Around the blogroll and elsewhere

So here I am on a Sunday morning in Chapel Hill, NC, having slept a full night without a white cat deciding to appropriate my pillow as her own, and with my first waking sight being two deer staring right at me from the window of the room over my sister's garage that is affectionately known as the "Garage Mahal."

In such a bucolic setting, it's tempting to let the horrors of Life in the Bush Era just slide by, but instead let's take a look at what my compatriots in Blogtopia (^®Skippy) are talking about today.

ModFab gives us ModFab's ways to Combat Blog Writer's Block (and my doing this link, I take care of #5).

Because family visits always involve some degree of talk about Weight Issues, I went to visit Kate Harding's place this morning in an attempt to salvage what little self-esteem I have. Given that I will be trying to find a new gynecologist this year that doesn't make you sign a malpractice waiver before she'll do a pap smear or advocate ridiculous crash diets, Kate's entry today on how overweight people are treated by the medical profession, and why it makes us less likely to even bother to get preventive care, let alone care for any active problems, was worth reading.

Cernig reports on Rahm Emmanuel actually planning to do something other than turn the Democratic Party into the Republican Party.

Why I Sometimes Wish I Still Did Movie Reviews: Because sometimes a movie like Sicko comes out that would allow me to blend blogging and reviewing. I may yet do a review after I see it next week, but meanwhile Ezra Klein gives us a sneak peek.

Amanda, no longer having to tiptoe around Bill Donohue, has the latest on Air America host Lionel's BFF.

Pachacutec asks John Edwards to please, kindly, grow a pair. While he's at it, he might ask Obama to do the same.

Be careful what you wish for, Digby -- you just might get it, and then what do we do? (Howie Klein has more on Rudy, the self-appointed Saint of 9/11.)

Frank Rich looks ahead to the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks -- and sees more of the same. (Like this is a surprise?)

Hoffmania on Democratic branding.

Tata on the latest escapades of the Christofascist Zombie Brigade in South Carolina.

And in honor of Steve Gilliard, because dammit, someone has to pick up this particular mantle, let me just note that since I left town on Friday, the Mets have won two straight games and are now two games up on Philadelphia and 3-1/2 up on the suddenly hapless Atlanta Braves. (Does this mean I can't come home till October?) Metsgrrl explains why Paul LoDuca's outburst against the umpire in last night's 1-0 win is EXACTLY what the slumping New York Metropolitans (® Steve Somers) needed. Democratic Party, take note.