Christmas Giving

Want to do something nice for a veteran? Here's your chance. Working Assets, along with other partners, is collecting donations to provide calling cards for wounded veterans:

Working Assets, Veterans for Peace, CODEPINK, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Gold Star Families for Peace have teamed up on a project to thank our veterans by sending them phone cards loaded with 125 minutes of domestic long-distance calling time. We'll purchase these cards and deliver them to VA Medical Facilities all over the country on December 18th. (If you want to join in delivering the cards to a VA hospital near you, just click on the link you'll see after making your gift.

$10 will cover the cost of phone cards for three veterans. $20 will buy six phone cards. $33 will buy ten cards. $100 will buy phone cards for 30 veterans to call home over the holidays. 100% of your gift will go directly to buying phone cards -- so please give as generously as you can.

It will make you feel great, I guarantee you.

The Christmas Story

For some bizarre reason there isn't a survey I don't like. I'm one of those very strange people who don't mind expressing an opinions (hence, the blog). So, if you don't want an opinion, don't ask, ok?

In keeping with all my opinions, here's a Christmas meme (thanks to Susan!) :

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I worship eggnog, but my arteries don't. (You'd think I'd like the Eggnog Latte at Starbucks, but it sucks. Big time.)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?

Santa doesn't wrap presents! Everybody knows that!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

White outside. Colored lights inside on the large tree in the living room; white on the smaller tree in the dining room.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Later than most people, but not on Christmas Eve I (at least not yet).

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Don't have any specific favorites from days of yore. In recent years, I've made Jambalaya on Christmas Eve - it's starting to be our tradition.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

It may be strange, but a favorite memory for me was the weeks leading up to Christmas. My dad was a jeweler, and worked non-stop from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Truth be told, I don't think we saw him much over those 4 weeks - he even worked Saturday AND Sunday all day. During that time, the house was totally run by my mom and us kids. The best part about it was having breakfast for dinner - pancakes, scrambled eggs. Part of this is because my mom was the World's Worst Cook, but also because my dad was a real "meat and potatoes" guy and I suspect she wanted time off from the regular routine as much as we did. In later years, we found out that all the overtime Dad put it in actually provided us Christmas itself. My mom would 'charge' all our toys and gifts early in the season and pay them off at Christmas with the extra pay. How did he do it? I'm not sure I could ever be so selfless. Thanks, Dad.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I really don't remember, although I think Patty vanden Eynden from down the street had something to do with it.

9. Do you open gifts Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

When we were little kids, we opened Christmas Day, when we were teenagers, it all moved to Christmas Eve. For all my married life, it's been Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

I do it all...I'm thinking of adopting a teenager to take over soon.

11. Snow- Love it or dread it?

Now that I don't have to drive in it much anymore (telecommuting, what a concept!) and we bought a snow blower, I really like snow. I've really tried to make an effort to enjoy each season as it comes and not to complain too much about it. To me, one of the pleasures of winter is the beautiful sky - best enjoyed while shoveling snow in late afternoon.

12. Can you ice skate?

Nope, the one and only time I tried to ice skate, I fell and someone behind me skated over my hand. Kinda turned me off a skating career. Although I have to say it looks like great fun...especially at Rockefeller Center.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

I don't have a particular stand-out gift as a child, but I have to say that two Christmases ago, I got a bunch of presents from Bobbers that were out of this world. Everything was well-thought out and bought with love. Especially important was the fact that all the gifts were purchased a mere two months or so following his major heart surgery - very impressive. (I still - to this day - marvel at how he slogged through the mall with all that heavy stuff when he wasn't supposed to be carrying anything really heavy at the time. Wouldn't that be just great to have your husband keel over buying Christmas presents for you?)

14. What's the most exciting thing about the holidays for you?

Catching up on sleep, watching movies, hanging out with friends, cooking some great meals.

15. What is your favorite holiday desert?

1) A desert I can make: Garbage candy -- one part white chocolate, one part peanuts, one part pretzels; 2) Grammy's fudge (although I don't get to have it often). As my cousin, Susan, said on her blog, "My uncle makes the most awesome, decadent, melt in your mouth fudge you will ever taste, using my Grandma's recipe. (Funny note: the recipe has this instruction on how long to stir it: Until your arm falls off. I miss Grandma)." Me too, Susan, me too! Except, isn't she called "Grammy?"

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching "White Christmas" (favorite song: "Sisters") and "It's a Wonderful Life" (favorite scene: when George Bailey just barely prevents himself from heaving the newel post knob; second favorite scene: when he tells off Zouzou's teacher: "What kind of teacher are you, anyway?"; third favorite scene: "Hello, 5 and Dime! Hello, Savings and Loan! Hello....everything else....!")

17. What tops your tree?

A green and gold painted aluminum star from Pier 1.

18. Which do you prefer- giving or receiving?

Well, I must confess I really like....receiving!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" sung by just about anyone. So very bittersweet. Second favorite: "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme.

20. Candy canes?

Nah, not so much.

Now what about the rest of you?

Iraq Study Group

In listening to the accounts of the today's release of the Iraq Study Group's report, it occurs to me that I believe we heard the same "blah, blah, blah" before. Remember the "9/11 Commission" report? What ever happened to that? Our government officials (right and left) seem to have ADD. They get all excited on the day of the report (prompted by TV cameras) and then drop it when there's actual work to be done.

Let's just say I'm not holding my breath expecting big change. But, by God, I hope change comes, and quick.

Bush loses another ally as UN ambassador Captain Kangaroo resigns in face of Senate hostility

Have you heard the latest?

"The White House yesterday bowed to Senate opposition and gave up its attempt to keep its controversial UN Ambassador, Captain Kangaroo, in his job - the latest sign of President George Bush's diminishing authority. Mr Bush issued a statement denouncing the senators, including a Republican moderate, who had blocked Mr Bolton's confirmation process in the chamber's television affairs committee.

"They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Mr Bush said. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country and discourages men and women of talent from serving."

So how does the Senate feel about Mr. Green Jeans?

New World Record

Yesterday, Bobbers and I made a concerted effort to accomplish more than we usually do on our lazy Sundays. Part of the plan included various household chores, a swim at the Y, preparing for some snow (where are those damn shovels?), general housekeeping and buying our Christmas trees. We always buy our tree from the Westboro Civic Club ("Hey, don't call us the Rotary!") and we were able to walk up to the first row of trees, pick out our baby tree for the dining room, and a medium-tall tree for the living room within 10 minutes! But for the brief stop at the grocery, and having to follow a giant SUV slowly up a hill with it's own tree tied to its top ("It's not a nuclear weapon, for God's sake!" ) we would have accomplished all our chores by 3 pm. Phew!

Now Ill have to see whether we actually get the trees up and the house decorated anytime soon...next Sunday we may have to clear a path to the decorations down the basement. Stay tuned for my breathless updates on our Christmas plans! I know you're all a-twitter!

Call Me Magellan

You all need to be the first to know.

I'm forming an exploratory committee to decide whether I'm going to run for President. Hey, if Tom Vilsack, Barak Obama, John McCain, Mitt Romney (oh, please!), Evan Bayh, Mike Huckabee, Chris Dodd, Duncan Hunter, John Kerry, Sam Brownback (who?), Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Chuck Hagel, Joe Biden, Al Sharpton, Wes Clark, Tommy Thompson, Newt Gingrich (oh, barf!), Hilary Clinton and Rudy Guiliani (::rolling eyes::) can do it, why not me?

Anybody wanna go explorin' with me?

I Officially Hate Blogger Beta

This evening I wrote a great response to a great post by my favorite hubby without logging in first. The freakin' thing ate the whole post. Argghhhhh. I think this so-called beta version of Blogger is what has prevented me from posting in recent days. It feels overly complex and that's a damn shame. The best part of Blogger was its simplicity. I suppose there are improvements in Blogger Beta, but I haven't found them. AND I can't post Youtube video any more.

Bah. They can keep the freakin' thing.

Giving Thanks

Another Thanksgiving in progress...and for a change we're celebrating with family in Ohio. Lucky for us it's a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and we're getting ready to enjoy a great dinner (and I'm not cooking, yay!)

Since I'll be having dinner with probably four of my 10 readers (give or take one or two), it'll be nice to be with people in real time and not cyberspace.

Hope everyone has a great holiday! More to come!!!

GHWB Defends GWB

Just came across this story on a cursory review of my favorite blogs. I don't know about you, but I have been wondering how Papa Bush handles the criticism of his son. Here's a link to find out more.

It would have been fun to be in that audience, eh?

All dried up, and no place to go

Where have I been for the past week or so? Nowhere. Just haven't had much to say, I guess, not that you want to read about that.

I am not certain that I'm all that thrilled with Blogger Beta, which I upgraded to last weekend (kinda accidentally...don't ask). Now I can't post YouTube videos at will, which pisses me off. Once I figured that out, I felt burned out on the whole damn thing. So it goes.

We're leaving early Sunday morning for our week in Ohio, where one of our sweet nieces is getting married the day after Thanksgiving. Good times. I love that our family is expanding at long last. We've had too many contractions over recent years.

Still basking in the afterglow of the midterm elections...

Still basking in the afterglow of the possibility the Sox may sign the best available starting pitcher on the planet in the weeks ahead...

Life is good.

The New Reality

Browing Boston.com this morning, I came across this headline:

"Warrantless wiretaps unlikely to be OK'd"

Talk about shock and awe...I stood up at my computer and literally applauded. It's been a long, long time since headlines were so fabulous.

Keep 'em coming.

Take a Guess

In recent years, Bobbers and I have taken more of an interest in the food that goes into our bodies. In that vein, I offer this short quiz where you get to test your knowledge of restaurant food. It's one of those tests that you think you should know the answers to, but you find out that you actually don't.

Enjoy.

A Veteran's Tale

With all the happiness and relief brought about by Tuesday's election results, I was truly brought back down to earth by a veterans' tale I saw on CNN today. It moved me more than anything I've seen in a while, but I think it's critical for all of us to recognize the sacrifices of our young'uns serving in Iraq.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this very special young man after you've seen the video.

I Think I'm .... Speechless

Whew! What a freakin' good day! The Democrats actually did it! And to top it off, Mr. Incompetency resigned.

Damn.

I mean...DAMN!

I won't presume to do a full-out political analysis of the election. There are many more expert at that than me, and you'll decide which of those experts you want to read.

I will say that it the election results represent, for me, a giant step back toward behavior that is more respectful of the US Constitution. What has worried me in recent years has been the incompetence, the bravado, the sense that the Administration is above the law and unaccountable (I guess this means we can take a second look at the torture bill, the illegal wiretaps now!).

I have also been concerned that the rest of the world feels such hatred toward America. Today, my friend Gerard from Belgium IM'd me to ask if it was true that the Democrats had taken over the Congress, asking whether I thought this would signal a change in Iraq? "Too many dead people," he said. At the time, Rumsfeld hadn't resigned and it was not as clear that we're likely to take over the Senate, so all I could say was "I hope so." Now I feel a little more confident about this, needless to say.

In the days ahead I hope the Democrats will use their newfound power wisely. Because they have been so badly mistreated in the minority, I suspect they'll move ahead cautiously...like an abused spouse might after moving out of the house.

In the meantime, I will soak this victory in, be thankful that the dollars and time I contributed were not for naught. (Just heard the Virginia Republicans say "we should let all the votes be counted!" Channeling Al Gore, I suppose.)

Most of all, I am very much looking forward to the State of the Union address. I'll have my popcorn ready and sit back and enjoy watching Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sitting next to Cheney as the Chimp delivers his speech.

Damn.

I mean, DAMN.

Happy Election Day

Well, to some of us, this day feels much like Christmas. And hopefully tonight we get some presents, and not the coal.

Been watching some coverage on MSNBC and CNN and their endless pundits and journalists, and they are increasingly talking about how badly the Republicans are doing today. On what basis do they make these statements, I wonder (as I well remember we thought the Chimp lost both his elections early in the day)? I guess we'll find out soon.

This morning, as I waited in our town garage for Bobbers to finish voting, I recalled my first Election Day experience. I was a kindergartener and my Mom, one of the millions of postwar stay-at-home mothers, had volunteered to work at the poll in our school. As a kid, I enjoyed seeing her at school that day, especially watching the grown-ups eating lunch in our cafeteria. It may be the fog of memory, but I seem to recall that this was a sunny, warm day, which means this election could have been the presidential primary, which was held in Ohio on May 3, 1960 (you gotta love Google, eh?).

Anyway, I distinctly remember hearing the word "poll" for the first time, and learning exactly what that meant. And, for me, this introduction seemed to propel me, seemingly by osmosis even at this tender age, to learning about the political landscape that year. Of course, Senator Kennedy was a significant figure that year, especially in Catholic families like ours. There was a personal harbinger of things to come as I think he and his family were responsible for introducing me to a faraway placed called Massachusetts.

Anyway, it's 8:00 and time for the first poll results.

::fingers crossed::

My Sentiments Exactly

This poor kid! I hope the baby's parents are reported to Social Services as this truly is abuse:



Well, tomorrow is the Big Day. My prayer is that this country wakes up from its collective stupor and decides that some checks and balances are in order. At the very least, we won't have to look at these commercials much longer. AND, we'll all be able to answer our phones. Even though I'm making some of the calls myself, it is amazing to see how many people (from Planned Parenthood, Massachusetts Democratic Party, Moveon, etc.) have called me, as well.

There's been so much going on that I haven't had a chance to do much original posts, but I hope to get back to that soon. However, now that Election Day is near, I am thinking about why I enjoy politics and all the election craziness so much? It's a question that occurs to me every other November when it feels as if I am the only one I know who actually seems to enjoy this stuff.

For me, finding the political blogs (Daily Kos, My DD, Americablog, Firedoglake, etc) was an awakening. For the first time, I found like-minded people who are as entranced by the ins and outs of elections as I am. I think that's why when I think about blogging, these are the sites that amaze and inspire me. To tell you the honest truth, I'm not so interested in people's everyday life (no offense) as I am in watching history being written as we live it.

So, enjoy the day, in whatever way you'd like. I personally will be watching the returns and ticking off each Congressional District and Senate seat on my own personal tally sheet and cheering for my fellow Democrats across the country. (And, I will also be welcoming our new Massachusetts governor, the first African American one, Deval Patrick.)

Shocked, Shocked, Shocked

Can you believe that Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity? I never would have thought it.

Using the Cell Phone for Good

Tonight, I'm volunteering to make calls for Moveon.org's "Call for Change" program. People from all over the country are making phone calls to voters in districts with close races. I've made 12 calls so far on behalf of Jim Webb, Democrat running for the Senate against "Mr. Macaca." So far only 3 people actually picked up the phone (out of 11 calls made), but they've been nice and what the hell? They don't know who I am and I'd like to think I am making a small contribution.

Besides, since I never use all my cell phone minutes, I might as well donate them, eh?

So, for those of you reading this in Ohio's first or second Congressional District, I may be calling YOU soon. LOL!

McCain's an Opportunist

If John McCain is so utterly pissed at Kerry for his comments about the troops, why the hell does he need to READ it off a piece of paper? You'd think he could open that giant mouth of his and let it fly spontaneously. Duh.

Talk about desperate. The GOP is gonna go down and they are grasping at straws. It's pretty bad if they have to take on an off-the-cuff remark by a former presidential candidate at this late date.

Gimme a break. God help us if McCain runs for President.

Who Gives a Fig?

:: Rant alert :: Rant alert :: Rant alert ::

• Why in God's name does anyone give two hoots whether Madonna adopts a child?
  
  
• Who gives a care whether Britney Spears has another child and what she names it?
  
  
• Does anyone think about when or where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes get married? Or even IF they get married?

Arrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Enough already.

Clarke and O'Leary Go Batshit

One night last summer, the all-time funniest riff occurred during a Red Sox game, when Lenny Clarke and Dennis Leary visited the broadcast booth. It occurred a few days after Mel Gibson's infamous meltdown. Well, long story short, hilarity ensued.

Our local announcers were laughing so hard, I wasn't sure they'd be able to carry on...Same sort of thing was happening at our house! I wanted to post this clip as we face a long, cold lonely winter without Red Sox baseball. For those of you who are a little more PC than me, beware!

Congratulations to the Cardinals (I guess), but it's interesting to note that they ONLY won 83 games this year. Even the Red Sox won 86 games. Sheesh.

Enjoy.

I Hate Halloween

I do hate it. Not the scary, semi-religious, eerie children's homemade-costume Halloween, but the commerialized, plastic orange pumpkin, store-bought costume, mall-decorated marketing event that it has become.

The worst part of all is the crap being sold in every store, that is rapidly being superceded by Christmas decorations, with an occasional Thanksgiving turkey rearing its head.

At this time of year, all I can do is dread the Christmas holidays, and long for the bleakness of January...that is, until someone promotes the idea of Martin Luther King decorations. Ooooops, I forgot, before the Christmas decorations are stripped from the grocery stores and malls, we'll be planning our Valentine's Day extravaganzas.

I think my fondest wish would be to experience a season in the present, without feeling rushed on to the next one.

Oh, well....Happy Halloween!

Obamania!

Hmmmm....Barak Obama says he's thinking of running for President. Now there's an idea I can support. He's been everywhere in the past week promoting his book, and it's simply a pleasure to watch the man.

As a side note...it's even funnier when a reporter slips and refers to him as Osama, which I've heard several times.



Oh God.

I just realized that if Barak Obama becomes president at 47 (in 2008), he'll be the first president YOUNGER than me. Perhaps I should rethink my excitement.

Nah. Go Barak!

Another Favorite Photo

A photo that could be a jigsaw puzzle picture, but I swear I took it my very self:

Laura Nyro - Poverty Train

Another classic, dedicated to my girl, Jenni.

Bob Dylan & Bruce Springsteen - Forever Young

Oh man! Two of my personal favorites in one video. Hot damn.

The Departed

Last night, three friends and I saw a movie filmed in Boston about Boston mobsters ("The Departed"), in a Downtown Boston theatre, making for an interesting phenomenon. Since it was Friday night, the theatre was packed to the rafters so my pals and I couldn't sit together. I ended up using the stand-alone seat next to the handicapped space up front, allowing an unfamiliar freedom, meaning I could fidget as much as I wanted, plus cross and uncross my legs without fear of annoying anyone.

But the most interesting part was that I was sitting in front of a row of young black women who kept up a running commentary during the movie. Normally I hate it when people talk, but these women were saying exactly what my inner voice was saying: "Oh, watch out, boy!" "Girl, you're crazy!", "Sheeeeeeiiiiiiiit!" A steady rumble of disapproval could be heard when a main character told yet another lie.
Unfortunately, the women also laughed out loud at all the wrong parts of the movie. Every time somebody was shot, they'd hoot -- and being a Scorsese movie, there was plenty of violence).

As an aside: the picture above was taken just a block or two from where I work in South Boston, and you'll note the city skyline in the background. Like "Mystic River," this movie showed a Boston that felt real and very, very seedy. And for my money, this is the best movie Leonardo DiCaprio's done in a long, long time. Two thumbs up!

Interesting Factoid

When Bill Clinton was impeached, he had an approval rating of 72%. Seventy-two percent. The dingbat in the Oval Office has an approval rating of less than half of that right now.

Today, Bill preached about the "common good." Check it out.

Injustice is a Bitch

From the Center for American Progress:

CIVIL RIGHTS -- HUSBAND OF DECEASED FIRST OPENLY GAY CONGRESSMAN DENIED PENSION BENEFITS: "Gerry Studds, the nation's first openly gay congressman, pushed the country to another landmark development when he died Saturday," the Lowell Sun reports. The federal government "for the first time will deny death benefits to a congressman's gay spouse." Studds and husband Dean Hara were partnered for 15 years and married in Massachusetts in 2004. "Wives and husbands of deceased lawmakers have for years found financial comfort in their ability to collect more than half of the generous congressional pension earned by their late spouse"; Hara would have received $62,000 a year from Studds' pension program. But under the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the federal government does not recognize state gay marriage laws like the one in Massachusetts, and federal benefits normally passed along to surviving spouses are specifically limited to "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife." Meanwhile, criminal former Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) and Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who just pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges, will continue to collect their congressional pensions while they serve their time in prison."

Sweet Home Ohio

Here's the latest from my home state:

"The bellwether state of Ohio appears to have become hostile terrain for Republicans this year, with voters there overwhelmingly saying Democrats are more likely to help create jobs and concluding by a wide margin that Republicans in the state are more prone to political corruption than are Democrats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Ohio is home this year to closely watched races for governor, the United States Senate and a growing roster of competitive House seats, and the state has become one of the most contested battlegrounds of 2006 and one in which voters at this point are strongly favoring Democrats on many issues."

I'm so proud. Now don't make me kick your collective asses, ya hear?

Today's Word: Schadenfreude

"Schadenfreude"[n. SHAW-den-froy-duh] Taking malicious satisfaction in another person's troubles is schadenfreude. Even though there may be some guilt involved, this noun comes in handy when someone feels glee or gloats over another person's suffering. Example: "She had a feeling of schadenfreude when the boy who dumped her was unable to find a date for the prom." Sometimes capitalized, schadenfreude is a compound of two German words: schaden (damage) and freude (joy).

In recent days, I've been struggling with Schadenfreude. First, it was watching the MF Yankees lose to Detroit in the baseball playoffs. Somehow, watching a team of All Stars lose to a team that is young, hungry, and on the rise (and who will probably win the World Series) gave me the most satisfaction since 2004 (when we know what happened for the first time in 86 years).

Now, tonight, I am reading story after story (after freakin' STORY) showing the Democrats leading the GOoPers by wide margins:

"A bi-partisan poll of 48 congressional races believed to be competitive shows an even more uphill battle for Republicans in coming weeks than previously thought, RAW STORY has learned.

NPR commissioned the poll from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and Public Opinion Strategies.

With just three weeks until election day, the survey found Democrats running with a commanding lead in districts currently held by Republicans, and just 44% of voters planning to support the GOP.

In races for 38 seats currently held by Republicans, Democrats held a 4 point edge in named ballots. On a generic ballot, Democrats' lead increased to 11 points. Independents say they plan to vote for Democrats by a 20 point margin."

This news makes me do the happy dance, but I want to be cautious about over-confidence. We felt like this in 2004 also and we know how that turned out, right?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight. ;-)

aka Jetison

Several weeks ago, I recommended a new blog, called "aka jetison." At the time, I was being rather coy about the author, but it is none other than our dear Bobbers. Check it out when you have a chance. You'll thank me later.

A Plea from the President

I urge all of you to listen to the man (for a change):

WASHINGTON, DC—In a nationally televised address Monday, President Bush urged all citizens, regardless of race, creed, color, or political affiliation, "to quiet down for just one minute" so he could have "a chance to think."

In a televised address to the nation, Bush called for "a little peace and quiet."

"Every American has an inalienable right to free speech and self-expression," Bush said. "Nonetheless, I call upon the American people to hold off on it for, say, 60 seconds. Just long enough for me to get this all sorted out in my head."

(snip)

"Bush then closed his speech by exhaling sharply, tightly closing his eyes, and massaging his temples. "I just—Christ, I just need a goddamn minute, you know?" he said."

For the rest of the story go to the Onion.

Today's Word: Hypocrisy

How come when gas prices were very high, many GOoP pundits (and the Chimp himself) said they couldn't be blamed, and now that prices have come down they go around taking credit for it? Just wonderin'.

UPDATE: Here's the story from Bob Woodward's new book about the Saudi agreement to ensure oil prices were low before the election.

Olbermann on the Murder of Habeus Corpus

Good Lord, now that I've figured out You Tube, get ready for a bunch of video links!

(This is way too easy.)

Had Enough of Mean Jean Schmidt? Vote Victoria Wulsin!

This is for my friends and family in Ohio's Second District!

Nuns Everywhere Are Crying

Remember learning to write "cursive?" When I went to Catholic school, we didn't call it that, of course, we called it "penmanship," or "handwriting." All we knew is that learning to write these magic letters on the lined tablets was a huge step forward in parochial education. Maybe this was a girl thing, but I never minded penmanship and got fairly good grades in it.

Well, apparently cursive is dying, thanks to computers and other electronic devices. Perhaps those younger than me don't hate the idea of cursive going the way of the rotary telephone and black and white televisions. But it's another reminder of just how freakin' old I am.

Here's an excerpt of the story:

"The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive opportunity missed. The neurological process that directs thought, through fingers, into written symbols is a highly sophisticated one. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better -- a lifelong benefit. Children who don't learn correct technique find it harder to write by hand, so they avoid it. Schools that do teach handwriting often stop after third grade -- right after kids learn cursive. By the time computers are more widely used in classrooms for writing, perhaps in fourth or fifth grade, many children already have decided they don't like to write.

In one of the studies, Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham, who studies the acquisition of writing, experimented with a group of first-graders in Prince George's County who could write only 10 to 12 letters per minute. The kids were given 15 minutes of handwriting instruction three times a week. After nine weeks, they had doubled their writing speed and their expressed thoughts were more complex. He also found corresponding increases in their sentence construction skills.

But Graham worries that students who remain printers, rather than writing in cursive, need more time to take notes or write essays for the SAT. Teachers may say they don't deduct for bad handwriting in class, but research tells another story, he said."

The other thing that disappears along with penmanship lessons is the individuality that it presents - I remember my Mom's neat, even handwriting, always perfectly spaced. And her sister's rather odd, but equally even, distinctive backhand.

I think about generations that come after us...Will they use emoticons to express themselves, rather than their own hand? Kind of sad to think of the Declaration of Independence typed by a machine, eh?

Time marches on.

Let's Go for the Twenties!

Well, a new record low for Bush...33% approval rating from today's Newsweek:

"Meanwhile, the president’s approval rating has fallen to a new all-time low for the Newsweek poll: 33 percent, down from an already anemic 36 percent in August. Only 25 percent of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country, while 67 percent say they are not. Foley’s disgrace certainly plays a role in Republican unpopularity: 27 percent of registered voters say the scandal and how the Republican leadership in the House handled it makes them less likely to vote for a Republican Congressional candidate; but 65 percent say it won’t make much difference in determining how they vote. And Americans are equally divided over whether or not Speaker Hastert should resign over mishandling the situation (43 percent say he should, but 36 percent say he shouldn’t)."

Oh, What a Beautiful Day!

At the close of each sunny 70-plus degree day, we say goodbye once again to summer, thinking it certainly must be the last such gorgeous day. During the last month, we've enjoyed several of these days, with today being another beauty. In celebration, we traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, to soak in the sun and fly a few kites.

Here's some great photos of our day...enjoy! (Come February, we'll look back on this day fondly.)

The view at Breton Point State Park:

A beautiful kite (not ours):

Bobbers does his thing:

Two of our many kites:

Newport Harbor:

Again...Newport Harbor:

Bobbers (love this photo):

An early-closing diner:

A beautiful garden along Thames Street:

Susan Better Get Native

I have more than six million Susans in my life, or so it feels. But this post is for one special bird-lovin' Susan, who has a great blog at Susan Gets Native. For those of you who haven't visited my cousin's blog, she is rapidly becomig an expert at caring for and teaching others about birds of prey.

Today, we went to the Topsfield Fair, the oldest fair in the country, which had a display on Susan's favorite birds. I thought I'd make this post a test of her skills (and I think this is an easy one). Susan, tell us about these birds...





My favorite other photo from today's journey into New England agriculture. I like the looks of the nuzzling cows, but something tells me I'll leave the animal husbandry to Susan after this post!

Go, Tigers!

I love the Deeee-troit Tigers! Go get 'em, boys!




From the New York Times:

"Rodriguez realized the fans’ worst fears about him, folding in the very part of the season that mattered most. Since the Yankees took a three-games-to-none lead over Boston in the 2004 A.L.C.S., he has 5 hits in 46 postseason at-bats.

Rodriguez has no runs batted in over his last 12 playoff games. He was due up next when the season ended, and he watched from the on-deck circle as the Tigers celebrated. Rodriguez tapped his cleats with his bat handle and slowly descended the dugout steps."

The First 100 Hours

Oh, a breath of fresh air that very well could blow the stink out of Washington.

Picture these first 100 hours of the new kids:

"Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds _ "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

To do that, she said, Bush-era tax cuts would have to be rolled back for those above "a certain level." She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. Details will have to be worked out, she emphasized.

"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."

"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added.

I'd pay money to watch this.

A New Front of Terror

While we all may be focusing on the Foley problems in the House of Representatives, there's a much more menacing front of "terrorism" at the White House. I opened the Boston Globe's website this morning to read this article (emphasis mine):

WASHINGTON -- President Bush this week asserted that he has the executive authority to disobey a new law in which Congress has set minimum qualifications for future heads of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Congress passed the law last week as a response to FEMA's poor handling of Hurricane Katrina. The agency's slow response to flood victims exposed the fact that Michael Brown, Bush's choice to lead the agency, had been a politically connected hire with no prior experience in emergency management.

To shield FEMA from cronyism, Congress established new job qualifications for the agency's director in last week's homeland security bill. The law says the president must nominate a candidate who has ``a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management" and ``not less than five years of executive leadership."

Bush signed the homeland-security bill on Wednesday morning. Then, hours later, he issued a signing statement saying he could ignore the new restrictions. Bush maintains that under his interpretation of the Constitution, the FEMA provision interfered with his power to make personnel decisions.

This administration is terrorizing our country and the constitution. It MUST stop.

The 21

In the midst of all the b.s. surrounding the GOP and their sexcapades, it would do all of us good to stop and remember that 21 soldiers were killed in Iraq in the first four days of October.

God bless them and their families.

Clinton Was Right

Apparently Condi Rice is not only a shrill, overly-scripted, tight-ass, lightweight, but perhaps she has major cupability for killing nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. Think I'm over-reacting? Well, the Director of the CIA apparently tried to get her to take action nearly two months before 9/11, but she was probably busy elsewhere...perhaps buying shoes or something.

Here's tomorrow's New York Times article. Read it and weep. Truly.

"WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 — Members of the Sept. 11 commission said today that they were alarmed that they were told nothing about a White House meeting in July 2001 at which George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, is reported to have warned Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, about an imminent Al Qaeda attack and failed to persuade her to take action.

Details of the previously undisclosed meeting on July 10, 2001, two months before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, were first reported last week in a new book by the journalist Bob Woodward.

The final report from the Sept. 11 commission made no mention of the meeting nor did it suggest there had been such an encounter between Mr. Tenet and Ms. Rice, now secretary of state."

and then there's this:

"The book says that Mr. Tenet hurriedly organized the meeting — calling ahead from his car as it traveled to the White House — because he wanted to “shake Rice” into persuading the president to respond to dire intelligence warnings that summer about a terrorist strike. Mr. Woodward writes that Mr. Tenet left the meeting frustrated because “they were not getting through to Rice.”

The disclosures took members of the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission by surprise last week. Some questioned whether information about the July 10 meeting was intentionally withheld from the panel."

In Your Heart, You Know You're Right

You are right.

You've known it for a long time, but it's now becoming crystal clear. Leaders of the Republican Party are not only corrupt (Abramoff scandal), incompetent (Katrina response), war-mongering (Iraq, Iraq, Iraq) racists (George Allen anyone?), torture lovers, but they now are known to shield child predators from the public (Mark Foley, Congressman from Florida).

How'dya like them apples? In just over a month, this country might be free again. But we still have way too many days left till that doofus leaves office.

Saturday Morning

Good morning to one and all. It's a beautiful blue-sky day in our fair state, and one of the best advertisements for living in New England. Nothing much on my radar screen for today, at least in terms of work or errands. However, I am feeling some change in the air, which is probably a good omen for the future.

Of course, there's been change on my job front, which I've documented ad nauseum here. But, like always, that change isn't necessarily all bad because it has opened some unexpected doors. This week I had several interactions with different women in the corporation where I work, and the results have been heart-warming and affirmative.

Part of my job is to train colleagues to build their department websites for the company's intranet. This week, I met with a woman named Pam, to help her build a site. We were working together in her office, which had several photographs on the wall, and I mentioned how much her son had grown. Knowing that 15-year-old Michael is the light of her life, I figured that the discussion would also lead to her daughter, who died suddenly of a still-unknown disease about five years ago. The daughter's picture also was pinned to the wall, but it's starting to age and yellow a little bit. We laughed about how she herself never ages and will always remain 22 years old.

Pam then told me a great story about her daughter and butterflies. Ever since her daughter's death, she has found butterflies in unusual places - flying around her house, sitting on her car, all kinds of unexpected places. She firmly believes this is her daughter's way of comforting her...letting her Mom know she's ok. We both teared up a bit, but we were connecting in such a human way that I took great comfort from it.

Pam's story resonated with me because I have had similar experiences with my deceased parents. A few years ago, my husband faced significant medical issues that, at the time, seemed insurmountable. One day, I simply put his future in the hands of my parents, asking them to please help me. I was sitting in my office at the time and looked out into the blue sky as I made this request. Just as I did so, two large birds flew by, in tandem. Although my parents disagreed on much during their lives on earth, I took solace that the two of them were letting me know they would do what they could.

The result? This week it will be two years since my husband's major surgery. He's probably in better health now than he was before the medical problem occurred. While he's worked hard to get himself healthy, perhaps there are other reasons that cannot be so easily quantified. And that's the secret, and beauty, of being human.

The Cape of Cod

Took a little day trip to Cape Cod with two recently laid off co-workers and another friend who is still stuck on the job with me. See if you can figure out which is which in the picture below:



OK, from left: Susan, Joan, Ethel. Of these, Ethel remains my comrade in arms. Had an enjoyable day exorcising the demons and now it's time to move on.

A Little R&R Today

As part of my rehab from last week's corporateness, I am taking a couple of vacation days this week. Today I started off at the Y, where I swim laps three times a week for an hour. I don't usually have the luxury of starting the day off with exercise, but it seemed like the best way to begin the new week. You let your mind wander and it's a great way to sort through some thoughts...or make some observations of people I don't normally see on a regular basis.

When I first got to the pool, the elder set was doing their hydro-cize, a sort of gentle bobbing and walking through the water, designed for the geriatric set. They look like they're having a great time, with lots of laughter, as they move around in a circle at the shallow end of the pool.

During the hour that I swam, these ladies gave way to the Mommy/Baby set, who also formed their own circle in the water with their ponytails bobbing and their babies clutched in overprotective arms. As I swam back and forth next to them it occurred to me that my generation never had a Mommy and Me swimming lesson time. When it came time for us to learn to swim, we were given a suit, a bath towel and a pair of flip flops (that you wore all summer until they wore out) and pointed in the direction of the town pool. You signed yourself up, as far as I recall, and went there at the appointed hour a couple of times a week. No such thing as holding Mommy's hand and having her do all the work. (Sounds a little curmudgeonly, but I think we were a much more independent generation.)

After my swimming time was finished, I dressed in the locker room surrounded by the old ladies, many of whom were walking around stark nekkid. As far as I know, they're the only age group that does this at the Y (at least that I've seen) and I was kinda proud of them. I overheard one woman say to her companion, "I remember being with my mother-in-law and having to hold her up once in a while to keep her from falling over. Now I'm her!" As she was saying this, she was grabbing on to the locker as she was dressing. The ladies all chuckled and I wanted to join in and say, "Me too!" But I wasn't sure that a 50-something has earned the right to their story...at least not yet.

Perfect way to start the day, wish I could join the old ladies more often. They seem to be having a blast.

What's New?

The past week took a lot out of me emotionally...I don't know why losing my colleague by a layoff would have such an impact. Was it unexpected? Not totally. Was it the right thing to happen? Most definitely not. But there's nothing to be done, short of quitting my own job. Right now, it's not really a possibility.

I'll get over it. But, after 10 years together, fighting the corporate wars against the senior management and, most especially, the MEN, it will be hard to face the days alone.

OK, enough wallowing. Enough whining. At least about me. Here's a few more recent events:

• Did anybody else catch Clinton on...FOX NEWS this morning? Oh, dear God, was it worth watching that ridiculous network to catch Bill ripping Chris Wallace a new one. Here's the transcript of the first twenty minutes. It simply rocks. At long last, a Democrat finally puts the media in their places in terms of the questions asked of both parties. It is fabulous.
  
  
• So, whaddaya think? War with Iran before the election in November? Hard though it might be to believe, the Administration could just do that. Here's Gary Hart's post from The Huffington Post:
  
  

  "Were these more normal times, this would be a stunning possibility, quickly dismissed by thoughtful people as dangerous, unprovoked, and out of keeping with our national character. But we do not live in normal times.
  
  And we do not have a government much concerned with our national character. If anything, our current Administration is out to remake our national character into something it has never been.
  
  The steps will be these: Air Force tankers will be deployed to fuel B-2 bombers, Navy cruise missile ships will be positioned at strategic points in the northern Indian Ocean and perhaps the Persian Gulf, unmanned drones will collect target data, and commando teams will refine those data. The latter two steps are already being taken."

  
  
• My guy, Deval Patrick, won the Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts. Polls apparently show him ahead 64% to 25% over his Republican challenger. Hmmm, looks like we might take the State House back this year, which would be a very pleasant prospect.

Speaking of pleasant...there will be more pleasant postings in the future. I promise.

Corporate America Sucks

Well, my best friend and most esteemed colleague at the office was laid off today. I'm pissed off, so no blogging tonight. Only a glass of wine and some de-stressing allowed.

My friend is going to do well because she is a smart professional, blessed with lots of talent and many years of experience. But after working side-by-side with her for more than 10 years, it will be difficult for me to move on. Like always, the actual process today was handled very poorly, and IMHO the company chose the wrong person to let go. But, as I learned a long time ago, life is just not fair.

*sigh*

Truth be told, I'm sort of jealous that she will have some time off and a chance to begin anew in her professional life.

Well, bon voyage, SMG! Keep an eye out for a job for me, ok?

Colin Powell Awakes From a Long Slumber

Finally.

Many people have always harbored a notion that Colin Powell was actually one of us...a thoughtful, intelligent, non-conservative. However, he did his best to dispel this wishful thinking during the first Chimp Administration, especially during the run-up to the war. But today he finally snapped. Check it out here.

RIP, Governor

Here's a woman I've always admired, for her honesty, her openness and her natural sense of irreverance. I would have loved to have met Governor Richards, and now I guess I've missed my chance.

'Nuff Said, eh?

This cartoon stopped me cold this morning. I loved it.

Olbermann Beats the Chimp Over the Head

Read this...shades of Edward R. Murrow and Thomas Paine, rolled into one. This was Olbermann's September 11 rant.

"They [the Republicans] promised bi-partisanship, and then showed that to them, "bi-partisanship" meant that their party would rule and the rest would have to follow, or be branded, with ever-escalating hysteria, as morally or intellectually confused, as appeasers, as those who, in the Vice President's words yesterday, "validate the strategy of the terrorists."

They promised protection, and then showed that to them "protection" meant going to war against a despot whose hand they had once shaken, a despot who we now learn from our own Senate Intelligence Committee, hated al-Qaida as much as we did.

The polite phrase for how so many of us were duped into supporting a war, on the false premise that it had 'something to do' with 9/11 is "lying by implication."

The impolite phrase is "impeachable offense."

Fear and the Cuckoo's Nest

"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties."

At this very moment, the Chimp is giving us his very best scare tactics in his September 11 commemorative speech, but I decided to provide my own dream speech from one of our greatest Presidents, above.

On our TV, we'd rather watch our own version of the Bush administration..."One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Somehow it seems only too fitting. I'm feeling a lot like R.P. McMurphy right about now because I refuse to sit and be fearful of everything that happens, every "potential" problem, real or imagined. In FDR's case, he convinced Americans to believe in capitalism (for good or for ill) and bolstered our whole way of life with the mere force of his personality. And he did it without benefit of massmedia and spin doctors. So, while I like vegetables, I refuse to sit here and let the Chimp and his minions berate us all into behaving just as they want us to. Here's the line I just heard from the movie, when McMurphy is being interviewed by the administrator in the hospital to which he has been sent:

"They tell me I'm crazy because I don't sit there like a goddamn vegetable. Don't make a bit of sense to me. If that's what being crazy is, then I'm senseless, out of it, gone down the road wackoo. But no more, no less."

Let's hope we're all McMurphy now, and just a wee bit crazy.

Stealing September 11

Isn't it a shame that we can't all just grieve for the loss of life (or even loss of innocence) on 9/11 without it turning into a political statement? That just flat out pisses me off.

As we look back five years, I remember what I was wearing that day. I remember the weather that beautiful, sunny day. And I very much remember when a younger colleague came into my office and told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Immediately, I thought about the small plane that hit the Empire State Building in the 1940s and figured this was one of those terrible, but minor, accidents. We all trooped to the TV in our office and were shocked beyond belief to see the black smoke coming out of one of the buildings. To the best of my memory I did not actually witness the second plane crash, but my recollection is that only one was burning when we first turned on the TV.

It didn't take long for a crowd to gather around the TV in our office, and it didn't take long to hear that at least one of the hijacked planes had come from the very same airport that was right outside our window. For what seemed like a long time (but actually turned out to be less than 45 minutes at max), we all wandered from the TV to our offices, making phone calls to loved ones, receiving emails and IMs from our colleagues from around the world. I distinctly remember a message from a friend in Belgium wishing us well and asking if it was as bad as he was hearing on the news in Brussels. ("It's worse," I remember telling him.) I also remember calling my husband to let him know we were leaving the office and I'd be home "when I get there." In my imagination, I expected some kind of nightmare scenario in which I'd have to fight my way down the Mass. Pike.

As it turned out, the traffic wasn't bad, but it was a heartbreaking ride in which I heard about the collapse of the World Trade Center, and the many rumors that were flying about...like car bombs at the State Department, evacuations of the major political buildings in Washington, DC, and the actual plane crash at the Pentagon.

Eventually, of course, we all made it home from wherever we were that day, and none of us will never forget any of these details. It's a cliche of the highest order to liken the events of September 11 to remembering where we were when Kennedy was shot (I was taking a spelling test in 4th grade) and where our parents were when Pearl Harbor was hit. But another memory I have is of the unity we all felt, the real sense of "all being in it together."

Last night, we re-watched a 9/11 film done by a couple of French brothers who were embedded with a New York City firehouse. They were filming the fire fighters for a documentary, and ended up being swept up in the events of the day...including being at the World Trade Center when it collapsed. This show brought back the horror of the day, which I (for one) had begun to be too sanguine about. With the repetition of "9/11," "9/11," "9/11," by politicians of every stripe...with color-coded terror alerts...with taking off our shoes before going through security at the airports, we've all sort of assimiliated September 11, 2001 into some sort of acceptability. But watching the film last night and hearing the bodies drop onto the pavement brought the old feeling back...the one that had me weeping while I drove to work in the days after September 11th.

It also reminded me of the reasons why I bought a small flag on the streets of New York when we visited in October 2001, and why I was waving it madly when firefighters paraded past us on Fifth Avenue during New York's Columbus Day parade. Those of you who know me know I'm not the flag-waving type.

And it's why I'm pissed today.

9/11 Widow Responds to Ann Coulter

I've always admired Kristen Breitweiser. She's smart, capable and probably never expected in her wildest dreams to be a victime of the venom of Ann Coulter. I won't dignify that witch with repeating her comments, but I thought it would be good to feature Ms. Breitweiser's response here.

Have You Contacted ABC Yet?

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Both Bobbers and I have sent our emails to both ABC and Disney asking them NOT to air the dispicable "docudrama" about September 11, 2001, called "The Path to 9/11." In case you've been living under a rock, you know that this mini-series blames (among other people) Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Sandy Berger for 9/11.

Here's a link to a bunch of action items if you're interested in your children learning the truth about American history, and not some made-up version courtesy of the right wing.

Too Much "Big Brother"

Having a digital video recorder (aka "TiVo") system mostly allows us to keep up with "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report," the Letterman show and Oprah! But, this summer, it also has allowed me to record my guiltiest of guilty pleasures: "Big Brother." I typically do not watch reality shows, but there is something about this show that interests me. Perhaps its because it is quite similar to office politics...when people get "evicted" from the house it's sort of the equivalent of a downsizing on the job. And I guess I also enjoy watching people lie to each other and just get away with it!

But anyway...I've been watching the show this summer and it's great to have it recorded because I can zip through all the crappy parts (the gratuitous bikinis and show-mance stuff). I get to stop when the houseguests are at their conniving and back-stabbing best. Why do I enjoy this? God only knows. But I do.

Last night, however, I realized I must be watching too much because I had a dream I was in a "reality show" situation with people being evicted...by gunshot! When I complained to the HoH about someone else being killed, he turned the gun on me, which caused me to wake right up with a pounding heart! So I guess it's a good thing the show is only on one more night, eh?

(I was sorry to see Dr. Will and Janelle recently evicted...they played the game the best. I had predicted that Mike would win a few weeks ago, so I guess I'll keep with that choice, especially over the skanky Erika.)

Weekend Wrap-Up

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Had a remarkably dry weekend in the Berkshires, considering we were supposed to be feeling the remnants of Hurrican Ernesto. Yes, it was chilly. Yes, it was overcast. Yes, it was windy. But we never once had to open our umbrellas, so we figured we did pretty well.

Even though the Berkshires are certainly located in the state of Massachusetts, they are a world away from greater Boston. While people in eastern Massachusetts summer at Cape Cod or Maine, western Massachusetts is rife with New Yorkers. And with those New Yorkers comes the dreaded MFY fan. Saw any number of NY hats and shirts and you'll be proud to know I didn't hurt any of them, and none of them harassed me with my own Red Sox cap on. Peace reigned in the valley.

On the other hand, I did hear a LOT of anti-Bush rhetoric. Walking through a number of shops I overheard people complaining about the state of things in the US of A. One memorable conversation had a shop owner saying to a patron: We need a miracle! (Personally I think we'll get it in November, but that's a topic for another post.)

On Saturday, we attended one of Massachusetts' finest arts resources, Tanglewood. This large complex out in the rolling, green Berkshire hills is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra plays concerts of all sorts throughout the summer, sometimes mixed with the Boston Pops Orchestra and other classical artists. Neither Bob or I are classical music fans, so we reserve our visit for Labor Day Weekend when Tanglewood features the three-day Jazz Festival.

The Saturday afternoon concert featured Marian McPartland, a grande dame of jazz piano, who I believe is in her 80s. She's still a feisty old gal, with plenty of fire and still plays a smooth jazz piano. She was having a live version of her NPR show "Piano Jazz" featuring as her special guest Elvis Costello - one of our favorite artists. For two 45-minute sets the two of them held court, playing lesser known jazz standards. At the end, Elvis's wife, Diana Krall (who at 41 is very pregnant), joined in and sang two songs with Marion. Biggest cheer of the day? When the sun poked through the clouds for about 30 seconds during intermission.

After a quick burger and pasta break between concerts, we returned to Tanglewood for the evening event, with a distinctive New Orleans flavor. First up? Wynton Marsalis's 5-piece band. They were a cool bunch, playing about an hour's worth of great traditional jazz. Loved seeing them, but the second half of the show was really why we paid the money for the seats we had. It featured Dr. John, Irma Thomas, John Pizzarelli, and many others.

Just as these great artists were really starting to cook, we noticed a very peculiar thing...people were leaving. It is an "outdoor" venue...a pie shaped "shed" with the stage at the pointed end and open air on most of the rest of the structure. But after each song, people were getting up to leave...more and more at each break. It was the oddest thing. And I have to say that the applause was quite tepid - not anything like I expected. We went to the concert looking forward to a solid and heartwarming New England welcome to some of the displaced artists of New Orleans.

We couldn't figure it out...was it because the typical BSO attendee is a rich, older white person? Was it because of what is sometimes known as the New England "cold" personality? I don't think so. I thinnk we had a bunch of people who attend these concerts religously regardless of who is on the bill. And clearly, people didn't understand Dr. John or have an appreciation of who Irma Thomas is and her place in the New Orleans jazz and blues constellation. We were embarassed for these people and certainly hoped the New Orleans contingent didn't hold it against us. I suspect neither the BSO or the artists will want to bring them together at Tanglewood again. However, WE will look forward to catching these artists at another less-upscale locale.

Here's my candid shot of Dr. John and Irma leaving the stage. They look reasonably happy, so I guess all's well that ends well.