GOING TO THIS WILL NOT "INCREASE THE CHANCES OF CONCEPTION", BUT YEAH, COOL

It was nice to click over to the NY Times and see that David Edelstein, film critic for Slate and NPR, has written a fun-filled piece covering the various Big Lebowski conventions happening around the country this summer.

In the piece, we also learn about Jeff Dowd, the real-life inspiration for The Dude. And if there was any doubt about his political leanings:

Nowadays, the real Dude is back in the saddle. He's registering Lebowski fest attendees to vote, and vowed to deliver a gift basket to the Republican National Convention containing (according to his news release) "symbolic gifts including an oversize pair of glasses to help the Republicans see what's going on in our country, a copy of the Constitution to remind them of our rights as free citizens and a bowling ball so they will have something to do for the next four years."

Dowd likens the Coen brothers (directors of the film) to "Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain". Perhaps that's a bit excessive (Intolerable Cruelty?), but I know some people who might agree.