Somerset County 4-H Fair Starts Wednesday, August 13th!

August 13-14-15, 2008
North Branch Park, Milltown Road, Bridgewater, N.J.

What began as a dairy show in a farm field has become one of the marquee events on the Somerset County cultural calendar and the premier free fair in New Jersey...

I have been going to the Somerset County 4-H Fair for over 35 years, since before I was even old enough to be a 4-H Prep Club member. Despite the fact that we live in Morris County, as soon as London was old enough to join last September, I started taking her over to the Prep Club meetings at the Ted Blum 4-H Center in Bridgewater, NJ (Somerset County, about five minutes from the house I grew up in). After London's first year in the Crazy Clovers Prep Club, with Maddie participating as a "tag-along" and planning to join the club in September, our family continues to believe that Somerset County 4-H is the best 4-H experience in the surrounding area.

The Somerset County 4-H Fair, rather than going commercial with rides and games, focuses on the kids and their achievements. Our whole family loves to see the dogs, cows, sheep, rabbits, goats, horses and alpaca. In the chicken tent, there's always an incubator full of eggs with chicks being hatched before your eyes. This year, I'll commit to bringing my new Canon EOS Rebel XSi and sharing lots of animal photos here.

This year's Somerset County 4-H Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever, attracting tens of thousands of visitors with its wholesome mix of arts, entertainment, agriculture, animals, science, food, fellowship and just plain fun.

The 2008 Somerset County, NJ 4-H Fair runs Wednesday, August 13th through Friday, August 15th. 10am-10pm all days. And late in the afternoon of Wednesday, August 13th, you can look for London, Maddie and me in the 4-H Prep Club Cotton Candy Tent!

Men Might Make Passes at Girls in These Glasses...

There's an old saying that "men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses," but after seeing some of the stylish choices of prescription eyeglasses available from ZenniOptical.com starting at only $8, I don't think girls with glasses have to worry. For example, the stylish plastic full-rim frame with sparkling crystals in this picture is only $12.95...you could buy a pair in each of the three available colors to match your outfits without breaking the bank.

You might have seen some positive reports about Zenni Optical on Fox News TV, or heard about them on the radio. The popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program The Clark Howard Show even recommended them. You will find huge selection of frames, with single vision lens, sunsensor (potochromic)lens, tinted sunglasses lens, bifocal lens and progressive lens. The secret to Zenni’s low prices is that they sell only their own manufactured frames direct to the customer, with no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget.



My daughters, London and Maddie, are blessed with their mother's 20/20 vision and are fortunate not to wear glasses. Given the way I've seen kids lose things and break things, I can imagine how sensible it would be to spend less than twenty bucks on each pair of children's glasses to have at least one backup pair on hand. So check out Zenni Optical, and tell 'em Roxy sent you!

Blogiversary Week Continues, with a Pair of Awards: One Beary Sweet, the Other a Little More KickA**

Now you know Roxy loves a celebration, and there always seems to be a reason to raise a glass...though it is still before noon at the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey, so I think I'll wait until my 4 o'clock beer this afternoon to salute SAH Military Wife and SpicyBug for two awards I received during the Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 3rd Blogiversary Celebration Week. Girlfriend SpicyBug has awarded this blog the Beary Best Blogger Award, while SAH Military Wife has awarded me the Kick A** Blogger Award.

I'm going to honor my long-term blogosphere buddies Mariuca, LadyJava, Cindi (Moomette) and newer friends Ferd and Mister Scott (Run-a-bout!) with both of these awards!

The Beary Best Award is given to those people who we want to know we care… just because. The rules are simple. Click on the cute picture and it should take you to NYC Watchdog’s post and the creator of this sweet award.



For the KickA** Award, the rules include passing it on by. . . .
* Choosing 5 other bloggers that you feel are “Kick (Bleep) Bloggers”
* Let ‘em know via : - your post. b) an email c) Twitter d) blog comments. e) e-card
* Link back to both the person who awarded you and also http://www.mammadawg.com
* Visit the Kick (Bleep) Blogger Club HQ, to get codes and sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

So....thank you, thank you, thank you to my readers and the presenters of these two awards, and congratulations to my five lucky recipients!

Windows Vista, So Civilized. Oh Please....Don't Freeze! At Least, Have the Courtesy to Ask My Permission First

While my Sitemeter shows that visitors come here looking for some unusual things every day (like lapdance haircuts and lonely housewives in Morris County, NJ, to name a couple of my faves), my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know that my blog title is not entirely accurate: I'm neither desperate nor a housewife. A former disc jockey and advertising copywriter, I'm a happily married mom-of-two and the owner of a small investment banking business with my husband, Rex. Since we moved in together more than twelve years ago, Rex and I have had a sweet deal in our household: Rex does all the four-star cooking, and I do all the spreadsheets. My official title of President and Chief Operating Officer means nothing around our LizWorld office, as Rex and Brent often refer to me as "Senior Tech"...or "Junior Tech" if I can't bring the server or laptop back to life.

You may have figured out that I'm hopelessly bleeding edge in my technology acquisitions. I had to have the iPhone when it was first released, I relentlessly upgrade my Canon Digital SLRs each year to the latest greatest most megapixels, and I bought an HP notebook pre-loaded with Windows Vista Ultimate (the one that combines business with pleasure) in April 2007, when Vista was only a month or two out of beta testing. If there's a bug to be found or a blue screen of death lurking in the shadows, I've welcomed them into my home and office on a regular basis. And believe me, computers never pick a convenient time to go down. A few years back, our office server crashed within days of my personal/business laptop failure, and we discovered the fancy RAID backup wasn't functioning properly either, supporting the pessimistic theory that bad things come in threes.

On the average night, after I read my girls their bedtime stories, you'll find me snuggled up in bed with Rex fast asleep and my souped-up HP notebook humming away on my lap: writing offering memoranda for our clients using Microsoft Word, manipulating financial spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel and pasting them into the Word document, boiling it all down to a PowerPoint management presentation...and at the same time, posting to one of my many blogs, working with WordPress designer extraorinaire Lisa Sabin-Wilson to put together my new Roxy WordPress MU community, "Getting Wicked" by dropping at least 150 EntreCards with 12 Internet Explorer tabs open (sometimes in my sleep), and trying to leave a comment on one of Lady Java or Mariuca's blogs...if something is going to go wrong, you know it is going to happen in the middle of the night when Smug Robert, our outsourced technology guy, is nowhere to be found. With all those Windows open, I realize that 4GB of RAM is never enough, and my computer is bound to start searching haphazardly for our NYC server and disconnect from our Comcastic Internet service. Oh, please...don't freeze! Or at least, if you do, have the courtesy to ask my permission first!

As you can see from the snapshot at the top of this post, Windows Vista is so civilized...always making sure you really really want to do something foolish before you do it. I've heard and read some complaints about the security features in Windows Vista being "belts and suspenders," but for someone who makes mistakes, I actually appreciate that Windows Vista checks with me before opening up a program that could wipe out my hard drive or start sending out viruses via my e-mail system.

Another nice touch that Microsoft added in July 2008 is Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, complete with a responsive customer service team available at all hours of the day and night to help with Windows Vista issues. It's perfect for small business owners like me. Or rather, small business owners who are perhaps a bit smarter and much less cutting edge than I am...the offer, which will continue through September 30, 2008, is for small business customers who purchase PCs with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate after July 1, 2008.

When you buy a new PC with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate like I did, only do it now through September 30th, 2008, you'll receive free support, compatibility assistance, and one-on-one coaching from Microsoft to help ensure a smooth transition. I may have to buy a big new "Terabyte" PC with Windows Vista to take advantage of this offer and to store all of those 12.2 megapixel photos I've been taking with my cutting edge Canon EOS Rebel XSi...I'm sure I could sneak in a few questions about my existing Windows Vista notebook, like what to do each time my computer shuts down when I step away for 10 minutes and re-installs Vista Service Pack 2 behind my back! I'll let you know if the Windows Vista Business Assurance customer service team is anywhere near as good with spreading the midnight magic as the blogalicious Lady Java.... meanwhile, I'm going to pour another cup of coffee and hope not to spill it...I'm pretty sure not even Windows Vista Business Assurance can get the fuschia shade of Starbucks Raspberry Mocha out of my keyboard.

Update on Dr. Mel Levine: New York Times Article August 5, 2008

Back on April 7, 2008, I posted "Disturbing News About Dr. Mel Levine" when I first learned of the child abuse allegations against the noted pediatrician, learning expert, and founder of All Kinds of Minds. On that day, parents of children who attend Mendham Township Elementary School or Mendham Township Middle School, who had marked our calendars and purchased tickets months in advance for a presentation from Dr. Mel Levine, received a message from our school superintendent that the much anticipated presentation had been cancelled. Parents were advised to check the Mendham Township Schools web site for a complete explanation of the cancellation.

I am sure I was not the only parent who was shocked and devastated to read the statement from Dr. Christine Johnson:

"Please be advised that the presentations for the community on the evening of April 8, 2008 and for the staff during the day on April 9, 2008 by Dr. Mel Levine have been cancelled. We have just learned from published news accounts that Dr. Levine has been accused, in a civil lawsuit, of child abuse. Although the district has no way of knowing whether the allegations are true, the district has decided to cancel the events due to the seriousness and the nature of the charges."

Roxiticus Desperate Housewives followed the story as it unfolded during April, including:

• A YouTube video from WCVB-TV NewsCenter Five (the ABC network affiliate) in Boston, including an interview with Boston lawyer Carmen L. Durso, who is representing the alleged victims;
• An update when "Medic Accused of Abuse Ends Practice" at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine;
• Contact information for the attorneys on both sides of the case in "Equal Time for Mel Levine."

Then Dr. Levine disappeared from the news. Yesterday (August 5, 2008), The New York Times published a lengthy article by Leslie Kaufman entitled Accusations of Sex Abuse Trail Doctor . Because of the litigation, Dr. Levine’s attorneys advised him not to be interviewed for Kaufman's article. Instead, Dr. Levine provided a 14-page autobiography that described his career, his hobbies and his wife of 40 years, Bambi. They have no children.

While you can read the full New York Times article here, I've provided a few key excerpts that provide new information since the story first broke in the Boston Globe back in April:

"The five men who have filed lawsuits against Dr. Levine say they do not know one another, but their charges are similar: During physical examinations, which parents were discouraged from attending, the boys, ages 5 to 13, were asked to strip naked and stay that way for the entire exam. They were then allegedly touched inappropriately. Because of the nature of the accusations, these men have chosen not to disclose their identities to the public. Their names, however, are known to defendants. One plaintiff is in prison, Mr. Durso said, because of a 'serious charge' relating to carrying a firearm.

Since Mr. Durso held a news conference last spring, he says 43 former male patients — or their mothers speaking for them — have also said they were victims of abuse. All were treated at Children’s Hospital or at the University of North Carolina.

Those from North Carolina are represented by Elizabeth Kuniholm, a lawyer working with Mr. Durso. Ms. Kuniholm says four men and the parents of two others told their stories to the North Carolina Medical Board. She does not yet know how many will sue.

One of those men, now 28, agreed to meet with The Times. Because his father and sister are prominent educators who do not want to tangle publicly with Dr. Levine, he asked that his name not be published. He said he was not planning to sue.

The visits with Dr. Levine began when he was 9. His family had moved, and he began struggling in school; his parents worried that he might have a learning disability. Medical records sent to The Times by Ms. Kuniholm confirm that this man was a patient of Dr. Levine for several years, with regular visits and physical exams. In addition, The Times interviewed the father, who took him to many appointments and confirms that Dr. Levine routinely gave his son a physical exam alone in the room.

The young man said he remembered only the first two visits clearly. He recalled a series of tests related to reading and math, given by Dr. Levine’s associates. He said Dr. Levine met with his parents to discuss the results, then sent them to a waiting room while he conducted a physical examination.

'My mom remembers thinking it was unusual that I was there for educational issues and that he would take me into an exam room unattended,' he said. 'But my mom didn’t want to protest because she trusted him.'

In the room, he was asked to strip. He said he remembered sitting nervously on the exam table and staring at his clothes on the floor. Dr. Levine, he said, told him he was 'very special,' and rubbed the boy’s penis until it was erect. At the same time he asked if the boy had wet dreams. He said Dr. Levine was wearing gray pants and had an erection as he brushed against his side. Then the exam was over.

The man said he did not tell his parents at that time because he felt ashamed.

He came forward, he said, when he read about the lawsuits in a newspaper. It enraged him that Dr. Levine had prospered, and he wanted to corroborate the accusations.

'What I can’t understand now,' he said, 'is why this was allowed to go on for so long.'

Points in Defense [of Dr. Mel Levine]

Dr. Levine’s defenders make several points. None of the complaints were ever substantiated.

The similarities are also suspicious, said Edward F. Mahoney, a lawyer representing Dr. Levine in the current lawsuits. His firm, Martin, Magnuson, McCarthy & Kenney, represented Dr. Levine in 1988 as well. 'Frankly, we think there is a copycat element,' he said.

Dr. Coleman, who worked with Dr. Levine in North Carolina for two decades, added that Dr. Levine had seen thousands of patients and that most remained loyal and grateful.

'He had a huge follow-up population of kids who have been coming back over and over,' Dr. Coleman said.

Based on his lawyers’ statements, Dr. Levine’s defense will most likely rest on the idea of standard practice. Dr. Levine has not denied that he examined the boys’ genitals, but his lawyers have issued statements explaining that the accusations were most likely based on 'distorted or misinterpreted memories.' The exams, they said, were medically necessary, even for children with learning and emotional difficulties.

'A thorough assessment includes a complete physical and neurological examination,' the lawyers wrote. 'Examination of a child’s genitals can give the doctor important information about genetic disorders, physical maturity, hormone problems, hernias or conditions relating to the testicles and other medically important issues.'

Dr. Nancy A. Murphy, chairwoman of the council on children with disabilities for the American Academy of Pediatricians, called the statement fair, but only for an initial exam.
Dr. Murphy, who is not familiar with Dr. Levine’s practices, said that typically the primary pediatrician would check for physical problems and the consulting doctor would administer neurological exams. She added, 'Every time the kids come in, they don’t need a complete physical examination.' All the men in the four lawsuits say they were subject to at least two physical exams.

Dr. Coleman, Dr. Levine’s colleague, said he stopped conducting physical examinations years ago. But he defended Dr. Levine. 'He is more thorough and more traditional than the average practitioner,' Dr. Coleman said.

‘No One Ever Called’

In 1988 a 17-year-old man filed a lawsuit alleging that, starting when he was 7, Dr. Levine, who was then at Children’s Hospital, treated him for bowel trouble and sexually abused him.

Court records show that in a letter dated October 1985, just months after Dr. Levine had departed for North Carolina, the man’s mother wrote Dr. David Weiner, then the president of Children’s Hospital, to alert him to her concerns. 'In the spring of 1984,' she wrote, 'while my son and I were on the way to Children’s Hospital, he told me that he was frightened about the examination.'

'Dr. Levine would always examine his testicles while Chris’s penis touched or was located very close to the doctor’s cheek,' she wrote.

But the mother said no one from Children’s Hospital ever interviewed her or her son. Dr. Weiner said he could not recall the specific event and therefore did not feel comfortable commenting on the case. In a written statement, Children’s Hospital said there were no complaints about Dr. Levine until after he left in 1985. Michelle Davis, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said the institution had investigated the accusations and found that Dr. Levine’s care had been 'appropriate within the context of the child’s medical needs.'

The University of North Carolina says Children’s Hospital never relayed information about the complaint. Karen McCall, a spokeswoman for the medical school and hospitals, said they learned of the case from Dr. Levine, sometime after it was dismissed in 1991. The hospital did not do an investigation, she said, because it 'doesn’t have a protocol to investigate dismissed lawsuits.'

In November 1993 the Board of Registration in Medicine in Massachusetts received a similar complaint. The man, whose name is not available to the public, said that as a child he had seen Dr. Levine for bowel trouble in the late 1970s. 'Dr. Levine would lay me on the examination table nude,' he wrote the board, and play with his penis and discuss his wet dreams.

In a detailed reply to the board, Dr. Levine said that he did not remember the patient but that examining testicles was medically necessary, and that children, particularly adolescents, needed to discuss their sexuality.

The board accepted Dr. Levine’s response. But Russell Aims, the board’s spokesman, said there was no evidence that the board had contacted the man filing the complaint. Standards for investigations had changed, Mr. Aims added, and today the complainant is always contacted.

In Massachusetts such complaints are a matter of public record once closed, but the medical board is not required to notify the doctor’s hospital if there is no formal discipline. The board and Dr. Levine never informed the University of North Carolina about this second complaint, Ms. McCall said.

Like most hospitals, however, the University of North Carolina does ask its doctors, as part of their credential application, which must be filed every two years, whether they have been the subject of complaints — even unfounded ones. Ms. McCall said that because of legal restraints about personnel files she could not say whether Dr. Levine’s credential application omitted such information. Dr. Levine’s lawyers declined to comment.

Next Steps in the Mel Levine Cases

What will happen next for Dr. Levine is unclear. The lawsuits may take years to litigate. In April he voluntarily suspended his license while being investigated by the North Carolina medical board. The board does not discuss investigations, but a person familiar with it said the earliest a decision could be made on Dr. Levine would be in the fall.

Meanwhile, throughout the spring, Dr. Levine continued lecturing and promoting All Kinds of Minds, which pays him an annual licensing fee.

Mary-Dean Barringer, the chief executive of All Kinds of Minds, said most parents were 'incredulous' over the accusations. She added that Dr. Levine’s work would not be compromised even if the allegations were true.

'We wouldn’t back away from using the incredible groundbreaking ideas and compassion in understanding how children’s minds work,' Ms. Barringer said."

-- Leslie Kaufman, "Accusations of Sex Abuse Trail Doctor" in the New York Times, August 5, 2008

Blogiversary Night: The Final Chapter of Instructions to the Double

Three years ago today, on August 5, 2005, I became inspired by another blog, Instructions to the Double, and launched Roxiticus Desperate Housewives. For the past couple of weeks, we've been counting down with excerpts from Tess' original Instructions to the Double blog archives, and on this third blogiversary night, I'd like to present the final chapter.

"Now, another key to Ms. Olen's essay is the post where I supposedly ridicule all of her life choices. You can read it here:

I Consider The Book A Gift (Tuesday, November 30, 2004):

What does it mean to be so angry that you cannot sit and listen to poetry?

I saw a girl pinch her dark stocking and I smiled.

its not the lights, its the sound

I heard a couple fighting within the confines of couples therapy-spaek. I wanted to suggest they hit each other, its true. I wanted to say, smack him, bite her, pinch, pull, and wince. make each other believe you really care.

all day I seethed and then. i. seethed.

its funny, another memory another hard and then not hard dick. another regret. another nothing. so inconsequential that its sting afterwards, a comment unmuttered, mattered more. and all day, inner ramblings of its cornfields or bust at this point, readers. and then i was fine. excited. it was the (book.) and there would be (words) and (look) at (how) hard (i try!) She is good. her (goodness) the exhaustion of a day. she is so write. how its blue and translucent. how each smile is married to its doped up deceit. how each filament is a stalagmite in someone's sickness. how each worm is a sticky pearl. how bee keeper's and whore's daughter's (know,) no.

Really, the Wife and the Husband, beat it out. whelp and welts! twist a sinew of a joint. hear a snap and know intimacy. purple green bruise so ugly with love on a cheek bone, on all bones. i see them, i do. don't forget the instruments...bludgeon with care. its such an orchestra.

somewhere, there are ribs with my name chiseled! oh, what small child will you be? where did you go and roost? whose hotel soap soul did you lift in your nickers? can i see?

pages and fires. its a witch burning. i am looking forward to the stench. the stew.

Husband and wife, make it burn. its just like making love-making. What can we understand but physical contact? Stop bickering and kneel; a lash, a torch, sweet singed skin. you will know (biblically) each other by your stink.

I thought about a bat but would prefer my hands. i thought about paper thin, thin. just paper thin I thought. about. it.


Yes, Ms. Olen and her spouse did fight in front of me once. It was awful and I couldn't believe they had so little concern for my comfort. But no, this post isn't about her. Sorry, Ms. Olen. It's not. I had in fact, attended a poetry reading at CUNY that evening. It was a star-studded reading of Sylvia Plath's Ariel. (You can double check the CUNY event calendar to compare the date). Which for those of you not familiar with her work, deals with the dissolution of her marriage to poet Ted Hughes. The poems are brilliant though depressing. And during that event, a person who I care for, who had actually loaned me a book that evening (thus the title) walked out on me. I was shocked and angry. That coupled with the poetry and some other disappointments in my life (actually, my own parents' violent relationship which Ms. Olen is unaware of) produced a piece of writing that was difficult but personally necessary for me to write. If you look at the longest paragraph, you will see that I have actually alluded to five Plath Poems (Bee Keeper's Daughter and Lady Lazarus, to name two). Frankly, her attributing this piece of writing to her own life suggests she is both paranoid and narcissistic. A lethal combination. I am sorry Ms. Olen lives in a world where every hard emotion must be about her life. That must be a very painful way to live.

Also, I knew that the situation was no good. I had told a former employer over the winter holidays that I felt misused. The non-child related chores were only growing. I felt the emotional stresses of their unsettled household. I had even begun to ask former employers to prepare references, because I needed another job. I found one within a week, and started the same week I stopped working for Ms. Olen. Coincidence? No.

I think it might be interesting to note the title of her essay, "The New Nanny Diaries are Online." So, I did a little analysis of my blog. And I found that I wrote less than 500 words about being a nanny. And in fact, less than half of those words are about Ms. Olen and her family. In total, I have written over 20,000 words on this blog. Less than 1 percent of this blog is about being a nanny for the Olen family. The New Nanny Diaries? Not at all. Making characters out of my employers? I challenge you to find it. Ms. Olen has chosen to write a malicious and selectively edited essay because writing about bad nannies and blogs is trendy. Its a sad commentary on her self-described moniker as "journalist."

Now, I have refuted the essay and directed you to posts that contradict her claims. There are even more posts than those, but you can look through the archives if you want. But I also want to make something clear. I am refuting the claims about my "promiscuity" simply because it really doesn't represent the life I am leading. However, I will defend any woman's right to sleep with whomever, whenever she wants. Ms. Olen is shocked by a single woman who has and talks about sex. She shouldn't be. Her outrage only suggests her own prejudices. If you are in a polyamorous relationship and that works for you? Great. If you prefer the thrill of sport f***ing? Wonderful. If you are a queer and gender f***ing turns you on? Go Forth and F***. I think one of the most disappointing things about this essay is they way it suggests that a woman who thinks about sex, writes about it, has it, chooses an academic career that asks questions about its social relevance (my blog clearly states that my intellectual interests have to do with the intersection of sex and violence in Victorian novels) is not fit to care for children. Ridiculous. I think most women have a lot to say about sex. And I choose to say it. Also, I am more and more outraged that she interjects my queer sexuality as a way to make the article more salacious. I do have a boyfriend but I am still, Proudly, bisexual. I am not ashamed of being attracted to women. And for her to throw it in her essay as a means to make it more *sensational* is a sad commentary on her own prejudices.

This Blog! It has caused me some problems. The Boyfriend HATES IT. He has been patient through this whole NYTIMES debacle. But he has repeatedly said, some things don't need to be in print. Maybe he was right.

I love blogging though. I have found it so so helpful this year as I prepared to head back to school. I love the blogs I read and the sense of community and the great dialogue that is going on in the blogosphere.

So, this little blog, I will make it a gallery of posts that I especially like. However, my daily blogging will now happen elsewhere. Partly because of this whole incident, partly because I like the idea that this blog represents a transitional year, partly because the idea that Ms. Olen is so interested in my life and reads this blog, CREEPS ME OUT.

Feel free to comment, or better yet, write the NYTIMES about their lack of standards even in the Style Section. And I retain the right to delete anything malicious or inappropriate.

Again, if you came looking for "nannies gone wild," sorry to disappoint you.

Final Post: Monday, July 18, 2005

I want to thank everyone for his or her support. Certainly, there have been some dissenting opinions. But the majority of people who bothered to read my response have been positive, generous, and kind. Thank You.

But there are a few remaining issues to address.

It was very naive and foolish of me to show Ms. Olen my blog. If you return to her essay, you will see that I did it in good faith. Taking care of sick children all day is very exhausting, even more exhausting because the labor is compounded by your sympathy for the child. I did dedicate a poem to them, to this effect. I thought it was a commiserating gesture between employer and employee. It was an act made in good faith. But nonetheless, foolish. Dumb. All kinds of Stupid. And people who know I feel completely ill by all of this know how I wholeheartedly admit my stupidity without any caveat.

However, I want to reiterate that what I think Ms. Olen did was unethical and inappropriate. I told Ms. Olen specifically what I thought was remiss with her piece and her perspective on the relationship. And I told an editor at the NYTIMES how her piece misrepresented my blog. I provided much the same analysis in the rebuttal post. Except, I provided even more links and more detail. He did not waiver. However, at this point in the conversation, there needs to be a radical shift. Instead of talking about the details of my really, silly and well, oddly boring weblog, and instead of continuing to deride the choice Ms. Olen made (that point is clear) we need to discuss the more important issues this debacle should make apparent. We need to discuss: Public Utility and Discourse about Female Sexuality, Intergenerational Sexism, Ethical Standards for National Newspapers, Prudent yet Honest writing, New Spaces of Discourse and their Impact on Privacy. I would have a lot to learn from those conversations. Because, as I read the web and her piece and the massive responses and discussion this has all generated, it is made clear to me that my blog isn't really the issue at hand at all.

I promise to always blog anonymously from now on. I swear.

I am going to try and end this part of the conversation. Later this evening, I will take the comments option off my blog. I think enough has been said. Repeatedly, I have impored for all concerned parties to write the NYTIMES. It's a national newspaper that is supposed to facilitate the flow of information and ideas. If you feel it has done a poor job, they need to know that. I do appreciate everyone's support. Truly. I really didn't know what to expect when this story hit the Internet. I am pleased that there are at least some, well, many, who have come to understand that I am a very different person than the article portrayed me to be.

I know there has been some discussion about "opportunities" and "tell all book" or even a piece of fiction. But, I never wanted this attention. I never wanted what was really just a job situation that was not compatible with either party to become a big public mess. I have no intention of perpetuating the mess. There will be no interviews, no books, and no deals. Nothing. I am actually, headed to graduate school in three weeks (my spell check feature is ready to work really really hard). I am looking forward to a small southern city, far too much reading, and the opportunity to pursue a career I have worked for for many years. I want THIS to be over.

I will blog again. I have saved links and email addresses and as promised will send my URL to interested readers. Again, don't expect anything prurient. There may be frank talk about my life, but no salacious details. I didn't do that here. And I won't do that there. There will be discussion about my relationship, which is going to be long distance for at least 6 months (many academics know that drill). There will be discussions of what I read, watch, hear and the occasional poem. There will be tales of nights out and nights in. I really seriously doubt it could ever drum up this much interest.

In the future, this site will contain favorite entries. But it will be edited and selected based on my tastes. So, if there is stuff you need in the archives, get it now. The full archives will not be available for much longer.

Again, thanks for all the support and well wishes. Here is to better blogging and better journalism.


Looking back over my past three years of blogging, I realize that I may never have written a single post as eloquent as Tess' two final posts. In fact, in the early going, I didn't write much at all (my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers who see three or more posts on many days might have trouble believing that, but go ahead, check the RDH archives!)...a combination of a perfectionist nature and comparing my own blog to Tess' blog gave me writer's block.

My second post, four days after the launch of Roxiticus Desperate Housewives, was entitled To Blog Or Not to Blog, and I'd like to share it with you:

Bloggers seem surprised when, after they reveal intimate personal information in their blogs and send out mass e-mails inviting others to view their blogs, that their potential love interests, employers, etc. discover their blogs and learn all of that intimate personal information.

I know for sure that I'm not young or naive enough to use my blog to replace my personal journal, and then it seems like to much work to split my personality between a private, real self (who thinks/writes things about other people that they shouldn't be reading online) and a public, blog persona who probably has a stronger writing style but far less interesting thoughts.

Other 2005 posts (there were only 20 from August-December) included:

• My Olay Regenerist vs. Banana Boat Research Study in which I diligently applied Olay Regenerist to my right cheek and Banana Boat to my left cheek every morning and asked friends to see if they noticed a difference after 60 days.


• The Heirloom Tomatoes Are Here! about Rex's successful gardening experiment at the end of the summer. I should probably write about this year's heirlooms, which includes about 12 plants in the Roxiticus Valley and 12 plants at the beach in Bay Head.


• A fairly well-written comparison of Jane Austen and the Allman Brothers...if I do say so myself.
  

As Tess said as she ended one chapter in her blogging life and real life and started a new one, "I love blogging...I love the blogs I read and the sense of community and the great dialogue that is going on in the blogosphere." Since I started up in earnest in February 2008, blogging and reading Other People's Blogs (OPB) has become an important part of my life. In closing, I'd like to thank you all for your warm wishes on this blogiversary celebration, but more importanly, for reading over the past few months. I hope you'll raise a glass, then come back and continue to enjoy the ride with me...

Roxy

Happy Blogiversary To Me

Today is Tuesday, August 5th, 2008, and that means it is time to celebrate the third Blogiversary of Roxiticus Desperate Housewives.

First, some statistics. Despite my previous calculation of a 475th post some time ago, I've done a bit of housekeeping here and deleted a few things and determined that this post is number 477, so unless I blog like a banshee over the next few days, I won't likely make it to Post #500 during Blogiversary Celebration Week. As I hit "Publish Post," Sitemeter reports 29,050 visitors since I started blogging in earnest back in February 2008...I have no idea what the number would be going back to August 2005...you could probably add ten or twenty to the current number and come close!

On BlogExplosion, Roxiticus Desperate Housewives has participated in 407 battles and is currently ranked #265 with a losing record of 169 wins and 238 losses. More importantly, I've made terrific blogosphere buddies like Mariuca and LadyJava and Matt (MTMD) and Jason Buckley and Wally Banners and SpicyBug. EntreCard lists me as a dedicated dropper with a hint of addiction. Again, lots of new blogosphere buddies including Henson and Cindi (Moomette) and Ferd and the Mom with Brownies. If you don't already know each other, please visit each other's blogs and introduce yourselves!

Since starting my first blog, I've gone a bit crazy and added ten more, two of which I update on a regular basis: Bay Head Blog and Roxiticus Best Blogs. There's a blog for each of my daughters, a blog for Rex's Recipes, and a blog for my more personal memoirs. I am quite excited to be getting close to introducing a whole new look for Roxy with a self-hosted WordPress MU (multi-user) community of Roxy blogs...I hope you'll enjoy the new site as much as I expect to enjoy posting there.

I'd like to thank everyone for visiting, especially those loyal readers who come back every day and share your comments.

Roxy

Countdown: 2 Days To Roxiticus Desperate Housewives Third Blogiversary!

As my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know, almost three years ago, I became inspired by another blog, Instructions to the Double, and launched this blog on August 5, 2005. This Tuesday, we'll begin a celebration of our third blogiversary. I'm thinking it will be a week-long celebration from August 5th through the 12th, in order to incorporate our 500th post and 30,000th visitor, as well as the launch of a brand new Roxy WordPress MU community. For the past couple of weeks, we've been counting down with excerpts from Tess' original Instructions to the Double blog archives, and today I'd like to present the third episode, which discusses the strange business of "babysitting" from a nanny's perspective, as well as the emotional struggle for women who turn over their children to nannies in order to work full-time. Let's call it "Envy of the Nanny Blogger's Life:"

I find the next section where she writes about being envious of my life particularly sad. Everyone is young once. Everyone is single and has freedom to go to "hip" (though I mostly go to Planet Thai, which is pretty played out, actually) restaurants when not having to arrange babysitters for kids. I hope she did when she was young. It is enjoyable. But there is nothing to be envious about.

But then my sadness for her stops. The place in the essay where she actually has the audacity to compare us has been a sore spot since I knew this essay was going to be published. In particular, I take issue with how she flippantly mentions my abortion. I did blog about my abortion, please read my entry here [Roxy needs to find that post in my archives to share with my readers]. I think if you compare the vulnerable and humble way I talk about that painful experience, you might find that Ms. Olen and I are very different. I for one would never reduce another woman's abortion to a fragment defaming her in a self-serving essay. I did blog about the abortion, thereby in a sense publishing it; she had the legal right to mention it (I certainly checked). However, I pleaded with the New York Times in two separate emails that her use of my experience was insensitive and contradictory to the way in which I talked about it. They didn't care.


As for the blogging at work, yep, I sometimes did that. When the kids were napping. However, I also do what I said I would do, get materials together for my future professional plans. I even mention that on my blog. Anyone out there apply to both PhD programs and Law School? Anyone blog while taking a break from that process? Normal, right? And as for the speculation, slanderous speculation that I called in sick because of a drinking problem, which is ridiculous. This blog documents how ill I was. Many posts document how, instead of staying out, I was home, trying to recuperate. There are many entries. Feel free to look for them if you want. I will say, though, that Ms. Olen's family was sick frequently.

Also, when Ms. Olen was sick with a 24-hour stomach bug, she actually had me get things for her, further exposing me to illness. And even though she employed me to take care of her children, not as her caregiver, she thought it was fine to expose me to more illness as I brought her soup, tea, crackers, etc. Also, on that day, she exposed her breasts to me. I am sure she just thought she was more comfortable with her top off while ill. I am sure it was an accident. But frankly, it was careless and inappropriate. In general, that was the tone of their household. Careless and inappropriate. [Roxy to readers -- be glad I used the soup image instead of Googling an image of Ms. Olen's exposed breasts!]

I was sick a great deal last winter. And it was terrible. And for her to insinuate that I was not sick, but actaully have a drinking problem that prevents me from being responsible, is slanderous. I think it should also be noted that Ms. Olen asked me to make up two sick days. Yes. Which meant I worked 12 days straight. I also document that on the blog. I was exhausted and fatigued and I felt like I was being punished for being sick. The fact that I worked the weekend and the hours compounded together more than made up for my sick day absences, well, that of course is never mentioned by Ms. Olen. That would detract from her intent to show me as irresponsible.

It is particularly sad when Ms. Olen expressed "fear" that I would "judge her life and find it wanting." This might be hard for Ms. Olen to understand, considering her article reveals that she lives in an insular inner world where everything is about HER, but I didn't judge her life. Why? Well, I never really thought about it at all. She employed me to take care for her children. Her choices? Her compromises? Not my business. The only times I considered her life was in relation to my employment: Would she manage her schedule so she would stop changing my hours? Would she and her husband figure out if they were staying in Brooklyn so I would stop having to listen to them debate moving to the suburbs? But I think it is also relevant to point out that Ms. Olen's expressed fear that I would judge her life is really to try to paint me as anti-mother and anti-children. When in fact, I have consistently blogged about how I want to make professional choices now to ensure that I can be a mother some day.

Still think i am a party girl who judges women with children?

But what I do find "wanting" about Ms. Olen is a shocking lack of integrity and ability to find reasonable perspective on her own life and others.

Also, when Ms. Olen says I sarcastically refer to caring for her children as "work" I happen to have proof that she is contriving this emotion after the fact. Yep, sometimes I put work in " ". When Ms. Olen first read my blog she sent me a personal email, COMPLIMENTING that gesture! Admitting that yes, babysitting was a strange business. So, what is the real deal here? Also, I take issue with her because she suggests nannies are not workers, that our service is not labor. Isn't the problem that traditionally defined "women's" work is not considered real labor? Real labor that is valuable? Caring for children is work. It can be great work; it comes with real highs and real lows. Just Like Everything Else. But also, I would like, surprisingly, to agree with Ms. Olen. Nannies often do have great relationships with families and visit them years later for free. In fact, I actually blog about such a relationship that I have with a family I used to work for. Sadly, I could never feel that way about Ms. Olen and her family. And frankly, I think that is what upsets her the most.

Also, I would like to add, that I continue to work as a nanny. That the families I am currently working for are very pleased with my services. That one has only increased my hours. We have a positive working relationship that has redeemed this year for me.

That's all for now...I need to pack up the Suburban and get the girls to our beach house for a week in Bay Head, New Jersey, where Aunt Veg and Uncle Quiet will be joining us for a couple of days of sun and fun.

Best of Chester, NJ: Black River Music & Art Festival Saturday, August 16, 2008

The Black River Music and Art Fest, coming to Chester, New Jersey on Saturday, August 16th, is a FREE all day event featuring some of the best local original musical acts as well as numerous visual artists displaying their work. Last year’s event drew an estimated 9,000 people, and they're expecting an even bigger turnout at this year's Black River Festival.

The Black River Music and Art Fest features music in many different genres, including rock, folk, hip-hop, and rockabilly. With the two electric stages, the two courtyards featuring acoustic music and small combos, plus the Original Music School Family Area featuring musical performances, clowns, artwork and other family-oriented activities, there is truly something for everyone.

The 2008 musical lineup includes:

Rockaway Glass Stage - Perry Street
11:00am The Lame Excuses
12:00 noon Tom Vella and the Wayside
1:00pm Bob Wolfman
2:00pm The Alisa Jesslyn Band
3:00pm double-breasted
4:00pm The Wag
5:00pm Wiser Time

WRSU Stage - Location TBA

11:30am The Nairobi Trio

12:30pm Justpassingthru

1:30pm Brian Fitzpatrick and the Band of Brothers

2:30pm Echofission

3:30pm Billy

4:30pm The Kimballs

5:30 Universal Rebel

The Streets of Chester Acoustic Courtyard - 57 Main Street: acoustic performers and small combos

11:00am Thomas Martin

12:00 noon Paul Gargiulo

1:00pm Melinda Davis and the Eleventh Hour

2:00pm Masqued Thrill

3:00pm Lloyd United

4:00pm Randy Morning

5:00pm Brian McLoughlin

The Daily Record Acoustic Courtyard - 76 Main Street: acoustic performers and small combos

11:30am Ed Saultz

12:30pm Joe McKay

1:30pm Caren Kennedy

2:30pm Jeff Randall

3:30pm Gary Paul Hermus

4:30pm Rik Mercaldi

5:30pm Faber,Sidotti

The Original Music School Family Area Behind 44 Main Street

Busterman

D-Jay

Parking: Plenty of street parking is available in downtown Chester.

Food: Chester has many different food establishments to serve attendees. A handful of food merchants will have booths throughout town, in addition to serving food in their usual locations.

Seating: Bales of hay will be provided by Plant Detectives, and attendees are encouraged to bring beach chairs as well.

Bathrooms: Additional portable bathrooms will be provided on Perry Street on the day of the event.

Date(s): This year's event will take place on Saturday, August 16, 2008, with a rain date of Sunday, August 17th.

Lipstick On Your Collar: Annie's Playhouse Big Show Tonight Brings Back Oldies But Goodies

When you left me all alone at the record hop
Told me you were goin' out for a soda pop
You were gone for quite a while, half an hour or more
You came back and man oh man this is what I saw

Lipstick on you collar told a tale on you
Lipstick on you collar said you were untrue
Bet your bottom dollar you and I are through
Cuz lipstick on you collar told a tale on you, yeah

You said it belonged to me, made me stop and think
Then I noticed yours was red, mine was baby pink
Who walked in but Mary Jane, lipstick all a mess
Were you smoochin' my best friend, if the answer's yes

Lipstick on you collar told a tale on you
Lipstick on you collar said you were untrue
Bet your bottom dollar you and I are through
Cuz lipstick on you collar told a tale on you, boy

I've posted before about Annie's Playhouse Summer Stars camp in Far Hills, New Jersey, and tonight is London and Maddie's big night in front of the crowds at the Bernardsville Presbyterian Church. The girls (and boys) are bringing back oldies but goodies like Love Potion Number Nine, Jailhouse Rock, and Lipstick on Your Collar.

Hope to see you all there!

Bruce Springsteen Reads Roxiticus Desperate Housewives Blog

He played Prove It All Night.
And Candy's Room, Jason

And almost too good to be true
Rex this one's for you
Wish you were here, too
For wedding song number two
I'm in love with a Jersey Girl.

Prove It All Night: Roxiticus Desperate Housewives Spend the Last Night with the Boss at Giants Stadium

A handful of my loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers may know that Rex and I were married on the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey, almost ten years ago. I wore a white bikini, and we shared our first dance as husband and wife to two wedding songs: Prove It All Night and Jersey Girl.

I've been working real hard, trying to get my hands clean,
Tonight we'll drive that dusty road from Monroe to Angeline,
To buy you a gold ring and pretty dress of blue,
Baby just one kiss will get these things for you,
A kiss to seal our fate tonight,
A kiss to prove it all night.

Prove it all night,
Girl there's nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I'll prove it all night for you.

Everybody's got a hunger, a hunger they can't resist,
There's so much that you want, you deserve much more than this,
But if dreams came true, oh, wouldn't that be nice,
But this ain't no dream we're living through tonight,
Girl, you want it, you take it, you pay the price.

Prove it all night,
Girl there's nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I'll prove it all night for you.
Prove it all night, prove it all night girl and call the bluff,
Prove it all night, prove it all night and girl,
I prove it all night for your love.

Baby, tie your hair back in a long white bow,
Meet me in the fields out behind the dynamo,
You hear the voices telling you not to go,
They made their choices and they'll never know,
What it means to steal, to cheat, to lie,
What it's like to live and die.

Prove it all night,
Girl there's nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I'll prove it all night for you.
To prove it all night...

Tonight, Bruce Springsteen finishes up his Magic tour with one last show at Giants Stadium and, thanks to Mary Alice's generosity, four of the Roxiticus Desperate Housewives will be there.

The set lists from the two earlier Giants Stadium shows are totally different, giving us no idea what to expect, other than Girls In Their Summer Clothes and Born to Run among the encores of a solid 3-hour performance. Sunday's show opened with Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and closed with Rosalita. Monday's show started with Out in the Street and ended with Twist and Shout. Encores on Monday night also included Thunder Road, the only lullaby that worked when my daughters were babies...they still ask me, "Mommy, sing Screen Door Slams!"

My Favorite Mistake...What Happens When Bad Boys Grow Up?

I woke up and called this morning,
the tone of your voice was a warning
that you don't care for me anymore.




I made up the bed we sleep in.
I looked at the clock when you creep in.
It's 6 AM and I'm alone.

Did you know when you go it's the perfect ending,
to the bad day I was just beginning.
When you go, all I know is you're my favorite mistake.

Your friends act sorry for me.
They watch you pretend to adore me.
But I am no fool to this game.

Now here comes your secret lover,
she'll be unlike any other,
until your guilt goes up in flames.

Did you know when you go it's the perfect ending,
to the bad day I'd gotten used to spending.
When you go, all I know is you're my favorite mistake
You're my favorite mistake.

Well maybe nothing lasts forever,
even when you stay together.
I don't need forever after, but it's your laughter won't let me go
so I'm holding on this way.

Did you know could you tell you were the only one
that I ever loved?
Now everything's so wrong.
Did you see me walking by, did it ever make you cry?
Now you're my favorite mistake
Yeah you're my favorite mistake
You're my favorite mistake

With apologies to those of you who are not Sheryl Crow fans to the point that you might find reading this post debilitating...Rex and the girls and I had a great time seeing Sheryl Crow at the PNC Bank Arts Center last night. One of the highlights for me was her awesome performance of "My Favorite Mistake." The song was written about a relationship with a man who proves to be unfaithful and is widely believed to have been written about Eric Clapton.


"My Favorite Mistake" got me thinking about bad boys....we've all known a few, but I haven't kept in touch with any of them for over 10 years. Before I met Rex, I certainly didn't have a type, but Johnny Moneybags was my favorite mistake, an on again off again long distance relationship that I knew was going nowhere in the long term. Over time, I realized that I didn't want to be with Johnny Moneybags, I wanted to be him....the successful part, not the bad boy part. My favorite Moneybags anecdote is about the time I invited him to the dreaded black tie holiday party at my old firm, when he propositioned one of the partners' wives, an attractive woman in her 60s: "Charlotte, you know you want me, you want to jump my bones." Listening to Sheryl Crow, I've wondered what happened to Johnny Moneybags and the other bad boyz I've known...have they "settled down" with a wife and kids and changed their bad boy ways? If they're married, are they still "bad to the bone" -- do they cheat or otherwise make their wives miserable?

I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Put Another Dime in the Jukebox Baby: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Community Theatre in Morristown, Friday, October 24th

Emergency post: while Rex and I are not going to see Joan Jett & the Blackhearts at the Community Theatre (a.k.a. The Mayo Center of the Performing Arts) in Morristown until Friday, October 24th, I received a request for a new post from Jason Buckley, whose man parts are shriveling at the thought of James Blunt and Sheryl Crow.

So here goes...I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation! Here's a YouTube video to give us all a preview of what's to come in October, with lyrics below if you need them to sing along. I just hope I can find my leather collar in time for the concert.



I don't give a damn bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and thats
What I'm gonna do
And I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation

Oh no not me

And I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
And I'm only doin' good
When I'm havin' fun
And I don't have to please no one
And I don't give a damn
'bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn
'bout my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
And I don't really care
If ya think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change
And I'm never gonna care
'bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

Pedal boys!

And I don't give a damn
'bout my reputation
The world's in trouble
There's no communication
And everyone can say
What they want to say
It never gets better anyway
So why should I care
'bout a bad reputation anyway
Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
You're living in the past
It's a new generation
And I only feel good
When I got no pain
And that's how Im gonna stay
And I don't give a damn
'bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not
Not me, not me

All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun...Sheryl Crow at PNC Bank Arts Center Tomorrow Night....Tuesday, July 29th!

Hit it!
This ain't no disco
It ain't no country club either
This is L.A.!

"All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die,"
Says the man next to me out of nowhere
It's apropos of nothing
He says his name's William but I'm sure
He's Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy
And he's plain ugly to me
And I wonder if he's ever had a day of fun in his whole life

We are drinking beer at noon on Tuesday
In a bar that faces a giant car wash
The good people of the world are washing their cars
On their lunch break, hosing and scrubbing
As best they can in skirts in suits
They drive their shiny Datsuns and Buicks
Back to the phone company, the record store too
Well, they're nothing like Billy and me, cause

All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

I like a good beer buzz early in the morning
And Billy likes to peel the labels
From his bottles of Bud
He shreds them on the bar
Then he lights every match in an oversized pack
Letting each one burn down to his thick fingers
Before blowing and cursing them out
And he's watching the bottles of Bud as they spin on the floor
And a happy couple enters the bar
Dangerously close to one another
The bartender looks up from his want ads but

All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

Otherwise the bar is ours,
The day and the night and the car wash too
The matches and the Buds and the clean and dirty cars
The sun and the moon but

All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
I've got a feeling the party has just begun
All I wanna do is have some fun
I won't tell you that you're the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

Hooray! Rex and the girls and I, and our friends Susan and Mike and their daughter, are off tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 29th) to have some fun. We're going to see Sheryl Crow at PNC Bank Arts Center. Seriously, all we're gonna do is have a lot of fun this week, with Sheryl Crow on Tuesday, dinner and a multi-desperate-family play date at Lynette & Tom's on Wednesday, Springsteen GNO on Thursday, and London and Maddie's big Annie's Playhouse performance on Friday night.

James Blunt is opening the show tomorrow night. Rex said "Who's he?" but I think he will recognize "You're Beautiful"...I'm not sure I could put together a list of popular James Blunt songs without help from Google or iTunes, but women seem to think he's hot.

I get him mixed up with John Mayer, but I guess I shouldn't hold my breath waiting to hear "Your Body Is A Wonderland"...

I also confuse James Blunt and John Mayer with Jason Mraz...on the "if it's too loud, you're too old" theme, I'm afraid that when all they hot young boyz start to look the same...