"Save the Cheerleader, Save the World"; New Speakers? WalMart New Return Policy; A Black Cap; Rugs; Mangled Chandler

(This part was actually written last night before and after "Heroes." but then I got "tangled up in blue" - note this very clever play on words that combines the name of a song by Bob Dylan , the blue color of the December copy of "Vanity Fair" with Brad Pitt, and how I got distracted from my original entry.)

I thought I'd try to get in a few words before the start of "Heroes" at 2000. It's the story of an assortment of people who have amazing abilities.

One of the characters, Hiro Nakamura is a programmer from Tokyo with the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum. He "travels" to New York City but does not realize he has also traveled into the future. Just as he witnesses the cataclysmic destruction of the city, he is yanked back to present-day Tokyo.

Among the multiple characters is Claire Bennet, a cheerleader living in Odessa, Texas, with the ability to rapidly heal from any injury. At this point in the story, the tag line has become "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World." I'm not exactly what that means.

The series vaguely reminds me of Showtime's "Odyssey 5" in which "the astronaut crew of a space shuttle looks on in horror as they witness the violent destruction of the Earth. However, a sympathetic alien sends them five years into the past. Their mission--find out who's responsible for the plot to destroy the planet."

Alas, there was so much going on that we never learned what happened. And the series was cancelled at the end of the first year. And I'm beginning to become a bit confused about the events of "Heroes," and who has what abilities. There's a listing at Wikipedia - Heroes (TV series) of characters and abilities. But I still have not a clue as to how all this comes together.

At the end of last week, I bought a pair, at WalMart, of what I thought were speakers for the laptop. I'm using a pair of Altec Lansing, which were very inexpensive - about $15. The new speakers turned out to be for a portable player, so I took them back the next day.

Better speakers will have to wait for another day.

I've noticed that the last few times I've returned something to WalMart, purchased via my bankcard, I've gotten cash, instead of a credit on the card's account. And it does seem like I saw a headline that said something about WalMart and purchases under $25, so it must have been about their new policy.

This is fine by me, since the bank may take days to register the credit. Another way for them to play with your money, no doubt.

While I was returning the speakers, I picked up a black cap devoid of any insignia for $7. I like the simplicity of it. I wore it to lunch yesterday with the following three pins:

Actually I'd like to have a series of caps with slogans such as Shalom, Coexist, Diversity, Tolerance, an AIDS ribbon, Free Tibet, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, IRA flag, Irish flag, Manchester United, Porcupine Tree, Pet Shop Boys, etc. Or ones that are really strange, so people will ask what the mean. Maybe in Yiddish, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, Arabic or Navajo.

The cats and I are still having some communication problems about the proper use of the rugs. I clean the spot in question with a couple of brands of cleaner, I clean the entire rug, I spray the rug with a repellent (which doesn't work), and I sprinkle the rug with a powdery cleaner (which does seem to prevent the problem as long as it clearly visible, but if I vacuum it up/off, the problem starts again.)

One rug has spent the last week on the carport. Tomorrow, I'm going to give it a thorough cleaning.

I also want to check out some items at Lowe's. There is an orange-smelling spray that is excellent at knocking out odors.

Recently, I mentioned reading Jeffrey Cruishank's "Murder at the B-School." Professor and police officer attempt to solve murders connected to a very influential family.

The following conversation occurs between the female police officer and the father of the victims:

He smiled coldly. "Yes. That would be an accurate restatement of what I said."

"Nice use of the subjunctive." She said it more to herself than to him.

Now he laughed--"What did you just say, Captain?"

"From a Raymond Chandler novel. The private eye gets a walk-in from the street. This visitor is a knock-out, as they always are in these books. So she says something 'would be' something, and Philip Marlowe says to himself, 'Nice use of the subjunctive. A Radcliffe girl.' I didn't get it at the time, so I looked it up. A conditional tense."

Where, oh, where, is a good fact checker when you need one?

In reality, the correct phrase is from "Farewell, My Lovely." Marlowe receives a call from Linsay Marriott, who is seeking Marlowe's services.

[Marlowe] "What is the nature of the employment, Mr.Marriott?"

[Marriott] "I should prefer not to discuss that over the phone."

[Marlowe] "Can't you give me some idea? Montemar Vista is quite a distance."

[Marriott] "I shall be glad to pay your expenses, if we don't agree. Are you particular about the nature of the employment?"

[Marlowe] "Not as long as it's legitimate."

[Marriott] The voice grew icicles. "I should not have called you if it were not."

[Marlowe] A Harvard boy. Nice use of the subjunctive mood.

Once at the house on Montemar Vista, the following happens.

[Marlowe] I lit a Camel, blew smoke through my nose and looked at a piece of black shiny metal on a stand. It showed a full, smooth curve with a shallow fold in it and two protuberances on the curve. I stared at it. and Marriott saw me me staring at it.

[Marriott] "An interesting piece," he said negligently, "I picked it up just the other day. Asta Dial's Spirit of Dawn."

[Marlowe] "I thought it was Klopstein's Two Warts on a Fanny."

PAX!