pool villa, for the wonderfully affordable price of just $15,635 per couple. Oh my, why stay just one week? [For those of you like myself not familiar with Seychelles, it's a a group of islands in Eastern Africa, in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar. Learn more at the CIA's World Factbook website. Does anyone else find a bit odd that the CIA is sharing its information about other countries with the general public?]

- and here's a recap of this week's favorite television shows (not from the newspapers, but from very own personal observations): Melena said goodbye to both Tony (shocker!) and Michael (shocker that it took her so long); Matthew with the Rose Bowl bling was voted through to the next round (despite the fact that Lisa was better); Tammy was fired (finally); Meredith gave Chad the boot (hint: when a guy is in his 30s, unemployed and living with his mother in Buffalo, NY, he doesn't have anything to offer); Angie was the mole (ha ha, I guessed it!); and when the tribe spoke, Rob was sent packing.

Guess where I went today?

I'll give you a hint: I got to watch a river otter do "water ballet" and was stalked by a tropical parrot ... I saw something that looked a lot like a spotted fuzzy blanket only it breathed and purred, and I was growled at by an arctic wolf ... and I saw a three week old baby orangatang and a polar bear born last summer ... and I met some youngsters out with their mom (or maybe the babysitter, because she certainly didn't look old enough to be a mother of 9 and 11 year olds).

Anyway, I'll tell you about it tomorrow ....

PS: Hello Rechele, Veronica, Relissa, and Scotty! In case I don't get to include you in my article, I wanted to let you know that it was very nice meeting you all, and that I enjoyed our adventure in the Bird Room, especially the part when your "mom" and I were almost attacked by birds!!

Matt is taking notes about us in class and it's driving me crazy.

The quiet twenty-something with the big smile usually just sits in his corner, observing us women chat on and on, but today when I looked over he was scribbling in his notebook - just a little jot and then back to watching, another quick notation and he joins the group.

At first I wasn't sure if he was doodling because he was bored (we women can gab on and on) but after catching him out of the corner of my eye several times, I am sure he was taking notes about us.

To be honest, it makes me nervous. What if he's one of those frustrated writers pining to pen the next great American novel, and he decides to write one about the women in his travel writing class? Hmmm? Oh sure, he seems like a nice guy, sitting silently on his corner of the square, but what if he's making notes about how boring we are, and how much we blab, and - this is what I'm most worried about - how crazy he thinks I am? I don't want to end up as some supporting character in some artistic interpretation of women by a man young enough to be my younger brother.

When I was sure that's what he was up to, I leaned across the table and asked, "Are you taking notes about us during class?" He smiled even more and nodded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be doing. "Well, stop it," I said, "because you're making me nervous."

Anyway, if someday Matt writes a great piece of fiction and there's a slightly off kilter, annoying freelance writer with a really big mouth in there, it might be based on me, since I'm giving him lots of material to work with. I just hope he's kind and shares his royalty checks with me.

I am taking the entire day off today. I have nothing on the calendar, and this would be a good day to get some work done, but I am mentally and emotionally drained and instead of floundering trying to get things done, I'm just bagging the whole thing and doing nothing. Well, not nothing. I set a time of 1/2 hour and got some clothes folded and hung up, and got some cupcakes out to Cassie. But I'm not even going to pretend that I can work today. So I'm going to curl up on the couch right now with Dave Barry's Greatest Hits and Erma Bombeck's If You Look Like Your Passport Photo It's Time To Go Home and forget the reviews that need to be done, the files that need organizing, the articles that need working on, the volunteer stuff that needs doing. It'll be there tomorrow.

In Sunday School yesterday, four-year old Spencer finished telling me about his upcoming birthday, and then asked how old I would be on my next birthday.

"You're four right now, right?" I asked. He nodded. "Add a zero after that, and that's how old I'll be."

He thought for a minute and then said in astonishment, "You're going to be 40? You're almost dead, you know?"

Well, I suppose when you put it that way ...

I told him that I hoped that I had a long time to live before I died, to which he replied, "But that would be a good thing, right? Because then you would get to see God."

I thought about that for a minute. Only a child with no worries or ties to life could really grasp that death is not the end, and that, in fact, the best is yet to come.

"I'll see you in heaven," he added, "but you won't know me because I won't look the same."

"Well, the Bible tells us that in heaven, none of us will look the same," I explained, "but it also says that we will all know each other. That's pretty cool, isn't it? No matter when you die, I'll know you when you get to heaven."

He tilted his head and smiled, and said, "Well, I hope you'll know me. Because I'll have a moustace by then."

I have the urge to take a trip.

All the talk in my travel writing class has got me thinking, I guess. Some of these people are serious travelers - they belong to some last minute travel email alert, where they get an email saying they can fly to Venice for the weekend for $200, so they take Friday off from work and go.

I've been surfing the web a bit, thinking maybe I'd find something David and I could do for a weekend inexpensively. If it involved taking a train ride, I'd be psyched. I'd like to hop the Amtrak to Montreal or something. But unless I can find a weekend trip for two for less than $100 (total, not per person), I don't think he'd be up for it.

I wish there was a website where, instead of entering your desired destination, you could enter in how much money you had to spend and you'd be given a list of places you could visit. I suppose with our budget, we'd end up with a weekend at the Motel 6, with tickets to the Jell-O Museum and breakfast at Bob Evans.

Which could be fun, considering the alternatives. David wants to go squirrel hunting tomorrow, which I had to decline (not that I was invited anyway).

So where can you go for under $100 that doesn't involve sleeping on a relative's couch or sitting in a tree stand taking shots at squirrels? [question: if you're going to squirrel hunting, why sit in the woods when you could kill two birds with one stone and shoot the squirrels in the attic?]

I guess I'll just have to fill the bathtub with some Calgon and pretend I'm in the aqua waters of Mexico.

This morning I went to a Project Jericho meeting, which is a monthly gathering of musicians and people involved in the music industry in Rochester.

I wasn't sure what to expect, so I encouraged my friend John to come with me so I wouldn't have to go alone. In fact, I kind of hoped he would back out so that I could back out, which is my standard way of avoiding anything new that requires extreme effort, especially at 10 am on a Saturday morning.

But John was ready to go, so we went.

I'd met Pastor Samme and his wife Jeannie in Nashville during GMA last year, so I was glad that they were at the door. Amazingly, she remembered my name and they both seemed genuinely glad that we were there. Maybe we were the first newcomers in a while; for those in ministry any new face in the crowd is cause for a smile. Or maybe the sun was in their eyes and they thought we were someone else. Or maybe they just were genuinely glad to see us. In any event, Jeannie has a smile that can light up a room, so I'm glad she remembered me.

The rest of the crowd wasn't overly outgoing, but then again, it was Saturday morning. The morning started with some goodies (coffee, tea, donuts and bagels, thank you very much, Project Jericho!), and then some music (instrumental worship with sax, which was cool) and an update on Rockline Magazine, Pastor Samme gave a good message about being discouraged in music ministry, and standing firm. It was educational as well as encouraging, and I was particularly taken with a reference to Charles Spurgeon's lecture on The Ministers Fainting Fits, which I plan to read later. I'm alway psyched when someone in ministry is willing to admit that Christians get tired or depressed. You'd be surprised how many "Christians" are critical if you're not a superhero, or are weak, or heaven forbid human.

After the message, thankfully people were more chatty, and John left with a booking for Golden Street Coffeehouse. We both also talked to the new editor of Rockline about helping out. I already do some tithe writing, but I'd love to get involved with Rockline. The magazine looks top notch - they really spare no expense, and they get some great interviews. But it's always full of typos, which drives me nuts. I'm sure that, being a volunteer ministry, there just aren't enough hours or eyes to go around, and I'd love to help out if only to catch the odd spellings or caps in the middle of sentences. Their goal is to eventually take the magazine national, which should be very feasible - the printed publication is really good quality.

So that's my Saturday morning. I'm going now to chat with a student from Fisher who wants to write a profile piece on me for the student magazine. Ha ha! I told her that there's not much to write about, but she finds me interesting so hopefully I'll give her something she can use.

So this is what I get for complaining about being bored. :)

I just finished up a piece on the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, which releases February 25th, Ash Wednesday (in the Catholic Church?) I have volunteered to help out, but haven't been given an assignment yet.

I just finished the editorial on the Super Bowl & sent it to True Tunes.

Still on the To Do List?

- I have to write a short review of Second Hand Lions.

- I am going to do a piece for True Tunes on The Surfaris, who recorded the famous song, "Wipe Out", a million years ago. The founding member is a Christian, and has taken the band and transformed it into a surf music ministry. Two other founding members are Christians now, but are not in the band. The album is re-released & digitally enhanced. Groovy, man.

- I have to preview an ABC TV movie, Judas, airing on March 8th, and write two articles for two publications.

- I have two band bios to write asap.

- I have a stack of CDs to review. (Trend so far this year? Lots of worship music)

- Just got in a book to review, Welcome to Fred, which really looks funny and I'm looking forward to reading - right after I'm done with my Bill Bryson book. (That's a tough act to follow - I'm laughing out loud reading about the history of Australia ... hope this can equal the enjoyment) In fact, I have 3 other books right now that need to be reviewed as well - but will probably sit in the pile b/c they're boring and trite. I pick them up, read a chapter, fall asleep, wake up, read a sentence, and wonder how many trees had to die to create this literary sleeping pill. [Just for the record, publishers, no more romances! When I tell you I don't review romance, or even read romance, I really mean it. Romance galleys end up being used as scrap paper. Save a tree. Please.]

- I'm working on a committee for a huge outreach event, the Ultimate Challenge. My job is fairly simple: do whatever John needs done, which is actually not as difficult as it might seem. But it's a little time consuming this week. I'm obsessive about making sure that the details are taken care of as soon as possible.

- I got my passport today! Now I can take a trip somewhere...anywhere...where?

- The owner of the paper I write for in FL, The Home Times of West Palm Beach, joked that they might like to have me come down to do a story on Florida Marlins Spring Training, but they can't cover the travel. I think that if it comes down to it, I'd cover the airfare myself and try and sell another story. I'm a Yankees fan, but hey, baseball is baseball, and I loved watching the Marlins win the World Series last year, simply out of love for the game. Would I spring for airfare for the chance to do some interviews? You betcha!

- GMA is coming up. That means a flood of publicist calls, press kits, and more. I'm hoping that I get to meet RJ Helton, who was on the first American Idol. His CD releases on March 23rd.

- And about that Travel Writing class. I love it, and the people in the class are great, but I'm not sure I can keep up with the writing (ironic, isn't it? I'm the writer who doesn't travel, and here I am with travel opportunities and no time to write). I am working on a piece from my trip to Mexico, which if finished will be great - but it's Friday and I've not even begun the edits. Also, I'm going to miss the last class, because of the preview of The Passion of the Christ that our church is sponsoring & I volunteered to help at. Oh well, I guess I'll just do what I can.

I do feel like I've been busy all day every day. I've been getting up at 8:30 every day, working all day (ok, most of the day - gotta take a break for Ellen and Starting Over), cooking dinner a couple of times. But I don't feel like I'm accomplishing as much as I'd like.

In any event, it's either feast or famine in my world! But I got two checks that I've been waiting for, so maybe spring training is going to be feasible after all!

TrueTunes.com published a version of my editorial about the lewd Super Bowl stunt performed by Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.

One other thing: if you're looking for a good movie to rent, check out Second Hand Lions, starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Haley Joel Osment. It's a sweet story about family, adventure and love.

I'm not sure what was more exciting about yesterday's Super Bowl: the fact that the winner was decided in the last 5 seconds of the game, or that Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed a kinky, soft porn dance routine and then professed embarrassment over displaying her bare breast for millions of viewers.

Come on. Does anyone really believe that it was a "costume malfunction", especially considering that it happened as Timberlake belted out the line, "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song"?

This is MTV, we're talking about here, choreographers of the recent Britney/Madonna lip lock that was designed push the envelope of decency. One-upping that little stunt in front of millions by baring Janet Jackson's breast was exactly what CBS should have expected from the network. Instead, CBS is backpeddling by saying that there was no hint of the stunt during rehearsals. Give me a break. The performance Jackson gave before the stunt was a prelude, soft porn with a bubble gum pop veneer.

Hey parents - how do you feel now about plunking down those hard earned dollars for Justin and Janet's CDs? Tweens and teens are being fed a daily diet of soft porn, and parents are supporting it by buying CDs and paying for MTV to be piped into their homes.

I'm glad that the FCC is investigating. I hope they hold MTV, CBS, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Virgin and Jive Records accountable. Parents, make sure you register your disgust over the stunt - that was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to shock, and MTV is proud that viewers jaws were on the floor. It's all about ratings and publicity - and guess what everyone is talking about today?

Here's a great resource for parents: The Parents Television Council. Check out their website - it's full of great resources, and includes a direct link to the FCC, where you can register a complaint about this or other objectionable stuff you see on TV.