The Learning Channel is making a documentary on the legendary “Running of the Brides” event at Filene’s Basement, and blushing bride-to-be Mandie was chosen as one of three brides featured in the show. See her audition tape here (produced by yours truly). So on February 16, 2007, Mandie and her loyal comrades lined up outside Filene’s Basement around 5 a.m. to be on the front line of the Battle of the Brides. Doors opened after three long, cold hours of waiting. Within minutes, thousands of wedding dresses were stripped from the racks by rabid brides and their equally rabid bridesmaids.

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Mandie scored a beautiful dress for $250 (with free alterations courtesy of TLC and Dependable Cleaners), and a free wedding photographer to boot. All that free schwag made waiting outside in sub-freezing temperatures for three hours worthwhile.

A while back, I got this message from Art O’Connor:

You’re not going to believe this, but you’re in an ad in Salt Lake City!”

Apparently, an eating/drinking establishment in Park City, UT snatched a photo from the internet and started running this ad in a weekly paper:

It’s that silly ski bunny photo from Easter 2005 (which is currently the #1 hit when you search “ski bunny” on Google):

Since they didn’t pay me or the photographer Alexander Scott– or at least ASK – to use my picture in their ad, I was annoyed. But I didn’t realize the full gravity of the situtation until my mom called me a few days later:

[MOM] Wendy, you’re in an ad in the paper! [ME] Yeah, I know – Art told me about it. [MOM] Do you know what kind of business it is?? [ME] It’s a restaurant in Park City. [MOM] But that ad says it’s a BAR. [ME] The restaurant has a bar. So? [MOM] They sell ALCOHOL.”

It finally dawned on me: promoting a liquor house is almost like promoting a crack house which is almost like prostitution. The implications are serious. My reputation is ruined, I’ve brought shame upon my family, and no one will take to wife. Desperate to restore honor to the Chao Dynasty, I consulted my guru, Zen Master/Hut Master Mike Zobbe, and asked if there was anything I could do to save face. His reply:

Nope, you are totally disgraced and I’m sure you will never get married (I was going to propose until I saw the photo) or will be able to make it up to your ancestors. Yup, done deal. Maybe if it had been an elk or elephant or desert tortoise costume there would be hope, but the bunny costume kind of sealed the deal. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

Oh well. So much for all my New Year’s resolutions.

Chairman Meow thanks all his fans and supporters, and wishes everyone a happy holiday season!

The New England Patriots played a home game tonight. I didn’t go to the game, but apparently the owner of this Jeep Cherokee did:

More and more cats are getting hooked on Chairman Meow’s Chinese Take-out Cat Toys. Tarik posted photos and videos of his cats (inexplicably named Radium, Osmium, Wink256, and Deepleted Uranium) getting blitzed on the catnip takeout. Writes Tarik:

It was a catnip induced throwdown, it was the decline of western civilization, it was nancy reagan’s worst nightmare, they got hopped up, they got lovey, they fought, they got munchies, they crashed, they threw one of the toys in the water bowl overnight so they could drink catnip tea.

We hope that Nancy Reagan will lighten her stance on recreational catnip use. We would also like to thank all the latest philantropists who are helping to SAVE CHAIRMAN MEOW:

Tarik S. (Los Alamos, NM)
T. K. (Tokyo, Japan) and friends at Williams College
Geoff (San Francisco, CA)
Anne H. (Palo Alto, CA)