Aye, farr fook's sake, lad.

• After Nameless left for Mexico she and I were able to talk via text-message. Sometimes, she would run out of credit. So I would simply keep texting her, knowing she was listening even if she couldn't text back. It was sort of like dating Terry Schiavo.
  
  
• You know what's a seriously effed-up movie? Pan's Labyrinth. Even the Spanish sounds effed-up.
  
  
• A few days after I returned from vacation, Nameless got robbed. I won't go into detail but it's far scarier than anything I've ever dealt with. (She's OK) Now our sole line of communication until she flies home in a couple of weeks is Google Chat. I say this now because we happened to be online at the same time today, and I think I got her OK. I think.
  
  
• Nearly two years ago, days before Karen Warrior-Chieftain flew back to Africa, she asked if I was comfortable taking an assignment among so many wealthy retirees and Republicans. Well, KWC makes her triumphant return to the U.S. from Kenya this week, the same week the state's GOP convention takes place in one of the cities I cover. Coincidence? You decide.
  
  
• This Michael Vick thing is getting out of hand. Somewhere, Kobe Bryant is having a good laugh. Also, I think I hate PETA. They broke my obnoxious scale.
  
  
• Here's news that may put KWC on a plane back to Kenya: The GOP has asked me to join a panel discussion on media issues this weekend. I almost fell out of my chair when I got the email. They're asking "leading journalists" to talk about what's newsworthy to them, how they go about presenting the news, and how political parties can more effectively communicate to the media. Somebody didn't do their homework!
  
  
• (I was probably just asked cause I've been making standard beat calls for convention updates.)
  
  
• "Mom? Dad? The good news is I've asked to be a panelist at a convention..."
  
  
• First off, my bosses say "they're not opposed" but they haven't even given the official OK yet to participate either. They're dragging their feet, and it's probably cause they're as surprised as I am. So I don't even know if I'll be able to participate.
  
  
• But if I do get to attend ... anyone have any ideas?
  
  
• The gubernator rolls into town on Friday, and I'm covering that, too. So it's turning into a crazy fricking week. I'm dubbing it Operation: Don't Fuck Up.