How To Play
Print this out and take it to the next show you go to. When you get a bingo, scream “BINGO!” at the top of your lungs, then break a bunch of beer bottles on the floor and get thrown out.

It’s nearing 8 p.m. MST and I’m ready for bed. Lame, I know; this always happens when I travel west across time zones. My body says it’s nearing 9 p.m., and after a long day of work and travel, I’m sleepy. But the night remains young! We’ll see how long I can remain awake. I’ve got the latest issue of Rolling Stone yet to read, along with a new book.

I worked until around 1 this afternoon and headed for the airport. I got to the airport two hours early, thinking I would need the extra time because of the Thanksgiving holiday. But no, that wasn’t the case, I was at the gate in under an hour. That’s OK, though. I zoned out to my iPod, which always makes me happy.

My flight was fine and now, here I sit in the guest bedroom of my dad’s town home in Denver. It’s snowing outside. It’s pretty, actually. Speaking of pretty: the mountains were gorgeous on the drive from the airport this evening. Absolutely gorgeous.

Tomorrow, we eat, eat like we’ve never eaten before. Well, eat like we haven’t eaten for the past 364 days. My dad’s grilling our turkey. It should be delicious. I get hungry just thinking about it. Mmm…

Mattel announces the release of models of Limited Edition Barbie Dolls for the Omaha Market

Regency Barbie
This Princess Barbie is only sold at the Regency Court. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade handbags, a Lexus, a longhaired foreign dog, named “Honey” and an over-priced house. Available with or without a tummy tuck and face-lift. Therapist Ken available. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with augment version. Fantasy Ken sold separately during the afternoons at local motels. Toys and accessories sold at adult bookstores.

West Omaha Barbie
This trendy homemaker Barbie is available with your choice of Lexus SUV or Ford Windstar mini van. Her vehicle will not move unless there are no objects in front of the vehicle for 100 yards, causing traffic jams. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation or secondary education. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately. Optional matching gym outfit in plus sizes only. West Omaha Ken and she come with matching Cornhusker jerseys. He drives to the games. She drives home. It takes her 45 minutes longer.

Bellevue/La Vista Barbie
This model is only available at the JC Penney Catalog Store or at any parochial school bazaar. It cannot be purchased on Saturday night (because of Trivia nights) and Sundays (grade school picnics). It comes with a case of Busch Beer, pork steaks, a recipe for Hash Brown Casserole, a 1987 Plymouth Voyager and one cell phone (circa 1982, big as a toaster) for the whole family with 15 anytime minutes. She is wearing the latest fashion from Target that she wore on Easter Sunday. It also comes with Ken (wearing the latest soccer T-shirt two sizes too small), a sack of Krispy Kremes and a 72 ounce Big Gulp.

North Omaha Barbie
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9 mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with tinted windows and her own Meth Lab kit. This Barbie also comes with 6 children by four different Ken. This model is available after dark and can be paid for only in cash preferably small, untraceable bills. Unless you’re a cop. Then we don’t know what you’re talking about.

South Omaha Barbie
This Barbie is only available at the Family Dollar. She speaks no English but comes with two children to translate for her. Comes with another Barbie’s social security number. Ken comes already dressed in his uniform for his night job at the local meat packing plant. A Chevy pickup with a Jesus mural and a Virgin Mary yard ornament are sold separately.

Plattsmouth Barbie
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR shirt and has a tattoo of a Tweety bird on her shoulder. She has big, stiff hair, a six-pack of Coors Light and a Hank Williams, Jr., CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and can kick Mullet-haired Kenny doll’s ass when she’s drunk. Purchase her pickup separately and get its Confederate flag bumper stickers absolutely free. Comes with personal concealed gun license.

Old Market Barbie
This doll is made of actual tofu, has long gray hair and arch-less feet, sandals with white socks, no makeup and a mutt. She prefers that you call her “Willow.” She thinks Wellstone was a republican.

Council Bluffs Barbie
This tobacco chewing, brassy haired Barbie has a pair of her own high heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased her beer-gutted boyfriend out of Red Oak Barbie’s house. Her make-up is dark red lip liner with your choice of lips covered in a sparkly pink or no fill-in at all. Her ensemble includes low rise acid washed jeans with assorted colored G-strings that stick out the back and a white see-through halter top. Accessories include: CD player equipped with Bon Jovi and a rusty old Ford pickup.

You are “Bowl of Oranges.” You see life to more than what most people do and you genuinely care about people. You feel art and music is the sure way of lifting your spirits. You wish others could have appreciation like you do, but, unfortunately, you are probably the only one.

Which BRIGHT EYES song are you?

Here’s a photo of my younger (and only) sister, Katie and her boyfriend, Billy. They live together in Brea, Calif., a Los Angeles suburb. They work at Disneyland. He’s 21, she’s 20. This photo was taken in May at Disneyland. Do they look alike or what?

On Wednesday, I depart for a four-day adventure in Denver, where my dad and his wife live. I’ve spent the past two Thanksgivings in Denver, but have never skied a slope. People often ask if I do ski, since I visit Denver at least three times a year. My answer has always been a nonchalant “no.”

This year is different. My dad wants to ski. It’s something he and has wife have talked about but never attempted since moving to Colorado. “Why not spend Thanksgiving skiing?” Bah! Why not? Because it looks hard and cold and dangerous, I say. After gorging on turkey and all the trimmings Thursday, the three of us will drive Friday morning to Keystone, Colo., where we’ll take a skiing class and be tested on what we learn. To be honest, I’m a wee bit worried. I’m not athletic and I don’t enjoy the outdoors. Sure, the snow is pretty; but I can just as easily enjoy its natural beauty from inside a restaurant or shopping mall. We’re staying at River Run Village in Keystone through Saturday night, which means two days of skiing and, hopefully, shopping, eating and drinking.

To those of you in this digital community who have skied, what can I expect?

Having a social life has been a wonderful addition these past weeks, but it has taken a toll on my sleeping patterns. Thursday night I was up until 3 a.m. Friday, I was awake until nearly 4 a.m. So what about Saturday night? I was hardly awake at all. I got home from work shortly before 5 and was asleep by 5:30 p.m. I slept soundly until 10, when I awoke to check my email and grab a glass of juice. I fell back asleep until 6 this morning. I feel so much more rested today; it’s wonderful.

The Reader’s Digest version of last night: A kick-ass, fucking amazing concert; ran into old friends from high school I haven’t seen for seven years; yelled and screamed until I nearly lost my voice; drank two bottles of Corona; jammed out to two lovely acoustic guitars at a friend’s apartment after the show :-)

I’ll write more after work tonight. Going on only six hours of sleep, I’m not as coherent as I need to be.

Tonight is the night: the Jayhawks play Sokol Auditorium here in Omaha. Show starts tonight at 8. I can’t wait! I saw the Jayhawks when they played here July 13, with the Thorns as the opening act. Tonight, the Sadies open. It should be a great show!

I did it. About two weeks ago, after getting inspiration from a magazine article, I wrote Adam Brody (Seth Cohen on “The O.C.” for those of you who showed up late) a “fan” letter. I took a different approach than what, I imagine, other fans used when writing this oh-so-cute boy. So as not to confuse you, gentle reader, this is a recap of my “fan letter” to Adam.

***

She awoke that Tuesday morning, flipped on her PowerBook G4 and logged on to the World Wide Web.

She checked her e-mail and surfed the Web for a few moments, making a familiar stop at “The O.C.” portion of Fox’s Web site. The first graphic caught her attention: The transcript of last night’s online chat with Adam Brody was available.

“Let’s see what Adam had to say,” Wendy Townley thought to herself, while glancing at the clock.

6:32 a.m.

She needed to wrap things up soon, shower and be out the door for work at the Bellevue Leader, a weekly newspaper where she works as a features reporter.

She scanned the paragraphs carefully, reading the questions from whom, she guessed, were girls in their early to late teens.

She certainly wasn’t anywhere near the probable demographics of the show. She wore her naturally curly brown hair short, because it’s easier that way. She loves calf-length skirts and cardigan sweaters, and wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those “belly shirts” that seem to have taken the fashion world by storm.

A month away from turning 25, she has a college degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She cut her journalistic teeth in 1997 on the college’s student newspaper and never quit writing.

She craves the honesty that journalism provides and is lucky to have a career she’s so passionate about.

While the questions from last night’s chat didn’t appear that earth shattering, Adam’s responses made her smile, made her laugh out loud.

“He’s such a wise ass!” she said to no one in particular. “I love that.”

She continued to read the transcript, until a question about music caught her eye. Bands she recognized, musicians close to her heart and home, were listed in Adam’s response.

Rilo Kiley. Bright Eyes.

Both bands on the Saddle Creek Record label, based in Omaha. She lives in Omaha.

She likes these bands. A lot. She even has their albums on her iPod.

Then, it hit her. This was her “in,” her way to make introductions yet hide her geeky nature. This was her chance to write to Adam Brody in a roundabout way.

I’m a fan of yours, think your curly hair and sense of humor are adorable. But, I come bearing gifts. Medium Magazine, a monthly culture magazine I write for in Omaha, put both artists (Conor Oberst and Jenny Lewis) on the cover. I figured you’d be interested in learning more about Conor and Jenny.

That’s it! That’s it! It wasn’t even 7 a.m., but she was wide awake now, excited with her idea.

“I can send him copies of the magazine.”

She pawed through the oversized purple crate where she keeps each and every newspaper and magazine she’s been published in for the past six years. It was a messy affair, but she eventually unearthed the two magazines.

“OK, now I have the magazines,” she thought to herself. “I should probably include a letter.”

She ran upstairs and launched Microsoft Word on her Macintosh. But, where to begin? She didn’t want to come off as a dewey-eyed Adam Brody worshiper, someone who didn’t have a life outside Wednesday nights at 9/8 Central on Fox. (She did, thank you very much.)

She never wrote a “fan letter” before, but she felt more than just a fan. From what she could judge, she and Adam would be good friends if circumstances were different. They’d crack the same jokes in that dry manner and listen to the same music. They’d even eat the same foods: cheese goldfish, granola bars, chocolate chip cookies and fruit snacks.

In fact, after the show’s premier, several people approached her, saying, “There isn’t a boy more perfect for you than Seth Cohen.”

Secretly, this made her smile.

For good measure, she put together a mix CD for Adam, naming it “Songs in the Key of Adam Brody.” She included songs by artists she thought he’d like: The Jayhawks, Beck, Jem, Damien Rice, the Dave Brubeck Quintet, Everything But The Girl, the Propellerheads and Rufus Wainwright.

She signed the letter, including her e-mail address, Web site, mailing address and phone number. She considered including a photo of herself, but decided against it. If Adam really wants to see what she looks like, he can check out her Web site. Her favorite photo is on the homepage.

She put the care package together and addressed the envelope. She found a mailing address for Adam on an Internet message board and hoped the package would find its way to him.

True, she felt a little silly at the post office; but, what did it matter?

You miss 100 percent of the chances you never take, she heard somewhere. What could she lose?

She hoped not for a glossy autographed photograph or prewritten response on Fox stationary, but a quick letter. Maybe even an e-mail from Adam.

Time would tell. Until then, she was looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.