TEXAS MONTHLY editor Evan Smith, as I mentioned earlier, appears regularly on KLRU, Austin's PBS franchise, with his own interview show. Evidently he'd designed his questions so as to avoid shedding new light on blogging or on Ana Marie; everyone in attendance already pretty much knew the answers to the questions he asked her. In short, he was there to waste our time. She was articulate, as I'd expected she would be, but spoke really, really fast; so fast that I thought maybe she was just nervous. Evan Smith was in a rush himself, for that matter. In a way she reminded me a little of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, another articulate, seemingly ill-at-ease fast-talker, whom Wonkette dissed succinctly early in the interview. She admitted to having voted for Nader in 2000. Responding to a chorus of groans from the audience, she added defensively, "I voted in Washington, DC! A vote for Nader there didn't mean a thing!" (I'm paraphrasing) I asked one of the last two questions so I could get her to turn around in her chair and look in my direction for a change. She listened very closely to me with a big smile; and except for Evan Smith's immediate recap of my question so the rest of the assembled could hear my brilliant query--during which she momentarily turned away from me--she looked right into my lovesick eyes and answered me. I'm so glad I hadn't spoiled the moment with some useless and crippling question about blogging. UPDATE: This photo is the first of mine to reach 1000 views (1/9/06) and no one's ever made a comment. Why this photo? I have no fucking idea.

My gift to my coworkers in the franchise department: handmade magnet sets with the company logo and dogs from our marketing material (including the owner's Boston). Everyone loved them! I was a little worried. These are leftovers without the magnets.