With just about an hour and a half left in the day, ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN have called it. Rachael Ray has beaten Sonni Abatta as the number one T&A search term for the month of February 2006.

And so an era ends and a new one begins. The cycle of skanks life continues.

Much that was once magic to me, I now regard as crap.

It’s OK to like Nick Lowe.

Pachelbel was history’s first one-hit wonder.

Taking a nod from Big Ben Rottenburger, I’m not going to shave until I win the Powerball.

Eating a meatball in a restaurant is a prescription for disappointment and perhaps a stomach ailment.

I’m really tired of IT consultants referring to their wares as “solutions.” A fork, a bus and a glass of water are all solutions, too, but normal people refer to them as a fork, a bus and a glass of water. Call it a network or an application or whatever the case may be, but enough already with the “solutions” bullshit. How about a solution to consultants patronizing me by referring to their over-priced services as solutions? And enough already with the yellow tie with blue shirt look, too.

From his singing to his style to Keely just standing there looking bored, this cat was way ahead of his time.

For all the ladies out there…the Smithereens with Suzanne Vega…

Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. Cal Ripkin, Jr.’s 2,632 consecutive games played. Orel Hershiser’s 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Johnny Unitas’s 47-game TD pass streak. Rocky Marciano’s 49-bout winning streak. Anthony’s 11,307 consecutive days of being wild, cool and swingin’.

The thing about streaks is that they all come to an end.

One of the advantages of T&A’s move from Blogger back in August to our very own domain is that all of our statistics on T&A traffic is automatically archived each month and accessible at any moment. Modern technology is remarkable. Since August 2005, the number one search term for new visitors to T&A each month has of course been “Sonni Abatta.” That is until now. With only a few days remaining in February, it appears that Sonni Abatta’s six month streak of being the number one T&A search phrase is coming to an end.

What or who is this extraordinary thing or godly being who could dethrone the beautiful Sonni Abatta? Wendy Bell? Sally Wiggin? Ben Rottenburger? Breakfast cereal? Perhaps I wouldn’t find this sad turn of events so hard to swallow if it was one of the aforementioned. Oh hell, I’m too distraught to even type any more….see for yourself:

Note that even the misspelling of Rachael Ray’s name is higher than Wendy Bell and Sally Wiggin. I believe this is a reflection of both the enormous popularity of Rachael Ray and the intelligence of her fan base. Again, life is that unfair.

I must go now and commence the five stages of grieving.

Oh Sonni girl, the pipes, the pipes are calling…