"FRANKLY, MR. SHANKLY, I'M A TOTAL NERD (FEATURING MIXED UP 11)"

I just got in. I started out tonight at the Field Museum to catch the Tutankhamun Exhibition before it traveled on in a few days, and I am very glad I did. The transition in artwork (going from less-realistic faces and abstraction in sculpture and drawing to more realistic and less-angular) during the era Akhenaten attempted his religious revolution was terribly interesting-- I have seen plenty of Egyptian exhibitions, but never covering pre- to post-revolution design at once. Also, I find the Book of The Dead, shabtis, maat and canopic sort of things extremely cool, so this was right up my alley.

I was surprised to see a couple of men there in NASCAR t-shirts, making loud comments on every piece as they walked through. My favorite comment, made in reference to a tiny 18th dynasty funerary mask for a fetus, found entombed with Tutankhamun, was: "Them look like Amazon shrunken heads!"

(And, with a sigh of relief, I report that the dates were listed as "BCE"... Don't get started. I just think it's the least-alienating method of timekeeping, that's all. And, you know me, I'm all about trying to alienate the least amount of people possible....)

Anyway, Senorita Nerdita that I am, I have a present for you. Right here. An interactive tour?!? See? Who loves you? Me, that's who. Click through and it's like we were all there together. (Seriously, click through. It's really cool.)

So, then on to vegetarian tapas, which was lovely, although this lovely establishment is in a rather Beautiful People neighborhood and I was confronted wih the notion that somehow fur coats are suddenly very chic for very young women. I mean, I think they look ridiculous and sad at any age, but I'm confused as to why I am suddenly seeing them on the early-twneties set...? When did fur get cool again? Sorry to be a rotten snatch here, but how do you afford a floor-length mink when you're twenty, anyhow? Do I even want to know? I thought fur was one of thse things like veal-- plenty of die-hard carnivores still draw the line on veal. Likewise, plenty of leather-wearers draw the line at fur. But, I am wondering that maybe that's all changing. Okay, what celebrity wore fur and got this going again? It's very 1981 cocaine chic with the furs and the big glasses and all. What's next? Permed hair, stripey leotards and grapefruit diets?

Oy.

Wait, wait, there is a bit more.

The other day, running errands with Sparkypoo, we saw, no kidding, a giant blue tricked-out Cadiallac cruising down the street, driven by a guy in a blue jacket with a white-with-black-polks-dots fuzzy collar. I screamed, "Did you see that? That was a fucking pimp! Holy shit! A pimp! Fast forward to this evening, post-tapas, post-fur coat business. Upon leaving the tapas place, I see it. The blue Cadillac! The pimp! He's right there! And, he was pulling a u-turn and heading in the opposite direction. So, I did was any reasonable person would do. I shouted, "Did you see that? That was that fucking pimp! Holy shit! That pimp!" and set out to follow him. Sadly, I lost his trail, but I can now say I have spent a Saturday night looking for a pimp. That's a first. I don't know what my big whopper plan was once I found him, but I just wanted to see him up close, maybe talk to him and see if he's a real pimp or just, um, dresses like one for the fun of it. You never know. You just never know.

And that, folks, brings me to my final order of business. It is, coming in just under the wire, time for another editon of "If It Could Only Still Be Socially Acceptable To Make A Mix Tape, This Is What I Would Put On One This Week" Saturday... I now believe that this month has been one of the busiest I've had in a long time, and what with the blog tour thing happening I short-changed you guys last week and didn't even make a playlist for you. Maybe I'll make this one extra-great to make up for it. I mean, I do after all, have plans to dedicate at least some of it to this mysterious pimp. Surely that counts for something.

1. You Ought To Be With Me/Al Green (for The Pimp)
2. Out of Range/Ani DiFranco
3. P.I.M.P./50 Cent (pronounced "fiddy cent", mmmkay?)
4. Early To Bed/Morphine
5. Hanukkah, oh, Hanukkah/Barenaked Ladies
6. Candle/Sonic Youth
7. Bulletproof/Morcheeba
8. Jubilee/Alison Krause (from the "Paper Clips" soundtrack. Have you seen it? Ohh, I sobbed.)
9. Knee High/French Kicks
10. Pasta/Endorfin
11. Scrabble-Ina/Marie Frank
12. Wandering Star/Portishead
13. Egypt/The Mercury Program
14. Sore Thumb/ Soltero
15. Trains to Brazil/Guillemots