I’ve been playing Medieval 2: Total War a bit lately. I started with the French this time, which was a bit of an out-there choice for me. I tend to like starting off backed into one area, like Britain, Denmark or Egypt. The French are almost fully surrounded to start out. At this point I’ve taken over all of Western Europe from northern Italy up to just under Denmark, the south of Britain, the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula and Corsica. Nerdy stuff, I know.

American Idol was actually pretty good. Everyone did pretty good. Sanjaya even had a good performance. Performance, I say, because the singing wasn’t good, but at least the kid did it with confidence and looked alive. I’m a bit afraid for Phil and Gina, especially since Sanjaya showed a spark of life. Phil and Gina both did rock (the theme was the British Invasion, but nobody a Beatles song, which was upsetting to me), but with everyone giving such strong vocal performances and Phil being in the bottom three last week, it’s just worrying for him. Gina did Paint It Black, but I kept waiting for her to get, I don’t know, like dirty, guttural with it, but she never did.

Karen Mercer, my mother-in-law, has had some people bothering her off and on for some number about some stuff done by another Karen Mercer some many years ago. They were a bit aggressive yesterday and she’s getting tired of it.

For over a week now I’ve been meaning to congratulate Jon and Denise Green. They had their baby, I think it was last Monday. They named her Kayla Dawn. Dawn was Kim’s middle name. (And Kim was Jon’s sister.)

Zach Dotsey