Well, it's hard to argue with the facts according to almighty Google. My search -- John Cusack loves Violet -- did not yield any results, so the crush apparently is one-way, down dead-end Violet Avenue. Unrequited, you might say.

I'm on a John Cusack kick today. Well, today and yesterday. (And here I conveniently omit the last fifteen years, during which he's been in the top three on my imaginary boyfriend list. Yeah, for me and every other girl on earth. I am so unoriginal, but my love, it is true.) And anyway, the kick to which I refer consists of the viewing of two (2) John Cusack films, mid-80s-era John, vintage John, although pre-Dobler. "One Crazy Summer," and then "The Sure Thing." I am all about the '80s tonight, apparently. Izod shirts and parachute pants--and thank God they're back in style. I went to the mall today to return my Mistakenly Stolen Three Items from Old Navy, and was overwhelmed by the '80s-ness of it all. I immediately had to purchase several illogically tailored velvet blazers and a pair of striped knee-socks, but I feel that now, I'm suitably attired for the rest of Cusackfest 2005.

John Cusack reminds me of the Keelhauler, in a general way. They have the same high cheekbones and small mouth, and rounded chin. And cuteness, and expressive eyes, and youthful charm, and all that. The Keelhauler has fairer hair and notably has not, since 1986, developed a giant head. But the Keelhauler is energetic and comical, and has the gift of gab in the way that a lot of early Cusack characters do. He's never going to be the staid, responsible one, but he's basically good, and all the girls love him, even though they find him infuriating at times. Watching "One Crazy Summer" and "The Sure Thing," I felt a familiar sense of wishing I had a boyfriend like that, and laughed at myself, because my boyfriend is essentially like that, and I'm just enjoying the feeling of torturing myself.

The Keelhauler went back out to sea on Thursday, and the first weekend that he's gone is always a little melancholy for me. When he called--the Keelhauler, I mean, not John, who has yet to call--he said he'd been listening to a Replacements song called "Achin' to Be" and thinking of me. I'm familiar with the song, but I couldn't think of the lyrics. "Why were you thinking of me?" I asked, and he said, "Because it's about a kooky girl, like you."

The song says, in part:

well, i saw one of your pictures
there was nothin' that i could see
if no one's on your canvas
well, i'm achin' to be

It's funny in a way, that we both seem to be longing for something that we already have. Maybe it's just a factor of distance.

Star of the day. . .Tim Robbins