and how

The Nation has had a lot of VERY interesting columns about mine safety (as well as safety regulations for the coal industry in general and how it affects so many aspects of every American citizen's life) lately, since the tragedy earlier this year. That's why this poster is bittersweet in its funniness.

Yuck. You know how all these gum manufacturers are coming out with addictive fruity flavors for adults? I have to say that the new cherry Eclipse flavor tastes like ass.

I am psyched today because I was chosen as a "soloist" for the Biber vespers. He chose three sopranos, three altos, three tenors, and two basses. I don't know how many of the "solo" bits will actually be solo, or if I'll be singing with the other two the whole time, but I guess it remains to be seen.

I am considering going to visit my Mo Fo up in Michigan one of these days soon. The drawback? Her haunted house. I'm totally not kidding. We've been discussing some of the occurrences in her boyfriend's house over the past couple of months and there is no question in my mind that they have a ghost or entity. While we were talking the other night, I looked up some bulleted lists of ghostly behavior on the Web. My brother and I have been pretty well-versed in ghost literature since we were kids, but there were a few things I hadn't thought of. One was the "electrical" smell associated with supernatural activity. I've heard of this happening a lot, but it hadn't occurred to me to ask her if she was experiencing weird smells. But she's also been smelling sulfur when things "happen." That's also supposed to be textbook. She and her boyfriend have been seeing black shadows, especially around their swimming pool. Also, her boyfriend saw a whole line of black shadows walking up the staircase a few weeks ago and disappearing into the wall. All this came up when her dog started flipping out without reason a few months ago, and I joked and asked if she had a ghost or something.

She told me about a friend of hers who lived in a Victorian house in Wicker Park about ten years ago. Her friend's boyfriend owned the house and had refurbished it and converted it into about four apartments. They had a beautiful Victorian fireplace and mantelpiece in their living room and one year, they decorated it for Christmas and took a picture of the mantelpiece and the mirror hanging over it. When it was developed, there appeared, clear as day, in the mirror a man from around the 1930s, in full top hat and tails. He was looking directly at the camera. But Mo Fo said that he was out of scale with the rest of the room--he wasn't standing reflected in the mirror or anything. It was like he was actually *in* the mirror. She said she'll never forget that photograph as long as she lives. The picture was in tandem with what the occupants of the building had been experiencing for awhile--unexplained cigar smoke and typical ghost activity (cold spots, etc.).