Made famous to us plebeians not by the names littering the social registry and its many sad suck-ups (an aside: ahem, our rent is due soon, bitches), but by the much-missed former SF Weekly's "Dog Bites" columnist Laurel Wellman, Nob Hill Gazette just landed another beloved local writer, former Chronicle society scribe Catherine Bigelow.

She starts today as the top-drawer publication's shiny new Deputy Editor & Society Columnist, working alongside longtime Editor Merla Zellerbach. An interesting side note: Bigelow tells us that "after being invited to take a buyout at the Hearst-owned Chronicle," her new gig at the Gazette is located in the historic Hearst Building on Third and Market Streets. (You can run, Catherine, but you can never really escape the Hearst machine!)

And the best part? Rumor has it she will bring back her "Swells" column -- or at least a variation thereof, minus the "Swells" name, of course -- come October. (Yay, more work for you, Rita!)

Needless to say, we are thrilled. We can't wait to see all of the parties, the SF "it" girls' curiously sweaty faces, and inspiring and not-at-all altruistic philanthropic events. Lord knows we'll never snag an invite to one of those open-bar society fuckfests. Alas.

Anyway, way to go, Catherine.