iPod-ilicious.
So I went ahead and spent the money on the new iPod photo. Happy half-Christmas-late-presidential-campaign-trail-gift-to-myself. This means that not only did I decide that I worked long on hard out there in Iowa (and sometimes Seattle) that I decided I wanted to do something good for myself. Plus, my folks gave me half of the money for it for Christmas. Happy holidays, indeed.
Except that despite my best efforts, I still think RAM is a football team. So I've already restarted my iPod at least five times since I bought it. Of course, in my state of wakefulness (notice that I post this at 7am, meaning that I have been awake this whole time), or in a state of totchiness on the Apple folks' part (I'm sure they are very nice and well-meaning people), I can't seem to understand the directions.
Why couldn't they have at least given me the same thing they gave me when I got my iBook? Color pictures. With big, easy to read and understand fonts.
Granted, the information booklet that came with the iPod is extremely concise. But it just is missing some parts.
For the Christ, I can understand IKEA directions very well, why can't I understand this?
I've decided that because they forgot to put some important parts that I would write it out for them - and for anyone who decides to buy an iPod - especially the iPod photo since it's the newest one and everyone is still figuring out how to use them.
Oh, and I'll write "it in my oowwwn words." Regards to Oda May. C'mon, you knew that line was from "Ghost".
1. When you take your iPod out of the box, it will turn on and the picture will be the Apple icon. Don't be scared. It's supposed to be like that. And don't think that you are stupid because the Apple icon stays on and you can't get to the nice menu that you saw in the store. It's supposed to stay there until the iPod is fully charged. So don't keep restarting it and wondering where all your good money went. And as an extra tip, don't bang your head against your desk and/or wall. It'll be fine. I promise. Unless there is a defect in the manufacturing, but I hear that it's so well controlled that chances are likely it's just fine.
2. When you download the software that they gave you, don't worry when the installer pops up and says "connect iPod to computer to update" and you do what they tell you and nothing happens. Apparently, if the iPod doesn't need the update (if it's brand new, it probably won't - but see note 1 about "defects" just in case) so it'll just ignore that you have plugged it in. Again, no need for physical harm to your person. It'll be fine.
3. When in doubt, reset the iPod. Especially if you can't figure out why that stupid Musical trivia game keeps getting stuck. I have no idea why it does that.
4. When it says "Do not disconnect" it means it. Don't.
5. Make sure you have all the updates and software required for the iPod. Don't be a fool like me and find out you need to spend an additional $50 because you don't happen to have the last three updates on a program that you didn't even know existed on your computer.
6. Expect to spend a few hours figuring this out. Hell, since I was so nice to tell you about it, I just saved you at least two. It has taken me almost 8 hours. Damn, I should have been getting paid.
Yeah. A little annoyed. Still giddy to have my iPod, but a little less so. So for those of you still pouting that you don't have one, just be assured that the iPod not only makes you pay for it, it makes you work for it when you first get it. Of course, it's sweet as hell, but I'm just trying to put a positive spin on it. You bet your ass I'm happy I bought it.
Now I just have to live in eternal vigilance over it. Argh.
But it's still pretty damn sweet.
12.30.2004
12.29.2004
I'll never watch TV the same way again.
I know it's been awhile, but those of you who know me know that I can't just take a vacation. No, instead, I turned a month and a few weeks into a home renovation project. Neat. But I'm trying to be good about it. So Young and I take breaks every now and then. Like when Jill and Fabs were here. Or this past week, spending Christmas back home in Syracuse.
I won't regale you with boring stories of a very relaxed and fairly boring Christmas with the folks. I only have two things to impart after a fabulous trip home, anyway.
First, is anyone else who is my age disturbed by the number of weddings or engagements of their fellow high school friends? Because everyone I know is either affianced or married. Well, not everyone. But enough to disturb me. Not that marriage or my friends being happy disturbs me, it's just that it's weird to think that my friends from yonder in my past are now married. Or even stranger was finding out my junior prom date, who has been happily married for a few years now, is a father. I still think of him running around the halls of the high school performing wrestling moves (we're talking WWF, not uni-tard with protective gear wrestling) on our friends. See? Weird.
Random injected thought: why do flu shots hurt like a bitch? Damn! And yes, I managed to get a flu shot. I know I'm not high-risk, but now that the government actually has enough, people aren't running to get it because everyone still thinks there is a shortage. Hah. Of course, my arm hurts like a bitch. Damn! (I blame Napoleon Dynamite for this random stream)
Second, I'll never watch TV the same again because of Ooter's sick tripped-out pad in the 'Cuse. Her dad was working on the new additions just this summer and this trip home, it was all done. See, they have a "movie room" in their house now - complete with heated floors, stadium-style seating (it's really just two rows, but still), comfy and huge leather couches, a nine foot hi-def projection screen - I mean, it's intense. And the night before leaving 'Cuse, Oot had a Monday night football party with assorted friends from FM and BHMC and I brought Steve and Sugene, who proceeded to stare, as I had, at the screen with mouths sort of hanging open in an "oh my god" kind of way. Intense.
Even my parent's 46 inch flat screen was a dissapointment after that. Imagine how I feel turning on the 13 inch in my room.
I'll just never look at TV the same. Damn!
I know it's been awhile, but those of you who know me know that I can't just take a vacation. No, instead, I turned a month and a few weeks into a home renovation project. Neat. But I'm trying to be good about it. So Young and I take breaks every now and then. Like when Jill and Fabs were here. Or this past week, spending Christmas back home in Syracuse.
I won't regale you with boring stories of a very relaxed and fairly boring Christmas with the folks. I only have two things to impart after a fabulous trip home, anyway.
First, is anyone else who is my age disturbed by the number of weddings or engagements of their fellow high school friends? Because everyone I know is either affianced or married. Well, not everyone. But enough to disturb me. Not that marriage or my friends being happy disturbs me, it's just that it's weird to think that my friends from yonder in my past are now married. Or even stranger was finding out my junior prom date, who has been happily married for a few years now, is a father. I still think of him running around the halls of the high school performing wrestling moves (we're talking WWF, not uni-tard with protective gear wrestling) on our friends. See? Weird.
Random injected thought: why do flu shots hurt like a bitch? Damn! And yes, I managed to get a flu shot. I know I'm not high-risk, but now that the government actually has enough, people aren't running to get it because everyone still thinks there is a shortage. Hah. Of course, my arm hurts like a bitch. Damn! (I blame Napoleon Dynamite for this random stream)
Second, I'll never watch TV the same again because of Ooter's sick tripped-out pad in the 'Cuse. Her dad was working on the new additions just this summer and this trip home, it was all done. See, they have a "movie room" in their house now - complete with heated floors, stadium-style seating (it's really just two rows, but still), comfy and huge leather couches, a nine foot hi-def projection screen - I mean, it's intense. And the night before leaving 'Cuse, Oot had a Monday night football party with assorted friends from FM and BHMC and I brought Steve and Sugene, who proceeded to stare, as I had, at the screen with mouths sort of hanging open in an "oh my god" kind of way. Intense.
Even my parent's 46 inch flat screen was a dissapointment after that. Imagine how I feel turning on the 13 inch in my room.
I'll just never look at TV the same. Damn!
12.17.2004
Damn, I miss the Big Apple.
So Young and I drove up yesterday to go to holiday parties with our former co-workers and do some errands and see some friends.
I've had a fabulous time so far and I will fully report on it, but there is something I quickly want to pass onto anyone who actually reads this.
As I walked from the 4/5 at City Hall towards my old office at Citizens Union, I saw this very white guy with his black friend crossing the street in front of me. Sure, it's New York. But what attracted me to the white guy was the fact that he was wearing jeans below his ass with a studded belt and his man panties (boxer briefs) were hanging out. He wore a v-neck tight sweater with a smallish jean jacket. He walked with a swagger that only Eminem-wannabes could have. He talked like Kenny, or "Special K" from Can't Hardly Wait.
And he had an iPod hanging perilously off of his left hip, balanced only by a small piece of metal, as he swaggered across the street.
Now, I have left my tendency to swipe a few things behind in the many gift shops along highways.
But I was tempted.
I passed the test. But here were a few thoughts running through my head:
1. If you're gonna go "gangsta" do it right. Don't look like a cross between Moby, Archie, and Elvis Costello wearing your studded belt big-ass jeans below your ass so the whole world can see your man panties. Wear the xxl shirt and cover that up, yo. Lose the tight v-neck sweater. And wear a puff jacket, for chrissakes.
2. Um, don't put your expensive iPod on the hip of your jeans where it will hang by your knees. You deserve to have me or some other thug monkey swipe that, dumbass.
and finally:
3. Why can't I have an iPod?
Ah. Christmas in a week. I can at least take care of that one...
So Young and I drove up yesterday to go to holiday parties with our former co-workers and do some errands and see some friends.
I've had a fabulous time so far and I will fully report on it, but there is something I quickly want to pass onto anyone who actually reads this.
As I walked from the 4/5 at City Hall towards my old office at Citizens Union, I saw this very white guy with his black friend crossing the street in front of me. Sure, it's New York. But what attracted me to the white guy was the fact that he was wearing jeans below his ass with a studded belt and his man panties (boxer briefs) were hanging out. He wore a v-neck tight sweater with a smallish jean jacket. He walked with a swagger that only Eminem-wannabes could have. He talked like Kenny, or "Special K" from Can't Hardly Wait.
And he had an iPod hanging perilously off of his left hip, balanced only by a small piece of metal, as he swaggered across the street.
Now, I have left my tendency to swipe a few things behind in the many gift shops along highways.
But I was tempted.
I passed the test. But here were a few thoughts running through my head:
1. If you're gonna go "gangsta" do it right. Don't look like a cross between Moby, Archie, and Elvis Costello wearing your studded belt big-ass jeans below your ass so the whole world can see your man panties. Wear the xxl shirt and cover that up, yo. Lose the tight v-neck sweater. And wear a puff jacket, for chrissakes.
2. Um, don't put your expensive iPod on the hip of your jeans where it will hang by your knees. You deserve to have me or some other thug monkey swipe that, dumbass.
and finally:
3. Why can't I have an iPod?
Ah. Christmas in a week. I can at least take care of that one...
12.15.2004
I'm sick.
Well, not sick sick because that would just be easier. Instead, I've got a weird allergy/sinus thing happening. And it's freaking annoying as hell!
But yesterday, So Young and I took my grandmother to DC and it was a day of memories for me. We drove down through Chestertown, past good 'ol Washington College. Then we drove over the bridge (and yes, I played the bridge song - know your roots) and through Annapolis (god, it's a gorgeous town). Then we hit 50E right into DC on New York Avenue and drove to my usual spots. This time, we avoided Georgetown and hit the Archives and the Museum of American History. So Young went to see the Hope Diamond (why do I think it's nothing to write home about?) while Mamang and I toured the First Lady gallery (much more my speed).
So then Mamang was tired so we headed home north through Baltimore this time (just making a big loop). We went into Bawlmer for dinner and went to the Paper Moon Diner, around the corner from my old apartment (the Joy Pad) where we feasted on my favorite dish they make (Turkey Powerhouse). Then it was back home to Delaware (god, I called it home) but first we stopped at the 24-hour Walmart to get draino for the kitchen sink. Yes, So Young and I have been there a lot in the past two weeks, but last night, I was reminded of how often Rossie and I would go at 2am to get out of Chestertown.
Ah. Memories. Now I need to go and blow my nose. I hate being sicky.
Well, not sick sick because that would just be easier. Instead, I've got a weird allergy/sinus thing happening. And it's freaking annoying as hell!
But yesterday, So Young and I took my grandmother to DC and it was a day of memories for me. We drove down through Chestertown, past good 'ol Washington College. Then we drove over the bridge (and yes, I played the bridge song - know your roots) and through Annapolis (god, it's a gorgeous town). Then we hit 50E right into DC on New York Avenue and drove to my usual spots. This time, we avoided Georgetown and hit the Archives and the Museum of American History. So Young went to see the Hope Diamond (why do I think it's nothing to write home about?) while Mamang and I toured the First Lady gallery (much more my speed).
So then Mamang was tired so we headed home north through Baltimore this time (just making a big loop). We went into Bawlmer for dinner and went to the Paper Moon Diner, around the corner from my old apartment (the Joy Pad) where we feasted on my favorite dish they make (Turkey Powerhouse). Then it was back home to Delaware (god, I called it home) but first we stopped at the 24-hour Walmart to get draino for the kitchen sink. Yes, So Young and I have been there a lot in the past two weeks, but last night, I was reminded of how often Rossie and I would go at 2am to get out of Chestertown.
Ah. Memories. Now I need to go and blow my nose. I hate being sicky.
12.05.2004
Look, Garth, I'm in Delaware...
So Young and I took quite some time getting out of NYC but that's because it was only the two of us moving things out of the apartment, onto the elevator, down the elevator, down a flight of stairs, and then into the truck. Then we had to drive to DE. We didn't get here until 5am or some ridiculous hour like that.
But we still went to the 24-hour Walmart.
Now I know that since I am officially employed by a union that I need to stop going to Wal-mart. But since I've come back to DE and we've been sleeping odd hours, the only place open has been Walmart. And since we're doing some renovations, it is much cheaper than Home Depot or Lowes.
Of course, after going to Walmart twice in one day, I remembered exactly why I hate it. And we all should.
For one, there was an employee who was waiting on the management to relieve her from her shift. She waited over an hour and was still waiting when we left. Not neat.
And at two different Walmarts in one day, we saw two different fights.
That's right.
Now you might be wondering, "is that because it's Walmart or because you're in Delaware?"
To be honest, I wasn't sure of the correct answer to that. But after having been here a week, I assure you that it's Wal-hole.
The first fight started some aisles down from us at around 2am. All of a sudden we heard screaming and yelling that sounded like this:
Dumbass 1( DA1): "What the hell is your problem?"
Dumbass 2 (DA2) "What's your problem?"
DA1: "I'm looking for a sign to put on my car because I'm selling it, do you have a fucking problem with that?"
DA2: "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
DA1: "Why you gotta be all up in my shit?"
DA2: "You trying to start something?"
DA1: "You're lucky I don't have my gatt here, I'd pop a cap in your ass right now!"
DA2: "BRING IT, BITCH! We can go outside and I'll get my fucking shotgun!"
More yelling ensues, your typical pissing match, one guy trying to prove he's got a bigger penis.
Finally, Walmart security (don't laugh) kicked them out. Soon, the whole place was talking about the fight. Turns out they were fighting because Dumbass 2 was staring at Dumbass 1 while Dumbass 1 was looking for "For Sale" signs. Hi, if you're severely unbalanced and will threaten to "pop a cap in someone's ass" because they were looking at you funny for a second, you shouldn't go out in public.
The second fight happened right in front of us. To be specific, in the parking space next to us. We happened to be returning to the car when we heard this woman in a minivan hanging out of the window yelling at the car that had just parked next to me.
Dumbass lady in white van (Stupid): Hello?!! I've been waiting here for five minutes. I know you saw me. What the hell is wrong with you?!! I was waiting.
Car full of family on their way to Walmart (Spacetakers): [walking away, but turning around to hear Stupid]
Stupid: "Yeah, that's right. I'm talking to you. Go ahead, have a good time in there. I'll still be here when you get back, you'll just have four slashed tires."
Spacetaker 1: [whipping around] "Bitch! What the fuck is your problem?"
Stupid: "My problem is that I've been waiting here for five minutes for that spot and you just up and take it!"
Spacetaker 2: "What the fuck is wrong with you? We parked there, bitch!"
Stupid: "And I'll fuck up your car!"
Spacetaker 3: "Bitch, I will slap you!"
Stupid: "I'll fucking bitchslap you!"
Spacetaker 1: "Get out of the car!"
Stupid gets out of the car, arms extended, head bobbing left to right.
Stupid: "Yeah, bitch, what you gonna do?"
Spacetaker 2: "I'm gonna fuck you up!"
Stupid: "Go ahead and try!"
Spacetaker 4: "Your name ain't on the parking space! Get the fuck back in your car and wait, bitch!"
This whole time, we're just putting shit in the car and trying to get out of there. Hey stupid lady in the white van, I'm leaving. You can take my spot.
'Tis the season to be merry, right? What the hell. It was just a parking space!
God. i'm in Delaware.
So Young and I took quite some time getting out of NYC but that's because it was only the two of us moving things out of the apartment, onto the elevator, down the elevator, down a flight of stairs, and then into the truck. Then we had to drive to DE. We didn't get here until 5am or some ridiculous hour like that.
But we still went to the 24-hour Walmart.
Now I know that since I am officially employed by a union that I need to stop going to Wal-mart. But since I've come back to DE and we've been sleeping odd hours, the only place open has been Walmart. And since we're doing some renovations, it is much cheaper than Home Depot or Lowes.
Of course, after going to Walmart twice in one day, I remembered exactly why I hate it. And we all should.
For one, there was an employee who was waiting on the management to relieve her from her shift. She waited over an hour and was still waiting when we left. Not neat.
And at two different Walmarts in one day, we saw two different fights.
That's right.
Now you might be wondering, "is that because it's Walmart or because you're in Delaware?"
To be honest, I wasn't sure of the correct answer to that. But after having been here a week, I assure you that it's Wal-hole.
The first fight started some aisles down from us at around 2am. All of a sudden we heard screaming and yelling that sounded like this:
Dumbass 1( DA1): "What the hell is your problem?"
Dumbass 2 (DA2) "What's your problem?"
DA1: "I'm looking for a sign to put on my car because I'm selling it, do you have a fucking problem with that?"
DA2: "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
DA1: "Why you gotta be all up in my shit?"
DA2: "You trying to start something?"
DA1: "You're lucky I don't have my gatt here, I'd pop a cap in your ass right now!"
DA2: "BRING IT, BITCH! We can go outside and I'll get my fucking shotgun!"
More yelling ensues, your typical pissing match, one guy trying to prove he's got a bigger penis.
Finally, Walmart security (don't laugh) kicked them out. Soon, the whole place was talking about the fight. Turns out they were fighting because Dumbass 2 was staring at Dumbass 1 while Dumbass 1 was looking for "For Sale" signs. Hi, if you're severely unbalanced and will threaten to "pop a cap in someone's ass" because they were looking at you funny for a second, you shouldn't go out in public.
The second fight happened right in front of us. To be specific, in the parking space next to us. We happened to be returning to the car when we heard this woman in a minivan hanging out of the window yelling at the car that had just parked next to me.
Dumbass lady in white van (Stupid): Hello?!! I've been waiting here for five minutes. I know you saw me. What the hell is wrong with you?!! I was waiting.
Car full of family on their way to Walmart (Spacetakers): [walking away, but turning around to hear Stupid]
Stupid: "Yeah, that's right. I'm talking to you. Go ahead, have a good time in there. I'll still be here when you get back, you'll just have four slashed tires."
Spacetaker 1: [whipping around] "Bitch! What the fuck is your problem?"
Stupid: "My problem is that I've been waiting here for five minutes for that spot and you just up and take it!"
Spacetaker 2: "What the fuck is wrong with you? We parked there, bitch!"
Stupid: "And I'll fuck up your car!"
Spacetaker 3: "Bitch, I will slap you!"
Stupid: "I'll fucking bitchslap you!"
Spacetaker 1: "Get out of the car!"
Stupid gets out of the car, arms extended, head bobbing left to right.
Stupid: "Yeah, bitch, what you gonna do?"
Spacetaker 2: "I'm gonna fuck you up!"
Stupid: "Go ahead and try!"
Spacetaker 4: "Your name ain't on the parking space! Get the fuck back in your car and wait, bitch!"
This whole time, we're just putting shit in the car and trying to get out of there. Hey stupid lady in the white van, I'm leaving. You can take my spot.
'Tis the season to be merry, right? What the hell. It was just a parking space!
God. i'm in Delaware.
11.29.2004
Okay. It's official.
Moving sucks.
I mean, I always knew that. But this one in particular is difficult because I can't seem to get my body to get to a normal schedule (i.e. I continue to sleep in against my will). Sure, you say. But it's true. The alarm goes off at 9 or 10am and I don't hear it. I sleep through it. And then I hear it and I try to get up after shutting it off and I fail miserably to get out of bed and pass out again until 1pm.
Everyone says I earned it.
But I'm gonna need something else to get me out of bed so that I have more time in the day.
As for moving and packing, well, it just sucks. I'm busy just sorting through shit all the time and remembering random things about them.
Plus, I'm sad as hell to be moving.
So tonight, So Young and I went for a drive around Manhattan, since it's our last night here for a little while. We drove by Rockefeller, we drove by St. Thomas Moore, the Met, got Tasty D-lite, and drove by the WTC Site.
Fabs and So Young and I also went to the Lincoln Center Tree Lighting where we ran into the same band I marched with at the year-afer Iraq protest. We then went to the Olive Tree Cafe. Nice evening.
Now I'm back, packing.
I should also mention that on 39th Street, we saw a bar where there were a group of hot guys at the bar watching...
...ice dancing.
They were all watching, too.
Only in New York.
Awww.
Moving sucks.
I mean, I always knew that. But this one in particular is difficult because I can't seem to get my body to get to a normal schedule (i.e. I continue to sleep in against my will). Sure, you say. But it's true. The alarm goes off at 9 or 10am and I don't hear it. I sleep through it. And then I hear it and I try to get up after shutting it off and I fail miserably to get out of bed and pass out again until 1pm.
Everyone says I earned it.
But I'm gonna need something else to get me out of bed so that I have more time in the day.
As for moving and packing, well, it just sucks. I'm busy just sorting through shit all the time and remembering random things about them.
Plus, I'm sad as hell to be moving.
So tonight, So Young and I went for a drive around Manhattan, since it's our last night here for a little while. We drove by Rockefeller, we drove by St. Thomas Moore, the Met, got Tasty D-lite, and drove by the WTC Site.
Fabs and So Young and I also went to the Lincoln Center Tree Lighting where we ran into the same band I marched with at the year-afer Iraq protest. We then went to the Olive Tree Cafe. Nice evening.
Now I'm back, packing.
I should also mention that on 39th Street, we saw a bar where there were a group of hot guys at the bar watching...
...ice dancing.
They were all watching, too.
Only in New York.
Awww.
11.27.2004
Happy post-Turkey day, everybodee!
So I tried to blog last night, but there was something wrong with the server. Damnhellass.
We had a fabulous turkey day, complete with fabulous turkey. So much food for four people, but we sho' did enjoy.
So I'm sitting here, attempting to pack up my room, but immobilized in front of the TV. When I woke up this afternoon (yes, this afternoon, So Young and me were running interference friend intervention last night - don't ask, but we got home around 4am), I turned on the tube in an attempt to focus my eyes, and saw college football was on. I thought to myself, "Yeah, I never get to see the Syracuse games."
Guess what? Orange playing BC.
And kicking some serious ass in the last game of the Big East. Of course, as I write that, the Eagles intercepted a punt to Syracuse and scored. Motherof! I don't usually have poison tongue, turns out that BC has good special teams, but whatever. Either way, I'm blogging while I watch my home team plizay.
It's so strange, coming from a college town. You catch your hometeam playing seven years after leaving home and you still feel like you are back home and it reminds you of watching games with your family and friends in the fall. Good memories. Awww.
But I did learn that not only is my grandmother a cutie-patootie muffin, but my grandmother is also a rank-and-file member of AFSCME, which is for whom I work. Pretty neat!
Oy. Apologies if this isn't very titillating right now, I'm distracted by football and I've got to start packing again. Oy. Moving ain't fun. Especially this move since I feel like I had just taken my stuff out of boxes before I left for Seattle. Gah. But everything happens for a reason, ain't so happy to leave NYC, but sometimes you've just got to. There's a whole world out there, I gotta keep reminding myself. Even if it means going to live in what Fabs fondly calls "the toilet god forgot to flush."
In the meantime, I'll hang in the armpit of the East Coast at our home in Delaware and play "While You Were Out" with So Young. Argh. Packing to do!
So I tried to blog last night, but there was something wrong with the server. Damnhellass.
We had a fabulous turkey day, complete with fabulous turkey. So much food for four people, but we sho' did enjoy.
So I'm sitting here, attempting to pack up my room, but immobilized in front of the TV. When I woke up this afternoon (yes, this afternoon, So Young and me were running interference friend intervention last night - don't ask, but we got home around 4am), I turned on the tube in an attempt to focus my eyes, and saw college football was on. I thought to myself, "Yeah, I never get to see the Syracuse games."
Guess what? Orange playing BC.
And kicking some serious ass in the last game of the Big East. Of course, as I write that, the Eagles intercepted a punt to Syracuse and scored. Motherof! I don't usually have poison tongue, turns out that BC has good special teams, but whatever. Either way, I'm blogging while I watch my home team plizay.
It's so strange, coming from a college town. You catch your hometeam playing seven years after leaving home and you still feel like you are back home and it reminds you of watching games with your family and friends in the fall. Good memories. Awww.
But I did learn that not only is my grandmother a cutie-patootie muffin, but my grandmother is also a rank-and-file member of AFSCME, which is for whom I work. Pretty neat!
Oy. Apologies if this isn't very titillating right now, I'm distracted by football and I've got to start packing again. Oy. Moving ain't fun. Especially this move since I feel like I had just taken my stuff out of boxes before I left for Seattle. Gah. But everything happens for a reason, ain't so happy to leave NYC, but sometimes you've just got to. There's a whole world out there, I gotta keep reminding myself. Even if it means going to live in what Fabs fondly calls "the toilet god forgot to flush."
In the meantime, I'll hang in the armpit of the East Coast at our home in Delaware and play "While You Were Out" with So Young. Argh. Packing to do!
11.24.2004
Ahhh, good to be home.
Welcome to the new and improved Monkeehaus!
The Monkeehaus is back and better than ever and all of your favorite links are here. I am, of course, assuming that someone reads this thing. I have found that since my experiences on "The Trail" that I have quite a following of people who actually want to read my thoughts. Well, that's good to know. So I have included links back to "Tales from the Trail" as well as pictures from the trail in the sidebar on the right. I am also now keeping track of folks who are visiting and will include a guestbook soon. Of course, my next project is to update the website which is so old now. But small steps, folks.
So here's a pseudo update on me and I will be back to posting in no time!
Some thoughts I've had recently:
1. Apparently, Megan was having a to-do because some woman has a knitting blog named "monkeyknits" and Megan thought I should sue. I would sue the girl for using the monkey as a prefix, however, upon further inspection, it seems that I have no grounds. I am, afterall, MonkEE and she can still retain MonkEY. So we’re all good in that hood.
2. Coro events are still a lot of fun and good networking opportunities. Apparently, I made some sort of splash at last year’s Selection Day (the day the finalists for Coro are chosen) that many of the current Fellows remember me and want to talk to me. Yipes. This is a good thing, right?
3. What is with the new skinny scarves being in? What does that cover? A mole above your throat?
4. I am in the process of moving out of my apartment - it's a loooong story - and I haven’t been packing to move out of my apartment not because of sheer procrastination, but because Noel’s two-year old nephew is in town and the child in me has come out. On one hand, I see myself procrastinating the inevitable. On the other hand, I’ve made a two-year old friend. Nesting syndrome. Nesting syndrome. Warning. Warning. No need to panic. I have a hard enough time choosing what jacket to wear, let alone find a man that I wish to marry and have cute babies with. One thing at a time.
5. Won’t be going home for Thanksgiving because I have to pack. But Fab makes a fabulous (her-bulous) turkey. I’ll be picking up my grandmother in Brooklyn on Wednesday and from Wednesday to Friday, it’s hang out time in East Harlem with my best friend, my adorable Korean roommate, and my adorable muffin of a grandmother. Can you say Blockbuster Video?
6. If you have food left in your fridge from before Seattle or Iowa, throw it out and don’t cook it. I learned the hard way. Your stomach – and colon - will thank you. Don’t ever say that I didn’t give you good advice.
7. Having a best friend as a manager of a restaurant in the West Village is adventageous. Freebie drinks and dessert. Been twice already. Which is good, ‘cause I had to throw away a lot of food (see number 6).
8. Ani DiFranco is AWESOME solo. Fee-fi-fo-fucking douche bag behind me wasn’t. Look, if your girlfriend drags you to an Ani DiFranco concert, your penis will not get ripped off. So stop being an asshole and ruining my sixth row aisle listening experience by talking through the concert, booing when she says that we should be proud of the work we did during the Presidential election, and groping your girlfriend during a song about coveting another man’s wife shamelessly. Assjack. I knew I should have turned around and punched him in the neck.
9. I have successfully taught my roommates, Korea and Pina Colada (psudonyms to protect the innocent) how to knit. In return, I will be learning how to crochet. Hmmm. Perhaps this is what we will do when my cutie patootie grandmother is over here for two days.
10. Walking tacos are still disgusting. If you don't know what this is, check out the "Tales from the Trail". Okay, to save you some time, imagine a taco in a Doritos bag without the taco shell and you have a walking taco.
11. However, Frito pies are good. Went to the Cowgirl saloon the other day and in honor of Iowa, ordered up a frito pie, which is essentially a walking taco. But since I was in NYC, it felt different. Quite good.
12. Sims 2 is awesome. I highly recommend it. Of course, it is contributing to my lack of packing up my apartment, but what the hell, that game rocks. Oh yes, that game will be mine.
13. My Lance Armstrong bracelets haven’t arrived yet and I’m moving out of the city in a week. Of course, I also made a mistake and had them shipped to the old apartment down the hall. Smooth move, ex lax.
And finally, what I will be doing very shortly
14. Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? Because they couldn’t fit oil and petrochemical refinery on the license plate (name the movie. Seriously. Name it). I find that since I have had a dalliance with AFSCME, I find myself saying things I never would have said otherwise. So here’s one to add to the books along with “I’m going to Iowa. On purpose.” - Move over Big Apple, Jersey, here I come.
That's right, I'm leaving the bright lights, big city for the state that is in it's shadow. So the Jersey jokes officially stop from my end because I'll be working with AFSCME to ensure that the state stays in Democratic hands. Remember what I said in Tales from the Trail? That's right, the fight begins anew. One state at a time if we have to - we will regroup and take back our country.
So in the meantime, I will be spending a month at the house in Delaware playing "While You Were Out" and cleaning and repainting and doing all of that fun stuff. I will miss NYC terribly, but there is work to do out there in that big world and I will be able to return to my beloved city in a much better place financially and mentally. So here's to my city that I sadly leave in a week. Time to pack. Or sleep. Whichever comes first.
9.09.2004
The Monkeehaus is officially on hiatus!
That's right! While I'm in Seattle, check out my other blog, "Tales from the Trail" which can keep you updated on my EVERYDAY activities on the campaign trail! I know I've not been great about keeping up to date, but I'm determined as hell to log this crazy journey I'm calling Campaign 2004.
So check it out at http://monkeeinseattle.blogspot.com.
I will return to this page when it's all over. Enjoy!
That's right! While I'm in Seattle, check out my other blog, "Tales from the Trail" which can keep you updated on my EVERYDAY activities on the campaign trail! I know I've not been great about keeping up to date, but I'm determined as hell to log this crazy journey I'm calling Campaign 2004.
So check it out at http://monkeeinseattle.blogspot.com.
I will return to this page when it's all over. Enjoy!
8.27.2004
So I went to Michael's blog and saw he had taken a relationship quiz. I know I'm single, but what the hell - I've gota ridiculous amount of things on my plate and if I want to take a minute to take a quiz, I figure, why the heck not?
I got an interesting mix for an answer. So I took it again. I got a better answer, but I think I'm sort of between the two.
Here's the one I'm more like:
Expressive Practical Intellectual Giver. This makes you a Catch.
I got an interesting mix for an answer. So I took it again. I got a better answer, but I think I'm sort of between the two.
Here's the one I'm more like:
Expressive Practical Intellectual Giver. This makes you a Catch.
- You are a magazine-cover, matinee idol dreamboat.
- Parents love you and want to set you up with their kids.
- However, first dates are tough because it takes time for your qualities to come out.
- You are generous and kind.
- You think first and act later.
- You are cool in a conflict, but your practical side means if your partner throws out emotional appeals ("why can't we do what I want for a change?") they will grate on your nerves, even when the conflict is resolved.
- You're a romantic.
- You enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and you don't just fall into bed with anyone.
- You pay close attention to your significant other's needs, and this makes you an excellent lover and partner.
- The problem is that your friends and lovers may find it so easy to express things to *you* that they lose sight of whether you feel as comfortable with *them*! This doesn't necessarily make you feel under-appreciated -- you're too well-adjusted and self-aware for that -- but you may feel restless. Thus you seek adventure in your life outside the relationship to prove and actualize yourself.
- Of all the types, you would make the best parent.
- You are coiffed. Didja see "Big Fish"? 'Cause you're like Ewan MacGregor in "Big Fish."
- Of the 14743 people who have taken this quiz, 8.2 % are this type.
Interesting.
On the other hand, I took a "Which West Wing Character are you Most Like?" Quiz and came up with Jed Bartlett as my number one. Leave it to a dork like me to be wicked excited about that:
Your Top Three Matches Are:
1. Jed Bartlet. You ahve the capacity for brilliance, and you know it, too. Your faith in yourself can lead you far, but it also makes you stubborn as hell. Honor is everything to you, and compromise never sits easily.
2. Sam Seaborn. Self-effacing and sensitive to others' needs, you tend to internalize your own frustrations. You have incredible faith in the goodness of people, and colliding with harsh reality can be painful.
3. Leo McGarry. Rational and realistic, you keep tightly self-controlled. you have a sort fuse, but you balance it with a dry sense of fun. Unforgiving of your own weaknesses, you're loyal to a fault to others.
Yessiree, I'm procrastinating pretty hard core today. Otay. Back to work.
8.24.2004
Okay. So I've been busy. And I have something to announce to everyone who reads this.
By the way, do many of you read this?
...
I guess I'll never really know.
So anyway, here's my big news:
I'm leaving New York City. Well, temporarily. So I think.
Lemme clarify.
I've accepted a job offer with AFSCME to assit in coordinating the western region of Washington State for the Presidential, Congressional, Gubernatorial, and State races. I'm leaving for Seattle in less than two weeks. AAAGGH!
So I've been awfully busy cleaning up all the stuff that needs to be taken care of here. We just moved apartments, I just got a new car - and I'm going to the left Coast. Sweet.
Technically, I should return to NYC after the election is over. What shall I do then, you ask? Just see where life takes me, whether it be grad school or another jobbie or going home for a little while - I'm excited about all of the prospects. I'm not ready to leave NYC yet, but it's the impetus for bigger and better things - and a little risk never hurt anyone before.
So I plan on being much much better at this blogging thing. Either that, or I'll be updating my website with pictures and adventures from the campaign trail. Seriously, I've never been to Seattle before and I'm ridiculously excited to get a chance to live there for just a little while. I've always thought I'd enjoy that town. So I'm about to find out.
Yes, I will be busy, but I'll have many adventures to share! So keep checking back here. If I get a spare moment between packing and all the other crap I have to do before I leave, I'll try to post one more time. But seriously, I plan on sharing much with anyone who will listen, so look out!
In the meantime, here is a great article I came across in the Washington Post the other day. Enjoy!
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Washington Post
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, August 24, 2004; Page A15
The 2004 presidential campaign sometimes resembles the children's game of "telephone." Here are some quotations as they came out of Democratic nominee John F. Kerry's mouth -- and how President Bush and Vice President Cheney later recounted them.
"Every performer tonight in their own way, either verbally or through their music, through their lyrics, have conveyed to you the heart and soul of our country." -- Kerry, July 8
"The other day, my opponent said he thought you could find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"My goal, my diplomacy, my statesmanship is to get our troops reduced in number and I believe if you do the statesmanship properly, I believe if you do the kind of alliance building that is available to us, that it's appropriate to have a goal of reducing the troops over that period of time [the first six months of a Kerry administration]. Obviously, we'd have to see how events unfold. . . . It is an appropriate goal to have and I'm going to try to achieve it." -- Kerry, Aug. 9
"I took exception when my opponent said if he's elected, we'll substantially reduce the troops in six months. He shouldn't have said that. See, it sends a mixed signal to the enemy for starters. So the enemy hangs around for six months and one day. . . . It says, maybe America isn't going to keep its word." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"I will fight this war on terror with the lessons I learned in war. I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president of the United States. I believe I can fight a more effective, more thoughtful, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror that reaches out to other nations and brings them to our side and lives up to American values in history. I lay out a strategy to strengthen our military, to build and lead strong alliances and reform our intelligence system. I set out a path to win the peace in Iraq and to get the terrorists wherever they may be before they get us." -- Kerry, Aug. 5
"Senator Kerry has also said that if he were in charge he would fight a 'more sensitive' war on terror. America has been in too many wars for any of our wishes, but not a one of them was won by being sensitive. . . . Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed." -- Cheney, Aug. 12
"Lee Hamilton, the co-chairman of the 9/11 commission, has said this administration is not moving with the urgency necessary to respond to our needs. I believe this administration and its policies is actually encouraging the recruitment of terrorists. We haven't done the work necessary to reach out to other countries. We haven't done the work necessary with the Muslim world. We haven't done the work necessary to protect our own ports, our chemical facilities, our nuclear facilities. There is a long, long list in the 9/11 recommendations that are undone."
-- Kerry, Aug. 2
"My opponent says . . . that going to war with the terrorists is actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic -- I know the logic is upside down. It shows a misunderstanding of the nature of these people. See, during the 1990s, these killers and terrorists were recruiting and training for war with us, long before we went to war with them. They don't need an excuse for their hatred. It's wrong to blame America for anger and the evil of these killers. We don't create terrorists by fighting back. You defeat the terrorists by fighting back." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"Yes, I would have voted for the authority [to use force in Iraq]. I believe it is the right authority for a president to have. But I would have used that authority, as I have said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has. My question to President Bush is: Why did he rush to war without a plan to win the peace? Why did he rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do the hard work necessary to give America the truth?" -- Kerry, Aug. 9
"He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my motives, and even my credibility, the Massachusetts senator now agrees with me that even though we have not found the stockpiles of weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power." -- Bush, Aug. 18
Now for an update on the White House's ongoing effort to kill the press corps. The White House travel office signed a contract last week with an airline called Primaris to fly the press corps to Bush events. The two-month-old company has only one airplane. True, media representatives gave their blessing to the deal. But that was before they learned that the company's president twice had his pilot's license revoked related to his flying of an "unairworthy" aircraft, that the chief executive flopped in his last attempt to start an airline and that the 15-year-old plane itself was damaged in a hailstorm a decade ago and spent most of the past two years mothballed in France.
By the way, do many of you read this?
...
I guess I'll never really know.
So anyway, here's my big news:
I'm leaving New York City. Well, temporarily. So I think.
Lemme clarify.
I've accepted a job offer with AFSCME to assit in coordinating the western region of Washington State for the Presidential, Congressional, Gubernatorial, and State races. I'm leaving for Seattle in less than two weeks. AAAGGH!
So I've been awfully busy cleaning up all the stuff that needs to be taken care of here. We just moved apartments, I just got a new car - and I'm going to the left Coast. Sweet.
Technically, I should return to NYC after the election is over. What shall I do then, you ask? Just see where life takes me, whether it be grad school or another jobbie or going home for a little while - I'm excited about all of the prospects. I'm not ready to leave NYC yet, but it's the impetus for bigger and better things - and a little risk never hurt anyone before.
So I plan on being much much better at this blogging thing. Either that, or I'll be updating my website with pictures and adventures from the campaign trail. Seriously, I've never been to Seattle before and I'm ridiculously excited to get a chance to live there for just a little while. I've always thought I'd enjoy that town. So I'm about to find out.
Yes, I will be busy, but I'll have many adventures to share! So keep checking back here. If I get a spare moment between packing and all the other crap I have to do before I leave, I'll try to post one more time. But seriously, I plan on sharing much with anyone who will listen, so look out!
In the meantime, here is a great article I came across in the Washington Post the other day. Enjoy!
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Washington Post
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, August 24, 2004; Page A15
The 2004 presidential campaign sometimes resembles the children's game of "telephone." Here are some quotations as they came out of Democratic nominee John F. Kerry's mouth -- and how President Bush and Vice President Cheney later recounted them.
"Every performer tonight in their own way, either verbally or through their music, through their lyrics, have conveyed to you the heart and soul of our country." -- Kerry, July 8
"The other day, my opponent said he thought you could find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"My goal, my diplomacy, my statesmanship is to get our troops reduced in number and I believe if you do the statesmanship properly, I believe if you do the kind of alliance building that is available to us, that it's appropriate to have a goal of reducing the troops over that period of time [the first six months of a Kerry administration]. Obviously, we'd have to see how events unfold. . . . It is an appropriate goal to have and I'm going to try to achieve it." -- Kerry, Aug. 9
"I took exception when my opponent said if he's elected, we'll substantially reduce the troops in six months. He shouldn't have said that. See, it sends a mixed signal to the enemy for starters. So the enemy hangs around for six months and one day. . . . It says, maybe America isn't going to keep its word." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"I will fight this war on terror with the lessons I learned in war. I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president of the United States. I believe I can fight a more effective, more thoughtful, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror that reaches out to other nations and brings them to our side and lives up to American values in history. I lay out a strategy to strengthen our military, to build and lead strong alliances and reform our intelligence system. I set out a path to win the peace in Iraq and to get the terrorists wherever they may be before they get us." -- Kerry, Aug. 5
"Senator Kerry has also said that if he were in charge he would fight a 'more sensitive' war on terror. America has been in too many wars for any of our wishes, but not a one of them was won by being sensitive. . . . Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed." -- Cheney, Aug. 12
"Lee Hamilton, the co-chairman of the 9/11 commission, has said this administration is not moving with the urgency necessary to respond to our needs. I believe this administration and its policies is actually encouraging the recruitment of terrorists. We haven't done the work necessary to reach out to other countries. We haven't done the work necessary with the Muslim world. We haven't done the work necessary to protect our own ports, our chemical facilities, our nuclear facilities. There is a long, long list in the 9/11 recommendations that are undone."
-- Kerry, Aug. 2
"My opponent says . . . that going to war with the terrorists is actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic -- I know the logic is upside down. It shows a misunderstanding of the nature of these people. See, during the 1990s, these killers and terrorists were recruiting and training for war with us, long before we went to war with them. They don't need an excuse for their hatred. It's wrong to blame America for anger and the evil of these killers. We don't create terrorists by fighting back. You defeat the terrorists by fighting back." -- Bush, Aug. 18
"Yes, I would have voted for the authority [to use force in Iraq]. I believe it is the right authority for a president to have. But I would have used that authority, as I have said throughout this campaign, effectively. I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has. My question to President Bush is: Why did he rush to war without a plan to win the peace? Why did he rush to war on faulty intelligence and not do the hard work necessary to give America the truth?" -- Kerry, Aug. 9
"He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my motives, and even my credibility, the Massachusetts senator now agrees with me that even though we have not found the stockpiles of weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power." -- Bush, Aug. 18
Now for an update on the White House's ongoing effort to kill the press corps. The White House travel office signed a contract last week with an airline called Primaris to fly the press corps to Bush events. The two-month-old company has only one airplane. True, media representatives gave their blessing to the deal. But that was before they learned that the company's president twice had his pilot's license revoked related to his flying of an "unairworthy" aircraft, that the chief executive flopped in his last attempt to start an airline and that the 15-year-old plane itself was damaged in a hailstorm a decade ago and spent most of the past two years mothballed in France.
7.27.2004
Forgive me, all, I've been in jury duty.
You know, last week, I tried to update this blog. I hit some random button and all was lost. So I said, "Screw it." But here I am again.
This week is detox week for me and my roommates. "Eh?"
Yes, we have decided to cleanse our bodies and purify our minds. It's a lot of cabbage soup, fruits, veggies, water, smoothies - and some protein every now and then. Christ, we don't wanna go crazy. Besides, if we are going to detox properly, then it would be water and fruit. Yikes. But we are doing Bikram yoga. It kicked my ass last night, but I have to admit that I feel great. So while I am really not looking forward to going back to that ridiculously hot room, I know it'll be a little be easier and that I know I'll feel really great afterwards. I just hope it gets a little easier. Who knows?
Can't deny the fact that I'd rather be in Boston right now, but at least I can catch it on prime time when I get a chance.
But I'd rather let you enjoy this fabulous speech because I think this man says it all for me. God, I miss having a president who could construct a sentence without needing both hands and a flashlight... or Dick Cheney or Karl Rove. But regardless of how you feel about Bill Clinton, you gotta admit that things were really much better between '92 and '00. We all felt that. Safer. More prosperous. Peaceful. After 9/11, I'm not sure how much of that we can regain, but I'd much rather have our country in the hands of someone who can actually do something good for our country instead of driving it into a hole. And yes, I will tangle with anyone over those words. Go ahead. Bring it on. I'm happy to shatter each and every misconception you hold about the current president that makes you think he's the (ugh) greatest president (I have heard some people call him that. I'm shaking as I say that right now).
In the meantime, enjoy a real speech from the last elected president, Willian Jefferson Clinton:
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton addressed the Democratic National Convention Monday night. This is a transcript of his speech:
Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be here with you.
I am honored to share this podium with my senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And I want to thank the people of New York for giving the best public servant in my family a chance to continue serving the public. Thank you.
I am also -- I'm going to say that again, in case you didn't hear it.
I'm honored to be here tonight. And I want to thank the people of New York for giving Hillary the chance to continue to serve in public life.
I am very proud of her. And we are both very grateful to all of you, especially my good friends from Arkansas, for giving me the chance to serve in the White House for eight years.
I am honored to share this night with President Carter, for whom I worked in 1976 and who has inspired the world with his work for peace, democracy and human rights.
I am honored to share it with Al Gore, my friend and my partner for eight years, who played such a large role in building the prosperity and peace that we left America in 2000.
And Al Gore, as he showed again tonight, demonstrated incredible patriotism and grace under pressure. He is the living embodiment of the principle that every vote counts.
And this year, we're going to make sure they're all counted in every state in America.
My friends, after three conventions as a candidate or a president, tonight I come to you as a citizen, returning to the role that I have played for most of my life, as a foot soldier in our fight for the future, as we nominate in Boston a true New England patriot for president.
Now this state, who gave us in other times of challenge John Adams and John Kennedy, has given us John Kerry, a good man, a great senator, a visionary leader. And we are all here to do what we can to make him the next president of the United States.
My friends, we are constantly being told that America is deeply divided. But all Americans value freedom and faith and family. We all honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
We all want good jobs, good schools, health care, safe streets, a clean environment.
We all want our children to grow up in a secure America leading the world toward a peaceful and prosperous future.
Our differences are in how we can best achieve these things in a time of unprecedented change.
Therefore, we Democrats will bring to the American people this year a positive campaign, arguing not who is a good or a bad person, but what is the best way to build a safe and prosperous world our children deserve.
The 21st century is marked by serious security threats, serious economic challenges and serious problems, from AIDS to global warming to the continuing turmoil in the Middle East.
But it is also full of amazing opportunities to create millions of new jobs and clean energy and biotechnology, to restore our manufacturing base and reap the benefits of the global economy, through our diversity and our commitment to decent labor and environmental standards for people all across the world and to create a world where we can celebrate our religious, our racial, our ethnic, our tribal differences because our common humanity matters most of all.
To build that kind of world, we must make the right choices. And we must have a president who will lead the way. Democrats and Republicans have very different and deeply felt ideas about what choices we should make. They're rooted in fundamentally different views of how we should meet our common challenges at home, and how we should play our role in the world.
We Democrats want to build a world and an America of shared responsibilities and shared benefits. We want a world with more global cooperation where we act alone only when we absolutely have to.
We think the role of government should be to give people the tools to create the conditions to make the most of their own lives. And we think everybody should have that chance.
On the other hand, the Republicans in Washington believe that American should be run by the right people -- their people -- in a world in which America acts unilaterally when we can and cooperates when we have to.
They believe the role of government is to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of those who embrace their economic, political and social views, leaving ordinary citizens to fend for themselves on important matters like health care and retirement security.
Now, since most Americans aren't that far to the right, our friends have to portray us Democrats as simply unacceptable, lacking in strength and values. In other words, they need a divided America.
But we don't.
Americans long to be united. After 9/11, we all just wanted to be one nation. Not a single American on September the 12, 2001, cared who won the next presidential election. All we wanted to do was to be one country, strong in the fight against terror, helping to heal those who were wounded and the families of those who lost their loved ones, reaching out to the rest of the world so we could meet these new challenges and go on with our democratic way of life.
The president had an amazing opportunity to bring the country together under his slogan of compassionate conservatism and to unite the world in the struggle against terror.
Instead, he and his congressional allies made a very different choice. They chose to use that moment of unity to try to push the country too far to the right and to walk away from our allies, not only in attacking Iraq before the weapons inspectors had finished their work, but in withdrawing American support for the climate change treaty, and for the international court on war criminals, and for the anti-ballistic missile treaty and from the nuclear test ban treaty.
Now, now at a time when we're trying to get other people to give up nuclear and biological and chemical weapons, they are trying to develop two new nuclear weapons which they say we might use first.
At home, the president and the Republican Congress have made equally fateful choices, which they also deeply believe in.
For the first time when America was in a war footing in our whole history, they gave two huge tax cuts, nearly half of which went to the top 1 percent of us.
Now, I'm in that group for the first time in my life.
And you might remember that when I was in office, on occasion, the Republicans were kind of mean to me.
But as soon as I got out and made money, I became part of the most important group in the world to them. It was amazing. I never thought I'd be so well cared for by the president and the Republicans in Congress.
I almost sent them a thank you note for my tax cuts, until I realized that the rest of you were paying the bill for it. And then I thought better of it.
Now look at the choices they made, choices they believed in. They chose to protect my tax cut at all costs while withholding promised funding to the Leave No Child Behind Act, leaving 2.1 million children behind.
They chose to protect my tax cut, while cutting 140,000 unemployed workers out of their job training programs, 100,000 working families out of their child care assistance, and worst of all, while cutting 300,000 poor children out of their after-school programs, when we know it keeps them off the streets, out of trouble, in school, learning, going to college and having a good life.
They chose -- they chose to protect my tax cuts while dramatically raising the out-of-pocket costs of health care to our veterans and while weakening or reversing very important environmental measures that Al Gore and I put into place, everything from clean air to the protection of our forests.
Now, in this time, everyone in America had to sacrifice except the wealthiest Americans. And most of us, almost all of us, from Republicans to independents and Democrats, we wanted to be asked to do our part, too. But all they asked us to do was to expend the energy necessary to open the envelopes containing our tax cuts.
Now, if you like these choices and you agree with them, you should vote to return them to the White House and the Congress. If not, take a look at John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats.
We've got a different economic policy.
In this year's budget, the White House this year wants to cut off all the federal funding for 88,000 uniformed police officers under the COPS program we've had for 10 years. Among those 88,000 police are more than 700 members of the New York Police Department who put their lives on the line on 9/11.
With gang violence rising, and with all of us looking for terrorists in our midst and hoping they're not too well armed or too dangerous, the president and the Congress are about to allow the 10-year-old ban on deadly assault weapons to lapse.
Now, they believe it's the right thing to do. But our policy was to put more police on the street and to take assault weapons off the street. And it gave you eight years of declining crime and eight years of declining violence.
Their policy is the reverse. They're taking police off the streets while they put assault weapons back on the street.
Now, if you agree with that choice, by all means, vote to keep them in office. But if you don't, join John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats in making America safer, smarter and stronger again.
On homeland security, Democrats tried to double the number of containers at ports and airports checked for weapons of mass destruction. It cost $1 billion. It would have been paid for under our bill by asking the 200,000 millionaires in America to cut their tax cut by $5,000. Almost all 200,000 of us would like to have done that, to spend $5,000 to make all 300 million Americans safer.
The measure failed. Why? Because the White House and the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives opposed it. They thought our $5,000 was more important than doubling the container checks at our ports and airports.
If you agree with that, by all means, re-elect them. If not, John Kerry and John Edwards are your team for the future.
These policies have turned a projected $5.8 trillion surplus that we left, enough to pay for the baby boomer retirement, into a projected debt of almost $5 trillion, with over $400 billion in deficit this year and for years to come.
Now, how do they pay for that deficit? First, by taking the Social Security surplus that comes in every month and endorsing the checks of working people over to me to pay for the tax cuts. But it's not enough.
So then they have to go borrow money. Most of it they borrow from the Chinese and the Japanese government.
Sure, these countries are competing with us for good jobs, but how can we enforce our trade laws against our bankers? I mean, come on.
So if you think -- if you believe it is good policy -- if you believe it is good policy to pay for my tax cuts with the Social Security checks of working men and women and borrowed money from China and Japan, you should vote for them. If not, John Kerry's your man.
We Americans must choose for president ... we've got to choose for president between two strong men who both love their countries, but who have very different world views: our nominee, John Kerry, who favors shared responsibility, shared opportunity and more global cooperation; and their president and their party in Congress who favor concentrated wealth and power, leaving people to fend for themselves and more unilateral action.
I think we're right for two reasons.
First of all, America just works better when more people have a chance to live their dreams.
And, secondly, we live in an interdependent world in which we cannot possibly kill, jail or occupy all of our potential adversaries. So we have to both fight terror and build a world with more partners and fewer terrorists.
Now, we tried it their way for 12 years. We tried it their way for 12 years. We tried it our way for eight years. Then we tried it their way for four more. But the only test that matters is whether people were better off when we finished than when we started. Our way works better.
It produced over 22 million good jobs, rising incomes for the middle class, over 100 times as many people moved from poverty into the middle class, more health care, the largest increase in college aid in 50 years, record home ownership, a cleaner environment, three surpluses in a row, a modernized defense force, strong efforts against terror and a respected America in the world.
More importantly, more importantly, we have great new champions in John Kerry and John Edwards, two good men, with wonderful wives: Teresa, a generous and wise woman, who understands the world we're trying to shape; and Elizabeth, a lawyer and mother, who understands the lives we're trying to live.
Now, let me tell you know what I know about John Kerry. I've been seeing all of the Republican ads about him. Let me tell you what I know about him.
During the Vietnam War, many young men, including the current president, the vice president and me, could have gone to Vietnam and didn't. John Kerry came from a privileged background. He could have avoided going too, but instead, he said: Send me.
When they sent those swift boats up the river in Vietnam, and they told them their job was to draw hostile fire, to wave the American flag and bait the enemy to come out and fight, John Kerry said: Send me.
And then, on my watch, when it was time to heal the wounds of war and normalize relations with Vietnam and to demand an accounting of the POWs and MIAs we lost there, John Kerry said: Send me.
Then when we needed someone to push the cause of inner city children struggling to avoid a life of crime, or to bring the benefits of high technology to ordinary Americans, or to clean the environment in a way that created new jobs, or to give small businesses a better chance to make it, John Kerry said: Send me.
So tonight, my friends, I ask you to join me for the next 100 days in telling John Kerry's story and promoting his ideas. Let every person in this hall and like-minded people all across our land say to him what he has always said to America: Send me.
The bravery that men who fought by his side in battle, that bravery they saw in battle, I have seen in politics. When I was president, John Kerry showed courage and conviction on crime, on welfare reform, on balancing the budget, at a time when those priorities were not exactly the way to win a popularity contest in our party.
John Kerry took tough positions on tough problems. He knows who he is and where he's going. He has the experience, the character, the ideas, the values to be a great president.
And in a time of change, he has two other very important qualities: an insatiable curiosity to understand the world around him, and a willingness to hear other views, even those who disagree with him.
Therefore, John Kerry will make choices that reflect both conviction and common sense. He proved that when he picked John Edwards to be his partner.
Now, everybody talks about John Edwards' energy and intellect and charisma. You know, I kind of resent him.
But the important thing is not what talents he has, but how he has used them. He chose -- he chose to use his talents to improve the lives of people like him who had to work for everything they've got and to help people too often left out and left behind. And that's what he'll do as our vice president.
Now their opponents will tell you ... their opponents will tell you we should be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won't stand up to the terrorists. Don't you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not opposing values.
They go hand in hand. They go hand in hand, and John Kerry has both. His first priority will be to keep America safe.
Remember the scripture: "Be not afraid."
John Kerry and John Edwards are good people with good ideas, ideas to make the economy work again for middle-class Americans, to restore fiscal responsibility, to save Social Security, to make health care more affordable, college more available, to free us from dependence on foreign oil, and create new jobs with clean energy and a cleaner environment, to rally the world to our side in the war against terror, and to make a world with more friends and less terror.
My friends, at every turning point in our history, we, the people, have chosen unity over division, heeding our founders' call to America's eternal mission to form a more perfect union, to widen the circle of opportunity deep in the reach of freedom and strengthen the bonds of our community.
It happened every time, because we made the right choices.
In the early days of the republic, America was divided and at a crossroads, much as it is today, deeply divided over whether or not to build a real nation with a national economy and a national legal system. We chose to build a more perfect union.
In the Civil War, America was at another crossroads, deeply divided over whether to save the union and end slavery. We chose a more perfect union.
In the 1960s, when I was a young man, we were divided again over civil rights and women's rights. And again we chose to form a more perfect union.
As I said in 1992, I say again tonight, we are all in this together. We have an obligation, both to work hard and to help our fellow citizens, an obligation both to fight terror and to build a world with more cooperation and less terror.
Now, again, it is time to choose. Since we're all in the same boat, we should choose a captain of our ship who is a brave good man, who knows how to steer a vessel through troubled waters, to the calm seas and the clear sides of our more perfect union. That is our mission.
So let us go in tonight and say to America in a loud, clear voice: Send John Kerry.
God bless you.
You know, last week, I tried to update this blog. I hit some random button and all was lost. So I said, "Screw it." But here I am again.
This week is detox week for me and my roommates. "Eh?"
Yes, we have decided to cleanse our bodies and purify our minds. It's a lot of cabbage soup, fruits, veggies, water, smoothies - and some protein every now and then. Christ, we don't wanna go crazy. Besides, if we are going to detox properly, then it would be water and fruit. Yikes. But we are doing Bikram yoga. It kicked my ass last night, but I have to admit that I feel great. So while I am really not looking forward to going back to that ridiculously hot room, I know it'll be a little be easier and that I know I'll feel really great afterwards. I just hope it gets a little easier. Who knows?
Can't deny the fact that I'd rather be in Boston right now, but at least I can catch it on prime time when I get a chance.
But I'd rather let you enjoy this fabulous speech because I think this man says it all for me. God, I miss having a president who could construct a sentence without needing both hands and a flashlight... or Dick Cheney or Karl Rove. But regardless of how you feel about Bill Clinton, you gotta admit that things were really much better between '92 and '00. We all felt that. Safer. More prosperous. Peaceful. After 9/11, I'm not sure how much of that we can regain, but I'd much rather have our country in the hands of someone who can actually do something good for our country instead of driving it into a hole. And yes, I will tangle with anyone over those words. Go ahead. Bring it on. I'm happy to shatter each and every misconception you hold about the current president that makes you think he's the (ugh) greatest president (I have heard some people call him that. I'm shaking as I say that right now).
In the meantime, enjoy a real speech from the last elected president, Willian Jefferson Clinton:
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton addressed the Democratic National Convention Monday night. This is a transcript of his speech:
Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be here with you.
I am honored to share this podium with my senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And I want to thank the people of New York for giving the best public servant in my family a chance to continue serving the public. Thank you.
I am also -- I'm going to say that again, in case you didn't hear it.
I'm honored to be here tonight. And I want to thank the people of New York for giving Hillary the chance to continue to serve in public life.
I am very proud of her. And we are both very grateful to all of you, especially my good friends from Arkansas, for giving me the chance to serve in the White House for eight years.
I am honored to share this night with President Carter, for whom I worked in 1976 and who has inspired the world with his work for peace, democracy and human rights.
I am honored to share it with Al Gore, my friend and my partner for eight years, who played such a large role in building the prosperity and peace that we left America in 2000.
And Al Gore, as he showed again tonight, demonstrated incredible patriotism and grace under pressure. He is the living embodiment of the principle that every vote counts.
And this year, we're going to make sure they're all counted in every state in America.
My friends, after three conventions as a candidate or a president, tonight I come to you as a citizen, returning to the role that I have played for most of my life, as a foot soldier in our fight for the future, as we nominate in Boston a true New England patriot for president.
Now this state, who gave us in other times of challenge John Adams and John Kennedy, has given us John Kerry, a good man, a great senator, a visionary leader. And we are all here to do what we can to make him the next president of the United States.
My friends, we are constantly being told that America is deeply divided. But all Americans value freedom and faith and family. We all honor the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
We all want good jobs, good schools, health care, safe streets, a clean environment.
We all want our children to grow up in a secure America leading the world toward a peaceful and prosperous future.
Our differences are in how we can best achieve these things in a time of unprecedented change.
Therefore, we Democrats will bring to the American people this year a positive campaign, arguing not who is a good or a bad person, but what is the best way to build a safe and prosperous world our children deserve.
The 21st century is marked by serious security threats, serious economic challenges and serious problems, from AIDS to global warming to the continuing turmoil in the Middle East.
But it is also full of amazing opportunities to create millions of new jobs and clean energy and biotechnology, to restore our manufacturing base and reap the benefits of the global economy, through our diversity and our commitment to decent labor and environmental standards for people all across the world and to create a world where we can celebrate our religious, our racial, our ethnic, our tribal differences because our common humanity matters most of all.
To build that kind of world, we must make the right choices. And we must have a president who will lead the way. Democrats and Republicans have very different and deeply felt ideas about what choices we should make. They're rooted in fundamentally different views of how we should meet our common challenges at home, and how we should play our role in the world.
We Democrats want to build a world and an America of shared responsibilities and shared benefits. We want a world with more global cooperation where we act alone only when we absolutely have to.
We think the role of government should be to give people the tools to create the conditions to make the most of their own lives. And we think everybody should have that chance.
On the other hand, the Republicans in Washington believe that American should be run by the right people -- their people -- in a world in which America acts unilaterally when we can and cooperates when we have to.
They believe the role of government is to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of those who embrace their economic, political and social views, leaving ordinary citizens to fend for themselves on important matters like health care and retirement security.
Now, since most Americans aren't that far to the right, our friends have to portray us Democrats as simply unacceptable, lacking in strength and values. In other words, they need a divided America.
But we don't.
Americans long to be united. After 9/11, we all just wanted to be one nation. Not a single American on September the 12, 2001, cared who won the next presidential election. All we wanted to do was to be one country, strong in the fight against terror, helping to heal those who were wounded and the families of those who lost their loved ones, reaching out to the rest of the world so we could meet these new challenges and go on with our democratic way of life.
The president had an amazing opportunity to bring the country together under his slogan of compassionate conservatism and to unite the world in the struggle against terror.
Instead, he and his congressional allies made a very different choice. They chose to use that moment of unity to try to push the country too far to the right and to walk away from our allies, not only in attacking Iraq before the weapons inspectors had finished their work, but in withdrawing American support for the climate change treaty, and for the international court on war criminals, and for the anti-ballistic missile treaty and from the nuclear test ban treaty.
Now, now at a time when we're trying to get other people to give up nuclear and biological and chemical weapons, they are trying to develop two new nuclear weapons which they say we might use first.
At home, the president and the Republican Congress have made equally fateful choices, which they also deeply believe in.
For the first time when America was in a war footing in our whole history, they gave two huge tax cuts, nearly half of which went to the top 1 percent of us.
Now, I'm in that group for the first time in my life.
And you might remember that when I was in office, on occasion, the Republicans were kind of mean to me.
But as soon as I got out and made money, I became part of the most important group in the world to them. It was amazing. I never thought I'd be so well cared for by the president and the Republicans in Congress.
I almost sent them a thank you note for my tax cuts, until I realized that the rest of you were paying the bill for it. And then I thought better of it.
Now look at the choices they made, choices they believed in. They chose to protect my tax cut at all costs while withholding promised funding to the Leave No Child Behind Act, leaving 2.1 million children behind.
They chose to protect my tax cut, while cutting 140,000 unemployed workers out of their job training programs, 100,000 working families out of their child care assistance, and worst of all, while cutting 300,000 poor children out of their after-school programs, when we know it keeps them off the streets, out of trouble, in school, learning, going to college and having a good life.
They chose -- they chose to protect my tax cuts while dramatically raising the out-of-pocket costs of health care to our veterans and while weakening or reversing very important environmental measures that Al Gore and I put into place, everything from clean air to the protection of our forests.
Now, in this time, everyone in America had to sacrifice except the wealthiest Americans. And most of us, almost all of us, from Republicans to independents and Democrats, we wanted to be asked to do our part, too. But all they asked us to do was to expend the energy necessary to open the envelopes containing our tax cuts.
Now, if you like these choices and you agree with them, you should vote to return them to the White House and the Congress. If not, take a look at John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats.
We've got a different economic policy.
In this year's budget, the White House this year wants to cut off all the federal funding for 88,000 uniformed police officers under the COPS program we've had for 10 years. Among those 88,000 police are more than 700 members of the New York Police Department who put their lives on the line on 9/11.
With gang violence rising, and with all of us looking for terrorists in our midst and hoping they're not too well armed or too dangerous, the president and the Congress are about to allow the 10-year-old ban on deadly assault weapons to lapse.
Now, they believe it's the right thing to do. But our policy was to put more police on the street and to take assault weapons off the street. And it gave you eight years of declining crime and eight years of declining violence.
Their policy is the reverse. They're taking police off the streets while they put assault weapons back on the street.
Now, if you agree with that choice, by all means, vote to keep them in office. But if you don't, join John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats in making America safer, smarter and stronger again.
On homeland security, Democrats tried to double the number of containers at ports and airports checked for weapons of mass destruction. It cost $1 billion. It would have been paid for under our bill by asking the 200,000 millionaires in America to cut their tax cut by $5,000. Almost all 200,000 of us would like to have done that, to spend $5,000 to make all 300 million Americans safer.
The measure failed. Why? Because the White House and the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives opposed it. They thought our $5,000 was more important than doubling the container checks at our ports and airports.
If you agree with that, by all means, re-elect them. If not, John Kerry and John Edwards are your team for the future.
These policies have turned a projected $5.8 trillion surplus that we left, enough to pay for the baby boomer retirement, into a projected debt of almost $5 trillion, with over $400 billion in deficit this year and for years to come.
Now, how do they pay for that deficit? First, by taking the Social Security surplus that comes in every month and endorsing the checks of working people over to me to pay for the tax cuts. But it's not enough.
So then they have to go borrow money. Most of it they borrow from the Chinese and the Japanese government.
Sure, these countries are competing with us for good jobs, but how can we enforce our trade laws against our bankers? I mean, come on.
So if you think -- if you believe it is good policy -- if you believe it is good policy to pay for my tax cuts with the Social Security checks of working men and women and borrowed money from China and Japan, you should vote for them. If not, John Kerry's your man.
We Americans must choose for president ... we've got to choose for president between two strong men who both love their countries, but who have very different world views: our nominee, John Kerry, who favors shared responsibility, shared opportunity and more global cooperation; and their president and their party in Congress who favor concentrated wealth and power, leaving people to fend for themselves and more unilateral action.
I think we're right for two reasons.
First of all, America just works better when more people have a chance to live their dreams.
And, secondly, we live in an interdependent world in which we cannot possibly kill, jail or occupy all of our potential adversaries. So we have to both fight terror and build a world with more partners and fewer terrorists.
Now, we tried it their way for 12 years. We tried it their way for 12 years. We tried it our way for eight years. Then we tried it their way for four more. But the only test that matters is whether people were better off when we finished than when we started. Our way works better.
It produced over 22 million good jobs, rising incomes for the middle class, over 100 times as many people moved from poverty into the middle class, more health care, the largest increase in college aid in 50 years, record home ownership, a cleaner environment, three surpluses in a row, a modernized defense force, strong efforts against terror and a respected America in the world.
More importantly, more importantly, we have great new champions in John Kerry and John Edwards, two good men, with wonderful wives: Teresa, a generous and wise woman, who understands the world we're trying to shape; and Elizabeth, a lawyer and mother, who understands the lives we're trying to live.
Now, let me tell you know what I know about John Kerry. I've been seeing all of the Republican ads about him. Let me tell you what I know about him.
During the Vietnam War, many young men, including the current president, the vice president and me, could have gone to Vietnam and didn't. John Kerry came from a privileged background. He could have avoided going too, but instead, he said: Send me.
When they sent those swift boats up the river in Vietnam, and they told them their job was to draw hostile fire, to wave the American flag and bait the enemy to come out and fight, John Kerry said: Send me.
And then, on my watch, when it was time to heal the wounds of war and normalize relations with Vietnam and to demand an accounting of the POWs and MIAs we lost there, John Kerry said: Send me.
Then when we needed someone to push the cause of inner city children struggling to avoid a life of crime, or to bring the benefits of high technology to ordinary Americans, or to clean the environment in a way that created new jobs, or to give small businesses a better chance to make it, John Kerry said: Send me.
So tonight, my friends, I ask you to join me for the next 100 days in telling John Kerry's story and promoting his ideas. Let every person in this hall and like-minded people all across our land say to him what he has always said to America: Send me.
The bravery that men who fought by his side in battle, that bravery they saw in battle, I have seen in politics. When I was president, John Kerry showed courage and conviction on crime, on welfare reform, on balancing the budget, at a time when those priorities were not exactly the way to win a popularity contest in our party.
John Kerry took tough positions on tough problems. He knows who he is and where he's going. He has the experience, the character, the ideas, the values to be a great president.
And in a time of change, he has two other very important qualities: an insatiable curiosity to understand the world around him, and a willingness to hear other views, even those who disagree with him.
Therefore, John Kerry will make choices that reflect both conviction and common sense. He proved that when he picked John Edwards to be his partner.
Now, everybody talks about John Edwards' energy and intellect and charisma. You know, I kind of resent him.
But the important thing is not what talents he has, but how he has used them. He chose -- he chose to use his talents to improve the lives of people like him who had to work for everything they've got and to help people too often left out and left behind. And that's what he'll do as our vice president.
Now their opponents will tell you ... their opponents will tell you we should be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won't stand up to the terrorists. Don't you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not opposing values.
They go hand in hand. They go hand in hand, and John Kerry has both. His first priority will be to keep America safe.
Remember the scripture: "Be not afraid."
John Kerry and John Edwards are good people with good ideas, ideas to make the economy work again for middle-class Americans, to restore fiscal responsibility, to save Social Security, to make health care more affordable, college more available, to free us from dependence on foreign oil, and create new jobs with clean energy and a cleaner environment, to rally the world to our side in the war against terror, and to make a world with more friends and less terror.
My friends, at every turning point in our history, we, the people, have chosen unity over division, heeding our founders' call to America's eternal mission to form a more perfect union, to widen the circle of opportunity deep in the reach of freedom and strengthen the bonds of our community.
It happened every time, because we made the right choices.
In the early days of the republic, America was divided and at a crossroads, much as it is today, deeply divided over whether or not to build a real nation with a national economy and a national legal system. We chose to build a more perfect union.
In the Civil War, America was at another crossroads, deeply divided over whether to save the union and end slavery. We chose a more perfect union.
In the 1960s, when I was a young man, we were divided again over civil rights and women's rights. And again we chose to form a more perfect union.
As I said in 1992, I say again tonight, we are all in this together. We have an obligation, both to work hard and to help our fellow citizens, an obligation both to fight terror and to build a world with more cooperation and less terror.
Now, again, it is time to choose. Since we're all in the same boat, we should choose a captain of our ship who is a brave good man, who knows how to steer a vessel through troubled waters, to the calm seas and the clear sides of our more perfect union. That is our mission.
So let us go in tonight and say to America in a loud, clear voice: Send John Kerry.
God bless you.
7.09.2004
Because I always want to do what Michael wants me to do, here I am again. I will be back with more titallating commentary as usual, but back to the serious me.
I feel as if I am on the cusp of discovery.
Well, okay. Lemme explain that.
I'm in Syracuse (go Orange) for a conference. I know. The chances of going home for a conference are unlikely, but here I am. Whoop-whoop.
So I'm here, at the Summer Institute on Digital Impowerment at Syracuse University where we are exploring the internet and democracy and how the internet is a rapidly changing tool for civic engagement.
That was a long sentence.
But I've sat here all morning hearing about the phenomenon known as "bloggers".
Yes, that includes me. In the beginning, when I started this blog, it was a fairly new thing, but there were many of us. Now I am one in a million or five who has a blog.
So yes, I feel on the cusp of discovery, but not entirely since most of y'all have a blog. But I wanted to tell you that they have coined a phrase for us: "ONLINE POLITICAL CITIZENS".
There are a few myths perpetrating out there about us online political citizens. Around the boom of Dean, the nespapers called us:
o "True believers, the shock troops."
o "Legions of young, idealistic supporters."
o "Depression-era bonus armies."
o "Traveling Phish heads."
But we are, in fact:
o 62% male (author's note: I am a part of the 38% of the opposite gender)
o 59% have college degrees.
o 42% have incomes over $75,000 (author's note: I am not in this demographic)
o 36% are between 18-34
o 34% are single
o 86% are white (author's note: I am also not in this demographic).
Also, we:
o Are a mix of old and new activists.
o Are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans. 49% are democrats. 29% are Republicans.
o Are more likely to make a donation to their candidate, campaign, or political organization.
We also comprise about 10% of the population.
They say that we're becoming influential. That we are "influentials". We are four times more likely to be a part of a political organization, more likely to go to political events.
They say that we're becoming a new form of mass media. That though people may not always appreciate our views, but they will read us anyway. We also forward 60%-70% of the political email we receive.
My friends will tell you that their inboxes say that is just about right.
We are obviously engaged.
And though some of us may have a liking to Phish, the data shows that we are not "travelling Phish heads". And no, there is nothing wrong with that.
So apparently, we are on the cusp of something here, people. Keep it up. Maybe the more we hold them accountable, the better our democracy we'll have. Here's what they also say about us: “watchdogs of the mainstream press,” engaging in “a desperate attempt at free press,” and as “alternative voices in the wilderness.”
As Martha would say, that's a good thing.
Viva la resistance.
I feel as if I am on the cusp of discovery.
Well, okay. Lemme explain that.
I'm in Syracuse (go Orange) for a conference. I know. The chances of going home for a conference are unlikely, but here I am. Whoop-whoop.
So I'm here, at the Summer Institute on Digital Impowerment at Syracuse University where we are exploring the internet and democracy and how the internet is a rapidly changing tool for civic engagement.
That was a long sentence.
But I've sat here all morning hearing about the phenomenon known as "bloggers".
Yes, that includes me. In the beginning, when I started this blog, it was a fairly new thing, but there were many of us. Now I am one in a million or five who has a blog.
So yes, I feel on the cusp of discovery, but not entirely since most of y'all have a blog. But I wanted to tell you that they have coined a phrase for us: "ONLINE POLITICAL CITIZENS".
There are a few myths perpetrating out there about us online political citizens. Around the boom of Dean, the nespapers called us:
o "True believers, the shock troops."
o "Legions of young, idealistic supporters."
o "Depression-era bonus armies."
o "Traveling Phish heads."
But we are, in fact:
o 62% male (author's note: I am a part of the 38% of the opposite gender)
o 59% have college degrees.
o 42% have incomes over $75,000 (author's note: I am not in this demographic)
o 36% are between 18-34
o 34% are single
o 86% are white (author's note: I am also not in this demographic).
Also, we:
o Are a mix of old and new activists.
o Are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans. 49% are democrats. 29% are Republicans.
o Are more likely to make a donation to their candidate, campaign, or political organization.
We also comprise about 10% of the population.
They say that we're becoming influential. That we are "influentials". We are four times more likely to be a part of a political organization, more likely to go to political events.
They say that we're becoming a new form of mass media. That though people may not always appreciate our views, but they will read us anyway. We also forward 60%-70% of the political email we receive.
My friends will tell you that their inboxes say that is just about right.
We are obviously engaged.
And though some of us may have a liking to Phish, the data shows that we are not "travelling Phish heads". And no, there is nothing wrong with that.
So apparently, we are on the cusp of something here, people. Keep it up. Maybe the more we hold them accountable, the better our democracy we'll have. Here's what they also say about us: “watchdogs of the mainstream press,” engaging in “a desperate attempt at free press,” and as “alternative voices in the wilderness.”
As Martha would say, that's a good thing.
Viva la resistance.
7.06.2004
Well bless my corns, it sure has been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for those of you who actually read this thing - I've been very busy with work, new boss, moving apartments, helping to found a theatre company, the most perfect vacation, and a whole month of seeing my favorite musicians live. Life has, indeed, been good to me.
As I sit here, ruminating on my next post, I'm amazed at how serious my blog has gotten in the past year or whatever I've had it. Started out pretty innocently, a post about Paula Abdul or something like that and the last post is a rant on the President. I anticipate these will be more frequent as we head closer to the election, but I realize that every now and then we need some levity.
So here's what I've been thinking about a lot lately: the New York City Five-Foot Rule.
For those non-New Yorkers, the Five-Foot Rule is fairly simple. You see, with eight million people living in 24 square miles, things can get a little dirty. I believe such reality is to be expected. But the general rule is that every five feet of New York City smells like ass. This would have to do with the garbage on the streets, random acts of public urination, folks who don't pick up after their canines, and random things only a city this big could conjure up.
By the P.S., in the summer, depending on the heat or depending on the amount of garbage, the Five-Foot Rule becomes the Three-Foot Rule. Either way, we are a big city facing a big budget deficit. So in the past year or so, they've had to cut back on the garbage collection, meaning that the garbage will sit on the streets that much longer, which means the possibility of rats (which has increased), and just general nastiness abounding.
This summer has been no exception.
In the past month, I have traveled out of the city each weekend to places with better aromatics. I swear this hasn't been on purpose - though I do notice the air is just so much more enjoyable about twenty miles out of the city. The problem isn't leaving New York, the problem is returning. I can smell the garbage from the George Washington Bridge.
This, my friends, is nastiness. I'm not living in squalor, but for THE CHRIST!
In fact, I don't think that the three-foot rule applies to the nicer places in town. By this, I mean the places where the tourists and an abnormal collection of rich and usually pale folk live. I'm making an observation here - and it's based on fact. The places where the garbage collection happens on a more frequent schedule seem to be in more affluent places.
Whether or not this is on purpose is not the point. It's the fact that in my neighborhood (El Barrio for those not familiar), the kids are always on the street - PLAYING IN GARBAGE. I'm always walking down the street - SIDESTEPPING GARBAGE. It doesn't help that my front door is HIDDEN IN GARBAGE.
Ugh!
So the best that I can do is await the return of the cold. Sure, I enjoy the summer. I've been doing nothing but enjoying the summer. But I've noticed that I haven't been enjoying the summer in New York City. Rather, I'm enjoying it in places like North Carolina, Maryland, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Saratoga, and hell, even Jersey. I mean, come on.
Until then, I'll just hold my breath every three feet. And I suggest those other New Yorkers reading here do, too. Remember, the more you know...
As I sit here, ruminating on my next post, I'm amazed at how serious my blog has gotten in the past year or whatever I've had it. Started out pretty innocently, a post about Paula Abdul or something like that and the last post is a rant on the President. I anticipate these will be more frequent as we head closer to the election, but I realize that every now and then we need some levity.
So here's what I've been thinking about a lot lately: the New York City Five-Foot Rule.
For those non-New Yorkers, the Five-Foot Rule is fairly simple. You see, with eight million people living in 24 square miles, things can get a little dirty. I believe such reality is to be expected. But the general rule is that every five feet of New York City smells like ass. This would have to do with the garbage on the streets, random acts of public urination, folks who don't pick up after their canines, and random things only a city this big could conjure up.
By the P.S., in the summer, depending on the heat or depending on the amount of garbage, the Five-Foot Rule becomes the Three-Foot Rule. Either way, we are a big city facing a big budget deficit. So in the past year or so, they've had to cut back on the garbage collection, meaning that the garbage will sit on the streets that much longer, which means the possibility of rats (which has increased), and just general nastiness abounding.
This summer has been no exception.
In the past month, I have traveled out of the city each weekend to places with better aromatics. I swear this hasn't been on purpose - though I do notice the air is just so much more enjoyable about twenty miles out of the city. The problem isn't leaving New York, the problem is returning. I can smell the garbage from the George Washington Bridge.
This, my friends, is nastiness. I'm not living in squalor, but for THE CHRIST!
In fact, I don't think that the three-foot rule applies to the nicer places in town. By this, I mean the places where the tourists and an abnormal collection of rich and usually pale folk live. I'm making an observation here - and it's based on fact. The places where the garbage collection happens on a more frequent schedule seem to be in more affluent places.
Whether or not this is on purpose is not the point. It's the fact that in my neighborhood (El Barrio for those not familiar), the kids are always on the street - PLAYING IN GARBAGE. I'm always walking down the street - SIDESTEPPING GARBAGE. It doesn't help that my front door is HIDDEN IN GARBAGE.
Ugh!
So the best that I can do is await the return of the cold. Sure, I enjoy the summer. I've been doing nothing but enjoying the summer. But I've noticed that I haven't been enjoying the summer in New York City. Rather, I'm enjoying it in places like North Carolina, Maryland, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Saratoga, and hell, even Jersey. I mean, come on.
Until then, I'll just hold my breath every three feet. And I suggest those other New Yorkers reading here do, too. Remember, the more you know...
2.04.2004
Well okay. It's been a long time, I've been sick, dealt with the death of a friend, and have been awfully busy at work. But I don't like to make excuses.
First off, I'd like to just put something in here for Simon, wherever he is, that he was an incredible human being who brightened the life of everyone lucky enough to be around him, and he will be sorely missed. It is rare to find a person so wonderful as he was and we were all robbed of such an incredible being.
Now a lot has happened since I last wrote - I'm sure most of you have been following the presidential primaries. So let's start there.
For starters, I was in New Hampshire the weekend before the Primary to get a "sense of what it felt like on the ground". I think most of you know that I've been a Kerry person since last year (though I briefly tried out the Dean hat - didn't do much for me), so my friends at Kerry NY said, "Why don't you go to New Hampshire with us?" And I said, "Hmmm. Okay." I had a blast. We left New York City at 5am to head for Keene, NH. Luckily, I found an old friend, Jarrod, on the bus. Jarrod and I go way back to the McCall campaign and we were both relieved that there was at least one familiar face on the bus of about 30.
After we finally left NYC, we stopped in McDonalds to grab some food - and meet some of the folks we were travelling with. The morning was left to sleep and before I knew it, we were in New Hampshire. We were lost, but we were there.
We arrived in Keene to freezing weather. The campaign staff was extremely welcoming and inviting, the food was warm, and we were finally about to work together. I should also add that the campaign staff was extremely jazzed to have us there - and there was an influx of volunteers from Massachusetts - nothing like Yankees and Red Sox working together - I can only say that by the end of the weekend, there was a lot of mutual respect around the room, a sense of coming together, but I'm sure that if we saw each other in Fenway or Yankees Stadium, we'd probably punch each other in the neck and then buy each other a beer. That's the way it goes.
Jarrod and I took a stab at the visibility part of the afternoon, standing in freezing weather holding signs to passing cars, urging them to honk. After doing this two or three times with nice breaks in between, we decided to try our hand at the phones. After being extremely disturbed by calling a list of UNREGISTERED VOTERS (you read that right - they really don't like to be called - AT ALL) and spilling a hot cup of coffee on myself (I should mention that this is at about 3pm), I was eager and ready to stand outside again.
We didn't get a chance to do visibility again that day because we were called back to the other campaign building (there were two for the weekend, the normal HQs were waaay too small for 200 volunteers) to do some pamphlet stuff and writing postcards, which we eagerly did. We got to hang out with more NYC folks from the bus that way, too. After a day of not knowing where we'd be laying our sleepy heads, we discovered that we were soon to be shipped to the local YMCA after dinner for us to put our things in the gym we'd be sleeping in. We had heard that we would be in the gymnastics room on cushy floor, but nothing prepared us for what we were about to encounter.
It's not that exciting. Really. Well, it kind of is. The floor wasn't just cushy, it was the spring pad kind that you can jump on like a trampoline. There were cushy mats all over the place, rings, uneven parallel bars, balance beams - you name it, they had it - cushy ramps, hollowed out cushy tubes you could roll in, huge things for us to play with. After being on a bus for five hours, working in the freezing cold all day, dealing with people who hate politics, I must say this room was like a dream come true. After bouncing around and playing for about twenty minutes, we decided it was time to hit the bar.
Before I go further, I should say that we hit the bar sometime between 7:30 and 8. And when I say hit the bar, we HIT the bar. We traveled down the road to a bar where the Keene Kerry staff hang out all the time (the owner is a huge Kerry supporter). When about 20 of us walked in all together, the people in the bar were like, "Wha the hell...?" At which point, I noticed some of the Keene staff in a corner, looking very excited that we had come there, and declared, "New York has arrived."
We quickly took over the bar. Drafts were $1 and then $3. Whaaa? Needless to say, I ended up double fisting for half of the night, we took over the jukebox and played YMCA and tried to play "New York, New York" before the DJ went on (never heard it, tear), ruled the pool table for about three hours, and then the dance floor. At around 12:30, I decided it was time to go home since we were getting kicked out of the Y at 7am. I didn't notice how cold it was on the way back (funny how alcohol does that) but did notice the frozen vomit on the sidewalk. You know it's cold when...
I should also mention that I decided to sleep in the big round cushy thing next to the uneven parallel bars. It was fabulous.
The next morning, Kenny G (our busdriver - er, motercoach operator) drove us to the Best Western where we had a buffet-style breakfast for $2.19. Wha happened? It was a good start to a day full of poster making and editorial letter writing, more of the same from the day before, canvassing, etc. We had a good time, got to hang out more, and then left for New York around 3ish.
Kenny G got us home by 7. Speeding much?
The good thing was that it was awesome being on the ground and feeling the energy and the turning point. I also got to meet some great people. You don't spend five hours on a bus, freeze your asses off together, get wasted together, and sleep in the gym room of the YMCA without making some friends. I'm happy to say that some of us have seen each other a number of times since then, mostly at Kerry events, but I think making friends is always positive, don't you?
And I don't like to toot my own horn, but in this one case I don't think I can help it. 'Cause I had predicted this time last year that Kerry would be the nominee to beat. And after New Hampshire, I said to people around me that he'd get a big bounce, but the way to make sure that he'd survive the primaries and be in a strong position to beat Bush would be for him to get more than 40% of the votes in the states he carries this week and continue to gain percentages as the states hold primaries. I thought in my head then that the Republicans would start to get scared if they saw his solid support. And what happened last night? Check this out (I'm only looking at the 5 out of the 7 that Kerry carried - no pun intended - which in itself is a huge achievement):
Arizona (97% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry: 95,055 43%
Clark: 59,712 27%
Dean: 31,007 14%
Edwards: 15,498 7%
Lieberman: 14,656 7%
Kucinich: 3,628 2%
Sharpton: 1,100 0%
Delaware (100% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry 16,729 50%
Lieberman 3,683 11%
Edwards 3,657 11%
Dean 3,439 10%
Clark 3,145 10%
Sharpton 1,885 6%
Kucinich 343 1%
Missouri (100% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry 211,737 51%
Edwards 103,198 25%
Dean 36,305 9%
Clark 18,328 4%
Lieberman 14,726 4%
Sharpton 14,312 3%
Gephardt 8,306 2%
Kucinich 4,876 1%
Uncommitted 4,316 1%
New Mexico (96% reporting)
Kerry 40,347 42%
Clark 19,632 21%
Dean 15,660 16%
Edwards 10,815 11%
Kucinich 5,166 5%
Lieberman 2,488 3%
Uncommitted 460 1%
North Dakota (100% reporting)
Kerry 5,316 50%
Clark 2,502 24%
Dean 1,231 12%
Edwards 1,025 10%
Kucinich 308 3%
Lieberman 98 1%
Sharpton 28 0%
Over 40% and to 50% in these states - a really great sign. What was that about a Dean/Clark ticket? Puhleese. I rolled my eyes then and I pshaw out loud now. How about Kerry/Edwards? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
Oh, and let me address Mindy (didn't get her last name, though I know she had three names) who was on the Bill Maher show last night - she is a strategist for the Republican party and advises the Bush/Cheney campaign:
When the panel discussed the war and Bill Maher argued that we should be spending the money on other things instead of a war we didn't need to fight, a country we didn't need to invade, she said (and was talked over, though I caught it), "A country we didn't need to invade? Ask New Yorkers how they feel about that."
I'm a New Yorker, goddammit. One that was at FDNY Headquarters on 9/11 and nothing in my mind will ever erase hearing the firemen over the walkie-talkies when the buildings went down. I didn't want this war with Iraq, I never want anyone to ever have to deal with what we went through on that day (and don't tell me that what happened here doesn't happen - it happens every day around the world, maybe not in terms of sheer numbers of human loss, but it happens). The facts of the matter are that the President wanted to invade Iraq the minute he "became President" and found a convenient time to do it and drummed the right sympathy after lying to the American public and going to war without an international coalition as if he had a mandate. What was it that Al Sharpton said at the last debate that was pure brilliance? Oh yes, it went something like this:
"Mr. Sharpton, the president doesn't seem to believe we need a permission slip to invade other countries. What do you think?" -Tom Brokaw
"He also doesn't think he needs votes to be president." -Al Sharpton
So this New Yorker will tell you that I didn't want war and I know 200,000+ New Yorkers who agree (see February 2003 anti-war march and subsequent marches after that). And as a New Yorker, I believe I have a right to ask the president a few questions:
1. Where is the money you promised New York after the terror attacks of September 11th? I mean, if you're going to use us as propaganda to invade other countries and for your $99 million re-election campaign, I think it's only fair to ask where the money was you pledged to us in the aftermath of the war. Come on, it shouldn't be too hard. I mean, if you're going to give all of your corporate friends big tax breaks, give the richest Americans all of our budget surplus, ask Congress for $87 billion (which we STILL don't know the break down for), and surprise everyone with a Medicare bill that doesn't really help Americans get health care but really allows the big drug companies and HMO's to continue screwing our seniors, I'm sure you can find some of the money somewhere, can't you? Or did you include that in the $500 billion deficit you now project? WHY THE HELL DO AMERICANS TRUST THIS MAN?!!!
2. And one, big, but pressing question that is on the minds of all New Yorkers - the ones that you invoke when you want to fight a war or get your big-time donors to fundraise on:
WHERE THE HELL IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?
We can put a man on the moon, two rovers on Mars, find Saddam in a hole in the ground, but we can't find the man actually responsible for the attacks of September 11th, a man who carries his dialysis machine as he goes from cave to cave?! If we spent half the time we did on trying to find Saddam or half the money we've spent on the second invasion of Iraq, we might actually have found that bastard. Explain to me why this is okay!
Please god, please. Let's not elect him in 2004, either. Please.
First off, I'd like to just put something in here for Simon, wherever he is, that he was an incredible human being who brightened the life of everyone lucky enough to be around him, and he will be sorely missed. It is rare to find a person so wonderful as he was and we were all robbed of such an incredible being.
Now a lot has happened since I last wrote - I'm sure most of you have been following the presidential primaries. So let's start there.
For starters, I was in New Hampshire the weekend before the Primary to get a "sense of what it felt like on the ground". I think most of you know that I've been a Kerry person since last year (though I briefly tried out the Dean hat - didn't do much for me), so my friends at Kerry NY said, "Why don't you go to New Hampshire with us?" And I said, "Hmmm. Okay." I had a blast. We left New York City at 5am to head for Keene, NH. Luckily, I found an old friend, Jarrod, on the bus. Jarrod and I go way back to the McCall campaign and we were both relieved that there was at least one familiar face on the bus of about 30.
After we finally left NYC, we stopped in McDonalds to grab some food - and meet some of the folks we were travelling with. The morning was left to sleep and before I knew it, we were in New Hampshire. We were lost, but we were there.
We arrived in Keene to freezing weather. The campaign staff was extremely welcoming and inviting, the food was warm, and we were finally about to work together. I should also add that the campaign staff was extremely jazzed to have us there - and there was an influx of volunteers from Massachusetts - nothing like Yankees and Red Sox working together - I can only say that by the end of the weekend, there was a lot of mutual respect around the room, a sense of coming together, but I'm sure that if we saw each other in Fenway or Yankees Stadium, we'd probably punch each other in the neck and then buy each other a beer. That's the way it goes.
Jarrod and I took a stab at the visibility part of the afternoon, standing in freezing weather holding signs to passing cars, urging them to honk. After doing this two or three times with nice breaks in between, we decided to try our hand at the phones. After being extremely disturbed by calling a list of UNREGISTERED VOTERS (you read that right - they really don't like to be called - AT ALL) and spilling a hot cup of coffee on myself (I should mention that this is at about 3pm), I was eager and ready to stand outside again.
We didn't get a chance to do visibility again that day because we were called back to the other campaign building (there were two for the weekend, the normal HQs were waaay too small for 200 volunteers) to do some pamphlet stuff and writing postcards, which we eagerly did. We got to hang out with more NYC folks from the bus that way, too. After a day of not knowing where we'd be laying our sleepy heads, we discovered that we were soon to be shipped to the local YMCA after dinner for us to put our things in the gym we'd be sleeping in. We had heard that we would be in the gymnastics room on cushy floor, but nothing prepared us for what we were about to encounter.
It's not that exciting. Really. Well, it kind of is. The floor wasn't just cushy, it was the spring pad kind that you can jump on like a trampoline. There were cushy mats all over the place, rings, uneven parallel bars, balance beams - you name it, they had it - cushy ramps, hollowed out cushy tubes you could roll in, huge things for us to play with. After being on a bus for five hours, working in the freezing cold all day, dealing with people who hate politics, I must say this room was like a dream come true. After bouncing around and playing for about twenty minutes, we decided it was time to hit the bar.
Before I go further, I should say that we hit the bar sometime between 7:30 and 8. And when I say hit the bar, we HIT the bar. We traveled down the road to a bar where the Keene Kerry staff hang out all the time (the owner is a huge Kerry supporter). When about 20 of us walked in all together, the people in the bar were like, "Wha the hell...?" At which point, I noticed some of the Keene staff in a corner, looking very excited that we had come there, and declared, "New York has arrived."
We quickly took over the bar. Drafts were $1 and then $3. Whaaa? Needless to say, I ended up double fisting for half of the night, we took over the jukebox and played YMCA and tried to play "New York, New York" before the DJ went on (never heard it, tear), ruled the pool table for about three hours, and then the dance floor. At around 12:30, I decided it was time to go home since we were getting kicked out of the Y at 7am. I didn't notice how cold it was on the way back (funny how alcohol does that) but did notice the frozen vomit on the sidewalk. You know it's cold when...
I should also mention that I decided to sleep in the big round cushy thing next to the uneven parallel bars. It was fabulous.
The next morning, Kenny G (our busdriver - er, motercoach operator) drove us to the Best Western where we had a buffet-style breakfast for $2.19. Wha happened? It was a good start to a day full of poster making and editorial letter writing, more of the same from the day before, canvassing, etc. We had a good time, got to hang out more, and then left for New York around 3ish.
Kenny G got us home by 7. Speeding much?
The good thing was that it was awesome being on the ground and feeling the energy and the turning point. I also got to meet some great people. You don't spend five hours on a bus, freeze your asses off together, get wasted together, and sleep in the gym room of the YMCA without making some friends. I'm happy to say that some of us have seen each other a number of times since then, mostly at Kerry events, but I think making friends is always positive, don't you?
And I don't like to toot my own horn, but in this one case I don't think I can help it. 'Cause I had predicted this time last year that Kerry would be the nominee to beat. And after New Hampshire, I said to people around me that he'd get a big bounce, but the way to make sure that he'd survive the primaries and be in a strong position to beat Bush would be for him to get more than 40% of the votes in the states he carries this week and continue to gain percentages as the states hold primaries. I thought in my head then that the Republicans would start to get scared if they saw his solid support. And what happened last night? Check this out (I'm only looking at the 5 out of the 7 that Kerry carried - no pun intended - which in itself is a huge achievement):
Arizona (97% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry: 95,055 43%
Clark: 59,712 27%
Dean: 31,007 14%
Edwards: 15,498 7%
Lieberman: 14,656 7%
Kucinich: 3,628 2%
Sharpton: 1,100 0%
Delaware (100% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry 16,729 50%
Lieberman 3,683 11%
Edwards 3,657 11%
Dean 3,439 10%
Clark 3,145 10%
Sharpton 1,885 6%
Kucinich 343 1%
Missouri (100% reporting results by county voter survey results)
Kerry 211,737 51%
Edwards 103,198 25%
Dean 36,305 9%
Clark 18,328 4%
Lieberman 14,726 4%
Sharpton 14,312 3%
Gephardt 8,306 2%
Kucinich 4,876 1%
Uncommitted 4,316 1%
New Mexico (96% reporting)
Kerry 40,347 42%
Clark 19,632 21%
Dean 15,660 16%
Edwards 10,815 11%
Kucinich 5,166 5%
Lieberman 2,488 3%
Uncommitted 460 1%
North Dakota (100% reporting)
Kerry 5,316 50%
Clark 2,502 24%
Dean 1,231 12%
Edwards 1,025 10%
Kucinich 308 3%
Lieberman 98 1%
Sharpton 28 0%
Over 40% and to 50% in these states - a really great sign. What was that about a Dean/Clark ticket? Puhleese. I rolled my eyes then and I pshaw out loud now. How about Kerry/Edwards? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
Oh, and let me address Mindy (didn't get her last name, though I know she had three names) who was on the Bill Maher show last night - she is a strategist for the Republican party and advises the Bush/Cheney campaign:
When the panel discussed the war and Bill Maher argued that we should be spending the money on other things instead of a war we didn't need to fight, a country we didn't need to invade, she said (and was talked over, though I caught it), "A country we didn't need to invade? Ask New Yorkers how they feel about that."
I'm a New Yorker, goddammit. One that was at FDNY Headquarters on 9/11 and nothing in my mind will ever erase hearing the firemen over the walkie-talkies when the buildings went down. I didn't want this war with Iraq, I never want anyone to ever have to deal with what we went through on that day (and don't tell me that what happened here doesn't happen - it happens every day around the world, maybe not in terms of sheer numbers of human loss, but it happens). The facts of the matter are that the President wanted to invade Iraq the minute he "became President" and found a convenient time to do it and drummed the right sympathy after lying to the American public and going to war without an international coalition as if he had a mandate. What was it that Al Sharpton said at the last debate that was pure brilliance? Oh yes, it went something like this:
"Mr. Sharpton, the president doesn't seem to believe we need a permission slip to invade other countries. What do you think?" -Tom Brokaw
"He also doesn't think he needs votes to be president." -Al Sharpton
So this New Yorker will tell you that I didn't want war and I know 200,000+ New Yorkers who agree (see February 2003 anti-war march and subsequent marches after that). And as a New Yorker, I believe I have a right to ask the president a few questions:
1. Where is the money you promised New York after the terror attacks of September 11th? I mean, if you're going to use us as propaganda to invade other countries and for your $99 million re-election campaign, I think it's only fair to ask where the money was you pledged to us in the aftermath of the war. Come on, it shouldn't be too hard. I mean, if you're going to give all of your corporate friends big tax breaks, give the richest Americans all of our budget surplus, ask Congress for $87 billion (which we STILL don't know the break down for), and surprise everyone with a Medicare bill that doesn't really help Americans get health care but really allows the big drug companies and HMO's to continue screwing our seniors, I'm sure you can find some of the money somewhere, can't you? Or did you include that in the $500 billion deficit you now project? WHY THE HELL DO AMERICANS TRUST THIS MAN?!!!
2. And one, big, but pressing question that is on the minds of all New Yorkers - the ones that you invoke when you want to fight a war or get your big-time donors to fundraise on:
WHERE THE HELL IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?
We can put a man on the moon, two rovers on Mars, find Saddam in a hole in the ground, but we can't find the man actually responsible for the attacks of September 11th, a man who carries his dialysis machine as he goes from cave to cave?! If we spent half the time we did on trying to find Saddam or half the money we've spent on the second invasion of Iraq, we might actually have found that bastard. Explain to me why this is okay!
Please god, please. Let's not elect him in 2004, either. Please.
1.22.2004
See? I'm already on track with my New Year intention. Let me not get too ahead of myself before I get lazy again with this page.
I found this interesting article today and thought I should share. Surprisingly, it's pretty true for me. What about you?
Less than two days before I leave for New Hampshire on a Kerry bus (for two days to do field work - god, I miss campaign life). I'm sure I'll find something amusing to report.
Enjoy.
Your Music Choice Reveals Your Personality
The next time you go to a party and want to hook up with someone new, ask this question to find just the right person: What kind of music do you like? Turns out, the music a person likes also reveals fun facts about his or her personality, according to new research from the University of Texas at Austin.
If you like blues, jazz, classical, or folk music...
...then you are intelligent, tolerant, and politically liberal.
If you like country or religious music...
...then you are cheerful, outgoing, reliable, and conventional.
If you like alternative or heavy metal music...
...then you are physically active and a curious risk-taker.
If you like rap/hip-hop or and dance music...
...then you are outgoing and agreeable and generally eschew conservative ideals.
Memorize this list. When you ask that cute stranger what kind of music he or she likes, you'll know if the two of you will hit it off. "It assumes that knowing the answer tells you something about who they are" and whether or not to pursue a relationship, Dr. Peter J. Rentfrow, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin and the lead study author, told Reuters. Along with Dr. Samuel D. Gosling, Rentfrow conducted six studies on over 3,500 students examining their music preferences, beliefs about music, self-perceptions, and cognitive abilities.
Don't look now, but advertisers can also use the same psychology. Fitting just the right music with just the right product for just the right demographics could make sales soar. "We might come up with typologies comprised of music preferences, socioeconomic status, and age," Rentfrow predicted to Reuters.
He says there is very little research to date on music preferences and personalities because many consider it mundane. But Rentfrow doesn't agree. His findings suggest that personality, self-perception, and cognitive ability each play a role in the "formation and maintenance of music preferences."
I found this interesting article today and thought I should share. Surprisingly, it's pretty true for me. What about you?
Less than two days before I leave for New Hampshire on a Kerry bus (for two days to do field work - god, I miss campaign life). I'm sure I'll find something amusing to report.
Enjoy.
Your Music Choice Reveals Your Personality
The next time you go to a party and want to hook up with someone new, ask this question to find just the right person: What kind of music do you like? Turns out, the music a person likes also reveals fun facts about his or her personality, according to new research from the University of Texas at Austin.
If you like blues, jazz, classical, or folk music...
...then you are intelligent, tolerant, and politically liberal.
If you like country or religious music...
...then you are cheerful, outgoing, reliable, and conventional.
If you like alternative or heavy metal music...
...then you are physically active and a curious risk-taker.
If you like rap/hip-hop or and dance music...
...then you are outgoing and agreeable and generally eschew conservative ideals.
Memorize this list. When you ask that cute stranger what kind of music he or she likes, you'll know if the two of you will hit it off. "It assumes that knowing the answer tells you something about who they are" and whether or not to pursue a relationship, Dr. Peter J. Rentfrow, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin and the lead study author, told Reuters. Along with Dr. Samuel D. Gosling, Rentfrow conducted six studies on over 3,500 students examining their music preferences, beliefs about music, self-perceptions, and cognitive abilities.
Don't look now, but advertisers can also use the same psychology. Fitting just the right music with just the right product for just the right demographics could make sales soar. "We might come up with typologies comprised of music preferences, socioeconomic status, and age," Rentfrow predicted to Reuters.
He says there is very little research to date on music preferences and personalities because many consider it mundane. But Rentfrow doesn't agree. His findings suggest that personality, self-perception, and cognitive ability each play a role in the "formation and maintenance of music preferences."
1.21.2004
Okay. It's really been awhile. I swear to you that one of my New Year's intentions is to be better at doing this regularly (which I used to do pretty well when I was unemployed...but anyway)... in the year of the Monkey, I promise you that I will try harder.
Yes, I call them intentions, not resolutions - as my brilliant friend, Vivian, has done. That way if I fall short, I can at least say my intentions were good and I don't feel like quite a shlub.
Now I know that there are many of you who stopped reading this, so you're not going to read this now. But if you've been coming back every now and then, you know that sometimes I have something to say (I mean, I always do and I think I am brilliant at times, but hell, I ain't been so good at keeping up). And I know that my talk has been political a lot lately - but you gotta admit that in the world we're living in, there's just so much damn fodder for me. I also made it an intention to write more about the funny observations I make (which aren't really funny so much as I am a twisted person).
So let me just say two things politically before I move onto observations from my most recent travels.
1. Did I or did I not call the Kerry momentum after Iowa? I projected months ago that he would do much better than the polls let on and he would actually do very well in Iowa, which would turn around the campaign because Dean was going to peak before the caucuses. I think that my friend Jon put it best - I've always been leaning Kerry. I've been willing to be persuaded, but nothing seems to be pulling me away from that. I don't want to be a fair-weathered friend, but I'm being honest. I truly believe that John Kerry or John Edwards can beat George Bush. Dean and Clark are just flashes in the pan. There, I've officially said it. It doesn't mean I don't like them, I am more concerned with getting that idiot out of office and so should the rest of us.
2. As for the President's "State of the Union", he is clearly delusional. Anyone who thinks George Bush doesn't care about reelection needs only to examine the SOTU to see that he really is obssessed with it. And he's quite the arrogant bastard still. You'd think he'd be taken down a notch after oh, I don't know - the way things have turned out? Why the hell does the American public allow themselves to be taken in by this man? We really will believe anything. Maybe we should have Clay Aiken or Brittany Spears run for office. That would give Georgie a run for his money because the American people have the attention span of...what was I saying?
If you missed it, here are the high points of the address: terrorist, sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, permanent tax cuts, terrorist, privatize social security, HMO's should be in charge of health care - not the government, terrorist, corporations are great, no child left behind is really good in idea but I won't fund it, no separation of church and state, terrorist, drug education is necessary (though I won't teach it to my daughters), illegal immigrants are okay but we'll never give them amnesty, the Patriot Act is necessary, no separation of church and state, terrorist, stop suing HMO's and corporations because they are good, the US should be involved in nation building as long as they do what we want, terrorist, leave no billionaire behind, terrorist, no separation of church and state, and terrorist.
This has to be one of the most interesting election years I have ever seen. Nothing like having the sitting president so clearly use his Constitutional requirement to jump-start his re-election campaign by directly attacking his opponents - this was probably the one speech of his I could sit through because point for point, I made a list of why he is wrong.
Dubya says that we should "follow the course". Exactly. Don't elect him again in 2004.
And now to our regularly scheduled program - observations on:
ATLANTIC CITY.
My parents go all the damn time. Since I was a kid, they went almost every other weekend and at least once a month in the winter time (we have that house in Delaware that is only about 40 minutes away). I always liked the beach when I was a kid and enjoyed the arcarde - until I was legal enough to enter the "big room".
In the past month, I have been to Atlantic City twice in two weeks. What the hell is that all about? I'll tell you:
the sweet sweet chance that I might actually win some money.
Now let's forget that old adage, "you've got to spend money to make money." Isn't it everyone's dream to walk into a casino, drop a quarter, hit three "7's" and win the jackpot AND the car?
Don't laugh at my dream.
So yes, my parents go an awful lot, so they get a lot of free stuff. I was just there with two of my good friends when my parents last went - Jill and Ross - and Ross won $75 on the Pink Panther slots (which is just really amusing - if you know Ross...sorry, sweetie, it really is). We smartly decided to spend more time on the boardwalk that in the casino and after finding some sea shells, Jill chasing seagulls, playing boardwalk games where we got screwed (I spent $10 to play some stupid throw-the-ball-into-the-bin game without knowing it just to win a stuffed Spongebob Square Pants Pineapple Home - I'm serious. It's the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen) and I, at least, felt more content doing that than spending my hard-earned money getting zombified in front of a slot machine (I have yet to find the courage to mosey up to a table with a $25 limit for a hand of blackjack, though I'm getting close).
But it was my mother's birthday this past weekend and she insisted that I come home to go with her and my dad to the AC and stay at the Hilton for a night - especially because she scored three free tickets to "Vicki Lawrence and Mama - a two woman show".
Mama? From "Mama's Family"?
You're goddammned right I went. That show used to make me pee my pants.
I have to admit that I also went because my parents just bought two new cars to replace their two older ones and I had a perverse fascination with the thought that I would be driving them to Atlantic City in these new cars. I was right. Those damn cars are really nice. I kept trying to pity them into giving me one, but I guess I need to work on my powers of persuasion.
Alright, back to the story.
So we go, we check into the hotel, we hit the casino floor. I'm not doing too bad, I think at that point, I popped in $40 ($30 of which my mom and dad gave me for being their chauffer) and I walked away with about $80 in vouchers in about half an hour. I then decided to take advantage of the free gym (thank you, Hilton) before going to see Vicki and Mama.
The "theatre" in the Hilton is really a big room with a stage and chairs. The seats blew, but they were free, so whatever. I couldn't help noticing that I was probably one of five of the youngest people in the audience. The guy behind me kept kicking my chair whenever he'd have a phlegm attack and the woman in front of me wheezed so hard, I thought she was going to die before Vicki ever showed up.
It was exactly the kind of show you'd expect it to be. Vicki was funny. Mama was funnier. But I don't know how you can really separate the two since they are the same person except to say that overall the show was good. The best part about it was the fact that Vicki was being pretty honest. She started the show by telling us how she got involved in show business - which was really interesting (did you know she first played Mama when she was a ripe 24?). At some point, she decided to talk about the OB gyn and relate to the women in the audience. She had us in stiches.
At this point, I noticed that many of the older men, including my step-father, had moved the back. I took notice mostly because the guy behind me stopped kicking. At the end of the show, we overheard the old men complaining: "Why did we have to hear about all of that?"; "This show was for you women, not us men."; "That was awful. If I had known she was going to talk about that, I wouldn't have come."
Oh no, we made you uncomfortable? You mean, you don't want to hear about waxing legs or other places, visits to the G-man, child birth, or the line in the ladies room? What should we talk about? Oh, that's right, I should be silent. Did you want your coffee? Your slippers? How can I make you more comfortable, Mr. Eddie's father?
Sorry she didn't pique your interest. Sorry she didn't talk about sports. Sorry she didn't talk about the terms or deal of her retirement (I find this to be the topic most old men wish to discuss). Sorry she didn't pander to you, Old Man River.
God, that pissed me off. It's bad enough that Vicki Lawrence has to do a show in Atlantic City - let alone a two woman show with a character that hasn't been on TV for at least 15 years - give her a goddammed break. Sorry to interrupt your day at the nickel slots for an hour of entertainment.
I mean, I'm not an ageist. Really, I'm not. It's just that many of the older people I know are cuddly cuddly little bears of love and wisdom. And the older people who go to Atlantic City are just not. They are rude. They are mean. I was at one of the comp computers (yes, I've become a VIP, too) with my mother who was getting the money for dinner (when you play a lot, you get free stuff. I've gone over this before - free hotel rooms, free blankets, fleece, and even money to use at your discretion when you go). My mother was getting the comps off of her card and my father's card so we could enjoy a nice dinner on Hilton. After she was done, I checked my card. I just started with it, but hell, I wanted to see what was on it - I was in line, right?
Apparently the computer next to us wasn't working. And the older gentleman behind me was too impatient. I checked - it took a total of 40 seconds and walked away. As I did, he ran up to the machine and I heard him mutter to me, "Why the hell would you take the F*@#!ing time to check if you knew there was nothing on your goddammned card?!"
Buhscuse me, grandpa? What did you just say? Sorry, I was tripping over your fanny pack as you ran up behind me.
But it gets better.
We're on our way upstairs to eat and my dad doesn't move with quite the speed he used to. As we were getting in line, the same guy runs (well, more of a jog really), and nearly knocks over my mother and father so he can get in line before us.
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? And he wasn't the only one!
I realize that my parents are older. But I've never seen people act like it before. I mean, what is it about Atlantic City that attracts the crotchety, fussy older set who decide that wearing gold velour or pink sweatsuits with their blue hair in curlers is the only way to hit the casino floor?
And I think I'm saddened by the fact that now that I'm a VIP, I will become just like them.
In closing my thoughts on Atlantic City, let me just say that I was en fuego that night. I managed to rack up to over $200 on my $80 voucher from before.
And then midnight hit. And I started losing. And I figured I'd be able to win it back - I was hot, right?
I was wrong. Luckily, I realized it before I lost too much.
I hate that damn place.
And I want to go back next weekend. Who wants to come?
Yes, I call them intentions, not resolutions - as my brilliant friend, Vivian, has done. That way if I fall short, I can at least say my intentions were good and I don't feel like quite a shlub.
Now I know that there are many of you who stopped reading this, so you're not going to read this now. But if you've been coming back every now and then, you know that sometimes I have something to say (I mean, I always do and I think I am brilliant at times, but hell, I ain't been so good at keeping up). And I know that my talk has been political a lot lately - but you gotta admit that in the world we're living in, there's just so much damn fodder for me. I also made it an intention to write more about the funny observations I make (which aren't really funny so much as I am a twisted person).
So let me just say two things politically before I move onto observations from my most recent travels.
1. Did I or did I not call the Kerry momentum after Iowa? I projected months ago that he would do much better than the polls let on and he would actually do very well in Iowa, which would turn around the campaign because Dean was going to peak before the caucuses. I think that my friend Jon put it best - I've always been leaning Kerry. I've been willing to be persuaded, but nothing seems to be pulling me away from that. I don't want to be a fair-weathered friend, but I'm being honest. I truly believe that John Kerry or John Edwards can beat George Bush. Dean and Clark are just flashes in the pan. There, I've officially said it. It doesn't mean I don't like them, I am more concerned with getting that idiot out of office and so should the rest of us.
2. As for the President's "State of the Union", he is clearly delusional. Anyone who thinks George Bush doesn't care about reelection needs only to examine the SOTU to see that he really is obssessed with it. And he's quite the arrogant bastard still. You'd think he'd be taken down a notch after oh, I don't know - the way things have turned out? Why the hell does the American public allow themselves to be taken in by this man? We really will believe anything. Maybe we should have Clay Aiken or Brittany Spears run for office. That would give Georgie a run for his money because the American people have the attention span of...what was I saying?
If you missed it, here are the high points of the address: terrorist, sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, permanent tax cuts, terrorist, privatize social security, HMO's should be in charge of health care - not the government, terrorist, corporations are great, no child left behind is really good in idea but I won't fund it, no separation of church and state, terrorist, drug education is necessary (though I won't teach it to my daughters), illegal immigrants are okay but we'll never give them amnesty, the Patriot Act is necessary, no separation of church and state, terrorist, stop suing HMO's and corporations because they are good, the US should be involved in nation building as long as they do what we want, terrorist, leave no billionaire behind, terrorist, no separation of church and state, and terrorist.
This has to be one of the most interesting election years I have ever seen. Nothing like having the sitting president so clearly use his Constitutional requirement to jump-start his re-election campaign by directly attacking his opponents - this was probably the one speech of his I could sit through because point for point, I made a list of why he is wrong.
Dubya says that we should "follow the course". Exactly. Don't elect him again in 2004.
And now to our regularly scheduled program - observations on:
ATLANTIC CITY.
My parents go all the damn time. Since I was a kid, they went almost every other weekend and at least once a month in the winter time (we have that house in Delaware that is only about 40 minutes away). I always liked the beach when I was a kid and enjoyed the arcarde - until I was legal enough to enter the "big room".
In the past month, I have been to Atlantic City twice in two weeks. What the hell is that all about? I'll tell you:
the sweet sweet chance that I might actually win some money.
Now let's forget that old adage, "you've got to spend money to make money." Isn't it everyone's dream to walk into a casino, drop a quarter, hit three "7's" and win the jackpot AND the car?
Don't laugh at my dream.
So yes, my parents go an awful lot, so they get a lot of free stuff. I was just there with two of my good friends when my parents last went - Jill and Ross - and Ross won $75 on the Pink Panther slots (which is just really amusing - if you know Ross...sorry, sweetie, it really is). We smartly decided to spend more time on the boardwalk that in the casino and after finding some sea shells, Jill chasing seagulls, playing boardwalk games where we got screwed (I spent $10 to play some stupid throw-the-ball-into-the-bin game without knowing it just to win a stuffed Spongebob Square Pants Pineapple Home - I'm serious. It's the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen) and I, at least, felt more content doing that than spending my hard-earned money getting zombified in front of a slot machine (I have yet to find the courage to mosey up to a table with a $25 limit for a hand of blackjack, though I'm getting close).
But it was my mother's birthday this past weekend and she insisted that I come home to go with her and my dad to the AC and stay at the Hilton for a night - especially because she scored three free tickets to "Vicki Lawrence and Mama - a two woman show".
Mama? From "Mama's Family"?
You're goddammned right I went. That show used to make me pee my pants.
I have to admit that I also went because my parents just bought two new cars to replace their two older ones and I had a perverse fascination with the thought that I would be driving them to Atlantic City in these new cars. I was right. Those damn cars are really nice. I kept trying to pity them into giving me one, but I guess I need to work on my powers of persuasion.
Alright, back to the story.
So we go, we check into the hotel, we hit the casino floor. I'm not doing too bad, I think at that point, I popped in $40 ($30 of which my mom and dad gave me for being their chauffer) and I walked away with about $80 in vouchers in about half an hour. I then decided to take advantage of the free gym (thank you, Hilton) before going to see Vicki and Mama.
The "theatre" in the Hilton is really a big room with a stage and chairs. The seats blew, but they were free, so whatever. I couldn't help noticing that I was probably one of five of the youngest people in the audience. The guy behind me kept kicking my chair whenever he'd have a phlegm attack and the woman in front of me wheezed so hard, I thought she was going to die before Vicki ever showed up.
It was exactly the kind of show you'd expect it to be. Vicki was funny. Mama was funnier. But I don't know how you can really separate the two since they are the same person except to say that overall the show was good. The best part about it was the fact that Vicki was being pretty honest. She started the show by telling us how she got involved in show business - which was really interesting (did you know she first played Mama when she was a ripe 24?). At some point, she decided to talk about the OB gyn and relate to the women in the audience. She had us in stiches.
At this point, I noticed that many of the older men, including my step-father, had moved the back. I took notice mostly because the guy behind me stopped kicking. At the end of the show, we overheard the old men complaining: "Why did we have to hear about all of that?"; "This show was for you women, not us men."; "That was awful. If I had known she was going to talk about that, I wouldn't have come."
Oh no, we made you uncomfortable? You mean, you don't want to hear about waxing legs or other places, visits to the G-man, child birth, or the line in the ladies room? What should we talk about? Oh, that's right, I should be silent. Did you want your coffee? Your slippers? How can I make you more comfortable, Mr. Eddie's father?
Sorry she didn't pique your interest. Sorry she didn't talk about sports. Sorry she didn't talk about the terms or deal of her retirement (I find this to be the topic most old men wish to discuss). Sorry she didn't pander to you, Old Man River.
God, that pissed me off. It's bad enough that Vicki Lawrence has to do a show in Atlantic City - let alone a two woman show with a character that hasn't been on TV for at least 15 years - give her a goddammed break. Sorry to interrupt your day at the nickel slots for an hour of entertainment.
I mean, I'm not an ageist. Really, I'm not. It's just that many of the older people I know are cuddly cuddly little bears of love and wisdom. And the older people who go to Atlantic City are just not. They are rude. They are mean. I was at one of the comp computers (yes, I've become a VIP, too) with my mother who was getting the money for dinner (when you play a lot, you get free stuff. I've gone over this before - free hotel rooms, free blankets, fleece, and even money to use at your discretion when you go). My mother was getting the comps off of her card and my father's card so we could enjoy a nice dinner on Hilton. After she was done, I checked my card. I just started with it, but hell, I wanted to see what was on it - I was in line, right?
Apparently the computer next to us wasn't working. And the older gentleman behind me was too impatient. I checked - it took a total of 40 seconds and walked away. As I did, he ran up to the machine and I heard him mutter to me, "Why the hell would you take the F*@#!ing time to check if you knew there was nothing on your goddammned card?!"
Buhscuse me, grandpa? What did you just say? Sorry, I was tripping over your fanny pack as you ran up behind me.
But it gets better.
We're on our way upstairs to eat and my dad doesn't move with quite the speed he used to. As we were getting in line, the same guy runs (well, more of a jog really), and nearly knocks over my mother and father so he can get in line before us.
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? And he wasn't the only one!
I realize that my parents are older. But I've never seen people act like it before. I mean, what is it about Atlantic City that attracts the crotchety, fussy older set who decide that wearing gold velour or pink sweatsuits with their blue hair in curlers is the only way to hit the casino floor?
And I think I'm saddened by the fact that now that I'm a VIP, I will become just like them.
In closing my thoughts on Atlantic City, let me just say that I was en fuego that night. I managed to rack up to over $200 on my $80 voucher from before.
And then midnight hit. And I started losing. And I figured I'd be able to win it back - I was hot, right?
I was wrong. Luckily, I realized it before I lost too much.
I hate that damn place.
And I want to go back next weekend. Who wants to come?
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