New Year's Blog

Wow, this blog, with all its names, will soon be one year old! Happy Birthday, Blog!

I am pleased that I did keep up with my resolution to write at least one blog a week in article or essay format. This year, I resolve to write 2 blogs a week of some content, and to get out of my comfort zone and attempt writing plays and sketches again. I lack confidence, but if I don't do it, I can't improve. So there.

Other resolutions include the perennial losing weight (though I actually lost a few lbs. DURING the Christmas season, which is amazing) run another marathon, get back on stage in at least 3 shows, being a better and more giving person and knitter, and avoid crazy people. Which means among other things--no more spying on the crazy haters at TeamSarah.org.

Crazy people don't change. Observing or talking to them is a profound exercise in frustration. The main reason I did not pursue a masters in psychology after my bachelors is because there is no sound, scientific way to reason with or at least soundly and satisfyingly throttle an insane person into mental health. Crazy people without medical issues must be left be to crazy until they want to change and can take responsibility for it. It is an unfortunate part of my make up that I can't listen to people drone on about their problems or uninformed world views without offering many common sense solutions or finally telling them that they are f*king stupid idiots and why, and how they should just stop it right now.

I resolve to stop listening at once to anyone who uses the phrase, "drinking the Koolaid" because it is stupid, trite and generally overused by right wing nutjobs. This means a continued avoidance of Fox News. This is my easiest resolution.

Things I would like to see in 2009;

* An excellent start and progression of the Obama Administration
* My friends and family having a much better year that 2008 which, in general, has been a real bastard hellhole of a year.
* Environmental awareness and action becoming a real priority as a world, not just a nice thing to think about, hopefully while we can still do something before a disasterous collapse of the ecosystem.
* World Peace

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas WEEK!

We just got back from a visit to my side of the family for Christmas. My older son ended up having a stomach virus for most of the time, making it 2 holidays in row where he has been sick as dog and we make him come with us anyway. Bad Mommy! He mostly recovered and then my husband got sick. It still was overall a fun time, even if half of my immediate family couldn't eat.

On the way home, the kids made up a story as they often do on long trips. This is why we do not have a dvd player in our car. Tonight's story, had Alex, the youngest son, cast as a serf, named Alex Papadopolous, (great grandson of Gary "Ricebowl" Papadapolous,) who had stolen his lord's armor and horse and had started entering jousting tournaments and winning them. This afforded him something other than serf food to eat, which made him happy. He ran into a magical being named Jim, who was drunk, but able to perform amazing feats of magic if he was treated correctly. The problem with magical creatures in this story was that if they were drunk, they were dangerous, but if they weren't, they were useless. Getting Jim to be able to do anything was the hysterical half the story. Another third was intricate descriptions of each joust, and the rest was plot movement to get to the next tournament and conflict.

I think if these guys end up becoming writers, it may be part of their creative process to take long car trips together with nothing else to do.

But Christmas doesn't end there! We have a long tradition of doing our family gift giving on New Years Eve. This used to be moved all the way out to January 25th, when it was just me and Dan. In the early years, it took all our money just to get back to Ohio for Christmas, so we postponed our personal Christmas a month so we could get presents for each other without going into debt. It was a great way to spread out the season and take advantage of after Christmas sales.

So, it is Merry Christmas WEEK! Merry Christmas! Have safe travels, and good quality time with people who matter most!

Deb

Some pictures of what I was talking about...

This is the legged snowman who always graces my Christmas tree. I just posted it on my Facebook and embarrassed my nephew, who made it when he was 4. He is in college now.

I actually just finished this--it is a Noro Silk Garden scarf, two complementary skeins in a reversible knit one purl one pattern of two row stripes.

Wednesday Randomness

Here is a lovely article in the Alaska Dispatch about the crazy people at Teamsarah.org. I assure you that what she describes is what is going on in any given day. Look at the comments for more examples of craziness from the nutjobs who frequent Team Sarah. These people cannot be excoriated enough.

Yesterday I spent the day in wonderment at the Blagojevich arrest for trying to sell Obama's senate seat, and other pay to play charges. The excerpts from his being tapped amaze and delight me. He sounds like Tony Soprano, except way stupider! Why would a guy who KNOWS he has been under federal investigation since 2003 keep talking on the phone and in his office about his outrageous schemes? Was he really thinking he was so above the law? I think he will have to plead megalomania in his insanity trial.

Meanwhile, Illinois residents and the world kick back and amusedly watch the proceedings with a bowl of popcorn. It's audacious, and delicious!

I feel a lot better this week, but sometime while I was coughing last week I either strained a muscle or cracked a rib, and it is interfering with my getting on with things, like working out, or sleeping through the night.

The best part of Christmas decorating is my Christmas Tree. Putting it up is a chore, as is stringing the lights--but rediscovering the ornaments every year is a delight. My favorites include a construction paper snowman with pipecleaner legs made by my nephew, Kyle, when he was 4, and the colored macaroni on black construction paper that he must have also made that same year. I of course also love all the ones my kids made when they were little, with their school pictures prominently displayed in the middle. These are somewhat comical, because our school has the worst photographer in the world. Each year, the kids have expressions as if they have been goosed or asked to smell a skunk, or that they have just arrived to the photo session from a wind tunnel.

A Cough Medicine Blog Entry

The fug that I got from the airplane nastiness has settled into my chest and voicebox, so today I have sat quietly and rested and occasionally tried to puzzle out knitting a hat with 4 double pointed needles. I took a child size portion of some codiene cough medicine that my son was given, and it seems to be doing a nice job of keeping me from cracking a rib coughing.

It is near midnight, and I am floaty and happy and a bit lonely.

I have a lot of love around me in my life. My older son is becoming more of a teenager every day, but we still enjoy each other's company, and he talks to me about stuff and I love it! Today we were talking about how to talk to girls. Middle school girls are foreign, foreign creatures. I won't reveal too much except to say that he is delightfully, innocently befuddled, and very sweet.

My younger son is a deep, quiet kid with great bursts of excitement. He is the sort of kid who looks at you with his big eyes while you are explaining something, and then ever so nicely will let you know that he figured out where you were going and went a few light years beyond while you finished your sentence. My favorite thing in the morning is waking him up. I talk to him softly, and kiss his face, and he slowly wakes up like a pleasant little baby chick. He is the nicest person to wake up in the morning!

My husband is an amazing person. I still don't know how I got someone so wise and yet so kind. He is also one of the smartest, hardest working people I know, and yet he still likes me. It boggles my mind. He about as blind to my faults as I am to his, which helps us both.

Well, I will float off to bed now on my happy cloud. I hope this cough will have gone away by tomorrow, or at least abated enough to get out and really talk to someone. I will be slightly embarrassed to have posted this, but seeing I don't get much traffic, it's just fine.

Flying the Nasty Skies

We just got back from a trip to North Carolina to visit my in-laws. It was a nice, low key trip, as it usually is. They live in the country, so time is spent in the house, in the garden, and out on the river fishing.

If only we didn't have to fly to get there. Flying just gets worse and worse. Not only are they charging for checked bags, not only do they want to charge you extra for a crappy pillow, not only do they charge you for a soda or water on shorter flights, not only does the airport security personnel treat you like a recalcitrant prisoner----They haven't CLEANED the insides of the planes at ALL! FOR MONTHS!

My older son was at the window seat on one of our flights, and the window was thick with greasy and dusty jeri-curl. Or maybe it was what he thought it was--hairy pus. Regardless, it was disgusting. We brought it up to the attendant and she offhandedly said, "Yeah, I have been complaining about that for about a month now."

Don't even get me started on the "magazine" pouch. The in-flight magazines (from September) were torn and full of spit out gum and ripped pages. Small trash from countless passengers was still stuck in each pouch on each leg of my flights, and I was not about to stick my hand in there to explore to expound on it.

The tray tables were grimy, the seats were dirty, the ceilings were visibly dirty. Who knows what we were inhaling, we all know that the air is recycled and has to be dirty.

And to top it off, they lost our luggage on the way back. It would be great to get our $15 back, but it ain't gonna happen.

Now I have a scratchy throat. Guess from where.

Next time I go on a flight, I will make sure I bring loads of wet wipes, small amounts of antibacterial fluid and wear a mask.

Maybe I can negotiate cleaning and sterilizing my seating area if they will waive the fee for losing my luggage again.

What other stuff I do...

For the past month, I have been hyperventilating about the election, and now I am successfully able to move on with my thoughts. Since I have never exposed much of my non-blog life on this blog, I thought I would do some of that today.

Here is a trailer for a low budget indy feature length film that I am in. It premiered at the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago 2008.


The film is called, "The Opposite of Life." It was written and directed by David Muhammad. The theme involves several couples dealing with unplanned pregnancies and the decisions they make. I play a really far-right conservative mom whose daughter has been raped and is pregnant. Just to add insult to injury, she finds out her daughter's boyfriend is, horror of horrors, black. Only one scene, but it is not a good day for this character. And part of it is in this trailer! John Vinopal, my indy film husband in several short films, is my intolerant husband. Good times. I haven't seen it yet, but I have heard it came out pretty well for a low budget feature.

I can't get the Modern Woodman commercial I did to load, so here is the link to their site:

http://www.modern-woodmen.org/The%20Card%20-%20Corporate.wvx

I am not as fat as I look like in this commercial, at least, not any more. It was filmed in March, actually. It was a hard winter. I am thinner now and I dress better, honest.

Other stuff I have been involved in for the past month but have no pictures of include doing a web/auto show promotion for GMC/Chrysler/Pontiac, and a brochure for GE Healthcare. I also did a comedic short with Kilamajaro Films. You can also look at my young friends at www.lookatrubbish.com and I am in several of their shorts, with varying degrees of success.

And let's not forget the knitting. I am going nuts for knitting lately. Here is my favorite thing so far:

It's an alien scarf, nearly invisible straight on, visible from the side.

So that gives you an idea of what else I have been doing while obsessing about the election and the economy.

You're welcome.

Random Stuff, it's a come down week

I spent most of last week in an extremely good mood.

Not only did Obama win, which made me smile goofily or tear up from time to time for days, but I also had a kick a$$ print job on voting day that makes me less of a financial drag than usual.

I also have spent the past week coming down from my election obsession. I don't have to be on the computer or have the TV on, and I seem to be able to get more done now.

My speech team started off the season well, and it was fun to see some of the kids break into finals and not be the first ones off the awards stage in 6th place or even 5th place.

Of course, I have peeked in to spy on the crazy ant farm at teamsarah.org, and they are angry and fearful and whiny and making up atrocious things to scare themselves. Obama has declared that he is king! Obama will force everyone to have an abortion! The financial situation is all his doing! He is STILL a muslim and will kill us all in our beds! Boycott Fox News they said something mean about Sarah! The conversation really didn't change, but now it bores me pretty fast. They are floundering, and most of them are not very bright. Still, I hope somebody besides me is keeping an eye on them. Crazy people for sure.

All is peaceful here. Sunny the cockatiel is perched on my shoulder with his head tucked under his wing. If he didn't poop so much, he would be welcome there all the time.

Now Neffy the cat has decided to perch on the back of the chair and Sunny awoke and started huffing at her. Neffy is not impressed or interested.

The kids are doing their homework, and when they are done we will have dinner and go work out at the Y.

I made pumpkin pies from scratch yesterday, and it was actually better than the pie one gets is stores. More work, but a better, fresher tasting pie.


Life is good. Breathe deep.


.

Whew. I say, whew.

I am so very pleased that Obama won.

I feel like I can have faith in America in general again, and the majority of Americans are not motivated by fear and smear tactics. It's a huge task to undo some of the damage of the past 8 years, and we have a huge job ahead of us, so celebration time is short. So today, I will have a little party going on in my heart.

I know I am not alone in feeling that the outcome of this election was keeping me awake at night for months.

John McCain is a great and honorable man, and he's one of my favorite politicians in Washington. However, his party had been taken over by some genuinely evil people, and there was no way for him to make it as his party's candidate without using them. I wonder if McCain had any choice about choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, or if that was the final deal with the devil. I still think that he wouldn't have lived long had he taken office with her--he will have better and longer life because of this defeat. And we will need him.

They talked about "exciting the base"-- but what's left of the republican base after eight Bush years is truly some of the worst and most ignorant people in the country. Everyone else fled. It made a loud noise, but it wasn't a big enough group. Thank goodness.

Probably the best thing last night was the long faces and shaky voices at Fox News. They have been the perpetrators of the worst demagoguery and invective for the republican party, and now they can see that it was an epic FAIL.

I told my husband this morning that I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and he joked, yeah, we were all counting on you for this.

But perhaps all of us who voted so convincingly and overwhelmingly for Obama should feel that way. A new beginning can happen because the People spoke over the shouting.

I voted! Have you? It matters.

I was excited to vote today, and was pleased that I hit the voting area during a lull. I thought about getting there at 6:00am, but just couldn't make myself get up. Just as well, the election judges said it was a mad house then.


I would really like to get rid of the electoral college once and for all, but I hope that all will turn out well today.

Crossing fingers.

Palin hasn't apparently read the Constitution--still!

Palin expressed that the press criticizing her is against her first amendment rights.

Actually, she has it backwards. She can still say anything she wants, and the freedom of the press gives them the right to criticize it. Especially when it is deeply dumb and once again showing off how ignorant she is:

Check it out here.

6 Days and Counting

Oh, I sssooooo want this election to be over. I hate everybody.

Not really. I am just ready not to hear about it anymore.

Well, I hate the far-right "christian" "base" of the Republican party. That isn't anything new. They give christianity a bad name. What a hateful,vengeful, hysterical bunch of mouth-breathers.

I need to stop spying on the ant farm, Teamsarah.org. They are shrill, full of hate, full of fear, and just about none of them can spell worth a damn. They are a fascinating hate group disguised as Palin supporters. Should I be surprised? No, and I'm not.

Today, the craziness continued. The chat area is full of "We should boycott ___ because they support Obama" (Evangelicals and other conservative christians are BIG on boycotting as a culture.) If any of them were following their own boycott list, the only things for them left to do were to watch Fox News (the ONLY source of news they admit watching)or stare at a blank wall. You can't even watch "Jeopardy" because they used Obama as one of the clues. Lots of veiled and not so veiled threats of violence towards Obama on chat. No one says "black" but the code word is "muslim." Obama is the antichrist in several blogs, which usually are the ones with the poorest grammar and spelling and typed in caps. Lots of pro-lifers joined the site, as for many of them that is the only qualification they are looking for in a candidate. Never mind that McCain was pro-choice until he was against it.


It's distressing to see the Republican party turning in desperation into a true mob mentality, and catering to the basest of the base to have any support whatsoever. They deserve to lose.

After effects of a car crash and subsequent demon liberal actions

One definite effect of the hit and run car accident that my husband and I had summer 2007 is how much less I am interested in driving into the city at night. Past 10pm, you have significantly more erratic/DUI drivers to contend with, and I just don't like dealing with it. Tonight I had a chance to go into the city and spend some time catching some shows, hanging out with people, and I bailed on my plans. It makes me feel kind of boring and suburban and I resent it.

So what have I been doing? Well, one thing I am having fun with is "conversing" with crazy people at teamsarah.org. Actually, mostly I just look, sort of as if I am gazing at a hate-filled, dellusional ant farm. Among the posts are people wondering if Obama is hypnotizing them when they seem to agree with what he is saying(it's a sign of the anti-christ, you know), about a thousand posts saying he is not actually an American citizen, blogs yelling in caps he is a socialist/communist/Hitler (with no apparent clear concept of what socialist/communist or fascist means), and of course, Obama's unrelenting Ayers connected terrorism. I am peeking into this sordid little clique under an assumed name, and it amuses me how easy it is to make them angry. All you have to do is disagree slightly or ask questions. Oh, if you are not in lockstep for adoration of Palin, or if you are even taken aback with some of the vitrolic and hateful postings, you are an evil demon liberal.

Here is a sample blog to show you some of the inanity:

I got this in an email today. Who knows if it is true, but I loved it anyway and wanted to share it. It's priceless! :)

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

I pointed out that it was unnecessarily mean spirited to deny a poor waiter his earnings just because he disagreed with you. To which she replied heatedly:

I think raising my taxes is "mean spirited" too. I also would miss the money. As I am a single mom helping my my sons pay for their college education. You see, they did not sit at home expecting the good people of this country to take care of them, they got an education so that they can live the American dream and they are both serving their country.

To which I replied:

So you'd take it out on a waiter??? There is so much in the way of mean spiritedness on this web site, I just joined and I am disheartened by it. Are there blogs on here with a more proactive and meaningful way of spreading the message? I have a hard enough time defending my stance without others making republicanism the party of the mean, angry and spiteful. This isn't all that we stand for, is it?

To which someone else replied:

If you think (she) was mean spirited, just what do you call yourself for labeling her? The liberals are famous for namecalling when someone has a different opinion, you need to examine your feellings. By the way, just what do you think spreading the wealth is going to mean?

To which I replied:

LOL are you labeling me a liberal because I don't believe in sticking it to some poor waiter to make a point about Obama's tax plan? I don't believe in hurting people to make a point. If that makes me a liberal, then I guess I do have to reexamine what conservative is.

Keep in mind, gentle readers, that Obama's tax plan does not raise taxes on people earning under $250,000 a year. I did not point this out, I didn't want to raise awareness to my actually thinking or reading much. It doesn't work well with this group.

Her reply;

The point of this blog was to demonstrate the concept of spreading the wealth, also known as redistribution. McCain/Palin supporters are not objecting to this simple exercise; BHO supporters are. McCain/Palin supporters aren't referring to each other as mean, angry and spiteful. BHO supporters are.

The message of this blog was blatantly clear, and one that all hard-working Americans should fear: in a BHO presidency, your money will be taken from you and given away those who earn less.

If you're hungry, BHO will give you a fish; if you're hungry, John McCain will give you a fishing rod and encourage you to reel in your own fish everyday.

To which I kindly replied (without questioning what the hell she is talking about):

But I still cringe at the idea of someone really putting this into practice. That would be mean spirited, and there is no way around that, it just would be. And it would reflect badly on us, and not change anyone's mind. How would you make a point about how his life would be better with McCain/Palin would be better. But what could we do, to illustrate how the McCain/Palin plan is good for working class Americans? The rich will be fine no matter what, and there aren't a whole lot of them to talk to anyway. What is our positive message? Negativity isn't working.

It has been hours and hours, and no one has responded. I suspect that no one actually knows, since the message from the McCain/Palin camp has been one of unrelenting negativity towards Obama, and just about zero about what they are planning on doing to make things work again. Their supporters don't know, they just repeat what has been repeated over and over again to them, whether it makes sense or not.

I know that posting this may "blow my cover," but that's okay. I just heard on the news that Palin is going ROGUE, crashing through the forests, trumpeting, stomping on advisors and elevating Obama to communist dictator single-handedly with her trunk.

Quite a useless blog entry.

Well. I promised myself that I would write here about once a week. I don't have a lot to say this week, though. I have a cold. I am not sleeping well.

I am very fatigued with all the election brouhaha, so I won't go on with that. The HuffingtonPost.com is very interesting, check it out, and just to scare yourself, take a look at sarahsteam.org to see women who have willingly blinded themselves and turned off their brains just to belong to a club.

Random thoughts:

Pledge drive time on public radio. Pledge, get some cool goodies. The news and all the other shows are da bomb. G'wan, listen and learn, and be entertained without fart and dick jokes and general puerile humor on the MIX or other morning shows. Commercial free! Do it because Mancow is going back on the air, ready to lower everyone's IQ again.

Cold medicine sucks just about as much as having a cold. I am not sure which one makes me feel like I am in a floaty, unreal bubble.

Why are gigs and auditions so cyclical? I had nothing going on for 2 weeks, and next week I am doing something almost every day. How does my skin know this and decide to break out spectacularly every time?

It occurs to me that I really don't go into the artistic side of myself in this blog. It is the main passion of my life, outside of actual current events. I will remedy this in a future bunch of blogs. Too loopy right now.


This is lame, but it keeps my resolution going. Leave me some banal comments.

Final Debate--whew.

Well, aren't we glad it's over. So exciting! Wow! I needed a drink.

As I was pouring a glass of merlot, I thought about this final debate. McCain was on the attack, but still stuck mostly to his talking points and veered again towards sounding cranky and petulant. Obama stayed mostly cool and classy, but sounded like he was tired or suffering from low blood sugar.

I took a little sip. Ah...I started to calm down. Debates get me all excited...

I still like both of these men. I still think they give a great debate. McCain all fiery, grinding his teeth and huffing like bear into his microphone when he isn't speaking, Obama looking all geeky cool, trying to stay awake even when he is speaking--tonight anyway.

Memories of the debate swirl in my mind as I stare at the glass...

Kudos to Obama for not going there when asked about Palin and what he thought of her. She is her own one woman wrecking crew, she needs no help. Biden, according to McCain, has been wrong a lot. Good guy though.

McCain defended his decision to add Palin to the ticket. It sounded a bit forced, answering the question about what he thought would be good about her as a president if need be. He described her more like she would be good advocate for a large non-profit center for special needs kids, not as head of the world's most powerful government. It was lame, and maybe even he knew it.

McCain tried to look tearful about how his campaign has been portrayed as hate mongering lately, but hey, it's all on video and audio, repeatedly. Note to McCain-- John, no one buys that you are wrongly portrayed. It is just another backfiring strategy, cut it out and let's move on. Hopefully, no one will try to go after Obama, and you and Palin will not be criminally culpable for inciting people to violence. Really, dude, what were you thinking??!! Make sure you include Palin in on the memo for this change too, okay? She always seems out of the loop with these things...

Obama seemed worn out. I have never seen him have so much trouble getting his words out. He still got them out, though. I was a little concerned with a few questions that he would run out of time before he completed a sentence.

Who won the debate? Well, each side held their own. There were no real revelations. I am sure it will be spun this way and that. Probably it will lean more toward Obama, since all he had to do was hold his own. McCain had more to lose, but he gave this one a good fight and should feel good about it.

My glass of wine is gone astonishingly fast. My stomach is warm, my pulse is slowing. I decide against another glass. All things in moderation.

I am glad there were only four debates with presidential and vice presidential candidates. If there had been more, the public would be wretching with the rhetorical overload.

So there it is. Let's put a cork in it.

Sarah Palin, Hate Monger

(I'm a speech coach. Tuesday nights are advanced forensics night, where we do mini-classes and coaching with the varsity speech students. It usually goes on til a little past nine, and then we coaches catch up with each other. I figured the debate wasn't going to be anything new, and if something unusual did happen, it would get played ad nauseum today anyway. So, I can't add any thoughts today on what I saw, because I won't comment on excerpts.)

Mostly, today I am concerned with the McCain campaign's latest use of Sarah Palin as the hate monger. She has been stoking paranoia and apparently getting an audience that represents the "base" part of the base, who scream "Kill him" as she talks about Barack (Hussein) Obama and his crazy 1960s terrorist neighbor (with whom he once worked on a literacy program in Chicago Public Schools).

You don't have to be smart or accurate or actually know about the national issues if you are hate mongering. You don't have to have any solutions when you are hate mongering. You just have to repeat hateful things over and over again, and say it with a wink and a smile. It is an effective use of her talents, but I sincerely hope that this sort of approach will wake up more of the decent republican voters to be aware of how badly their party has been taken over by dirty,evil and desperate means.

I have some hope. As a friend of mine said, "I am still a republican, but we don't all drink the kool-aid." And indeed, poll-wise it seems many republicans feel the same way.

When are the fiscally conservative, socially more open minded republicans going to take their party back over? The W. Bush years and the latest campaign have robbed thinking republicans of any self-respect. John McCain sold his soul to the far right, so don't think he will be a help anymore.

Republicanism has degenerated to meaning one who believes in huge deficits, environmental rape, greed, expansion of the wealthy class at the expense of the poor, and spreading fear and paranoia as a diversion from substantive discussion of the real scary issues.

I realize the latest turn in the McCain campaign is a mark of desperation--but how far will it go to rouse the basest of their base? What are they trying to achieve? Is the McCain campaign inciting violence against their opponent? Do they think this is the only way the will win?

VP Debate

Haven't listened to the spin meisters. Glad to see it wasn't a gaffe-a-thon. Would have felt terrible if Palin imploded, glad to see that 5 weeks of sequestering made her perform credibly, even if sounding quite rehearsed, and noticably evasive answering if she was in unfamiliar territory.

I am always struck by the difference in looking/listening to Sarah Palin and just listening to Sarah Palin. If you just listen, she doesn't come off nearly as well as when you are also looking at her. You can also tell where she is over-rehearsed, and where she is panicking just with vocal tone. Look at her, it is harder to tell. Very interesting.

Joe Biden was the debate winner, but Palin may still be on the ticket as of tomorrow. She will still be an albatross around McCain's neck if they let her talk unrehearsed again. Don't fall for tonight's performance. The Couric, Gibson and Hannity interviews show us the real person.

Hmmmm....I could use about $150 Billion in Sweeteners too...

Here they are, trying to ram this "necessary" $700 billion bailout through Congress--the most expensive bailout for stupidly managed companies ever, and the elected oaf-icials are adding "Sweeteners" to the tune of $150 Billion EXTRA dollars, and still no real way to get the money back that they are "borrowing" from the tax payers. Important things like "tax incentives" and money for the movie industry and for children's archery toy manufacturers...if McCain or Obama think they aren't going to hear about that as part of what is wrong with them and with Washington, I hope everyone will give them what for. Now 541 pages long, it is now big enough to obfuscate any embezzlement from the American people that they wish. Gosh, I wish I had a lobbyist who could give me all that sweetness...

Instead, make some calls to your representatives today and tell them to get those extra expenditures out of this travesty of a bill. I hope that the House of Representatives hears from enough constituents about the latest travesty that they fear for their political lives if they do not vote it off.

What an exciting Debate!

I was riveted by last night's debate, and was thrilled to see such an exciting event with two men who, each in their own way, are knowledgeable and forceful in their ideas and communicate those ideas well.

Neither Obama or McCain tried to dumb it down or get repetitive and rattled like a certain George W. who was always painful to watch. Sure, it was a little sound-bitey, but often I felt that each was talking straight and with passion.

I give them both a win for style and relative substance in the debate. Bravo for making it a great forum for summarizing what they have been saying all along in this freakin' long campaign. I also give them points for not collapsing with exhaustion along the way.

It was not a game changer for me, of course. Obama still gets my vote because of real life observations of the candidates. McCain has a lot of positives, and I really like him, but the choice of Sarah Palin for a running mate (made even more obvious this week) was a serious lapse of judgement, or a kowtow to the far right. His overall record is as a moderate, but I am afraid he sold his soul to the far right for financial backing for his campaign. Calling off his campaign and trying to delay the debate was also a head scratcher this week, a ploy for appearing presidential, but nothing more. It was interesting gamesmanship, but easily countered.

Obama is a liberal--not an unreasonable goofball liberal, so get over it. He is not prone to bizarre behavior or for getting rattled. He appears to be a listener, and he appears to have a good understanding of political maneuvering and compromise. Joe Biden is my big disappointment in this ticket. He is experienced, but kind of obtuse and old school. I wish Obama had the guts to pick Hillary for a running mate instead. The pair would have been a slam dunk.

Overall, though, I have been excited about our choices in candidates this year. I do not have the feeling like I have to hold my nose and vote like I have in the past few presidential campaigns.

Fascination

I have professed a dislike for the cable news stations before--they are repetitive, sensational, and biased. You can count on having to tune in to CNN, Fox and MSNBC to get each take and try to figure out the story from there--if you still care. However, sometimes when something huge is actually happening, I find myself drawn to them, like a dog to chocolate.

The financial meltdown is such an event. I don't understand well enough what is happening (about as much as anyone else), and I am desperate for the latest news.

John McCain decided to suspend his campaign, which at first looked like a bold move--but then just kind of didn't make sense--he is not a finance guy, and hasn't been involved in the negotiations or even congress much this year.

What was Obama going to do? Is he going to follow? I hope not, that would be so...so..Dukakis-y. Ah, he didn't. He even made it clear it was a stupid idea.

He will not consent to canceling the debates.

The agreement is reached, McCain shows up, it falls apart. Must he keep helping?...Will Obama and the news crews be hanging out in Mississippi for a chatty news conference instead?

I am glued to the TV, my kitchen is a mess, I haven't worked out, and I just finished knitting a scarf I forgot was in my hands.

I could go for some Jeffersonian Intellectual Elitism about now...

The past few days I have been pondering the phrase, "Intellectual Elite" that has been bandied around like a pejorative by the Republicans from time to time in this freakin' long campaign. It's kind of minor stuff anymore, given the fallout of the financial market, but I was caught by the concept.

Intoning darkly about the "intellectual elite" is (was) done to cast a pall on Obama's intelligence or academic achievement in an attempt to distract the "average voter" from the current administration's folksy "by the rich and for the rich" elitism for the past 8 years. During the GOP convention, the tactic was somewhat effective in causing a shadowy contrast in the "frighteningly inexperienced or crazy fresh?" showdown of Obama vs. Palin. He's an "elitist" Harvard trained community organizer/professor of constitutional law/legislator/senator, and she's a new home- grown governor of a little ol' state with only a bachelors in journalism, but a lotta gumption and lipstick.


My first reaction was, "Don't I want the smartest, best people I can vote for in charge?" (Actually my real first reaction is to mentally scream "I HATE EVERYBODY!" but that is just campaign fatigue.) However, I also knew what they were implying.

The phrase, "intellectual elite" conjures up the image of the narrow-minded, effete academic, sneering at "common people" from their ivy covered colleges and warping the minds of youth with their uber-liberal, doubletalking, groupthinking ways. American colleges are very bad about producing insular little worlds where conforming to what your professor/peers/faculty head want gets in the way of original thinking or innovation. Academics who conform might have been brilliant, average or weak minded, and often waste their talents being vicious, backbiting infighters in their own narrow fields, expounding theories with no use in the real world. (For a wonderful article/book review on intellectual elitism of this sort by one of my favorite authors, take a look here. (He's conservative, but he is brilliant and I love his writing and analysis even when we don't agree.))

But to the founding fathers, an intellectual elite meant something quite different. Thomas Jefferson wished for the best people of all economic backgrounds to be a part of the leadership of the nation but constitutionally held responsible and accountable by the Constitution and a government for and by the people.

Thomas Jefferson has been called an elitist, and in a sense he certainly was. He believed that government should be run by a trained elite, that young people who possess outstanding talent should be selected from all classes, poor as well as rich, and that those young people should receive the highest levels of education possible to enable them to serve in positions of responsibility.

"By... [selecting] the youths of genius from among the classes of the poor, we hope to avail the State of those talents which nature has sown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without use if not sought for and cultivated." --Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Va., 1782.

His chief concern was with the talented poor, since the talented rich have means at their disposal to develop their talents on their own. But whatever their origin, his elite was based on virtue and talent, not merely on wealth and birth.

"Instead of an aristocracy of wealth, of more harm and danger than benefit to society, to make an opening for the aristocracy of virtue and talent, which nature has wisely provided for the direction of the interests of society and scattered with equal hand through all its conditions, was deemed essential to a well-ordered republic." --Thomas Jefferson: Autobiography, 1821.

It is this elite of virtue and talent, wherever found, that should be nurtured and chosen to run the government. But in no case was confidence to be placed in even this aristocracy of virtue and talent so as to give them unlimited powers to run the government as they pleased. No elitist group was to be trusted to that extent. The fundamental structure of government was controlled by a Constitution which bound this elite of virtue and talent to certain principles.

"It would be a dangerous delusion were a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights. Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism. Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence. It is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power. Our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no further, our confidence may go... In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." --Thomas Jefferson: Draft, Kentucky Res., 1798.

You can get the full article that this came from here.


Which side seems to be more in line with what Jefferson and the founding fathers had in mind? Is this not still an excellent ideal to get back to for our country? Exactly when did touting one's mediocrity become a campaign ploy anyway?

I know I would like to see a change in dynamic from the past 8 years of government fronted by a good ol' boy and run by elitists of the very worst sort with little regard for anyone but the very rich.

It's not intellectually elitist to want the very best we can get for our country. It's just plain old smart.

Addendum: Someone writing for Newsweek was thinking in the same vein/.

September 11 ™

It seems like yesterday, it seems like a million years ago.

As I listened this morning to WBBM 780AM on my way to a commercial shoot, I couldn't help but tear up when they reported about the ceremonies and moments of silence being observed all over the country. I listened to parts of the ceremony at ground zero when names of the dead were called. I heard about the firefighters all over the country holding observances to remember the brave ones who died trying to save others. Heard about the new memorial at the Pentagon being unveiled today.

I was surprised as the day went on that I was not hearing more of the bombastic rhetoric that we have been getting from the Republicans, since this has been more or less turned into their "rally" day. Then I saw this from CNBC last night. I don't watch this guy much, since I am really tired of cable news in general, but he really stuck it to them. I think it may have had an effect. My friend, Rachel, said she wished she could turn it into a public service announcement. I think he is over the top, and is some places dead wrong, but he does make some excellent points:

• Current administration and current contenders are make September 11 a tacky brand name, using it not as a call for unity of purpose for the nation as a whole, but an overbearing tool for fear. "Vote for us or it will happen again!"

• The "Tribute" to September 11 at the Republican Convention was in really poor taste. It was graphic, accentuated the horror of the day instead of honoring the dead and the heroes of that day, and it brought in the 1978 Iranian Revolution extraneously to stoke paranoia. It was shameful.

• Current administration is still escaping all culpability for its transgressions against the nation and the world.

Weekend Thoughts

I think I have made up my mind about the Republican ticket. John McCain lost his ability to think independently and has chosen give in to the right wing party line. Basically, he has sold his soul for a chance at the presidency. John Stewart said it right. The Maverick for Reform in 2000 has become the Reformed Maverick 2008. Sarah Palin is anti-intellectual, unqualified and as phony as a 3 dollar bill. What say you that John McCain, if elected president, finds himself dying mysteriously in office and is replaced with this easy to control, out of her depth puppet? Then the end times can really begin...

Obama and Biden need to get their game on now.

I wonder if evangelicals realize that the more they drag religion into politics, the more people are turned off to God in droves. Souls are lost to Jesus every day because being a believer is associated with being a self righteous, narrow-minded non-thinker with a stick up your ass. Who wants a piece of that?

Second Impression--Sarah Palin

I was trying to listen to her all-important acceptance speech on NPR as I was driving home, but her speaking style aurally is like listening to a cheesy spokesperson on a local carpet ad. She basically repeated what she said in her introductory speech, went on and on about her family, tweaked the dems with the same old party line blather, so I couldn't gleen any new substance from it. I got frustrated. I wanted her to go in for some more coaching, and a good rewrite, this time with substance over form, and get rid of the faux-sincerity! It's so faux!

Perhaps she said something important and noteworthy when I switched away for the traffic report for a minute. The audience at the convention sounded over-excited, like they were being forced to cheer next to the radio pavilion. What did it look like? I will be interested in seeing the full speech on video to see if communication was more effective visually. A transcript might be nice too, in case I can't sit through it.

Believe it or not, I really would like to like her even if I do not like her reputation as an extreme right winger and her apparent overall lack of experience. I actually think John McCain is personally a pretty okay guy and the best thing Republicans have let rise to the top in some time. But I am still scratching my head on this veep pick...I don't get her supposed appeal, and this speech as far as I could listen to it did not answer any questions whatsoever, just repeat stuff over and over as if it was an answer.

The "news" channels and all are no help. I know more about poor daughter Bristol than I do about Sarah. How incredibly inept. The manipulation by the GOP and the Dems in this "family" situation is ham-handed and highly irritating. Using the children while thumping their chests at the injustice of their exposure. My inner teen girl is highly mortified for Bristol. Poor kid.

I guess I will just have to keep wading through the muck, waiting for the real Sarah Palin to emerge from the media underbrush, fierce and proud or loud and stinky, just like the moose she likes to hunt.

First impression--Sarah Palin

She is going to get eaten alive, that is my first impression...

When I listened to new GOP Vice Presidential contender, Sarah Palin, make her acceptance speech, I heard her less-than-exciting speaking style, and her words and listed credentials and thought, "I feel so like I am being patronized by Republicans trotting out the anti-Hillary!"

Then I decided that may be kind of knee jerk response, I should research her and give her a chance.

So I did that. It is all rather interesting.

I'm not sure what I think of her personally--I really don't know her yet. She seems nice enough as a person. Even if someone is not liberal leaning like me, they can be a good, stand-up person to admire. Mostly, I get the impression she is not fully formed as a political entity. I wonder if she will get a chance--this may be a debacle. Again, this is my first impression.

Right now I say her lack of national or international experience is scary to me. I would liken it to being a freshman class president of a small rural high school, and suddenly being promoted to superintendent of the the largest school system in the country. She just doesn't have the experience to know what is going on, and the learning curve will be ridiculous. At best, she is being set up to fail. It makes her in danger of being even easier to control by a hawkish cabinet than George W., which may be just what the powers that be are after. A year and a few months of being governor in a small (in population) state and a mayor and city council member of a small town before that...that isn't enough. It makes Obama look grandly experienced.

She and I do not see eye to eye on basic issues. Her credentials list that she is anti-abortion even in case of rape or incest, an NRA member (but is a hunter, not a gun nut), she is all for drilling in Alaska, is against protection for polar bears, and does not think global warming is a man made crisis. She is a proponent of creationism being taught in schools. A neocon's dream.

Actually, overall she out of touch with anything that I would consider remotely presidential material. And we have to think that way--presidential-- McCain's age and the world political climate make the presidency a chancy business. Whoever takes this position has to be more prepared to step into the presidency than anyone ever before, not just the usual funerals and light duties.

I'll be interested in seeing if she may have potential later in the political arena, or if this sudden immersion in the national spotlight will doom her. Politically, I wonder if the Republicans thought this through or are just throwing something out there out of desperation and hoping that it sticks. Look, it's young! It's white but it isn't a man and she's purty! We have DIVERSITY! (There are other more experienced women in the Republican party to choose from...aren't there? Please name me one? I don't care if she isn't pretty...)

I wonder if the neocons of the Republican party are hoping for a pretty and pliable doll to trot out and pretend that they care about the "Hillary women" (though how she could appeal to them, I don't know since she seems okay with the current party platform that is designed to continue to try to take women's reproductive rights away, block legislation for equal pay for equal work, and make it hard for working class people to make a living, afford healthcare and also pay for decent child care.)

And let's be real--just because she didn't go ahead with the Alaska "Bridge to Nowhere" doesn't make her a maverick, either--just sensible, especially since her state still got to keep the money earmarked for it for other uses, from what I understand.

Did McCain really think this out? Are they counting on women who are Independents to bring out the "It's got a Vagina!" vote? Do the Republicans really think women are that stupid?

And I wonder...if she does end up getting the job, will neocons connive make sure she is paid less for it than a man? And will McCain suggest she gets more education and job training to equalize that?

Middle School...Like, OMG

My oldest son now at his first day of middle school. He got on the bus at an ungodly early hour for a growing adolescent, going to school even though he has a bad cold. He did not want to miss the first day, because that is when they tell you everything--like where is your locker, who your teachers are, what do you need to bring to class with you, etc. The change is stressful enough, no need to fall behind if you are still ambulatory.

Watching him get on the bus, I felt my own anxiety, remembering how middle school was 2 of the toughest years of my education, mostly because of my peers. I am hoping that he will make friends and keep the ones he has, and not be singled out as prey by that inevitable group that makes life hell for everyone else. If they try him out, I hope that he will stand up for himself, and his friends stand with him.

Schools try harder to stop bullying than they did when I was in school, but you cannot underestimate the wiles of the adolescent mind. They have a lot more tools to work with too, like the internet and texting, camera phones, video phones, etc.

From an informal poll of my friends, 100% remembered getting bullied by someone in middle school. All of us can also remember some kid who was the focus of most of the intense bullying, who had no one to stand up for him (often because we were scared the focus would then come to us), whose life was scarred forever because he didn't know how to stand up for himself. In my middle school years, the poor kid's name was Pete. He was a nice boy, but he did not stand up for himself, and the lowlife druggie kids would gang up on him. I don't think he graduated with us. I will always feel I failed him, because maybe all it would have taken was rallying the other kids in the class to stand up and tell the low life kids none of us were going to take it from them anymore. There were so many more of us than there were of them. We talked amongst ourselves about how horrible it was, but we were too chicken to take a stand against them.

My personal bullies were a couple of girls, Jill and Stella, who made teasing me a personal challenge in 7th grade. I was miserable. Then sometime between 7th and 8th grade, I had spent a lot of time with some older friends and realized that I could take Jill and Stella's power away from them by 1) not acknowledging their teasing, 2) pretending they were by best friends and being super friendly to them. They walked into my Spanish II class and grinned evilly to each other, but the grins faded to confusion when I greeted them with great excitement and enthusiasm. I totally ignored when they tried some stuff that used to agitate me, and they were flummoxed. I was no fun anymore. They stopped bullying me immediately. Later, when we were in college, Stella apologized to me, and expressed she felt great shame that she ever acted like that, even 6 years later. Stella, I knew, had her own bullies to deal with, and thank goodness, most of us outgrow middle school. I forgave her long before she forgave herself!

Eighth grade was hard because I tried out a few new personalities that were not me, and highly annoying to others, apparently. I lost a few friends with that phase. A small group of girls singled me out for teasing because I had breasts and they did not. They spread the rumor that I stuffed my bra. I protested, but I was not about to expose myself even in the girls locker room to prove it false, because then they would spread the rumor I was gay. I had a boy ask me to "go with" him, and I was so excited! Finally a boy was paying attention to me! We held hands once in the hallway, and we got a lot of attention. Mean girl attention. That made me so nervous, and I avoided him and even hid from him for 3 weeks until he cornered me and said we should break up.

The next adolescent relationship was with a boy who professed his crush on me and then within weeks moved to New Hampshire. We carried on a pen pal relationship for many years, and it was easy to remain 100% faithful, because really, I was not ready for anything else. I highly recommend pen pal relationships during early high school. They allow for introspection, communication, and no physical involvement to screw up your life or health.

Yes, as I watch my son go off to middle school, I know he will have probably just as miserable of a time as everyone else. He will make his own mistakes, change his own behavior, and learn to deal with difficult people. He will be confused by girls. He will worry about his peers. But in the end, hopefully, he will come out whole and enjoy his high school years having already gone through the hard part.

Go Masters Women Athletes!

Of all the Olympic athletes who are competing in the Olympics, I am proudest of Dara Torres, 41, Oksana Chusovitina, 33, and Constantina Tomescu-Dita, 38.

Torres still got the second fastest world time ever and came within 1/100th of a second of the gold in the 50 m. She also did amazingly in the medley relay that won the US the Silver. She may even be a contender in London--she will only be 45.

Oksana Chusovitina is 33 and still a contender in vault in gymnastics! Incredible, when most of her competition is half her age or less. Addendum: She won the SILVER medal! Go Oksana!

And Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the gold in the Women's Marathon by a huge margin. Her athleticism and experience and high altitude training in Boulder, CO made her a kick butt force and an inspiration to all women runners. Having run several marathons myself, I am in awe of someone who can do such amazing time and look good doing it.

These women show that with great training and refusal to take seriously the expectations of age, they can excel in their passions and competitive spirit.

I am inspired. I am going for a nice long run now.

Sunday Musings

The Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies were the coolest, most beautiful, artistic and tasteful I have ever seen. I usually get bored, or start laughing at something garish or tacky or just plain weird. This time, I was wondering what was going to happen next. The torch lighting was sublime. Kudos to the artists who brought that about. Cynically, I could crab about how that money could have gone to better causes, but damn, it was just about worth it...

Bob Costas' mostly commented on the countries coming about how much trouble we are having with each country, and how our relationships with them have suffered. He seemed a bit dour throughout all the fanfare. George W. and his wife were in the stands, looking bored and George was repeatedly whacking a little American flag against his leg in an agitated manner. He should stick to wearing it on his lapel--it will get less wear and tear, and he can pretend he has any respect for it whatsoever. Oh, yes, he is so easy to pick on...but he is on vacation for the next 6 months, so whatever...

--Gymnastics is my favorite event at the summer Olympics. When I was younger, I used to cheer for the USA and only begrudgingly cheer for excellence on any other team. The older I get though, the more I just look at every gymnast and feel like cheering, "Hooray, amazing human bodies! Go, humans! " USA still rocks, but I begrudge no one my amazement.

I have yet to catch Olympic Badminton. I wonder if any of the announcers will start giggling at the word, "shuttlecock." They probably have to get that out of their systems ahead of time...

Even in my dreams, I am losing my idealism.

Last night, I dreamt vividly that I was trying to convince some young, earnest theatre friends of mine that starting an organic farm co-op to fund their theatre company was a terrible business plan and a poor use of time. I was giving them handfuls of disposable diapers as we discussed this.

In a strange way, it makes so much sense...

Weight Loss "Encouragement" at the Ballpark

Last weekend we went to a minor league baseball game. There is some lovely food at a baseball game, and I particularly enjoyed a hot dog with mustard and a real Coke (not diet). There are also so many other good snacks I was sort of tempted.

Then I looked at the people around me. Literally 1/2 of the people were morbidly obese, and 1/3 of the remaining were overweight. This is not an exaggeration. The obese woman next to me bragging to another obese woman in front of me that she had to keep buying snacks for her child because he was bored and it kept him in his seat. The child was not very overweight, yet. She was doing that because she didn't want to have get up and go look for him on the small field beside the outfield where other bored children were playing, because in 4 innings he was supposed to do one of the between-inning contests. The obese woman in front nodded and praised him for being a good eater. I must have dropped my jaw, because the obese woman next to me shot me an annoyed look. I didn't look at them for the rest of the game.

All around me the largest people were chewing chewing chewing like a gigantic herd. The only time they moved was to go get more food or to go to the bathroom.

I lost all temptation to eat beyond my hotdog and coke. The legions of obese people were a wonderful deterent to overeating--living examples of how it all happens. It is so mindless.

Presently I am on a weight loss vigil for myself, since slothful computer habits and a penchant for night time snacking have slowly packed on more pounds than my favorite clothes can handle. I do not want to become another barrel shaped Chicago woman. If I follow the lead of the suburbanite women around me at the ballpark, I will be become a cylindrical, stationary, depressed woman who will develop type 2 diabetes way before my time (it runs in my family, but usually not until getting into the 60s or 70s). This is a conformity I can do without.

I don't have an issue with people hanging on to more weight than is healthy because of genuine health issues, or a lack of resources for wholesome foods or safe exercise venues in their communities. Most of these people did not have those issues. They just weren't thinking. They weren't being mindful that what they were eating was not needed, just wanted. They were actually killing themselves and their children with mindless "good ol' American" overconsumerist greed. From their size, that is how they apparently live their lives.

How much weight could be lost if people were just made mindful of their eating habits? Why is it that one person can look at a group of obese people eating and be made more mindful, where another would take it as a cue to join in the food fest?

I don't have any solutions. Not for the people who are not thinking. Not for the people who are not interested in thinking. But for those who are interested in being more mindful, take a moment before each meal, before each snack, and ask yourself why you are eating and whether it is a need for nourishment, or a want to fill a void. Take a look at the people around you in a social situation--are you following their eating cues, and if so, do you want to look like them? If not, put your money back in your wallet. Your bank account, and eventually, your health care provider will thank you.

Bush and Mukasey and the Forever War on the World

From the ACLU:

This sounds so outrageous, it seems like a joke or something out of "The Onion."

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is demanding that Congress issue a new declaration of war so that anyone that this president or the next one declares to be an "enemy combatant" can be held indefinitely without a trial.

The new declaration of war would make the entire globe — including the United States itself — a “battlefield” where the president decides who will be locked up forever.

With only five weeks left in the Congressional schedule and only six months left in the Bush presidency, Mukasey’s ridiculous power grab should be laughed out of town. But given this Congress’ track record, the Mukasey proposal is no laughing matter. Especially because it also includes a cover-up of the Bush administration’s systemic torture and abuse of detainees.

We can’t take for granted that Congress will reject this outrageous proposal. We have to meet it with an immediate wall of protest that says to Congress: “Don’t you dare.”

P.S. You can read a blog post from Christopher Anders, ACLU Seinor Legislative Counsel, on the Bush/Mukasey plan to subvert the constitution here:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=ops0mQwJic7Q6KhW_RHZ3Q..

I just told my members of Congress to reject the dangerous Bush/Mukasey plan. You can do the same thing here:

http://action.aclu.org/mukasey

"Eyelids" A Cannes Film Short 2008

This is a film short that made it to the Short Film Corner at Cannes this year, made by my talented young friends at www.lookatrubbish.com It stars my son, Alex.

Bush a Total Failure? Worse.

Oh, it is rich. The mainstream US media getting all up at arms about Nancy Pelosi coming right out and calling George W. a "total failure."

Congress also has no record to be proud of, since they are all still dithering with minutiae of political maneuvering of the sort that stalls any real action on anything--like real alternative energy tax credits (worth billions in dollars, employment and megawattage) or, oh...impeachment.

But why is the mainstream media going all " oh no she di'nt!" on her when Bush is acting like a totally smug, entitled arrogant asshole at the G8 conference?

"The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock."

Nancy Pelosi gets indignant "media uproar" while George W. continues to be a smug, arrogant, entitled asshole to the world's leaders. And you wonder why we have lost respect in record time from the rest of the world...

Soft hearted (headed) for Birds

I observe this has been a birdy month.

Observation #1 Baby ducks can break my heart.

Last week, a momma duck and her last baby were in the Target parking lot, and 2 ladies had been watching over them until animal control could come get the ducks and get them to a nearby pond. The momma duck had already lost two babies. Animal control was one lady with a net, and she didn't want to spook the momma. We tried to corral them, but the momma and baby kept walking back and forth between cars. It was important to get the momma first, because we did not want her to think that her baby was captured and she needed to abandon it. The baby was getting tired and sat down, panting. The momma was tired too. The momma finally started to try to distract the lady with the net by pretending to fly away, and the very, very tired baby peeped frantically, almost screaming, and ran after her, and he was so tired! The momma stayed. It was breaking my heart, and even now I am tearing up for that poor scared baby duck and his momma. I wasn't being much help, just being another giant scary human, and I walked into the store I was going to, and by the time I walked out, animal control was driving away. I wish I knew if the baby duck and his momma were okay. I couldn't find the ladies who had been watching over them. Baby ducks break my heart.

Observation #2 I have become "head" of the flock to a cockatiel

Unrelated to the first observation, I have decided to take in a friend's young cockatiel. I have never had a bird before. This one is very cute. He was on my head as I type this, but now he is on the monitor. He is gosh darn cute. The kids are fighting to have him sit on their heads. It's a win for everyone, especially the cockatiel, which was in danger of getting eaten by a german shepherd puppy. My cat is unimpressed, and goes on with life as usual. The bird's name is Sunny. Say hello, Sunny! ... Not yet, but he may, some day.

The Glory of Pokemon Nationals

The whole family is exhausted and emotionally drained from the weekend wonder of Pokemon Nationals....Yes, there is such a thing, for the Pokemon Card Game, and it is huge.

There was a new attendance record of 950 participants, all with good rankings in his or her state, and in three different age divisions. My kids were participating in the Junior and Senior divisions, and anyone over 16 participates in the Masters division. I am amazed, but the grown ups are the largest division by half.
The kids were majorly excited. The youngest had been the state champ in his division, and had earned a travel stipend to come. The older one has won several other events during the year and also ranked well enough for decent pairings.

Dan got the convention pass when we committed to it in the spring, and spent the whole day with them. I have family in the area and hung out with them. Next year, should we do this again, we will split the duties. It was high emotion time for all the kids there. There were a lot of kids who were used to winning in their leagues and tournaments who did not do well at all with the heightened competition. The main prizes were scholarships for $5000 and $3000 and $1000, so it wasn't just for bragging rights. The winners also get invites and travel and lodging for Pokemon Worlds in Orlando, FL this year.

Dan said that there were some really high pressure parents there, really focusing on that getting to Worlds and win win win. There were a lot of stressed out kids, either getting consoled or given boisterous pep talks.

Our kids were just happy to be there and strategizing for next year. The older was 4-4 and the younger 3-5 in the long long day of prelim rounds that went from 10am to 10pm. I dropped them all off at 7:30am to get in line to make sure they even got in. They had moments after a loss where they were disappointed, but they kept at it and kept a good sportsman attitude. Both felt like it was a good showing for their first time there.

It may take a few days to make it back to normal. Just like with any huge competition, time is needed for decompression and regrouping.

Back from California

We did a delightful romp through the Northern CA area for the past couple of weeks.

Mostly, I totally dug it. Showing the kids the first apartment Dan and I lived in, playing tourist in San Francisco, walking all over the place. We found we had a hard time remembering which road to take where, but a lot of it was where it should be. Some of our favorite restaurants were gone, but replaced with new ones. We saw friends and did all the stuff we used to do with them. The apex of my missing Northern CA was visiting our first house, and finding the neighborhood was just as beautiful and idyllic as I remembered it. We even did a trip up to Tahoe for a family reunion that was about as picturesque as one could want.

However, by the end of the trip, I was ready to go back to the Chicago area and be content. I feel at home here. I guess I will never get used to the dryness of the climate in the Bay Area, or the nasty air that hung over Sacramento so much of the year. Over 800 wildfires broke out over the last weekend we were there, and just driving back to San Jose from Tahoe made my lungs feel seared and my eyes red and irritated. I would hate living in Sacramento and having to breathe that for days on end, or live in parched hills where I would have to worry about fire consuming my neighborhood. Earthquakes, eh, not so bad. Tornadoes are easier for me to deal with though because you can hide from them.

California was wonderful for all the years I lived there--always exciting, always something new, full of possibilities. I learned a lot (much of it the hard way) about how to feel out different cultures and customs and avoid offending. The Bay Area is so packed and so diverse, there may be literally 50 different languages spoken in one neighborhood and no way for anyone to insulate themselves in a "village," so you had to find commonalities and forgive each other's mistakes. It was a great experience.

It was also a mixed blessing that the climate doesn't change there. Nothing can get put off for a rainy day, because that would only be two or three times a year. However, you realize that time seems to pass faster because there are no seasonal cues. I was caught off guard one day trying to remember if it was May or December, that I knew I had to get back to real weather.

The trip was great for reminding me what I lost, but also appreciate what I have gotten back moving back to the midwest.

Kids are Entertaining

"Mom, I have to talk to you," said my youngest, a worried look on his face.
"What is it?' I ask.
"Mom, there are little hairs in my sink."
My husband had shaved in the kids bathroom this morning, since I had already taken over our sink getting ready to go for an audition.
"Those are Daddy's, from shaving."
"Oh!" he said, relieved, "I was afraid we might have tarantulas."

Harvey Korman, Rest in Peace

I was saddened that Harvey Korman died this week.

You see, Harvey was my first crush. I even wrote him and told him so when I was six years old, but he never wrote back. Probably he got too many fan letters back then, and maybe he had an assistant that didn't think it was worth showing him a 1st grader's letter. I would like to think he would have answered if he had seen it. I was disappointed, but still thought he was the coolest guy on the Carol Burnett show anyway. Tim Conway was great too, but just a little too weird for me.

He was the ultimate comedic straight man, and you could see that he was a joy to work with--it came through on the show and in his movies. And he was a joy to watch, especially when he would crack up at something Tim or Carol or even Lyle were doing.

I will miss him.

Ode to a Minivan

O, 1995 Odyssey, thou art a member of the family
but you have grown old, so it is time to let you go
Nay, we will not be like the eskimos, sending you out on an ice flow
That would not be environmental, as no bear will eat you.

The children are crying and knashing their teeth
Thou, Odyssey are the only car they have known
Many happy hours spent in the back seats, telling stories and
Spilling food and drink, giving you that unique odor.

We thought of donating you, but were aghast
We could not claim your full Blue Book value
Cruel charity would only sell you for scrap
Unfair for an old girl with some spirit and drivability yet.

I cast about among my artist friends, asking,
"Does anyone want a van--to drive it, love it and use it?"
No one answered. I was aghast again.
Later, I found Artists are never swift of email, even if the car is donated for a write off.

We cast our eyes upon our bank account. Whoa.
Surely, it is worth putting a few for sales signs upon your windows
Price it well, if no one responds, so be it.
The old girl must be useful to someone.

Immediately, Odyssey was besieged! People were calling!
Yea, there was much interest you, O dependable old car
Even if you need new tires and a new battery
Desirous of you, even if your ABS is only intermittent!

Our next door neighbors delighted
Took you on a test drive, and
Declared their intentions of taking you
For their teen is driving, and lo, they had not enough cars.

O, Odyssey, you shall now be our neighbor
Our children are overjoyed
You will be well cared for, and in 5 years,
The kids vowed they will buy you back as their own again.

O, beloved Odyssey, may you not rust apart before then...

Memorial Day Parade

Today we honor those who serve our country, and those who have perished serving our country. This is the first year that one of our kids has not marched in the parade with the cub scouts. Both Dan and our kids are paraded out, having put in their time for about 12 parades since our oldest started with the scouts. You miss a lot marching, and the parade really isn't about the scouts, so sometimes they get stuck behind the horses, or a really gassy old vehicle. The glamour is gone. Time to watch instead.

Every time I watch the parades in our community, I am struck with how many groups now throw candy--in our community, going to a parade is like trick or treat. Kids arrive to the parade route with bags! Our scout leader this year decided that they would not throw candy for the Memorial Day parade because it seemed disrespectful to the spirit of the holiday. I see her point. However, the Veterans of Foreign Wars that is sponsoring the troop and going directly ahead of them is throwing gobs of candy. I think if you have fought in a war and you want to throw candy, you have a right to throw candy.

When I was a kid, the Memorial Day parade was somewhat more solemn, and not much candy was to be found. Some organization though, always passed out American Flags, and another would hand out POW/MIA buttons. My favorite was a frowning smiley face button that said "POWs never have a nice day." Back then, it was still possible to see WW1 veterans (really old) and legions of WW2 veterans. My older brother would boo the Vietnam vets. It was the times, and he didn't really understand he just did what the older kids did, but it must have hurt them anyway.

My parents would confiscate the flags as soon as the parade was over, because they always had that pointy gold wood piece at the top, perfect for poking your sibling, or gouging an eye out.

We did not know any fallen soldiers. My dad was too young for WW2 and Korea, and spent the time before Vietnam in the Army, sitting in a pineapple field in Hawaii translating Russian communications. Both of my brothers served in peaceable conditions as well between wars. We were lucky. We have two uncles that served, one of them a gentle soul who nonetheless served as a marine and was at Guadalcanal. He refused to talk about it. The other was career army from Korean to the Vietnam Wars, and was tough enough to train Green Berets.

I hope the Iraq war veterans today are getting a great welcome and recognition in our community today, whether they are throwing candy or not. They are people who believe in our country, who have suffered greatly, and who have been betrayed by a president and vice president who lied us into the war, for what seems to be only their own profit and the profit of their cronies. That doesn't make our service people any less valiant or less worthy of honor. They should be honored for their loyalty and service to country and the Bush Administration reviled for betraying them. Actually Bush and company should be prosecuted. It could happen...sigh...it makes me so angry...

Many people will go through this holiday without a thought for what it means. Many others live every day feeling the loss of a loved one that they lost in serving their country.

Stupid Ordinance vote has been pulled!

According to www.savechicagoculture.org, the vote has been pulled out of consideration thanks to overwhelming public outcry. I guess the clamor at the aldermans' offices was getting deafening. W00T! But it isn't gone yet--it is only off the table for now. However, the entertainment industry will make sure they have some input on what alterations may be needed to block shifty promoters while leaving the legitimate ones to do their jobs.

Chicago's Stupidest Ordinance yet!

Chicago City Council is going to vote tomorrow on the stupidest ordinance yet, that may cripple the vibrant art, music and theatre scene in Chicago and ruin the city's economy and reputation.

The “Event Promoters” ordinance requires any event promoter to have a license from the city of Chicago and liability insurance of $300,000, but that’s just the start:

• The definition of “event promoter” is so loosely defined it could apply to a band that books its own shows or a theater company that’s in town for a one-week run.
• “Event Promoter” must be licensed and will pay $500 - $2000 depending on expected audience size.
• To get the license, applicant must be over 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.
• This ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.
• Police must be notified at least 7 days in advance of event.

Read and make your voice heard here.

This was borne of the E2 stampede disaster a few years back, caused by some shifty promoters who were not in compliance with existing laws. Someone thought this would be a great way to make a few more bucks on fee, making it prohibitive to produce anything in a venue less than 500 seats.

Think of it--Chicago without innovative storefront theatres, without its music scene, without comedy, without anything but bland big box shows that are no better than what you get on cable. Chicago, what a boring town. Why spend the gas money going there to go eat and shop and catch that crap?

This would not produce a win for anyone. This is the stupidest short-sighted thing City Council has come up with yet. Speak out. Call the alderman. Make your voices heard.

Update on Mr. Hit and Run

Today we went to court to potentially testify against Mr. Hit and Run who totaled our car and broke my ribs last summer on I90. The court time was 9:00am, which meant for us to get there and make sure we had plenty of lead time, we caught a 7:20am train. It was an early day for all of us, and the kids made it to school essentially on their own.

Mr. Hit and Run's lawyer told me earlier that Mr. Hit and Run was only going to plead guilty to an improper lane change, which makes no sense to me. We made sure to be there to make sure he didn't weasel out of anything, like leaving the scene of an accident, which could get him up to a year in jail.

Because we were there, he had to plead guilty to both counts, and he got probation, supervision, remedial driving classes, traffic school, and court costs and fines. His insurance company will be notified that he was guilty of both counts, and his insurance will go up or be canceled accordingly.

I am kind of glad that he didn't get jail time, he is just soft enough looking to have a terrible time there. And for me, it is really enough that he plead guilty and takes responsibility for his actions. It gives me closure, and now I can forgive him and be able to let it go.

Since when do we all think like our pastors?

I am fed up with all the attention on Barack Obama's old pastor. The guy has his opinions, he has his agenda, and he is really loving all the attention to the point of self-parody. He's becoming the media's new Britney Spears/Paris Hilton! Forget focusing attention on the real problems facing black America, it's all about him. I expect next he's going to adopt a miniature dog and dress it in a matching dashiki! That's hot!

The media is trying so hard to make him an issue, or a strike against Obama, but it doesn't work. Why? Because WE have pastors, and we don't think in lockstep with them all the time either. Even if we have men in our lives who have sometimes functioned as father figures, most of the public is sensible enough to understand that none of us think exactly like our parental figures either. In fact, parents and parental figures can be completely and embarrassingly different in ethics, beliefs and ideals. It doesn't change who we are and what we believe just because we love them.

So, media, please, leave off reporting on this flamboyant and embarrassing man, and stick to the real issues for once that are facing this country. I flip away from your channels when stupidity and non-news is being reported, and my channel changing button is getting worn out.

More Lights OUT hours!

A few weeks ago, as a world we did a voluntary "turn off the lights" hour. Enormous amounts of power were saved, all over the world, and that was voluntary for one simple hour.

Unless you are living under a rock or in the Bush Administration, the word is getting out loud and clear that we need to drastically change what we do as a human race to slow or stop global warming. What if, as part of our effort, we started to do voluntary "power out" hours not only once a year, but weekly? Or even daily??? Even if some people would not or could not participate, it could be a step in the right direction for stopping our energy usage from killing us faster than it already is.

Think of it--each energy user in the world pledging to turn off non-essential lighting and energy usage for ONE HOUR seriously once a day. This is only the start of a new awareness of how we could be doing so much more.

We are going to have to start thinking of "sacrificing" our greed for easy energy and entertainment. As a beginning, let's start with something easy, yet something mindful. Something we may not mind adding more of, once we see how easy it is.

Decide on your hour. Encourage your towns and cities to decide on an hour--every week. It doesn't even all need to be the same hour all over the world. See how easy it could be.

Millions of tons of green house gases. It could become a festival, an event to look forward to, a time to be thinking of something larger than one's self, once a week, once a day or more.

Another thing we can all be doing now is signing up for Com Ed's Nature First program, which gives permission during high power usage times in the summer to shut down your air conditioner for 1-3 hours during the day. I did this in California when we lived there, and even on days that got over 100 degrees F I barely noticed my comfort level changing in the house at all, even if I was working from home all day.

It's these are easy steps, and we should be making them...now.

April Fools

Before he went to work this morning, my husband went searching for the boys' Pokemon card decks. He wanted to play a joke on them by switching their energy cards so neither of them could play anything in their decks. You would think this was pretty obscure practical joke, and it is. He also knows that they are gearing up for a regional tournament and are working feverishly on improving their decks and playing scrimmages. Both kids are tournament champions. Their decks are always being worked on.

As Dan left for work he said, "I want to see what they do to get back at me."

April Fools Day is embraced by the male members of this family. Some of my favorite things I have found on April Fools Day have been:

Legos in my pillow
Salt on my toothbrush
My jacket sleeves turned inside out
Shoes filled with Legos
My comb replaced with the cat brush

My all time favorite was when the boys were very young. Both of them were hinting very broadly that I really needed to go play on the computer after I tucked them in. I left their room with them snickering under their blankets. On the office chair was a whoopie cushion. It was undisguised, just sitting there in yellow fullness. So, I sat on it as hard as I could to make a nice loud farting noise, and their laughter burst into the hallway. They gave each other high fives! "We got her!" the younger one shouted! It was the greatest trick ever!

I haven't found anything yet from the kids this morning, but I look forward to this afternoon.

*Later*

No practical jokes at all! Wah! The problem is that they had too much homework, so they had to get to that. Stupid school...but April is a long month.

Totally not an April Fools joke, my young friends at Rubbish had their short film, "Eyelids" make it into the Short Film Corner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival! This short is starring my youngest son, Alex (and I am in there for about 3 seconds too) so we are very excited! It reminds me that we need to look into getting our passports updated...