"Searching for - a slightly younger Medicare-eligible cub"

 We're in the full-on spirit of Maya's Birthday countdown (it's tomorrow).  Grandparents visiting, party-planning all up in our collective grill, presents piled up in the closet - being on the cusp of the Big 5 is just about as cool as it gets for a kid.  Plus Maya gets the added benefit of having her birthday fall on Purim - the coolest by miles Jewish holiday on the calendar.  She's dressed up today as an Indian fairy princess (or a fairy Indian princess) wearing part of a beautiful outfit Sarah brought back from Nepal.  Expect plenty of photos of all the festivities to be posted over the weekend.

I need to hit a few quick low points to get them off my mind.  First of all, "The Ricky Gervais Show" on HBO is getting slammed as a waste of time.  I agree.  It's five years past cool.  But for his Mel Gibson introduction while hosting this year's Golden Globes, I renewed his pass for ill-advised comic efforts.  Still, my rating - a shoulda-been-an-F squishy D-minus.

I saw an ad early, early this morning on ESPN for a dating site named CougarLife.  I probably should be embarrassed to admit that I had to look at what they offered based on a commercial that would have even been cheesy on MTV in 1989.  No big surprise - creepy site with a sketchy intended purpose.  But self-possessed "Cougars" visiting the site encounter a default search for "Cubs" with an age range of "35 to 55".  So how old is a cougar these days?  90?  I think there needs to be an intermediary term.  I suggest possum.  Just the right dose of confusing double-entendre ready to roll in that.  You're welcome.

Hope you also waste the opportunity today to say something important with equally distracted baloney.  Rock on.

"Also, don't talk about puppet farming."

Part of our morning routine, admittedly, includes letting Maya watch "Sesame Street" during breakfast. It's the perfect carrot and stick ("if you don't eat more Grape Nuts, I'll need to turn off the TV for a while"). And since it's on a non-TiVo TV, the threat sinks in and Maya always wants to get back to the Street. I've always loved "Sesame Street" including the vintage volumes we bought a while back that began the year I was born. The celebrity visits usually rock. But I haven't seen anything as funny in the outtake sense of that venue than when Ricky Gervais showed recently to tape a segment for next fall's 40th anniversary opener. Absolutely hilarious.


Hope your own puppets have a taste for improv today. Rock on.