I just remembered something I did at work last night:
Just before closing the store, I was hastily counting money while turning around every 20 seconds to refresh the computer screen behind me. My hands were shaking with anticipation and I was finding it really hard to remember what number I was on- I think I had to start over probably five times for each drawer. By the end of the last drawer Ohio had been announced and something involuntary happened: I was so high from the news that I grabbed the stack of money in front of me and wrote "I voted Obama" in a bubble coming out of Abraham Lincoln's mouth on the top bill.
If you find the bill, let it be a reminder not only of my complete dorkdom, but of the joy and momentum of the situation. I'm not sure why I did it- I wans't trying for great symbolism or anything. I think it really was some spontaneous expression of jubilation. Lincoln looked a bit happier than usual in his five dollar portrait, so I guess I wanted to make a note of it. I just now remembered that I did it while reading that John Lewis, "jumped so high I started shouting. I was at Ebenezer Church. I just embarrassed myself." I was alone while defacing the five, but the accountant surely saw it this morning while making the deposit. Maybe I'll see it again one day.
Now that I think of it, it's probably a good idea to recollect the course of events last night, if only for the sake of our personal histories. I was at work, checking people out and trying not to engage in political conversation without the customer saying something first. My hands were shaking all night and I dropped a lot of change while trying to put it in people's hands. Surprisingly, I didn't break anything or get into a difficult conversation with a cusotmer. Some people wore several Obama buttons or a t-shirt, so I shared hesitantly hopeful remarks with them, but others I just wished well and gave them a truffle. (we might've broken state rules about giving gifts on election day- no one really bothered to check what the law is here, but who cares! everyone that wore an "I voted" sticker got a chocolate truffle. By the end of the night I was pretty much giving them away by the handful.) A lot of people were buying chips and dips and cheeses to take to election watch parties, and a lot of them said little to me because they had their cell phones glued to their heads. We had a computer in the back to check the map and, by about 8 o'clock, were making full use of the intercom to announce news. When New Mexico was announced I bought a $20 bottle of bubbly produced at a vineyard in New Mexico. When I got home I plugged in our little black and white TV at almost the exact time the CBS called the election. The champagne cork popped of it's own accord when we took the wire off and the rest of the night was very blurry. We watched the speeches, I talked to a lot of people on the phone, and I cried. As I was falling asleep a one man parade went down our street yelling through a megaphone, "OBAAAAAAMAAAAAAAA, O-BAMA!"
where were you, what were you doing?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
LIFE
today my boyfriend bought a LIFE magazine at a thrift store from feb. 21, 1964, and if i'm extra careful, i might just spill my beer on it. on the cover is the incriminating photo of lee harvey oswald brandishing his rifle and communist propaganda (back when leaflets could kill) and inside is a "clinical" analysis of oswald's life, including disturbing stories of junior high truancy and poor spelling grades in elementary school. poor spelling leads to a life of crime! it's fascinating to see the extent they went through to show how oswald was destined to be an assassin from age two- you can see it in the way he smiles in his baby pictures. discontent!
like any good skeptic, i plunged head first into the worst kind of internet distraction available to easily distracted people: reading wikipedia articles on JFK conspiracy theories. oh, i watched a little zapruder, looked at autopsy photos, considered the "tramps" theory, read about magic bullets. it was great fun until i realized that i had been looking at fairly unsubstantiated information for an embarrassingly long time, but recovered my intellectual confidence as we came to a conclusion that conspiracy theorists and people acquiescing to a totalitarian state are using the same part of the brain. naturally i can't recall the premise right now, but i'm pretty sure it was close to brilliant. or maybe bullshit, hard to say.
it's an awfully iconic photo to have lying around, though- it seems important somehow and i can't stop staring at it. and inside there's a story on beatlemania, and adds for bright orange toasted american cheese sandwiches! hours of fun!
like any good skeptic, i plunged head first into the worst kind of internet distraction available to easily distracted people: reading wikipedia articles on JFK conspiracy theories. oh, i watched a little zapruder, looked at autopsy photos, considered the "tramps" theory, read about magic bullets. it was great fun until i realized that i had been looking at fairly unsubstantiated information for an embarrassingly long time, but recovered my intellectual confidence as we came to a conclusion that conspiracy theorists and people acquiescing to a totalitarian state are using the same part of the brain. naturally i can't recall the premise right now, but i'm pretty sure it was close to brilliant. or maybe bullshit, hard to say.
it's an awfully iconic photo to have lying around, though- it seems important somehow and i can't stop staring at it. and inside there's a story on beatlemania, and adds for bright orange toasted american cheese sandwiches! hours of fun!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
to all those pissed off and spiteful clinton supporters out there, a message:
buck up! you act as though hillary clinton is the ONE CHANCE that a woman be a presidential nominee. what sort of opinion do you have of women that her losing the nomination is an insurmountable blow to all hopes of there being a female president in our country? I'm sick of the victimization surrounding this class of feminism. clinton was an excellent candidate, favored to win the nomination from the inception of her campaign, and it was an incredibly close race. her ability to do good in america is not void if she remains a senator.
think about it- what can you do to emulate the kind of change in america shown by the strength of her candidacy? you could spit and sulk and threaten to vote for mccain, or you can participate, remain positively engaged with our political process, encourage your friends to do the same. shake it off- if you let anger take over we will all suffer.
buck up! you act as though hillary clinton is the ONE CHANCE that a woman be a presidential nominee. what sort of opinion do you have of women that her losing the nomination is an insurmountable blow to all hopes of there being a female president in our country? I'm sick of the victimization surrounding this class of feminism. clinton was an excellent candidate, favored to win the nomination from the inception of her campaign, and it was an incredibly close race. her ability to do good in america is not void if she remains a senator.
think about it- what can you do to emulate the kind of change in america shown by the strength of her candidacy? you could spit and sulk and threaten to vote for mccain, or you can participate, remain positively engaged with our political process, encourage your friends to do the same. shake it off- if you let anger take over we will all suffer.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
delegates
I don't understand: Clinton says that if we had the Republican's nominating procedure, where winner takes all delegates in each contest, that she would be the winner. So I counted the pledged delegates from the NYTimes count and added the totals. Obama has almost 500 more than Clinton if winner takes all in each contest. This doesn't include Michigan or Florida, nor does it include states that tied or states that haven't seated their delegates yet.
How does she figure it? All of the information I've seen refutes her math.
How does she figure it? All of the information I've seen refutes her math.
Friday, March 21, 2008
bearding
"Mr. Richardson was still sporting a beard, which he grew during what he called a period of decompression after abandoning his presidential bid two months ago."
from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/us/politics/21cnd-endorse.html?hp
what in the world is newsworthy about richardson's beard? is the beard seen as a universal sign of defeat followed by serious introspection, which then culminates in an endorsement? or is it a statement on his judgment- is a man who is still sporting a beard right and balanced in mind as to make the proper campaign endorsement? should we take this bearded fellow's opinions with a grain of salt?
dearest bearders, tell me more about the significance of richardson's bearding, for i cannot see why it was mentioned.
from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/us/politics/21cnd-endorse.html?hp
what in the world is newsworthy about richardson's beard? is the beard seen as a universal sign of defeat followed by serious introspection, which then culminates in an endorsement? or is it a statement on his judgment- is a man who is still sporting a beard right and balanced in mind as to make the proper campaign endorsement? should we take this bearded fellow's opinions with a grain of salt?
dearest bearders, tell me more about the significance of richardson's bearding, for i cannot see why it was mentioned.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
happy equinox!
i'm going to spend my first spring day cleaning up the disgusting chicken mess that the fowl have left in our "garden". then i'm going to compost said chicken mess for nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the roof-top cold frames. up there i'll use last year's finished compost for planting spinach, lettuce, mache, mustard, and kale. and chard. and chives. salad garden.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
ferraro
here's what geraldine ferraro said last weekend:
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
ok, lady, the only concept i'm personally caught up in is the idea that a politician, or their surrogate, not resort to preying on the undereducated voter by releasing sensationalist remarks about race, sex, NAFTA, health care, saturday night live, "shame", or any other category that sparks sudden interest from TV viewers, without being accountable for their statements.
i'm caught up in the concept that a candidate should be honest and forthright, answerable for their actions and inactions, and inspirational in their candor.
the statement discredits both candidates' qualifications by using the logic that, if obama is benefiting from some racial advantage, clinton is similarly in her position because some people are so caught up in the "justice" of a woman being president that they fail to scrutinize the qualities of their candidate. if you're going to make such a racist remark, at least own up to the sexist assumptions you make by asserting that clinton wouldn't be behind in delegates if she were a black man.
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
ok, lady, the only concept i'm personally caught up in is the idea that a politician, or their surrogate, not resort to preying on the undereducated voter by releasing sensationalist remarks about race, sex, NAFTA, health care, saturday night live, "shame", or any other category that sparks sudden interest from TV viewers, without being accountable for their statements.
i'm caught up in the concept that a candidate should be honest and forthright, answerable for their actions and inactions, and inspirational in their candor.
the statement discredits both candidates' qualifications by using the logic that, if obama is benefiting from some racial advantage, clinton is similarly in her position because some people are so caught up in the "justice" of a woman being president that they fail to scrutinize the qualities of their candidate. if you're going to make such a racist remark, at least own up to the sexist assumptions you make by asserting that clinton wouldn't be behind in delegates if she were a black man.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
plastic shovels and the yes she can attitude
last week i saw something that i would now like to blow way out of proportion as a metaphor for what is wrong with the political process in america.
although the past few days have been sunny and bright, there is still a thick amount of residual black ice stuck on the pavement in shaded areas about town. last week i was parking atop some of this refrozen slush in a residential neighborhood. while i was gathering my things and getting ready to get out, i saw a woman come out her front door carrying a plastic snow shovel. this is the kind of tool you use when there are six inches of powdery fresh snow on your driveway and you want to hand plow it out of the way. it's flimsy, wide, light, and good for moving fluffy snow. i wondered what she was planning on doing with this shovel, since there wasn't any "real" snow on the ground, and thought she was maybe returning it to a neighbor. but she didn't go to a neighbor's garage, she walked right out into the street and went to work at the hard ice on the pavement in front of her house. the warm temperatures had melted the top, oh, 1/8th inch of ice of the slab, and the woman scraped this with her plastic shovel a couple of times with little effect. she then tried to hit the ice with the corner of the shovel, resulting in a cartoonish "boioioing" of the plastic blade, which spread up the wooden handle and into her arm. this disoriented her and she took a step back to regain her senses. with further determination, she made the plow approach, but her efforts were immediately stopped by the density of the ice. she looked defeated. with one more feeble scrape at the top of the ice, she quit the project of the ugly frozen slush removal and went back inside. after she shut the door, i noticed that her living room window sported a "hillary" sign.
now on to part two:
with both candidates in hot pursuit of the texas and ohio delegates, there is no limit to the amount and content of internet videos, op-eds, articles, blogs and photoshopped images (my favorite recently being the scandalous "driving miss hillary" photo found on FARK). i was watching the coverage of campaign rallies in austin and saw that the clinton supporters are now shouting "yes she can". ok. sure she can, she can do a lot of things. like support NAFTA and then say that anyone that says she supported NAFTA is acting like karl rove. it's a clever little tactic employed to capture undecided voters by equating "obama" and "rove" so that people will chose the "true" democrat. when one has such respect for voters, it's incredible how easily one can imagine throngs of them believing such bullshit.
the "yes she can" chant is an interesting retake on the "yes we can" slogan of the obama campaign, but i find several things wrong with it as a motivational force for hillary's campaign. notwithstanding the football game quality of ripping off someone else's cheer for your own team, the "yes she can" chant is insufficient as a rally point because it places responsibility for change in america squarely on hillary's shoulders. she can do it, she can change my medical costs, interest rates, accessibility to higher education, the environment, the war in iraq, everything! i don't have to do anything, because hillary has experience, she fights the republicans, she knows washington, she can do it. yes she can. this approach removes any need for subsequent action from the voter- all they have to do is vote and bada bing! things is changed.
a simplification to be sure, but let's revisit the plastic shovel lady to amplify the difference between a "yes she can" and "yes we can" attitude. plastic shovel lady set out on a task with the mightiest of intentions- she was tired of parking atop a nasty black mound and removal of said nasty black mound was the logical remedy. BUT. when it came around to the actual process of changing her parking space situation she spent all of two minutes using an inappropriate tool before deciding that it was inevitable that there be ice on her parking spot for the duration of winter in colorado. this is the kind of person that wants someone else to remove the ice for them. this is the kind of person that would not go to a neighbor to see if they could borrow a metal blade which could hack through ice clumps with a measure of elbow grease. this is the kind of person that doesn't realize that elbow grease is inherent in our bodies because they're never tested it's strength. this is the kind of person that votes for hillary clinton.
now, that might be all well and good- not everyone wants to build up a sweat, but the sweatless people of america have been running the country too long and i'm tired of their ineffectiveness. i'm tired of believing that someone else is responsible for my well-being, that someone else can be blamed, revered, excused, or esteemed in regard to the quality of my life. i used to feel easily defeated when attempting difficult tasks, i still do sometimes. i throw shovels in frustration and try not to succumb to the "there's nothing i can do about it" trick that locks us into stagnation. i think there is a great big pile of frozen muck in front of us, and if we want it removed we need to gather the right tools, believe in ourselves and believe in the we.
although the past few days have been sunny and bright, there is still a thick amount of residual black ice stuck on the pavement in shaded areas about town. last week i was parking atop some of this refrozen slush in a residential neighborhood. while i was gathering my things and getting ready to get out, i saw a woman come out her front door carrying a plastic snow shovel. this is the kind of tool you use when there are six inches of powdery fresh snow on your driveway and you want to hand plow it out of the way. it's flimsy, wide, light, and good for moving fluffy snow. i wondered what she was planning on doing with this shovel, since there wasn't any "real" snow on the ground, and thought she was maybe returning it to a neighbor. but she didn't go to a neighbor's garage, she walked right out into the street and went to work at the hard ice on the pavement in front of her house. the warm temperatures had melted the top, oh, 1/8th inch of ice of the slab, and the woman scraped this with her plastic shovel a couple of times with little effect. she then tried to hit the ice with the corner of the shovel, resulting in a cartoonish "boioioing" of the plastic blade, which spread up the wooden handle and into her arm. this disoriented her and she took a step back to regain her senses. with further determination, she made the plow approach, but her efforts were immediately stopped by the density of the ice. she looked defeated. with one more feeble scrape at the top of the ice, she quit the project of the ugly frozen slush removal and went back inside. after she shut the door, i noticed that her living room window sported a "hillary" sign.
now on to part two:
with both candidates in hot pursuit of the texas and ohio delegates, there is no limit to the amount and content of internet videos, op-eds, articles, blogs and photoshopped images (my favorite recently being the scandalous "driving miss hillary" photo found on FARK). i was watching the coverage of campaign rallies in austin and saw that the clinton supporters are now shouting "yes she can". ok. sure she can, she can do a lot of things. like support NAFTA and then say that anyone that says she supported NAFTA is acting like karl rove. it's a clever little tactic employed to capture undecided voters by equating "obama" and "rove" so that people will chose the "true" democrat. when one has such respect for voters, it's incredible how easily one can imagine throngs of them believing such bullshit.
the "yes she can" chant is an interesting retake on the "yes we can" slogan of the obama campaign, but i find several things wrong with it as a motivational force for hillary's campaign. notwithstanding the football game quality of ripping off someone else's cheer for your own team, the "yes she can" chant is insufficient as a rally point because it places responsibility for change in america squarely on hillary's shoulders. she can do it, she can change my medical costs, interest rates, accessibility to higher education, the environment, the war in iraq, everything! i don't have to do anything, because hillary has experience, she fights the republicans, she knows washington, she can do it. yes she can. this approach removes any need for subsequent action from the voter- all they have to do is vote and bada bing! things is changed.
a simplification to be sure, but let's revisit the plastic shovel lady to amplify the difference between a "yes she can" and "yes we can" attitude. plastic shovel lady set out on a task with the mightiest of intentions- she was tired of parking atop a nasty black mound and removal of said nasty black mound was the logical remedy. BUT. when it came around to the actual process of changing her parking space situation she spent all of two minutes using an inappropriate tool before deciding that it was inevitable that there be ice on her parking spot for the duration of winter in colorado. this is the kind of person that wants someone else to remove the ice for them. this is the kind of person that would not go to a neighbor to see if they could borrow a metal blade which could hack through ice clumps with a measure of elbow grease. this is the kind of person that doesn't realize that elbow grease is inherent in our bodies because they're never tested it's strength. this is the kind of person that votes for hillary clinton.
now, that might be all well and good- not everyone wants to build up a sweat, but the sweatless people of america have been running the country too long and i'm tired of their ineffectiveness. i'm tired of believing that someone else is responsible for my well-being, that someone else can be blamed, revered, excused, or esteemed in regard to the quality of my life. i used to feel easily defeated when attempting difficult tasks, i still do sometimes. i throw shovels in frustration and try not to succumb to the "there's nothing i can do about it" trick that locks us into stagnation. i think there is a great big pile of frozen muck in front of us, and if we want it removed we need to gather the right tools, believe in ourselves and believe in the we.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
fury
perusing the newspapers this evening resulted in dismay. apparently it's time for the smear campaign to reach full throttle. i fear that many people in ohio and texas are just tuning into the campaign and mistaking clinton and mccain attacks for respectable behavior from a candidate, perhaps thinking "hm, they seem like the politicians i'm used to, i'm going for it." here's what i just wrote to hillary clinton.
Dear Hillary and Clinton campaign staff,
You have lost all of my support.
There was a time when I was proud of the Clintons and would defend their actions, excuse their political posturing and forgive their motives. They were my voice in Washington and in the world and I wished to preserve their facade because they spoke and acted on issues important to me. I am now finished with excusing the competitive, career-minded, shallowness exhibited by Hillary and her campaign. I am ashamed that a forerunner of my party is dismissing my caucus vote, along with thousands of others, as passing naivete and asserting that she will reign in the rampant foolishness and lead us to "real" change. Does real change begin with grubbing for delegates in states that did not hold a legitimate democratic primary? Does it begin with throwing around sensationalist remarks about a principled senator in an effort to woo the undecided? Does it begin with condescending to the general public by telling us all to "get real"? Could it start with lobbyists? Or maybe it starts with voting for a war, perhaps in an effort to appear stalwart, but then deciding that the war wasn't such a good idea. I cannot place my confidence in someone keeping up appearances in the senate by voting for thousands of lives to be lost.
If Hillary gets the nomination by acquiring FL or MI delegates, or by any other unfair means, I will not cast my democratic ballot in the presidential race. I will opt out, because I will not join her in the "I voted for it but didn't want it to win" mindset that stagnates our democratic process. I know several others who share this position, and think the Clinton campaign should bear it in mind when trying to think of how to win the nomination.
My caucus vote was for Obama and my vote in the national election will be for Obama.
If an intern is reading this, please print it out and share it with the campaign staffers. Or take it to heart as a message from a college-educated white woman that believes in possibilities.
Thank you.
Dear Hillary and Clinton campaign staff,
You have lost all of my support.
There was a time when I was proud of the Clintons and would defend their actions, excuse their political posturing and forgive their motives. They were my voice in Washington and in the world and I wished to preserve their facade because they spoke and acted on issues important to me. I am now finished with excusing the competitive, career-minded, shallowness exhibited by Hillary and her campaign. I am ashamed that a forerunner of my party is dismissing my caucus vote, along with thousands of others, as passing naivete and asserting that she will reign in the rampant foolishness and lead us to "real" change. Does real change begin with grubbing for delegates in states that did not hold a legitimate democratic primary? Does it begin with throwing around sensationalist remarks about a principled senator in an effort to woo the undecided? Does it begin with condescending to the general public by telling us all to "get real"? Could it start with lobbyists? Or maybe it starts with voting for a war, perhaps in an effort to appear stalwart, but then deciding that the war wasn't such a good idea. I cannot place my confidence in someone keeping up appearances in the senate by voting for thousands of lives to be lost.
If Hillary gets the nomination by acquiring FL or MI delegates, or by any other unfair means, I will not cast my democratic ballot in the presidential race. I will opt out, because I will not join her in the "I voted for it but didn't want it to win" mindset that stagnates our democratic process. I know several others who share this position, and think the Clinton campaign should bear it in mind when trying to think of how to win the nomination.
My caucus vote was for Obama and my vote in the national election will be for Obama.
If an intern is reading this, please print it out and share it with the campaign staffers. Or take it to heart as a message from a college-educated white woman that believes in possibilities.
Thank you.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
a question
why are so many pictures of hillary clinton taken when her mouth is wide open?
like this one from the nytimes:
like this one from the nytimes:
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
the obamanon
obama phenomenon, obamanon.
here's my sighting, from four years ago:
halloween night, champaign, illinois. the usual trickle of fairies, box office characters, vampires, and sponge bobs. my friend and i were sitting in the driveway, drinking beers, and discussing our general angst regarding current affairs while passing out crunch bars and half smiling at the kids. some kids wouldn't even say what they were supposed to be, they just stuck their bags out and looked at you open-mouthed. most forgot to say thank you, and some, while cute, were so boring that we almost wanted to refuse them candy. three princesses in a row? come on. don't you kids know what sort of country you're growing up in?
then came obama. a very short obama wearing a clip-on tie and hush puppies. a kid of about 9 or 10, dressed in his suit, all by himself, approaching houses to get supporters and candy. he was wearing a homemade campaign button that didn't have a name, just "vote," but it couldn't have been more obvious.
we perked up. "are you obama for halloween??" proud smile, straight neck, chin high. parents at the end of the driveway, positively beaming. we gave him two pieces of candy and he closed his bag and said thank you, then gave him two more, then, as he walked away, we got up from our chairs and offered him the rest. he politely declined and we waved our appreciation at his parents as they turned with their mini-bama to the next house.
with renewed hope for the election that was just two days away, we sat out the rest of the night and chattered about possibilities. "i mean, the country is going to vote for kerry, right? how could we not? if we can't get bush out of office let's go to canada. happy halloween, guys. you're from canada, can we just go there, will they let us in? what should we bring? too bad obama is running for senate, he would be an awesome candidate. did you see that kid?"
two days later bush became president again and, instead of going to canada, i went to a therapist's office.
share your obamanon stories! do you find yourself having a candidate for the first time in your life? did you read a great quote from him and feel a tingling of hope? are you simply inspired that there's somebody like him on people's tvs on a regular basis, giving them something new to think about? do you think the "yes we can" music video is a bit over the top, but somehow emotionally engaging? i'd love to hear your hate-free opinions- i.e. please no lame attempts to convince me that obama is not a rock star. think of it this way, would you not pity the poor child whose parents convinced them to dress up like hillary for halloween? i think it was the kid's idea to be obama, and i suppose there are some ambitious little girls out there that feel empowered by a cackle, but they wouldn't get extra candy from me.
here's my sighting, from four years ago:
halloween night, champaign, illinois. the usual trickle of fairies, box office characters, vampires, and sponge bobs. my friend and i were sitting in the driveway, drinking beers, and discussing our general angst regarding current affairs while passing out crunch bars and half smiling at the kids. some kids wouldn't even say what they were supposed to be, they just stuck their bags out and looked at you open-mouthed. most forgot to say thank you, and some, while cute, were so boring that we almost wanted to refuse them candy. three princesses in a row? come on. don't you kids know what sort of country you're growing up in?
then came obama. a very short obama wearing a clip-on tie and hush puppies. a kid of about 9 or 10, dressed in his suit, all by himself, approaching houses to get supporters and candy. he was wearing a homemade campaign button that didn't have a name, just "vote," but it couldn't have been more obvious.
we perked up. "are you obama for halloween??" proud smile, straight neck, chin high. parents at the end of the driveway, positively beaming. we gave him two pieces of candy and he closed his bag and said thank you, then gave him two more, then, as he walked away, we got up from our chairs and offered him the rest. he politely declined and we waved our appreciation at his parents as they turned with their mini-bama to the next house.
with renewed hope for the election that was just two days away, we sat out the rest of the night and chattered about possibilities. "i mean, the country is going to vote for kerry, right? how could we not? if we can't get bush out of office let's go to canada. happy halloween, guys. you're from canada, can we just go there, will they let us in? what should we bring? too bad obama is running for senate, he would be an awesome candidate. did you see that kid?"
two days later bush became president again and, instead of going to canada, i went to a therapist's office.
share your obamanon stories! do you find yourself having a candidate for the first time in your life? did you read a great quote from him and feel a tingling of hope? are you simply inspired that there's somebody like him on people's tvs on a regular basis, giving them something new to think about? do you think the "yes we can" music video is a bit over the top, but somehow emotionally engaging? i'd love to hear your hate-free opinions- i.e. please no lame attempts to convince me that obama is not a rock star. think of it this way, would you not pity the poor child whose parents convinced them to dress up like hillary for halloween? i think it was the kid's idea to be obama, and i suppose there are some ambitious little girls out there that feel empowered by a cackle, but they wouldn't get extra candy from me.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
year in review
i was looking through the archives of shleydom (makes it sound presidential) and, who would've thought, i was inspired by my own blog! last year i did a year in review, with photos, because it wanted to review, for myself, where i'd been over the year. it was helpful to have visual reference to my wanderings, because it seemed they were so many. this year the photographic evidence tells a much different story. what was i looking at in 2007? a lot of abstraction, apparently- the mind wanders in just as many landscapes.
goddamn that was poetic.
also seems that i wasn't taking the pictures, since i'm in so many of them. interesting that now that i find photography more interesting i've taken fewer pictures.
january
febby
march
may
july
august, with you know who!
sept
october
november, all saints day
december
goddamn that was poetic.
also seems that i wasn't taking the pictures, since i'm in so many of them. interesting that now that i find photography more interesting i've taken fewer pictures.
january
febby
march
may
july
august, with you know who!
sept
october
november, all saints day
december
Friday, January 11, 2008
it takes two polaks
ok, ok, so i don't post often, but the expressed concern of two polish gents stirred some postability in me... so here it is.
post post post post post post post post.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! the new year in shleydom started like this:
firecrackers being thrown into the fireplace (very safe, i assure you)
the clippers being dragged out for an impromptu midnight head shaving (not mine, don't worry)
punk-balkan music cranking on the stereo, which no doubt fueled such behavior
and
lots of cheese.
since the first of january, the great project of shley revitalization has been underway with great success. a membership to the local recreation center, where the cross-country skiing machine has me wincing away the winter pounds. a new job at an unnamed fine foods establishment, a well-considered decision to drop out of the campaign for mayor of negativetown, and a new cow! that's right a cow! we purchased a quarter of a grass-fed cow for a full year of meaty goodness. for those not in the know, grass-fed beef is superior to your regular CAFO beef in many ways:
1, it is grass-fed, not corn-fed, which means that the cowy stomach(s) can deal with the sustenance without producing ulcers which cause internal bleeding which cause infections which require antibiotics, like corn-fed cows. cows ain't supposed to eat corn. corn bad!
2, the meat supposedly has a better ratio of omega 3: omega 6 fats, though i admittedly don't know what that means, and has more nutrients and less fat than CAFO beef.
3, the cow was not brought up standing in it's own shit. important point.
4, the cow didn't get fat at an unnatural pace, because it wasn't eating corn to the point of bursting.
5, the whole system under which the cow was raised is a hell of a lot better than the factory cow system.
buying the cow this way worked out to about $3.50 a pound. or maybe less..... i can't remember. at the foo foo stores here grass-fed beef is either unavailable or costs $3.99 for ground beef. we got a wide selection for $.40 less, including 2 porterhouse steaks, 2 t-bones, all classes of sirloin and roasts and quite a pile of hamburger meat. we also (gulp) got the tongue of the poor animal, as per m's request. i guess there is something he plans to do with it... i earnestly hope i am absent that day from school.
how many polaks does it take to make shley post? 2, the answer is 2.
post post post post post post post post.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! the new year in shleydom started like this:
firecrackers being thrown into the fireplace (very safe, i assure you)
the clippers being dragged out for an impromptu midnight head shaving (not mine, don't worry)
punk-balkan music cranking on the stereo, which no doubt fueled such behavior
and
lots of cheese.
since the first of january, the great project of shley revitalization has been underway with great success. a membership to the local recreation center, where the cross-country skiing machine has me wincing away the winter pounds. a new job at an unnamed fine foods establishment, a well-considered decision to drop out of the campaign for mayor of negativetown, and a new cow! that's right a cow! we purchased a quarter of a grass-fed cow for a full year of meaty goodness. for those not in the know, grass-fed beef is superior to your regular CAFO beef in many ways:
1, it is grass-fed, not corn-fed, which means that the cowy stomach(s) can deal with the sustenance without producing ulcers which cause internal bleeding which cause infections which require antibiotics, like corn-fed cows. cows ain't supposed to eat corn. corn bad!
2, the meat supposedly has a better ratio of omega 3: omega 6 fats, though i admittedly don't know what that means, and has more nutrients and less fat than CAFO beef.
3, the cow was not brought up standing in it's own shit. important point.
4, the cow didn't get fat at an unnatural pace, because it wasn't eating corn to the point of bursting.
5, the whole system under which the cow was raised is a hell of a lot better than the factory cow system.
buying the cow this way worked out to about $3.50 a pound. or maybe less..... i can't remember. at the foo foo stores here grass-fed beef is either unavailable or costs $3.99 for ground beef. we got a wide selection for $.40 less, including 2 porterhouse steaks, 2 t-bones, all classes of sirloin and roasts and quite a pile of hamburger meat. we also (gulp) got the tongue of the poor animal, as per m's request. i guess there is something he plans to do with it... i earnestly hope i am absent that day from school.
how many polaks does it take to make shley post? 2, the answer is 2.
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