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Flashback: 8th grade Science class. My teacher, Mr. Vogelsang (a wise, expressive white-bearded man with model airplanes hanging all over his classroom and an engraved name plate on his desk reading "Baron von Vogelsang"), assigned us a report on the science of our choice. When I requested permission to do my report on astrology/planetary alignment, he chuckled and said, "Sorry, young lady, that's not a real science."
Yo, tell that to these guys. Or, better yet, don't. After all, their "senior astrologers" insist the planets favor John Kerry.
It's been a busy week, what with my regular work (proposal writing), freelance work (radio writing), preparing for my jaunt to Spain, gearing up for this weekend's Halloween festivities, and (duh) losing a frightful amount of sleep over this nerve-wrecking election madness. That's not to say I haven't felt compelled to deliver my typical rants here over the past few days. Frankly, I just haven't had the energy.
I did, however, make time to pick up the final recording from the late Elliott Smith and I must encourage you to check it out. Under a major dump of rain, I stepped into the local record shop to find the CD (one of painfully few I've actually purchased in recent years). When I handed it to the sales clerk, she gazed out the rain pounding against the store's enormous front window and said, "Perfect weather for it." No doubt about that (though his music has never exactly been the type you'd throw on at, say, a kegger). His final work is a heartbreaking listen, but I'm grateful to Elliott's family for providing his fans a chance to hear his beautiful closing compositions.
Back to the election for a minute. For those concerned (and rightfully so) over whether or not their vote will actually be counted, I'd like to direct you to this vital website, which (thanks to MIT and CalTech) provides seven crucial steps to ensuring your ever-important vote is counted Tuesday. Each state has a phone number to call with questions (California's is 800-345-VOTE). Please use yours. In light of appalling news stories like this, it's never been more vital that Americans use any means necessary to exercise our right to be counted.
Silly me. All these years I've been under the impression that eyelashes exist to protect our eyes from the myriad particles that could otherwise land on our unsuspecting eyeballs, causing irritation and colorful language. So, for fuck's sake, can someone kindly explain to me why it is that the fucking eyelashes themselves are so often not the remedy but instead the precise cause of irritation, quietly removing themselves from their neat little row and either a) attaching themselves annoyingly to the inside of your eyelid, where they float around just long enough to cause squirming, or b) poking you repeatedly in the eyeball until you're forced to violently rip it right out of your head? Just wondering.
According to Editor & Publisher, so far 125 newspapers have endorsed Kerry — including at least 35 that had endorsed Bush in 2000 — versus 96 for Bush.
What's more, several papers that backed Bush in 2000 are now declining to make any endorsement at all, including the historically conservative Tampa Tribune, which told readers in an editorial that they could not join other right-leaning newspapers in endorsing Bush because of his "mishandling" of the war in Iraq, record deficit spending and "assault on open government."
Even the New Yorker magazine decided to jump into the fray this time around, making--after 80 years in print--its first-ever political endorsement with a five-page editorial backing Kerry. Spokeswoman Perri Dorset said the magazine broke with tradition because the editors felt that "this is a very critical election and an important time in our country." That right there locked up my vote for understatement of the year.
While you're digestng those fun facts, I urge you to peruse the surprising and immensely smirk-worthy Bush Relatives for Kerry website. Oh, but what terrible evil hath poor little Georgie perpetrated that even his own blood relatives won't vote for him?
While archiving dozens of my recent entries the other day, I realized the bothersome amount of politically-themed ranting I'd been doing lately and how little personal writing I've contributed as a result. And for a moment I was disappointed in myself for allowing my pathetic obsession over the election to take over this site, transforming it from a place where I share amusing thoughts on everyday life to a single-minded forum where I do little other than kvetch about what may or may not happen November 2.
A friend asked me recently why I never write about my personal relationships here in cyberspace, as fellow bloggers are wont to do in varying levels of detail. Stubborn bastard, he was not satisfied with my response (though I'm sure it was because he hoped for some good dirt). He knows that, for years, I wrote quite prolifically and openly about my love and sex life (in journals or in considerably more fun short stories), even sharing some writings with select friends, knowing their view of me would change dramatically after having been given passage into the darker reaches of my mind.
The truth is, I never intended this blog to explore the emotional depths of my heart, mind and soul. Sorry, pervs, but it was not set up as a vehicle for sharing explicit details of my personal life. My intention was to motivate and discipline myself to write regularly for an audience of friends and strangers, revealing my personality and character through light-hearted snippets of my life while shrouding my deeper self behind the cyber-curtain. Not that anything I've written has been fictionalized, nor do I attempt to hide my scary, actual self behind embellishments. I simply refrain from delving too deeply into my complex, highly sensitive and terribly imbalanced psyche for fear of being even more drastically misunderstood than I am with only partial exposure. Yet sometimes I toy with the idea that it's time I truly let loose and share all, fully encompassing the description of individual as "open book."
While I have, on rare occasion, dipped into the well of deeper emotions and exposed feelings toward my personal relationships, it is not something I have done without some nagging doubts. Rest assured, when this election no longer monopolizes my thoughts, I'll be free once again to share matters of a more personal nature, perhaps now taking a giant leap forward and revealing my true emotions more often, silencing that crippling inner censor once and for all.
Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm one of those misunderstood lunatics who, by my very nature, always roots for the underdog no matter how disinterested I am in the contest. When I heard this morning about the Red Sox victory, I couldn't help but smile and then feel a sudden, overwhelming surge of optimism with regards to Kerry's chances for election. Don't ask me why. Just keep the faith.
From Yahoo News!: Kids Pick Kerry to Be Next President
Democrat John Kerry is the winner, and the rest of the country should pay attention because the vote on Nickelodeon's Web site has correctly chosen the president of the U.S. in the past four elections.
Nearly 400,000 children and teens voted, and results were released today. Kerry received 57% of the vote; President Bush got 43%.
Nickelodeon has been airing information on the election, plus sponsoring debates where kids could put forth their views on the environment, the war in Iraq and terrorism.
Linda Ellerbee, who writes and hosts Nick News, says Nickelodeon has been traveling the country teaching about the election and the importance of being socially informed.
"Every so often you get a kid that says, `My parents are voting for X, but I'm voting for Y,'" she said. "It's amazing, the point when kids start forming their own ideas about issues."
"If we can get kids interested earlier in voting, when they can legally vote, they will," she said. "Kids aren't dumb, they're just younger and shorter," she said.
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Fantastic, especially that last quote from the wise, engaging Ellerbee. Lord knows intelligence defies age limitations; there's no shortage of dumb adults in this country lining up to vote while their smarter, better-informed kids are forced to stay home. Kudos to you, Nickelodeon!
Despite the disturbing lack of clarity in that mushy grey matter between my ears lately, I thought it necessary to give my fingers a keyboard workout today. It was fucking glorious to have my three oldest, dearest friends brave a 22-seat propeller plane hop from San Francisco to spend a wonderful, silly weekend with me, exploring my newly-adopted environs. Much belly-laughing emanated from within my living room as we perused--with occasional face-reddening--the aging evidence culled from 20 years of friendship, lingering over old cards, letters, yearbooks and (aack!) photos. So much has changed, but refreshingly, so much hasn't changed, at least with respect to the dynamic of our friendships.
Aside from Sunday morning's torrential downpour and "Oh shit, your cat's making me wheeze" issues, I'm happy to say my friends escaped a weekend in Humboldt County relatively unscathed. Here's hoping they'll soon return for another round of Bon Boniere, redwood trails and revisiting our mid-80s heyday to the tune of hysterical, 30-something, estrogen-laden laughter.
In other news, after days of impatient head-scratching, I am semi-functional on my new iBook. Yes, thanks to Aviva, I have quite eagerly re-enlisted in the Cult of Mac (my last foray being my 1995 acquisition of fabulous Performa 405 complete with state-of-the-art Simpsons sound effects). Not that my two-year-old Compaq Presario caused any major headaches. On the contrary, it was a fine machine that only occasionally elicited the fits of frustration inherent with Windows' unpredictability. So, said Compaq is now in the capable hands of a dreadlocked 20-something skateboard-wear designer who paid cash for it and will no doubt use it to spread his sunny skateboard gospel to impressionable youth everywhere.
Speaking of spreading gospel, I was pleased to hear Michael Moore on NPR's Fresh Air this afternoon, reminding listeners he is a registered Republican who has never met John Kerry nor openly supports the Senator or the Democratic Party. I think this is important, in the wake of Republicans everywhere scrambling to label Moore a lackey for the Dems or, worse yet, illegally trying to swing the election to Kerry's favor. No matter how irritating or invasive Moore's style of filmmaking, people need to realize that his role as propogandist is not intended necessarily to benefit the Democrats, but merely to emphasize the misdeeds of our current mis-administration. His attempts to bring truths to the surface (truths no one can dispute, otherwise the GOP would have spent millions polluting our courts with Fahrenheit 9/11-related lawsuits) can hardly be compared with illegal actions such as, say, GOP election tampering.
Two all-important weeks left, folks. I'll admit I'm entirely too anxious about this election; my body's reaction to reading the daily news manifests itself in that bizarre, fidgety feeling like I constantly have to pee, though I really don't. Come election night, I plan to rely heavily on cocktails or other chemical assistance to guide me through what will no doubt be a nail-biter down to the final minutes before the outcome is officially announced (with any luck that night and not weeks later, after the Supreme Court gives in to GOP threats and declares Bush the winner again despite his having not actually won). Oops... did I say that out loud?
First, more fuel for the fire: U.S. Deficit Hits Record $413 Billion. Sickening.
After sitting through last night's snoozefest (aka presidential debate #3), I was roused from indifference only a handful of times, reacting in one of two ways: a) disbelief resulting in weak chuckling, eye-rolling and/or head-shaking, or b) utter disgust with the whole debacle already. I mean, has not a single stinking question been answered truthfully or fully throughout this ridiculous, three-act Mr. Congeniality pageant?
One thing that struck me like a speeding train was that I do not particularly like John Kerry. Yes, I will vote for him. I will vote for him because I generally concur with his ideas and values and I believe a new administration will reinvigorate this disheartened country. I am saddled with an all-consuming eagerness to wave a blaring "Buh-bye" to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of an administration that has not been healthy for the American people.
But last night I came to terms with a feeling that's been gnawing at me since the primaries: John Kerry is not likable. We know he's intelligent, well-spoken, educated, experienced and honorable. But where's the charisma, the warmth, the personality? I will vote for John Kerry, but what I want so badly is to connect with this man on a level other than "Well, he'd make a far better leader than Bush," yet I have not determined how to do that.
Sadly, that seems to be a common lament amongst my fellow voters in the "Anyone but Bush" camp, those of us losing sleep with concern over voters who -- while aware enough to know Bush and company spell more bad news for the world -- just don't feel that vital connection with Kerry. The desperate question posed is whether or not Kerry's lack of likability could cause even a fraction of otherwise Democratic voters to vote for Bush (or not at all).
Bill Clinton radiated warmth and wit to Americans and they, in turn, opened their hearts to his charm, intelligence and charisma. Even Howard Dean had more passion, personality and persistence than Kerry. Despite his coming across as a raving lunatic during the primaries, he would have eventually lived that down and may have been the man to unite this country in getting truly excited about a candidate as opposed to merely getting behind the guy who's not Bush.
I still support Kerry and encourage others to vote for him, because I believe without a shred of doubt that Bush needs and deserves to be removed. And, as I attempt to find reasons to warm up to Kerry, I am optimistic when considering the fact that it's not just Kerry who will be hanging his suits and ties in the closet of the Oval Office. He'll bring with him an entire new team of sharp minds to fill all those stuffy posts now occupied by misguided people whose only mission is to get their incompetent boss re-elected despite his countless missteps. That in itself will be an improvement of monumental proportions.
I find it terribly interesting that few people I know (myself included) regularly update their blogs over the weekend, regardless of whether or not they typically work during the week and therefore actually consider Saturday or Sunday different from any other day.
My weekend was excellent, despite being crammed with errand-running and other equally time-consuming bothers that don't necessarily add up to prolonged enjoyment. But fun it was, beginning with watching Friday night's debate over snacky foods with great company, shouting back at the television and laughing incredulously when our defensive Dubya blurted things like, "internets" and, of course, "nucular." With all those angry righties pulling his strings, you'd think one of them would come forward and educate the moron on the proper usage of a word so important to his lies... er, I mean, his campaign.
We followed an amusing trip to candidate-land with three solid hours of VH-1's excellent series "And You Don't Stop... 30 Years of Hip-Hop," which easily drew our attention from the deck of playing cards now lying sadly neglected on the floor. Though a somewhat selective fan, I wouldn't deign to call myself a follower of hip-hop. Yet my endless thirst for knowledge (especially with regards to all things musical), kept me riveted to the narrative of Vibe writers and others more directly in the know. Now, newly imbued with a modicum of street cred--one that increased exponentially with a later viewing of 8 Mile --I'm confident I can formidably debate even Puffy's posse on the profundity of Flava Flav, the subtle lyrical nuances of NWA, the patriarchal influence of Dre and Suge, and the lingering theories surrounding the Tupac-Biggie murders. (Not to mention the simmering homo-erotic undertones of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.)
My hip-hop smarts have increased tenfold, thanks to VH-1, who over the years has also contributed substantially to my vast, relatively useless knowledge of the most trivial facts regarding artists on and off my personal favorites roster (for example, in addition to Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks had affairs with Mick Fleetwood and Jimmy Iovine... who knew?). For that reason alone--and for not (often) insulting our intelligence with mindless drivel a la The Real World, et al--VH-1 ranks light years above MTV, in my book. Oh, and VH-1 Classic? Fuggetaboutit. Fucking brilliant.
So, after a highly educational Friday night, I was very happy to stay far away from TV and those pesky Internets for the remainder of the weekend. Actually, it was a welcome gulp of fresh air not to indulge my obsessive need for the latest political/election news and opinion, instead spending much-needed time outdoors, allowing my tired eyes countless hours away from any type of screen, knowing full well the election mayhem and mishegos would proceed despite the absence of my watchful eye.
Fucking beautiful. My little coastal town of Arcata is the first city in the U.S. to officially call for the impeachment of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Please read the whole story here.
If I needed one especially compelling reason to have left magical Manhattan behind for this comparatively tiny, liberal haven of 16,000, I have it now. Bill Clinton, while a far-from-flawless leader, was impeached for the embarrassingly innocuous act of lying about a blowjob. Should he have lied? No. Was it anyone's business but Hillary's? No. Clinton was impeached not for jeopardizing our national security, not for launching a pre-emptive strike against a supposed "enemy" of democracy, not for increasing our national deficit tenfold, but for being a selfish, egotistical male with uncontrollable libidinous tendencies whose only crime (if you must use that harsh a word) was breaking his marriage vows through the act of adultery. Consensual adultery, mind you, with a woman who, while naive, was well over 18 and well aware she was giving it up to the leader of the free world. More power to her. And nothing but grief to that sorry excuse for a human being, Linda Tripp, who did a horrible disservice to this country by sticking her nose where it undoubtedly did not belong and exposing the idiotic scandal that was little more than a bit of horny extramarital endeavoring (albeit in the Oval Office).
Clinton was impeached for responding to his natural hormonal urges, participating in the great human pleasure fest with someone other than his loyal spouse. Big fucking deal. Countless other presidents dallied with starlets and secretaries during their administrations, yet no ball-busting Linda Tripp-ish yenta dared expose them.
That's not to say I believe Bush should be impeached. Not while we still have thousands of troops in Iraq--American and others--fighting, killing and dying in order to clean up BushCo's mess. Simply preventing the man who wasn't fairly elected in the first place from gaining another four years to monumentally fuck up this country--that would be enough for me. I've heard people refer to tonight's debate as "the beginning of the end" for Bush, tenative hopefulness amongst Kerry supporters slowly giving way to unbridled optimism. Impeachment is unncessary if we use our democracy the way it was intended and simply fire the goons. Let that be the best gift we Americans can give our country this year.
It's been ages since I cozied up to my computer for an evening post here. When I do feel that nagging creative twinge in the evening hours, I usually take advantage by working on a writing project that, upon its completion, may elicit some form of financial benefit. Either that or I expend that energy by way of a passionate cleaning frenzy, spit-shining every inch of my apartment to the point where a neurotic mother would feel not the least bit disturbed letting her newborn lick the floors.
But tonight, it's all about the newly-33-year-old me. Yes, another birthday has come and gone, this one in yet another new environment, shared with new friends and a brother with whom I have not spent my birthday in at least a decade. A dear younger brother who acknowledged the illustrious occasion by writing in my card, "Roger Daltrey said 'I hope I die before I get old,' and seeing as how you're old, I'm wondering how we can humanely kill you." Charming, eh?
So, give me a few weeks to explore this being 33 shit and I'll report back with a full analysis of whether or not it's better than being 32, perhaps in the form of a Top 10 list (i.e., Top 10 Absurd Things Turning 33 Made Me Do). What I find infinitely cool is that, in a few months' time, I'll be 33 1/3. Yes, come February 5, I will be the equivalent of a long-playing record--considerably warped and bearing tell-tale scratches--yet unquestionably cooler than my younger, shinier counterparts.
Entering my 34th year of life with an important election looming is no pleasant afternoon picnic for my obsessive nature. I am well aware of my tendency to become unwholesomely fixated on politics, debates, mud-slinging and all the outrageousness that is Election 2004. At least there is Jon Stewart. We may not have decent health care or safe borders, but the American people should be unendingly grateful we have Jon. He's this year's saving grace for those of us still equipped with brains.
Considering that I have almost no interest in baseball playoffs, NFL, NHL, WWF, KFC, reality TV (who gives a raccoon's ass who the Donald fires?), Tupperware parties, hunting season or whatever else "normal" people fill their time with, when not focusing all my attention on the voices in my little head, I get to obsess over this fascinating election business. It's my own World Series. My own Superbowl. My own sweeps week. My own version of Jeopardy, where the winner takes all and the loser sulks back to Texas with his balls in a paper bag.
From MSNBC.com:
"Contradicting the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 U.S. lives, the top U.S. arms inspector reported Wednesday that he had found no evidence that Iraq produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991. He also concluded that Saddam Hussein’s weapons capability weakened, not grew, during a dozen years of U.N. sanctions before the U.S. invasion last year."
Given the abundance of emerging facts such as this, how is there even a remote chance Bush could be re-elected? It is unfathomable to me that Americans could be so unbelievably brainwashed by the GOP's war-mongering, terrorist-fearing rhetoric as to vote this man in for another term. Regardless of how peaceful and perfect our Saddam-free world may be (sarcasm intended), no matter how much you may dislike Kerry, you simply cannot deny Bush has done a miserable job leading this nation. How can anyone with at least a handful of functioning brain cells even try to refute that?
Meanwhile, a key aide to Senator John McCain has endorsed Kerry. Along with the editors of Bush's hometown Texas newspaper, The Lonestar Iconoclast, who opine: "Kerry will restore American dignity." Christ, let's hope so.
Check out the live Mount St. Helens Volcano Cam, updating every five minutes.
From an MSNBC.com article reporting scores of voters registering these past few days:
"Pennsylvania’s suburban Montgomery County, the state’s largest Republican-leaning county, saw a bigger surge than the past two elections, with three Democrats registering for every two Republicans, said Joseph R. Passarella, the county’s director of voter services. An analysis by the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal found that registration was up higher in that state’s traditionally Democratic counties, and not as high in counties that usually vote GOP."
Am I delusionally optimistic or does it seem highly unlikely that people who have not voted in previous elections would suddenly be inclined to register in order to cast a vote for Bush?
"My opponent says we didn't have any allies in this war. What's he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland?" --Dubya, in Thursday night's debate
"They (Bush) deceived us about the weapons of mass destruction, that's true. We were taken for a ride." --Alexander Kwasniewski, March 2004
My mind is racing this morning, after a very enjoyable weekend, but there's no time to write at the moment. I do want to wish Mia a very happy third birthday and send good thoughts to her daddy in Iraq.