Extreme heat and excessive socializing make for lousy blogging

This is the first time in nine nights when I'm not at some kind of bar or party. The oddly busy social calendar has been keeping me off the blog.

While I've been enjoying myself greatly, those nights haven't provided postworthy material. Nevertheless, happy 29th birthday to HMQ2K5; to certain others, I'm sure you passed the bar exam, so chill; and I forbid the rest of you to leave for either California or the Middle East.

Speaking of which, I have no useful insights, other than to wonder whether Israel is Sal and Lebanon is Radio Raheem. (Further thoughts are available here.)

Similarly weighty insights:

• As much as Joe Lieberman deserves to lose, on a personal level I feel damn sorry for the guy. Like others before him, he's his own worst enemy.
• I've always associated Mel Gibson with David Hasselhoff. Maybe as a kid, Road Warrior and Knight Rider seemed like first cousins. Hasselhoff clearly has grown up to be the more respectable of the two.
• Mike Bloomberg is another tool. After reading this, no one to the left of Alberto Gonzalez should defend him.
  
• This message board thread on The Hold Steady's upcoming fall release isn't much to go by, but it's enough to make me excited.
• Hey, I've invented two new emoticons. (_I_) is when someone is being an ass. [Update: this apparently has been discovered already. Curses! -CN.] de(in)ed is a new way to write the word "indeed." Maybe that's not an emoticon, but I think I'm pretty smart.
  
• I wrote about it awhile back, but Hey Jenny Slater is truly an excellent site. He alternates between SEC football and some well thought-out posts about subjects like Iran. There's nothing more boring than a predictable blog, but like many of my other favorites, Doug is interested in just about everything.
• I've been wanting to write about Baghdad Girl but haven't found the right moment or words. Click through and see for yourself.