That other Oscar pick ’em contest has finally launched. Can you Outguess Ebert? His prize is definitely worth more than mine, but hey, mine is open to Floridians!

Blogging Tips from a D-Lister. Great tips from Matt about increasing traffic and being a “good” weblogger.

Trivia Update: We had a very respectable 2nd place finish tonight, made more remarkable by the fact that there were only two of us. (We were really hoping for 1st to secure the $70 bar tab for Kenya‘s birthday this weekend, but we were once again trounced in the second round by our nemeses, the old fat guys.) Here are your questions for the night:

• Name four of the sequels to Planet of the Apes. (We pulled two of these out of our ass.)
• Name three of the six one-word #1 singles for Fleetwood Mac, other than “Rhiannon.”
• Which TV show featured the lyrics: “I’m the unknown stuntman that made Redford such a star”? (My Dad will be proud to know I got that one right.)
• Give the maiden names for Princess Mary of Denmark, Hilary Clinton, and Margaret Thatcher. (Props to Amy for her “assistance” on that last one.)
• Name the five most popular sports in Australia in terms of attendance at the grounds.

We missed out on all four jug questions tonight, I’m ashamed to say. Not a great showing.

As Leanne will be going back to university in a few weeks, it’s fallen to me take on more of the traditional managerial tasks here at the shop (as opposed to just huddling over the website). Last week I learned to do the banking, and this week she’s training me to do the roster. I’m therefore alternating between MWA HA HA! moments of power madness, and whimpering fits of anxiety as I realize that, yes, with great power comes great responsibility. And scheduling shifts for eight people with conflicting requirements makes my heard hurt.

Someone is asking MetaFilter: Was Corey Haim’s character in Lost Boys gay? I had honestly never even entertained the notion.

DietBlog: After the interview I high-tailed it over to the weigh-in. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know I went over Points at least three days last week – including one serious blowout at Tia‘s birthday party – but I also did a heck of a lot of exercising to make up for it. Turns out it paid off in the end! I lost another .9kg, which brings me to 18.4kg lost in total. And I turned right around and had a minor blowout at dinner tonight… but it was so worth it. My Valentine made me homemade chocolate mousse atop a heart-shaped piece of cake, studded with rum-soaked raspberries. I guess it’s back to work tomorrow!

Related note: I’m starting to have a severe clothing problem. I have – no joke – ONE pair of pants that fit me, and even they’re a little big. I’ve been getting by cinching everything up with a belt, but that’s starting to look ridiculous. Anybody want to help me buy some new clothes?

Just got the call from Radio 2GB. The interview is definitely on tonight! 7:20 pm on 873AM. I’m not skipping my damn meeting though; I’m having them call me on my mobile. 🙂

Later: I did it! Felt like I talked a mile a minute, so we’ll have to review the tape to see if I’m intelligible. I managed to work in references to the shop (of course), Sydney Sity Klickers, Sydney Stitch N Bitch, and even Helen and Katherine (the girls spinning in Centrepoint). Snookums snagged a recording so we should have it up later tonight for those who missed it.

Much later: Here is is! That’s a 1.2MB MP3. You know, my voice sounds really weird. I get such a mixed reaction to my accent these days – Americans think I sound Australian; Australians think I sound American. I can actually hear both in that clip. Some phrases sound almost Valley Girl (where did that come from?), while other words are almost Strine (like “bikini”). Mostly I’m just relieved because I sound a lot less dumb than I did in my head. I got in a few good anecdotes and I didn’t stumble over my words too much. (Though the latent high school speech team impromptu speaker in me winces every time I hear myself say “Um…”) Snookums and I listened to it, and I’m like, “I’m damned charismatic! Where’s my TV show?”

The best ski masks EVER. Why isn’t anybody at the Olympics wearing these? (Link courtesy of the Snook, via Hank.)

Now that‘s a novel argument. Some crazy-ass conservative Member of Parliament is arguing that Tony Abbott should retain control of RU486… because Australia is aborting so many babies that the country will be Muslim in fifty years. (Reading insanity like that always makes me want to use Moire‘s favorite emoticon: O_o) My favorite bit of the article is the comment made by someone else in her own Coalition: “I think Danna’s on her own on that one.” HA! I can’t wait to see her next bit of proposed legislation, which is sure to tackle the related problem of those of us of breeding age who choose to remain childfree and thus contribute to Australia’s falling birth rate… and Islamisation. Although I’m a foreigner, so she probably wants to put me in Woomera anyway.

Did anybody else, like, get tears in their eyes watching The Biggest Loser tonight? No? Just me then? Well, it was emotional. In terms of personal identification, Fiona is the one I immediately gravitated towards. She’s just about the size I was when I joined WW last April, and seeing her step on the scales in her underwear was like looking in a mirror. (Well, a mirror that sees into the past.) In terms of emotion, Kristie, Cat, and Shane were the ones I felt the most for. And even though I’m now quite public with my weight loss process, I can totally identify with the ridiculous feeling that somehow if people don’t know your actual weight, they won’t realize that you’re fat. The show wasn’t all highlights though: the whole “gluttony” segment with the room full of food was a bit overdone, and what’s with the way that Jillian woman always scrunches up her nose? I hate her already. (And I hope somebody quickly teaches Bob how to pronounce “Aussies” correctly.)