Note: I think I'm going to go back to the one-big-post-per-week format for Mindless Ramblings.  My schedule is too hectic, but I also know there are, indeed, a faithful few who visit the site regularly and hope for updates.  There is also a major site update in the works.  More on that to follow.

Time for a little catching up.

Yeah, I've been largely absent lately.  It's more a result of just being too busy.  Unfortunately, this blog takes a back seat to my work at MVN.com, if only because that one actually has imposed minimums for posting.  So, what has InvertedMind been up to?

First of all, let me just say that driving long distances alone with a two-year-old does one thing well: it sucks.   It's not that she's bad; it's that she's two.  She's needy.  And her whining could strip paint off concrete sometimes.  Late last year I bit the bullet and bought a portable DVD player, and that's become my best friend on long drives. 

In fact, it's not the actual driving that makes my brain want to beat its way out of my skull; it's the bathroom stops.  When you have two responsible adults in the car, you can quite easily take turns watching the youngster while you alternately evacuate.  But when it's just you, all you can do is strap them in a stroller, hope to God the handicap stall is free, squeeze in tightly, and wonder if you can actually pee with an overly curious toddler sitting next to you.  The phrase "performance anxiety" comes to mind.

And let's not even get into a deep discussion of the mess.  After a trip north, my car resembles the business end of a garbage truck.  Dry cereal, crackers, gummies…it doesn't matter.  I could give her two pretzels and — somehow — the back seat would look like an explosion in an Italian restaurant by the end of the trip.

Oh, speaking of MVN.com (second paragraph): my co-writer, James, was in a car accident a few weeks ago that left him with severe injuries.  He is expected to make a full recovery, and no injuries are life-threatening, but among his wounds are two broken arms.  I'd like to take this time to call for prayers for Jimbo's recovery — and for his wife, who is probably forced to wait on him hand and foot.

In other news, I was in Delaware this past weekend for one of my two annual trips to Dover International Speedway for the NASCAR race.  Let's just say it's a good thing the part of the trip that is most enjoyable is actually the tailgating.  Otherwise, it would have been a long, boring day.  For a better idea of what the day consisted of, check out my blog over at FoxSports.com.

This summer is looking like it may be a first in more ways than one.  For one thing, there are currently at least four movies I want to see that are in theaters right now: The Happening, Get Smart, The Black Knight and The Love Guru.  And the other first?  Of those movies, half of them are not comedies.  Shocking.

Other Ramblings…

• Why does the state of Kentucky get labeled as a place for nothing but the reddest of necks?  Well, all accusations of rampant inbreeding aside, it's possible it could be a result of their naming a town Rabbit Hash.  Or, just maybe, it's because that town's mayor  was a Black Labrador Retriever.  Ol' Junior Cochran just died, though; I hear the race for his replacement will be a fight between a gerbil and a bent paper clip.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins' run to the Stanley Cup Finals was a sight to behold, losing just two games in the first three rounds.  It looked, though, like they were going to get blown out in the finals after Detroit won the first two games.  The Penguins fought back, though, bringing the series back to 3-2 after putting up two games for the ages — including a triple-overtime defeat in which Petr Sykora actually called his game-winning goal.  Not since Babe Ruth's rumored calling of a game-winning home run has such a ballsy call been made and answered.  I'm reminded of Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck's overtime call of, "we want the ball, and we're gonna win!"; Green Bay proceeded to score on their first drive of overtime, forever making the Seahawks' quarterback look like a complete idiot.  Yet another reason we salute you, Brett Favre.
• Shania Twain's husband, Robert 'Mutt' Lange, left the drop-dead gorgeous — and, from what I hear, incredibly gracious and personable — country music star recently, providing irrefutable evidence that "Mutt" is not an endearing nickname, but rather a reference to his cognitive abilities (as if his sense of style wasn't indicative enough).  Single, desperate, delusional men the world over salute you, Mr. Lange!
• Sunday's forecasted high temperature is 102 here in Raleigh.  Relief is on the way, however; by Tuesday it should be back down to a refreshing 97.