Thoughts for the day: Does waterboarding a terrorist more than 100 times mean he gave so much good, reliable and critical information each time that the interrogators (or torturers) had to keep trying for more, or did they just keep trying and trying to get a little bit of good, reliable and critical information...but kept failing? Didn't Jack Bauer get what he needed to save the world by breaking knuckles once? The whole CIA memo deal has legs and will be a huge challenge for Obama. Gets to the heart of our worst fears and highest values.

Upper of the day: Getting second row seats for a Wilco theater concert -- as I did this morning -- is just too damn exciting.

Downer of the day: Trying to make a new computer peripheral work the way it should, "seamlessly" to use the overused phrase.

Word of the day: anodyne (see my haphazard intro).

Reading: Malcolm Gladwell. So what if he's overexposed? Like Michael Chabon, wish I looked like him and wrote like him...and I'm not the kind of guy who tends to be envious. Which brings me to the excitement of learning that the first film adaptation of a Chabon novel will be Mysteries of Pittsburgh, coming out soon. A first novel I enjoyed much.

Video of the day: Cincinnati's own Swarthy Band doing "Take This Apology" recorded at my fave local radio station, WNKU (89.7 FM):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKjgWgshbno

Their studio version worth the listen. Boys need to work up some vocal harmonies. Love the fact they cite The Who and The Kinks as influences. Throw in XTC, even if they don't realize it. I'm a sucker for power pop. Which reminds me of the all-time great LP title: Jesus of Cool. Nick Lowe, we love ya.

Woman of the day (other than my wife): Irene Jacob, French actress. Google her. See her early films. She's radiant even in her later American B-movies.

I will add these from time to time because I love women and love appreciating ones who deserve more appreciation.