Saturday, November 22, 2008

back atchya

guess it's past time to get back on here and figure out what this blog's purpose is gonna be. With the election over and my art on its own blog, frankly, i'm trying to rationalize any and all lame excuses for not closing it down.

i am lately full of all kinds of ideas for my paper playing and not much else if I can avoid it. what to write, what to write? i have some bragging i could do on missy and hubs. they have both been busy this fall. guess it wouldn't hurt to share. i will try to tone down the bragging.

missy made the deans list last spring, went to the national conference in dc of her student professional society last month, and a couple of weeks ago her team won their fall student competition among 6 or 7 regional universities, including texas a&m and ut. she is a junior advertising major and is focussing on the creative side of it as opposed to the marketing side. so, she has to work doubly hard and is very into her campus ad-fed society. we basically just leave her alone lately, we call at the wrong time a lot, and i think it's nothing more than she doesn't really have two seconds to spare.

there's more, like her job and her plans to rent a house next semester, and her getting serious about learning adobe in design by buying her first apple mac, but like i said, i'm trying to tone down the bragging. ;-)

hubs is still running his special project that i don't know the first thing about. he's been at it since august. that's a long time to work 6 days a week 12 hours a day, isn't it? it's supposed to last at least a year, maybe 18 months. ugh. he's so dependable though, he just chugs right along. i just avoid him if he's in a bad mood, which isn't often, knock-wood, and he's only awake a couple hours when he's at home so i do try to be accessible to him. i think missy not being here helps. it's more boring and calm here now...in a good way.
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i've always liked this shot. it allows me to *know* what comes next, yet *feel* the last few moments of what was Camelot. the *knowing* is what i must remember. the *feeling* is what i yearn to remember.
it was that heavy. americans of my generation ventured into unchartered territory that day. nobody's dying today or in the last 50 years (after martin and bobby) could ever produce the same shock for us. we were children basking in JFK love. then, bam.
i used to joke that kids my age grew up learning one set of choices and consequences, and then entered a world without any. this photo lets me go back before all that, 45 years ago today.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Weird, whacko and wild

This was the first link that greeted me in my inbox this morning, in an email from a fellow politi-blogger. She was incensed. I LOL'd. Sometimes I don't think people take the time to slow down and read. It's a pretty tame parody, sort of sweet, like if you had a thing for your Barbies your entire life. It could be far more rude and biting. I just enjoyed the novelty of the whole thing, "filming" a story (in stills) using dolls as the actors. It's almost an homage, but I do agree, it's pretty weird when you think about the vast amount of time and tedium this blogger goes to in order to play with dolls. Enjoy if you have a mind to...
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The second link in my inbox was to Ann Coulter's latest column. Gotta say, I'm only a fan of hers about 1/3 of the time. the other 2/3 of the time I usually thinks she goes way too far (you thought *I* was too argumentative, HA!) .
Today's Ann read was in the 2/3 pile.
First of all, that title -- rukiddingme?
Ann has clearly gone off her meds. She's particularly biting here, so if you like Bride of Frankenstein, you'll enjoy the read. Her nerve is amazing. She goes right back to blaming the party for allowing McCain to win the nomination, instead of wondering -- oh, I dunno -- maybe why it is that the GOP almost won with a moderate candidate against a liberal?
I know, I know...then she would have to admit that her far-right wing flavor is an even smaller faction of the electorate than she thinks everyone else thinks it is. I can see right now she isn't going to be fun to read for quite a while. Or, maybe I shouldn't say that, because she is always good for a xtreme caustic zinger or 3.
I think the real point here might be that I may lack the stomach for it.
Case in point:
"This was such an enormous Democratic year that even John Murtha won his congressional seat in Pennsylvania after calling his constituents racists. It turns out they're not racists -- they're retards. Question: What exactly would one have to say to alienate Pennsylvanians? That Joe Paterno should retire?"

Oh, Annie, Annie. And she goes on, with this little bitch-slap:

"Apparently Florida voters didn't mind Obama's palling around with Palestinian activist Rashid Khalidi and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, either. There must be a whole bunch of retired Pennsylvania Jews down there."

All I can say is, the size of her balls must be freakish. And of course, I'll keep reading and being shocked. Why am I thinking she would be perfect for the 2Peas NSBR? (bwwhaaaaaa)

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Then someone sends me a link to Reason's blog, where they are asking the age-old question: will we finally make an honest woman of pot now?


"The Marijuana Policy Project's Bruce Mirken notes that the majorities supporting the marijuana decriminalization measure in Massachusetts and the medical marijuana initiative in Michigan (65 percent and 63 percent, respectively) exceed the share of voters who went for Obama in each state (62 percent and 55 percent respectively). In those states at least, you could say marijuana reform has a bigger popular mandate than the president-elect. In retrospect, this is not so surprising: National polls have long indicated that a large majority of Americans think 1) patients who can benefit from marijuana should be able to obtain it legally and 2) people should not go to jail for smoking pot."

This was on Reason's blog, so there were comments. And that's where the high-larity was:

"Yes, We Cannabis!"


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And finally, a wild Blast from the Past as we go Back to the Future, all at the same time, with that rapidly deteriorating icon Ralph Nader. Seems he tried to prove the old addage, I don't care what you call me, just so you call me. Check this out if ya missed it:


"Ralph Nader calls Obama "Uncle Tom" and Fox News calls him out:
As if Ralph Nader wasn't a big enough tool already, he went on Fox News on election night - the very night Barack Obama broke the racial barrier on the presidency - and uttered the words "Uncle Tom." Not only that, after being called out on the words (which he initially said in a radio interview) by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith - and given a point-blank chance to apologize and take them back, Nader said he wouldn't. It's a stunning bit of television and a lot of people missed it
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(The You Tube of it is at the bottom of the story)

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Election Day...


I've had a very long day and am about to hit the sack, but I want to congratulate the Obama and Biden families, and all Obama supporters tonight. It's a very historic event today. Even I felt stirrings of pride. I can imagine that for minorities it is a truly once in a lifetime experience. I sometimes think of what it must have been like for women in 1920 when they got the vote, so I thought of that today.

I watched CNN for the first time in months and months when I got home tonight (I still couldn't stomach more than 15 minutes MSNBC, but I'll try again after awhile). McCain gave a fabulous concession speech and handled himself like the gentleman and class act that he is. I'm disappointed he lost, of course, but mostly relieved for it to be over. Plus, I'm not going to have too much trouble, as thinking like a Democrat has been in my DNA for 52 years. It won't be nearly as hard as if I had actually become a Republican or something.

Which is what I wanted to chat a bit about. I spent a few minutes perusing some of the McCain blogs I've kept up with, because I was frankly looking for some gracious language to borrow. But, funny thing, couldn't find any. The vast majority are still in denial or just downright depressed or catty.

I find it kinda old. C'mon, guys. It's a contest, a competition. I do feel for them, though. It's been a rollercoaster for our side ever since the conventions. We fight back and then the meltdown hits, and we come soooo close when we really never shoulda had a chance, actually. Not if you consider a mediocre campaign, a controversial VP pick, no money, and a candidate whose entire career has been anathema to loyal factions so he really has none. It's truly a wonder this wasn't a total blow-out. I'm grateful, anyway.

My precinct where I worked this afternoon was very busy, but not as much as we thought it would be. Finally, about 5 pm, someone from the county clerk's office called to let us know we wouldn't be getting a surge at the end, because we'd have huge early voting from our precinct. That was helpful, because we were constantly wondering when they would storm in. We were all kinda punch drunk goofy after that. It was more stressful than we'd realized.

Well, I cannot hardly keep my fingers typing, I'm so tired. I guess I'll have to fall back on blogging about my own boring life again now. Meh. Maybe I can think of something more interesting...

Til then, stay safe and party if your guy won, or try not to drink too much if yours lost. :-)