This N That

I've been a neglectful blogger lately, mostly because I've been immersing myself in studying up for a few larger projects. But there were a few very random things I've been meaning to say. So here goes:

1. Brendan Buhler rocks. I've been meaning to say this for quite a long time now. Buhler is a staffer at the Las Vegas Sun and he almost always, consistently makes me at least smile, if not laugh out loud. In a newspaper largely devoted to a diet of in-depth pieces on politics, health, education and science, it is a relief sometimes when Buhler does one of his trademark pieces about battling with his swamp cooler, beard-trimming mania or resale graves. Sometimes he does odd topics that I also notice but would have no place to write about, such as his effort to debunk a recent ad campaign claiming to cool a house on a hair dryer's power usage. There's substance and an engaging point of view behind his writing and reporting, which is why it's not just clowning around stuff. And no, I'm NOT just saying this because this week I got to be the target of his shaming for my incorrect O.J. predictions on the Papa Joe Chevalier show. I've been tearing out a stack of Buhler pieces to mention here for months now. But, yes, it is an honor to be embarrassed by a pro.

2. A few more good things. Check out Benjamin Spillman's R-J piece on the conflict at Forum Shops over where patrons of the Poetry nightclub should be lined up. Also from Sunday, Corey Levitan did a terrific job going through the history and current circumstances of nine Old Vegas structures that somehow have averted wrecking balls. Liz Benston at the Sun had a really interesting report about how South Point has avoided laying off workers that I found refreshing amid the sea of economic-news misery we're all drowning in.

3. A few less good things. I really, really wish the R-J would stop John Przybys from doing his Entertainment Weekly knockoff feature on Sundays because, as you can see, it's unoriginal AND usually not terribly funny. (I probably shouldn't say that today because, as I recall from my days at the R-J, Przybys and I share today as our birthday, but that's how I feel. Happy birthday, though, John.) And I'm really sorry to hear that Jane Ann Morrison broke her inlay on a caramel that she says brings her, uh, "soulful satisfaction," (?!?) but wasn't she just last month moralizing about not wasting precious time and space on meaningless stories of little importance? Just sayin'. Now, Brendan Buhler might've turned that costly misfortune into something funny and socially relevant.

4. And Now, A Total Non-Sequitur. I was catching up on newspaper reading the other day and came across this question by a Dick Case of Petroleum, W. Va., asking if there are other kinds of ketchup besides the red tomato-based variety. I had no idea. Could make a good column for Jane, actually.