1. Which relationship will last longer, Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie ("Brangelina"), or Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ("TomKat")?

There was a time in my life when I would have laughed if you'd told me that Angelina Jolie was in the "less bizarre" couple, as compared to just about any other couple. But times change, and the Cruise/Holmes match breaks the bizarreness bank for me. It just don't make no sense, unless the Scientologists are arranging marriages now, and they're going to be part of a mass wedding in a football stadium soon. It reminds me of that line in Malcolm X where Elijah Muhammad tells Malcolm that the perfect age for a wife is half the man's age, plus seven. The math works out pretty closely for Tom and Katie. (Note: Your mileage may vary.) At least Pitt and Jolie sort of make sense together. After all, if you're going to leave Jennifer Aniston for anybody, there aren't too many obvious choices. So I'm going to go with Brad and Angelina. In fact, I don't think Cruise and Holmes will ever even get married, because that thing will end abruptly when she calls him "Dawson" in bed one night.

2. Less importantly, which will have nuclear bombs first, North
Korea or Iran?

I take Dylan's point about how we could have phrased this question and the first one to be more logically analogous. But that wasn't the goal here. Rather, we just thought it was worth commenting on how little public discourse revolves around these two real looming disasters, as opposed to the latest celebrity train wreck. Okay, look out below as I climb down from the high horse. Anyway, I think the answer is North Korea, because Kim Jong Il is crazy, but the Iranians seem to still possess some degree of rational thought. Plus, Israel has flat-out said that it views a nuclear Iran as unacceptable, and no one is making those kinds of threats at Kim just yet.

3. What is your dream car?

Long-time readers know that I'm not really much of a "car guy." I get along just fine in my trusty Camry. It's hard for me to even attempt an answer at this one, because I don't know many of the more exotic car brands, and I can't tell a difference between the model numbers and whatall. I guess if I have to pick something, I like the Jaguar XKR. I'm sure that would be an enjoyable car to drive. (I just realized that McPan likes them too, although they're not her first choice. And I don't mind the coupe version, because I guess I'm not a "convertible guy" either.)

What book have you read the most times?

I'm not a big re-reader, since there are too many unread books on my shelf. I know I've read The Natural by Bernard Malamud and Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five a couple-three times. I'm sure I'm forgetting about some much-loved favorite, or some book I had to read for more than one class over the years, so I may have to update this. But at least I'm not one of those guys who has read The Catcher in the Rye a hundred times. Actually, and this is the truth, I've read Catcher in the Wry more times than I've read Catcher in the Rye.

Are you a matchmaker?

No, and it's not just out of spite over the fact that I've never been set up. (That's right, never ever.) The real reasons are (a) most of my friends are already coupled up, and (b) I'm too selfish to pass a decent prospect off to anyone else.

Is it Friday already? Hmm. Thank the blog gods that Milbarge is on top of this Q&A thing. Anyway, here are the questions for today. I'll post my answers shortly. In the meanwhile, ponder this bonus question: What does a blog like BTQ do when, after it goes to great lengths to obtain promising new female talent, that talent decides she's too good to post? Things that make you go hmmm...

1. Which relationship will last longer, Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie ("Brangelina"), or Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ("TomKat")?

No idea. I haven't followed either relationship very closely, but if forced to pick I'll say Brad and Angie - they are much taller, more attractive as a couple, and they aren't worried about aliens trapped in volcanoes coming to get them. That kind of stress can really cause problems in a relationship.

2. Less importantly, which will have nuclear bombs first, North
Korea or Iran?

North Korea? Iran? Who cares? I'm much more concerned about the black market sale of nuclear material centered around the former Soviet Republic of Kerplakistan.

3. What is your dream car?

The Homer! Or an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. I wouldn't complain about a Land Rover Defender either. And before anyone attacks me for my senseless appreciation of British automobiles, in this dream world where I can afford an Aston Martin, I would be able to afford the constant towing and repair charges, too.

4. What book have you read the most times?

I re-read a lot of books, but the one I've read most frequently is probably Treasure Island.

5. Are you a matchmaker?

A now-retired and perpetually unsuccessful one. Despite Milbarge's frustrations with his friends (including me) never setting him up, even he would admit that my "help" in this area is not appreciated. People end up in jail, homes get broken into, dogs get kidnapped, it's a whole production straight out of a Lifetime Channel movie of the week. Yeah, I've learned my lesson. Cupid does not need or want my aid.

You all thought I was gone never to be heard from again. Ha. You should be so lucky. I am always lurking about, showing up where least expected. You could say I'm like Batman (who IS a superhero).

The reason for my intrusion here is to ask for the advice of the loyal, as well as the cheating, readers. Mrs. Haff and I just had the offer we had put on a house accepted this morning. Needless to say we are eager to get out of the one bedroom apartment, into something with a little elbow room. Dogs will likely be purchased before the year is out, but I'm getting ahead of myself. This is the first house for either of us, and I have a pretty good feeling there will be a surprise or two once we move in.

So the question I would like to hear some answers to is, what advice would you give a first time home owner? I know I'm going to need a ladder, garden hoses, sanders and scrapers, a lawn mower. What other essential items would you recommend having on hand? What little or obscure thing might make life easier for the first month or so?

I shall rack up BTQ's site meter while looking for your responses, and thanks in advance.

Today's recipe post features 3 reader submissions and kills two birds with one stone, because Milbarge requested some recipes that didn't require him to cook something in the oven and heat up his whole house.

The first two recipes - red pepper gazpacho and sangria - were submitted by Christopher Belen. I've reproduced his email in full below.

My wife and I made a gazpacho two weeks ago that was amazing. The recipe is simple and was gleened from Food Network's worst "celebrity chef" but is a pleasure to eat nonetheless. My wife made foccacia from scratch and it was a perfect complement.

I have also included a recipe for sangria that I particularly like on warm summer days/evenings.

Gutsy Red Pepper Gazpacho (link)

2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 slices white bread, crust removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 (28 oz.) can stewed diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt (to taste)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Blue corn tortilla chips (optional garnish/accompaniment)
Garnish: chopped cilantro, rough-chopped hard boiled egg

Place peppers in food processor and puree. Add sugar, jalapeno, bread,
garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes and process until smooth. Add 1/2 cup
of water to thin soup, if necessary. Add vinegar and oil,
pulse-process and season sup with salt (to taste).

Serve immediately or chill. Garnish soups with chopped red onion (or ingredients mentioned above) and pass the blue corn chips (or hearty bread) for dipping into soup at table.

Sangria (link to our blog post which includes the recipe and citation)

1 to 1.5 liters red wine (We recommend Shiraz or Syrah)
one 1-liter Tom Collins mix
2 cups Triple Sec
2 oz brandy
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 orange, thinly sliced
lots of ice

Combine all ingredients except the ice. If possible, chill in
refrigerator overnight (or at least several hours).
Fill large pitcher(s) with ice and pour the sangria over the ice prior
to serving.

The third recipe for today is courtesy of OLS of Brisbane, QLD. She submitted a recipe for homemade Bailey's Irish Cream. According to Ms. OLS, "it's excellent! Even better than the real thing."

HOMEMADE BAILEY'S
1 batch (approx 7 people*)
1/2 cup whiskey (125 mls)
1/2 cup brandy
dessertspoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon coffee (instant)
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
3/4 pint of cream
2 egg whites

Boil it all up and serve hot.

*I assume she means approximately 7 Aussies. I'm not sure what that converts to in American, what with the fluctuating exchange rates and all.

1. A brief foray into controversy: Some thoughts on a potential successor to Chief Justice Rehnquist. SCOTUSBlog's Nomination Blog has this profile of Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III. I had this post back in November discussing Wilkinson as a possible replacement and positing that a Chief Justice Wilkinson would be very similar to Chief Justice Rehnquist, at least in terms of the latter's federalism jurisprudence. Then I saw (via How Appealing) this conservative commentator remaking that if the President's short list "is long enough to include Judge Wilkinson, it needs to be shorter." Perhaps the author is worried that we're on the verge of establishing an "Imperial Chiefship," akin to the notion of an "Imperial Presidency." I think we could do a lot worse than Wilkinson, but that's probably cold comfort to his critics.

2. Enough of that. Here are a couple of very different blogs you might enjoy reading. First is "View From the Cop," a blog at the Atlanta paper written by a local police detective. Some very funny stuff in there -- kind of like a well-written version of "COPS." Also, there's some useful safety info, and some insight into police procedure. On the other end of the spectrum is the NFL Cheerleader Blog. Rest assured -- it covers more sports than just the footballers, and there are lots of links to other cheerleading web sites. (I haven't sent them any of Fitz's stories yet.) Anyway, it's exactly what you think it is: If you like to look at pictures of fit, athletic women wearing very little, it's your place. And there's also lots of genuine information if you're interested in how professional cheerleading works (tryouts and such).

3. I was chatting with a friend tonight, as opposed to just talking to myself like usual, and I used the phrase "no way to run a railroad." (I was discussing the airlines' pension issues.) My friend expressed bemusement at this phrase, so I did some looking into it. The most common form seems to be "what a way to run a railroad," with "no way" making a strong showing and "hell of a way to run a railroad" also making an appearance. I like this turn of phrase, and I think I'm going to start using it more often. What's disappointing to me, though, is that most occasions I've seen it used have been regarding actual railroads (usually Amtrak, natch). That's too easy and boring! It makes sense, of course, and my quick perusal of the etymology of the phrase indicates that it was originally a literal criticism of mis-managed railroads. But where's the fun in using a phrase like this literally? You might as well just headline your story "Amtrak is mis-managed." So I encourage you to use the phrase "no way to run a railroad" (or its variations) when discussing non-railroad situations, when you want to say that the matter is about to careen "off the rails" or is hopelessly "on the wrong track." Of course, it also connotes misfeasance rather than accident, as if someone actually designed the system poorly, so use when appropriate. Rescue this expression from the grip of railroad criticism!

4. Just when you thought you had heard the last of the Runaway Bride, take heart that you can fill your post-Jacko lull with a Katie Couric interview next week. Watch the re-runs while you wait on the book she signed a $500,000 deal to produce. I think there's still time to copycat this one. I hereby propose to any woman (or Vermont man) willing to leave me at the altar, land a half-million-dollar book/movie deal for the story, and split the proceeds with me. Precise split and consummation requirement negotiable.

5. Here's a cool artist and a great song to get stuck in your head: Regina Spektor, and the song is "Us." You can see the video for "Us" and hear a lot of her music at Spektor's website, and there's some more stuff on her sort-of blog. Here's her newest album. Spektor is Russian-born, and her influences are classical piano stuff as well as the New York artsy scene she's now a part of. I think "Us" is going to be her breakout song (she first came to my attention when I saw her perform it on "Conan O'Brien"), but I recommend tooling around the website and checking out some of her other work. It's hard to describe -- lots of piano, and there's both an edge and a sense of fun her music. Anyway, worth checking out.

6. I was sad to hear that actor Lane Smith died this week. He had small parts in a lot of films and tv shows. For my money, he did the second-best Nixon ever in The Final Days (topped only barely by crazy Dan Hedaya in Dick). And Fitz and I warmly remember Smith from his turn as the District Attorney in My Cousin Vinny. Our favorite line was from one of his witness examinations, when he emphasized for the jury that two tire samples were "Eye-dentical!" If I'm ever in a trial (heaven forbid), I plan to use that line.

7. A personal note. Someone I love has just been diagnosed with AML. I've started doing some research. I really don't want to talk about it in the comments (I appreciate your support but I don't want to talk about it publicly now), but on the off chance that someone reading this knows more about the disease than I can find on the web -- or if you happen to be the world's leading expert on it or something -- please email me so we can talk about it. Thanks. Anyway, I think this has convinced me to join the national marrow donor registry, even though I get a little queasy just thinking about it.

[The following post is a weekly update from Feddie and Eugene, the authors of the Coalition for Darfur blog]

There can be no doubt that, relatively speaking, the crisis in Darfur has generated a fair amount of attention. Journalists, human rights experts and bloggers have poured a lot of energy into raising awareness of the genocide and the 400,000 lives it has taken. Unfortunately, this focus on Darfur only highlights the lack of attention being paid to other, arguably even more horrific, crises in Africa.

For instance - Uganda

Eight people are shot, hacked and beaten to death and their bloodied corpses dragged to the middle of a dirt road for aid workers to find.

Six other fatally wounded victims are left lying nearby, screaming in agony. They die hours later.

After nearly two decades of bloodshed, Ugandans are asking why atrocities such as this May 27 attack by Lord's Resistance Army rebels still plague the traumatized people of the north -- and why they seem to have been forgotten by the world.

And the Democratic Republic of Congo

Militiamen grilled bodies on a spit and boiled two girls alive as their mother watched, U.N. peacekeepers charged Wednesday, adding cannibalism to a list of atrocities allegedly carried out by one of the tribal groups fighting in northeast Congo.

The report came as a key U.N. official said the ongoing violence in Congo, claiming thousands of lives every month, has made it the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

[edit]

"Several witnesses reported cases of mutilation followed by death or decapitation," the report said. The U.N. report included an account from Zainabo Alfani in which she said she was forced to watch rebels kill and eat two of her children in June 2003.

The report said, "In one corner, there was already cooked flesh from bodies and two bodies being grilled on a barbecue and, at the same time, they prepared her two little girls, putting them alive in two big pots filled with boiling water and oil."

Her youngest child was saved, apparently because at six months old it didn't have much flesh. Alfani said she was gang-raped by the rebels and mutilated. She survived to tell her horror story, but died in the hospital on Sunday of AIDS contracted during her torture two years earlier, the U.N. report said.

In Uganda, the Lord's Resistance Army has abducted some 20,000 children and forced them to become either soldiers or slaves. The attacks have displaced nearly 2 million people and every night, tens of thousands of children trek to the cities to sleep, in hopes of avoiding the rampant kidnapping. For years, the LRA had been supported by the government in Khatroum, the same government now responsible for the genocide in Darfur.

In the Congo, an estimated 3.5 million people have died of disease, starvation and violence since 1998. The situation in the Congo can be directly traced to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which itself took nearly 1 million lives. There are currently 19,000 UN peacekeepers in the Congo with a mandate to disarm the militias, but so far they only attention this peacekeeping force has received has come from allegations that soldiers are sexually abusing the residents of the DRC.

Darfur is an anomaly only to the extent that it has managed to generate a significant amount of coverage and global attention. But if the world does not act soon to address this genocide in Sudan, is it all but inevitable that it too will eventually evolve into years-long, seemingly intractable conflict such as those found in Uganda and Congo.

And as we've seen with Congo and Uganda, once that happens, the world will stop paying attention entirely.

Here's another ethics question for you Dudley Do-Rights out there. I posed the following question to Fitz:

Let's say, hypothetically, that I read a law student's blog. The student only uses her first name on the site, but makes no secret of which school she goes to, where she lives (as in what neighborhood), and even posts pictures of herself. So it would not be very hard to identify her. On the site she talks about the good times she has, drinking and dancing at clubs and whatnot. She also talks about doing drugs, including mushrooms, ecstasy, marijuana, and cocaine. She's very matter-of-fact about it, and makes no secret of her continued enjoyment of these substances. (Well, I don't think she liked mushrooms, but she still does plenty of pot and coke.) I don't know anything about her other than what I see on the site, so it's possible it isn't true, but nothing indicates that it isn't, and let's say I have seen things on her boyfriend's site that are consistent with it. My question is, Do I have an obligation here? Should I contact the law school? The bar (character and fitness issues)? The police? Would it be different if she were a practicing lawyer, instead of just a student? Would it be different if she were a mother? Would it make a difference if she were in school or practicing in the same jurisdiction where I am licensed?

Fitz's first concern was one that I'm sure a lot of you will share: How do I know it's true? Fair enough. I don't have any reason to think it's not true, though, given the general tenor of the blog. Even when bloggers don't give readers as much personal detail as my hypothetical blogger, we can still tell a difference between blogs that are perhaps exaggerated and those that ring true. (I just picked those two mostly-anonymous blogs as examples -- trust me that the hypothetical blogger is not linked on my blogroll and probably isn't read by any of you.)

My hypo blog simply reads like it's true. Oh, another fact: let's say the blogger is a published author who links to her publications so readers can purchase them, thus (a) indicating she could probably write believable fiction if she wanted, but also (b) making it easier to identify her as a real person. So let's concede that I can't prove it's true without trailing her to her usual party haunts. But I strongly suspect it's true. But even lacking certainty, do I still have an obligation to report it?

Fitz asked if I was trying to "manufacture" a duty, and wondered where that would come from. I said it might come from my status as a lawyer and member of the bar, or simply as a law-abiding citizen (go with me on that). But on another level, I'm not sure I'm "manufacturing" a duty at all. After all, I could always report something even lacking a duty, right (assuming I don't have a duty not to report it)? My question is whether I must report it.

One of Fitz's concerns, which seemed reasonable, is the trouble I would cause for this poor blogger if I did contact some authority. I acknowledge that it would create some hassles. But I could console myself by saying that it isn't up to me to decide the truth of the matter, or figure out the proper punishment if one is warranted. To adopt a trial analogy, I would be merely the grand jury, suggesting that probable cause exists, but I wouldn't have to be the prosecutor or judge or petit jury. I guess I've gotten into the subject of grand jury nullification once again: assuming probable cause exists, do I have a duty to "indict," or may I ignore the violation?

Fitz had what I'm sure will be the most common reaction to my suggestion of a duty to report. His objection is to the sufficiency of the evidence of any wrongdoing. At best, it's hearsay, in a medium not always known for reliability. (Query if my duty would be any different if the student told me, in a social setting, that she was a drug user.) Perhaps I have too much faith in blogs, or perhaps I believe too much of what I read on them. But perhaps even if it isn't true, it's worth asking if there's anything wrong with a lawyer (or lawyer-to-be) publicly proclaiming that she uses drugs -- not exactly the poster child for the bar association.

I don't think I have any ultimate answers here. If it relieves you, I don't see myself reporting any of this (even the facts I haven't made up for purposes of the hypothetical). But I'm curious about your reactions, and what you would do if you read something like that on a blog. And I'm curious about what you think the bar or the law school would do if they ran across something like that.

And I'm interested in the broader idea of the trustworthiness of blogs. So if the subject of recreational drug use affects your analysis, change the hypo to me reading a blog containing something like an admission of cheating during law school, or a clear ethical violation for a practicing attorney, something rising to the level of malpractice. I welcome your comments on any of these, but I am especially interested in your thoughts about the drug-using law student. Thanks.

Today is the fifth day in a row for which I have had no work assigned. It's nice. I like coming to work in jeans and a t-shirt, doing nothing all day, and leaving at 5 p.m. I like wandering the building aimlessly, emailing without interruption, and enjoying some "me time" in my fortress of solitude (a/k/a my hole of an office). We are on a skeleton crew and hardly anyone comes by to see me or bother me. Since I leave before the cleaning crew's shift starts, I don't even have to worry about the janitor bothering me. I could get used to this.

I could also get used to all the free time I have now. I go to the gym after work and I am there for about 90 minutes, but the sun is still up when I go home. It's nice to be out and about in the daylight. I have a slight headache from the rush of vitamin D, but I'm sure the pain will go away soon. If not, I can always dull the pain with a finger or two of Member's Mark.

I've also been enjoying a lot of time at Washoe Lake. It's a nice, relaxing place to watch the sunrise. It's nice in the evenings, too, as the sun drops behind the Sierras. The lake is right off of the highway, but many of the times I am there I am the only person at the lake. It's secluded and public at the same time. Anyway, I like driving out to the lake on a Saturday morning and having a cup of coffee while I watch the sunrise.

The weekend before the Fourth of July, I am going to be in a wedding in Columbus, Ohio. I have been told that Columbus has some sort of tremendous celebration on the river, but frankly, there aren't many reasons I would want to be in Columbus. That's especially true this year because I would much prefer to spend the Fourth at Lake Tahoe. Watching the fireworks over the lake is infinitely more appealing to me than doing just about anything in Columbus. Or anywhere in Ohio for that matter.

I've been logging a food diary because my trainer wants me to track my calories, protein intake, etc. According to her, I am supposed to be eating 165 grams of protein per day and about 2900 total calories. Do you have any idea how much turkey you have to put on your sandwiches to get to 165 grams of protein? It is a lot. It's a good thing I like turkey.

People at work keep asking me if I am going to take a vacation soon. The answer is maybe. If weekend getaways to Lake Tahoe, the Sierras, and maybe Sonoma / Napa (but not on a Sideways-inspired trip with Milbarge) count as vacations, then yes. And I have a very tentative plan to head to San Francisco this summer. Nothing definite yet, but maybe just a few days of sightseeing, fine dining, hanging out, and enjoying the ocean. Eh, but who knows? Columbus may turn out to be so great that I won't need to go to San Francisco to feel like I've had a vacation.

Late as usual...but at least I'm posting something...

1. What is the earliest movie you remember watching in the theater?

Like Fitz, I distinctly remember crying through The Fox and the Hound. I was also thinking I had seen Superman, but upon further reflection it was probably Superman II. And Empire. I don't remember which of these it was, but I have a memory of the trip to see one of them. The nearest mall with a movie theater was about an hour away when I was growing up, so it was a big deal to go. I remember getting out of the car, and my Mom had brought jackets (like windbreakers, not heavy coats) for my brother and me. It wasn't a cold day, so I kept asking why we needed jackets. Over and over like the inquisitive pest I was. (But I grew out of that, right? Right? Right?) Anyway, finally she told me that we might go somewhere where it's colder. This blew my mind until we walked up to the theater box office. Suddenly the pieces fit together -- sometimes it's cold in the movie theater! We were going to see a movie! See, this is why I like moviegoing to be an event, and why I don't go alone -- I always forget my jacket.

2. If you could strike one word from the English language, which
word would you choose and why?

When people say "on line" when they mean "in line." I think this question would have been more interesting if removing the word also removed the concept behind the word. It's like that idea when Bush supposedly said that the French don't have a word for "entrepeneur" or when Reagan said the Russians don't have a word for freedom. (I heard an essay on NPR about this back during the entrepeneur days but can't find it.) Just because a language doesn't express a concept in a single word, it's not as though the concept is foreign to that culture. English doesn't have a word for schadenfreude, but boy do we have the concept. Anyway, some of the words people have been booting I could live without, but I wouldn't want to do without the concept those words represent. So, I'll give an answer straight out of the beauty pageant question-answering handbook, and say that if I had to remove a word from the English language, knowing that doing so would also eliminate the concept behind the word, I would choose "racism." It's just too bad English doesn't have a word for "girls rejecting Milbarge." Because, you know, that's as bad as racism.

3. If you were a superhero, what would be your kryptonite?

The "Hot Doughnuts Now" light at the Krispy Kreme. I made myself a promise once that I would only buy KK if I was driving by one and the Hot light was on. I kind of got an idea of when they light it, and was mostly able to avoid it unless I secretly didn't want to. But the Hot light is the Siren call to this Ulysses -- I practically have to strap myself down to avoid heeding it. I like how this question didn't presume that I would be using my superpowers for good or evil, but either way, I could be thwarted by a well-timed "Hot Now" light.

4. Would you rather win an Emmy, Grammy, Tony, Golden Globe, Oscar, Pulitzer, or Nobel Prize? What work would you win it for?

A Tony would at least mean that I could sing and dance, which would be nice. And while I guess it would be fun to be a big movie or tv star and win an Oscar or Emmy or Golden Globe, or change the world and win a Nobel, or write so well I won a Pulitzer, I'm trying to decide based on my actual talents. So I'm going to say I would like to win the Grammy for best spoken word recording, for the audio version of my memoirs. One of these days I'll do an audio post and you'll get a taste of all that genius.

5. What is your catch phrase? Don't have one? Then make one up!

Lately I've been saying "Way to go, Moon Milbarge!" a lot. It's a reference to a Simpsons episode from last year. Lisa starts a rival newspaper to battle Mr. Burns's media monopoly, and Burns strikes back by trying to get dirt on Lisa. He hears from Homer that Milhouse likes Lisa, so Burns runs a headline in his paper that says "Lisa Loves Milhouse" to embarrass her. As the coup de grace, Burns aims a laser at the moon that creates a picture of Lisa and Milhouse kissing. Lisa is horrified, but Milhouse cheers the action his likeness is getting: "Way to go, Moon Milhouse!" It just cracked me up when I heard it, and I adopted it. I like that it can be an expression of happiness at some accomplishment, or delivered sarcastically, as in, "Nice going, chump." Or as in, "Way to go, Moon Milbarge -- it only took you five days to answer these questions!"