THE LEFT LANE
The quotable Bush

Advertiser Staff and News Services

"Bushisms," in the second edition of the "Oxford Dictionary of Phrase, Saying and Quotation," include the memorable declaration: "We are ready for any unforeseen event which may or may not happen."

The thematically arranged dictionary includes quotations, colloquialisms and memorable turns of phrase on more than 350 topics.

New entries in this edition, released Thursday, include the "Star Trek" staple, "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it," and the expressions "licensed to kill," "Generation X" and "It girl."

Big yellow taxi stops

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer tells W Magazine in its December issue that her disgust with the music industry's relentless pursuit of trendiness has prompted her to give up songwriting. "What would I do? Get hair extensions and a choreographer?" she asks in the interview. "It's not my world."

What's good in bed

An "undercovers" survey on American sleep habits sponsored by the Serta mattress people says the holidays are among the hardest times to get a good night's sleep. Among the "Comfort Counts" survey findings:

• For both men and women (36 percent), not being able to get comfortable in bed is the biggest deterrent to getting a good night's sleep (more so than conflict, financial or troubles).
• The moment they lie down in bed at night is the most relaxing part of the day, most men and women (66 percent) surveyed said.
• Breakfast in bed would be most appealing for men if they were with Britney Spears (30 percent) or Julia Roberts (24 percent), while women opted for Brad Pitt (44 percent) or Harrison Ford (32 percent).