Cookie

Who uses it: Internet programmers
What it means: A piece of text that a website gives its visitors, so that the website can recognize the visitor when he or she returns to the site. Cookies are the Internet equivalent of getting your hand stamped when you go to a nightclub, or wearing that wristband in the hospital.
How you can use it: When you're leaving something behind to be remembered by.

"Cookie" is the one word Dizzy will respond to every time, above, "Come," "Stop," "Wait," or "Leave it." A list of his favorite things would be long -- everything is his favorite -- but cookies would top the list, second only to peanut butter.

My last bout of browser woes wiped out all my cookies, so I've been trying to recall my user names and passwords for about a dozen different sites I subscribe to. They say you shouldn't use the same password for everything, so I don't; I have three that I use, in rotation. But I can never remember which one goes to which site.

It's a cool, rainy day, good for working; I'm keeping my head down and getting things done while I can, because next week I'm on the road again. Here are the first five things off my iPod Shuffle this morning:

“Tell Her Tonight,” Franz Ferdinand. Finally, a selection that proves I listen to music made in this century -- though these guys sound like time travelers from the 1980s.

“Private Conversation,” Lyle Lovett. Lyle Lovett is coming to the Merrill Auditorium in August. Tickets are $71.50. $71.50!! For that much money, he'd better be giving me an open bar and a foot massage.

“Hold On,” Tom Waits. A beautiful song, off a great album ("Mule Variations").

“I.O.U.,” The Replacements. Not the best song off this record ("Pleased to Meet Me"), but it's a great album.

“Morning Has Broken,” Cat Stevens. This song was on the radio when I was little; finding it in the church hymnal astonished me. I always thought this would be a nice song to play at a wedding.