My ability to take the symptom of a headache and foresee the onset of a cold was not there. Now, I have the cold. I view this as bad for me, good for my diet. I have lost five pounds in the last three days without even trying. All of it is snot, of course, or brain matter. The reason I think it might be brain matter stems from the fact that I just watched Starsky and Hutch and thought it was pretty funny. I never watched the tv series, so maybe that helped. Netflix sent me Ray and I will attempt to watch that tomorrow. I am avoiding the Lifetime Movie Network this illness go round. I am, instead, using Netflix to fill my hours.

The real Hollywood news here in northern Minnesota is the beginning of the filming of "Class Action." This is the movie based on the true sexual harassment of a woman working in the iron mines. Now, there are a lot of blondes here in the North Country, but I can't wait until I see how they take Charlize Theron, put a hard hat on her and turn her into a "you betcha" girl. She doesn't look like a lot of the female miners I have seen. Then, Woody Harrelson is going to play her attorney. Looking more like he needs an attorney than F. Lee Bailey, this will be an interesting take.

People lined up at the Iron Gate Mall for over six hours to attempt to get an extra role in the movie. Not a lot happening up here, so it's something to break the winter monotony. But, six hours in a mall? Puh-leeze!

We are not unused to celebrities here in Northern Minnesota. The tales spread like wild fire when Jessica Lange is in town. Hell, I even once sold her books. She does look like a Northlander without all the make-up on. But, the fur coat kind of gave her away...that and Sam Shephard. The big story on Jessica up here relates to how could a nice girl like that, from Cloquet, film a scene showing her pissing on a beach. (Rob Roy) We just don't act like that here, you know. Hell, I had to see the movie a second time to catch it after the scene was brought to my attention.

My office in downtown Duluth is up above a silk screening shop. They sell a local artist's CD cover on a t-shirt. The CD was "Duluth Does Dylan." Not a bad CD, actually. All local musicians doing covers of our hometown boy's tunes. (I can't believe I just called Dylan songs "tunes." Must be the Nyquil in combo with the Sudafed.)

One day, last summer, the word hits the street...Dylan was in Bullseye buying the t-shirts. Of course, we in Northern Minnesota are so cool that we act like we aren't impressed. Those East Coast folks have nothing on us. However, upon hearing that he had been there, I marched right downstairs and "MN nicely" informed one of the owners that if Dylan ever crossed their doorstep and again and she didn't inform me of it, well, I'd have to do something not so "MN nice." Of course, I would have been oh, so cool about being in the same room with him, but I also would have probably peed my pants.

Hopefully, the combination of drugs that I am taking to alleviate these cold symptoms will precipitate some dreams of the good old days and I will sleep, perchance to dream of Dylan and me sharing some bar-b-cue and discussing the lyrics that led me through my youth and continue to comfort me in my old age.