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!