Katrina, the Notes On A Napkin blogger, introduced Huckleberries Online to the term, "Dirty House Friends," this week. Dirty House Friends are ones you can invite on a moment's notice to watch "The Phantom of the Opera." And they come, says Katrina, "despite the fact that you've made them watch 'Phantom of the Opera' six times already (rewinding all the good parts with Gerard Butler). They sit on the couch next to your unfolded laundry with their feet resting on the wooden blocks and puzzle pieces and Happy Meal toys that are scattered around the living room like shrapnel from an explosion in Santa's workshop, and they don't see a thing." What's more, she says, "you never say, 'Sorry about the mess!' to a Dirty House Friend, because they don't care, and when you're with them, neither do you." Sounds like my kind of people.

•If you're a good speller and speaker, you might consider the duties of pronouncer at an elementary school spelling bee to be an easy gig. Think again. Retired Sandpoint teacher Marianne Love/Slight Detour will warn you about the hidden hazards of the job. In January, she was pronouncing away when she crashed head-on into the word "thong." Take it away, Marianne: "I did a pretty quick two-step in my brain to come up with something appropriate for fourth-graders. I made sure the kids knew in context that thongs used to be worn on the feet." They did?

•It happened sooner than later. ABC's "Boston Legal" has this story line for its Nov. 13 episode, "Oral Contracts." Quoth SpoilerFix.com: "Alan defends Denny when he is accused of soliciting gay sex in a bathroom by two undercover cops." Seems U.S. Sen. Larry Craig has replaced the Aryans as an Idaho fountainhead for TV story lines. (Hat Tip to Randy Stapilus/Ridenbaugh Press for drawing this to my attention.)

---

---