Music to His Ears

Singer will.i.am on why he turned Barack Obama's speech Yes, We Can into song:

i was captivated...

Inspired...

I reflected on my life...
and the blessings I have...
and the people who fought for me to have these rights and blessings...

and I'm not talking about a "black thing"
I'm talking about a "human thing" me as a "person"
an American...

That speech made me think of Martin Luther King...
Kennedy...
and Lincoln...
and all the others that have fought for what we have today...

what America is "supposed" to be...

freedom...
equality...
and truth...

and thats not what we have today...
we think we are free...
but in reality terror and fear controls our decisions...

this is not the America that our pioneers and leaders fought and
died for...

Here's the video:

Edwards Kingmaker?

A couple of posts over at MOMocrats reminded me of something I'd made a mental note of and then brushed aside. On January 30, John Edwards said that he was "suspending" his campaign and that he was "stepping aside." Not that he was "ending" his campaign or that he was "bowing out." He's an attorney and, by all accounts, a brilliant one. The word choice couldn't have been arbitrary.

A lot of people still voted for him yesterday, and there are a lot of absentee ballots yet to be counted. I know the math doesn't work for him to get the nomination, but in a race this tight he could end up as kingmaker.

Ah, I Love the Smell of a Primary in the Morning

I will freely admit that I am addicted to national politics. I try but can't get away from it--not that anyone has been able to for the past few months. How bad is it? Let's just say that election season is the only time I don't mind as much the random phone calls from those eager to sell their product, aka: candidate. Sick, no?

Thus far, with the exception of a letter writing event for Mark Warner's run for governor of Virginia, I've managed to confine my enthusiasm to a small anti-W bumper sticker, minor rants to (at) friends and family, and the occasional letter to the editor. Because I'm not as lucid in person as I sometimes am on paper, and tend to be a bit, ok a lot, anxious when speaking to people I don't know, I've only watched the game from afar. But this year has been electric--even people who don't normally care at all have found themselves glued to their TVs to watch the debates and even signing up to volunteer with campaigns.

Although this particular campaign seems to have been going on since W's last inauguration, it took me a long time to decide on a candidate. I have enormous respect for Hillary Clinton's intellect and work ethic. I don't, however, like the fact that she is the one thing that can reunite the disparate wings of the Republican Party. Nor do I like the feeling that she and her supporters would throw under the bus anyone and anything who tried to get in her way. We've had way too much of that over the past couple of decades. I like Barack Obama, but feared that he needed more experience and more substance. John Edwards, for reasons mentioned before, was my favorite, even though he'd already tried and failed. But with him gone, and my absentee ballot blessedly missing, what to do?

I woke up this morning feeling like I was spending a first date at Christmas on a roller coaster.
Up until I actually filled in the ballot, I wavered between Clinton and Obama. But in the end I chose Obama's because he is such a wonderful blast of fresh air that it seems possible to blow away the cobwebs of the Bush II nightmare, scrub off the grime and find a new day. Of course it didn't hurt that he has some great ideas, too.

Where is Elizbeth?

I've been worried about Elizabeth Edwards over the past couple of weeks. She hasn't been anywhere near as visible on the campaign trail as in the past. She was with John in New Orleans today, of course, but otherwise, not so much. Anyone know? But here's hoping it's not bad news.

The Weekly Dammit, #22

'Tis the eternal season of political nightmares, so I'll start there:

Dammit #1:
John Edwards bowed out today. He had the most comprehensive, detailed platform on issues ranging from the environment to education, veterans affairs to jobs creation and solving poverty in America. He is a champion of the middle and lower classes, and, no it does not (should not, anyway) matter that he made a boat load of money and had a huge house. In his mind, it is right and good that those who have had (or made) opportunities--and done very--well extend a hand and help others up the ladder.

Dammit #2:
This one rates as a Super Dammit: A caller to the NPR program, Talk of the Nation, described himself as "a long-time white male Democrat" who would vote for Hillary if she were the eventual nominee, but never for Barack Obama. He would vote for John McCain instead, as would many of his friends. The reason? The perceived lack of substance to Obama's plans. Oh, and they can't bring themselves to vote for a black man.

Dammit #3:
In California, if you register party affiliation as "Decline to State" (VERY different from "Independent"), absentee voters have to request a Democratic or American Independent ballot in order to vote in the presidential primary. Thomas dropped our forms off two weeks ago, getting his new ballot same day because he took them the Decline to State ballot. They "lost" my paperwork, so after a few phone calls, I find that I can 1) just go to the polling place and vote there, or wait for the new ballot, mail it back and not have my vote counted for three days.

Dammit #4:
We're leaving for Disneyland on Friday morning and, after a very healthy month or so, Hannah and I are both sick. Thomas seems to have avoided the worst of it, possibly because he's been working a lot as well as training for a triathlon. Charlotte is still healthy because, after 18 months of physical therapy she is much stronger than the rest of us. Which, by the way, is an anti-Dammit :)

Hannah’s First Ditch Day

We went to Disneyland over Super Bowl(R)(TM)(C) weekend last year—the first time for me as well as for the girls—and it was so much fun. We lucked out twice: first because the park was sparsely attended, what with the Big Game(R)(TM)(C) and all, and second because the weather was almost too nice—sunny and hot. We had to buy shorts and hats for the girls. We decided to take a chance on the weather and go again this year. I am SO excited! Ahem. Of course by that, I mean that I am excited to see Hannah’s reaction when we tell her why she doesn’t have to go to school on Friday. It’s actually kind of silly how excited I am to tell her, to see her beautiful little face light up. (Charlotte already knows, but Hannah misinterprets the signs “mouse” and “house/home” as Charlotte saying that she wants to watch Mickey Mouse Playhouse.)

I could have just called Hannah in sick on Monday, but at my age I felt completely ridiculous lying to a teacher—not that I was ever good at it anyway. There was also the certainty that Hannah would go in on Tuesday screaming, “I went to Disneyland!” So I finally worked up the nerve to ask if it was sort of, maybe, ok if we, you know, hypothetically speaking, took Hannah out of school for a day to go to Disneyland. After laughing at me, Mrs. B assured me that it would be ok, to just call Hannah in sick on Monday. I decided to push my luck by coming back a couple of days later, saying that we might want to leave on Friday morning instead of afternoon. So, you know, Hannah wouldn’t be in on Friday either.

I already liked Mrs. B, but I will now say without hesitation that she is the teacher I would have liked to have when I was a child. And saying “It’s kindergarten—just go already!” was just icing.

The Year's Sweetest Words

"This evening, President George Bush delivered the last State of the Union address of his administration." --Countless News Anchors across the US and around the world.

I'm saving my rendition of "Ding dong the witch is dead . . ." for another 12 months. In the meantime, I'll be hoping against hope that W doesn't find another way to try to get us all killed in the little time he has left in office.

The Weekly Dammit, #21

Dammit #1:
When I got my first paycheck for my work on Mixx.com, Thomas bought me a pair of SHURE sound canceling earphones. I have small ears so the buds don't fit. None of them. Which means I can still hear Mickey Mouse Playhouse unless I turn my volume way up.

Dammit #2:
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama aren't doing themselves any favors with the intensified sniping at one another. I experienced an incredible sinking feeling when I watched the debate in South Carolina, the same sort of feeling I get whenever I realize that the Democrats have found a new way to shoot themselves in their collective ass. Perhaps there's a less-than secret reason their mascot is a donkey.

The bright spot, when he finally got a word in edgewise:

JOHN EDWARDS: "Are there three people in this debate, not two? I also want to know, I also want to know, of behalf of voters here in South Carolina, this kind of squabbling, how many children is this going to get health care? How many people are going to get an education because of this? How many kids are going to be able to go to college because of this? We have got to understand, you know, and I respect both of my fellow candidates, but we have got to understand this is not about us personally, it is about what we are trying to do for this country, and what we believe in."

Dammit #3:
I'm letting Charlotte watch TV while I write this.

Dammit #4:
The real reason Charlotte is watching TV is because I'm trying to catch up on my homework for my life coach. Which I put off again.

Dammit #5:
I went to the gym last night for the first time in . . . . I think I damaged my heart. I kept ending up at my regular walking pace on the elliptical. In case you were wondering, that's not a good thing: At one point my heart rate was at 171--albeit briefly.

Dammit #6:
Heath Ledger. Dammit. Idiot.

Today's Random Question

Why do the people who write death notices (not the official obituary) for a ninety-five year old person use the phrase "Cause of death not given"?

The (Used to Be) Weekly Dammit, #20

Where does the time go? Wherever it went, I didn't see The Dammit there. So let's see if I remember how to do this:

Dammit #1:
There is no The Weekly Dammit #18. Well, technically there is, but I never actually published it. It exists only as a draft. It was FABULOUS but now hopelessly out of date.

Dammit #2:
Apparently the Bush administration played a round of "Is Your IT director Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" and lost. Assuming the overwriting of back up disks containing two years worth of email and other information was unintentional. Yeah, yeah. That's it. Unintentional.

Dammit #3:
I hired a life coach to help me work through the "do I want to finish my book and keep freelancing or get a regular job" thing. I really like her but she keeps giving me homework. Which I keep forgetting until the night before. I never wanted to go back to high school and here I am paying someone for that same vaguely panicky feeling . . .

Dammit #4:
That whole Iranian Revolutionary Guard thing in the gulf may actually have been a hoax. And the Pentagon says it didn't say it was actually the Iranians saying "I am coming to you . . .You will be exploded in minutes." It does, however, still appear that it was the IRGC's boats. Seriously--does this shit ever end?

Random Question of the Day

Does "Dermatologist tested" mean "Tested on dermatologists, not rats"?

Beecause Every Monday Needs a Good Laugh

Washingtonpost.com's Dan Froomkin pulls together some of the more amusing? maddening? mind-boggling? quotes from W in advance of his Middle East tour:

"I can predict that the historians will say that George W. Bush recognized the threats of the 21st century, clearly defined them, and had great faith in the capacity of liberty to transform hopelessness to hope, and laid the foundation for peace by making some awfully difficult decisions," Bush told Yonit Levi of Israel's Channel 2 News. Bush held several interviews with Middle Eastern journalists last week in anticipation of his trip to the region, which starts tomorrow.

"When he needed to be tough, he acted strong, and when he needed to have vision he understood the power of freedom to be transformative," Bush said of himself to Nahum Barnea and Shimon Shiffer of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

As for the people of the Middle East, Bush told Hisham Bourar of al-Hurra Television: "I would hope that they would say President Bush respects my religion and has great love for the human -- human being, and believes in human dignity."

The Bush record, the president told Nadia Bilbassy-Charters of al-Arabiya Television, is one of liberation -- "liberation, by the way, not only from dictatorship, but from disease around the world, like HIV/AIDS or malaria."

On a personal basis, Bush told Bilbassy-Charters that he hopes that people would know "that he hurts when he sees poverty and hopelessness" and "that he's a realistic guy."

Check out the blog post for more!

Lessons Learned

We're having some nasty weather in the Bay Area today. And yesterday, with more to come tomorrow. Heavy rain and winds gusting to 71 miles an hour, with several feet of snow being dumped in the mountains. Nothing like a little bad weather to teach you a few lessons (well, except a precocious five year old).

So, to the lessons:

1. Chickens don't like rain.
2. Chickens don't dislike rain enough to resist the potentially suicidal temptation to dig a lake under their food bowls.
3. Twice.
4. The bucket of mulch I had been planning to put in the garden was perfect for filling in Lake Sophia/ZsuZsu.
5. Low-rise pants are not the best to wear in a driving rainstorm.
6. My water-resistant jacket isn't.
7. 50-mile an hour wind gusts are not enough to take down the neighbor's bug- and disease-infested apple tree.
   

Feeling Optimistic

Putting aside the question of what if any influence they should have on presidential elections, the Iowa caucuses are finally over.

Barack Obama, First place
John Edwards, Second
Hillary Clinton, a surprising Third

I would have preferred the order Edwards, Obama, Clinton, but this will do for now. It's not that I don't think Hillary would do a good job. I think that I think that she might. Do a good job. And it's not that I'm looking for the warm fuzzies--we had too many idiots vote for another idiot just because they thought he might be fun to have a beer with. So, no, not looking for the warm fuzzies or a cold beer. But, though I love Bill and would vote for him again tomorrow (assuming he wasn't running on a platform of "change"), I don't know that I trust Hillary, or the idea that she can make things in Washington any different than they have been for the past couple of (few?) decades.

I like John Edwards, and Barack Obama runs a close, close second. (Of course, if Joe Biden could keep his feet out of his mouth except when he's orating, he'd be higher on my list.) I don't, however, see how Edwards, Obama, or anyone else, is going to get us out of Iraq immediately. Whether or not it was ever a Pottery Barn policy: We broke it. We need to find a way to fix it and I don't think just packing up and leaving is going to work. And not because some terrorist somewhere is going to see it as a sign of weakness, but because we broke it and we can't just leave it.

So now what? It's the economy, stupid. It's the war, stupid. It's the environment, stupid . . .

But I can't really complain; no matter who I like more right now, Edwards, Obama and Clinton are all superb candidates. The second most important thing to remember is that GWB is on his way out.

Interior Design for the Dollhouse Crowd

One of the few things I dislike about our house is that, while we have three bathrooms, we all share the one bathroom on the main floor. For Thomas, I guess the worst part is that, well, he has to share a bathroom with three females. For me, it’s the eternal game of hide-and-seek with my personal care products.

When I’m in need, I must first go calling at one of the two established dollhouses, and then check in at the myriad shanties that pop up over night like little pink mushrooms. (Shoeboxes, hats, baskets, etc.) If I don’t move quickly or quietly enough, the trip is accompanied by little shrieks of “But Mommy! That’s the CUSHION for the SOFA!” Or “NO!! That’s NOT a tampon! It’s a PILLOW!” God only knows where the new heads for my Venus razor might be—or to what purpose they have been put.

Yes, the tampons are bolsters. The panty liners are sofa cushions—and look! Reversible! See? If you take off the little pink covers you can make a nice, long, comfy white cushion! Now if only the pink cushions stuck as well to the furniture . . .

It matters not where I put them: There is no place to hide anything that my little magpies might be able to use in a new interior design scheme. And I just found the razor heads: Individually packaged, they make excellent coffee and side tables.

Steve Jobs vs RIAA?

From today's Washington Post, in an article about the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) using the federal court system in an attempt to stop digital music sharing:

" . . . in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer."

CDs sales are down and consumers--and some artists--are looking for ways to avoid these traditional (aka: old) media companies altogether. So the answer is to sue the pants off of college students and now people who are actually purchasing the CDs and copying them to their own computers? Brilliant.

So when does Steve Jobs enter the picture? If the RIAA wins this suit, will they then claim that, once a song or album is purchased and downloaded through a service such as iTunes, the consumer is not legally permitted to then transfer that song or album from their computer to their iPod? Maybe, but I'd put my money on Steve and the 100 million or so of my fellow iPod users.

Christmas With the In-laws

I adore my mother- and father-in-law, but I know that many, many people were not so fortunate in that little lottery. Take, for instance, my friend who, for obvious reasons, must not be named. He sent me this:

Xmas Day Itinerary:

8:00-10:59: I enjoy a great Christmas morning with my wife and daughter
11:00: In-laws show up
11:01: First bottle of wine is secretly opened
11:02: I pour a glass of wine into the mug I was using for coffee to avoid detection
1:20: In-laws have now settled in, no thoughts of leaving in the next 10 hours
1:30: First bottle of wine is long gone as well as a beer or two. I tell everyone that I'm going to open a bottle of wine and ask if anyone wants a glass, fully aware of the answer: No
1:35: I grab a wine glass, but keep my coffee mug behind a picture on an end table, just in case
2:30: Dinner starts
2:45: I finish eating
4:44: In-laws finish eating
5:00: Brother-in-law's girlfriend's family shows up, including her neurotic sister, her boyfriend—who I don't know—and their punk-ass teenagers
5:00:30: I lock up the valuables and hide my car keys and wallet
5:01: Not sure of the count, but another bottle of wine is opened.
5:03: Everything kind of starts over again but with the new players
5:15: "Drunk Dialing" friends from the garage begins
6:30: Mean looks from the wife because I'm ignoring her family. My excuse: why change now? Plus it's nearly impossible to get a word in edgewise not to mention my diminishing motor skills
7:30: The guests are in all here. I've switched to Sam Adams because my teeth are purple
9:00: I call a friend for the second time, envious because his day has long been over.
9:01 - 11:00: Does it matter? I won't remember anyway.
11:00: People start to leave
11:30: The same people are still leaving
12:00: Everyone has left
12:15: Mother in law calls to say good night for the tenth time

In Need of a Laugh?

Try this:

Top 278 Star Wars Lines Improved By Replacing A Word With "Pants"

Though I appreciate the effort, I'm surprised the list stops at 278. Certainly couldn't have been for a lack of material.*

But anyway: You're welcome!


*Apologies for the completely unintentional pun.

Mac and PC Meet Santa

Ho Ho Ho!

The Weekly Dammit, #19

After a lengthy hiatus, it's back! C'mon, you know you missed your Weekly Dammit.

Dammit #1:
Holy crap! It's actually been a month since the last Dammit. I'm blaming it on work, changes to Charlotte's schedule, a trip to Georgia for Thanksgiving . . . Or we could just go with laziness.

Dammit #2:
Mike Huckabee once advocated quarantine for AIDS patients. And said that Hollywood stars should fund HIV/AIDS research from their own pockets. Guess who's ahead in the Iowa and South Carolina polls?

Dammit #3:
Normal people come with "irrelevance filters." That means that they can actually concentrate and generally have much better memories. To paraphrase myself from a comment on Mixx.com, if you didn't come with said filters factory installed, can you buy them?

Dammit #4:
A slice of pumpkin pie (1/8 of a pie and who eats only that?) has 320 calories and 15 grams of fat. On the positive side, it also has 7 grams of fiber.