Hump Day Musings

It's Wednesday and I'm brain dead. I've been feeling really stupid for almost a week now. Do you think that it's possible to get a brain cold, like a head cold but in your brain? If it is, I think I have one. My brain is just not working properly this week.

Might be the rain (hhmmm...Milli Vanilli just came to mind --- yuck!) causing it too. Yesterday we saw the sunshine (briefly) for the first time in almost a week. Today's it's dreary and raining again. Oh well, at least Jamie's getting a MBE!


Its Pukka as Naked Chef Gets Royal Honor

LONDON (Reuters) - Jamie Oliver, the British chef who rose to fame with his Naked Chef television series, dressed up on Wednesday to receive an honor from the queen at Buckingham Palace.

Oliver, who cultivates a cheeky chappie persona, was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth in the summer in recognition of his services to the hospitality industry.

The chef, whose trademark phrase "pukka" (good) is almost as well known in Britain as his cooking, has become something of a culinary phenomenon. His cookery books are best-sellers, his television shows are watched by millions and Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman has said he wants to make a movie about the 28-year old.

Oliver was given the honor after recruiting and training 15 youngsters to work in his restaurant.

The would-be-chefs were filmed as part of a hit television series called Jamie's Kitchen. Viewers followed the trainees as they struggled to cope with basic cooking, threw tantrums and generally tested Oliver's patience. By the end of the series the group of apprentice chefs were cooking for Prime Minister Tony Blair.