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No time to write a proper post today, but I wanted to share a few recent news stories of interest:
Scientists OK Gore's Movie for Accuracy (great, but will that help?)
Experts Predict Buffett's Gift May Spur New Wave of Philanthropy (possibly the greatest result)
Berkeley Council Passes Impeachment Resolution (will others follow?)
GOP's New "Values Agenda" Item Fails (what a relief!)
Oakland Says No to Styrofoam (great idea, long overdue)
As usual, there is no shortage of issues and developments worth discussing, but these will have to keep you busy for now. Go ahead and chat amongst yourselves.
Yours truly flew to Las Vegas this past weekend to visit the grandparents and hang out with some friends. Unfortunately, the trip was far more exhausting than relaxing and with temperatures hovering about 20 degrees above miserable, I wanted to do little more than soak my tank top in ice water and become one with the tile floor.
The ubiquitous catchphrase "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" intrigues me, not only because of its grammatical imperfections, but because... well, I just don't see how it lures people to the mecca of sweat and indulgence. I guess that's true of most advertising slogans I see and hear these days. Some are awfully clever, but I can't fathom how in the hell they sell a bloody thing?
Returning to the subject of Sin City, we were having lunch in a restaurant Sunday afternoon when a family parked itself to the booth across from us--grandparents clearly enjoying Father's Day with their two grandkids while the tots' parents were off doing things that will undoubtedly stay in Vegas.
First thing Granny did was reach into her huge granny purse and plop down a cylindrical container of antibacterial wipes right in the center of the table. Without words, the family sprung into action, yanking wipes from the mouth of the container and using them to feverishly wipe down everything in sight: utensils, glasses, plates, hands, etc. The finale was a supreme feat of synchronization--Gramps and kids lifting every single thing up off the table so that Granny Dearest could obsessively hose down the table itself, as if bacteria the size of tour buses had set up camp there, awaiting the grand opportunity to infect her family. Well, this phobic, fixated granny wasn't going to give them that opportunity! No siree!
Not exactly the type of deviant activity those Madison Avenue suits had in mind when they conjured up "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," I imagine.
From the San Francisco Chronicle's Day in Pictures, see what happens when you toss back one too many of those special Viagra-and-fertility-drugs cocktails?
Sweet Christmas! Now, that's what I'd call a full house. What I need to know is, how in the bloody hell does she tie her shoes? Or walk upright, for that matter? Forget Shiloh friggin' Pitt (poor kid is only days old and the whole world is sick of her already)... how 'bout some footage of this woman doing a cartwheel? Prepare the seismographs!
And... in our little corner of the world, our dear leader managed to insult seeing-impaired people round the globe by mocking a reporter who'd dare ask His Majesty a question while wearing sunglasses. Apparently, no one told Georgie the reporter is legally blind. Whoopsie!
Check out the brief, cringe-worthy video.
Busy, busy, blah blah blah. Where does the time go? Three weeks into my study-free summer and so far, I've had a weeklong visit from an out-of-town friend with whom I saw President Gore's fascinating and frightening film, which was discussed today with some co-workers, one of whom thinks a Clinton/Gore ticket is a good bet for the Dems in 2008. Seriously. He even came up with a slogan: "Clinton/Gore, it worked before!" I think it's rather catchy.
Earlier this month, we had a professional photographer in our office taking headshots for a long-overdue overhaul of our organization's website. We were all encouraged to don "professional attire," in spite of the fact that we all typically show up for work in what anyone with eyes would have no difficulty referring to as "non-professional attire."
Nevertheless, here's how excited I was to have my photo snapped:
Notice the subtle rolling of the eyes. The guy took about a gazillion photos of each of us, but this was by far the most delightfully silly one of me. The best part was sifting through the myriad shots of me engaging in various stages of eye-rolling, from "Are we almost done?" to "Get that fucking flashbulb out of my face if you want to keep your balls intact." My only hope is that one will someday appear on the inside of a book jacket.
I am certain there are far worse things in life than being forced to sit for pictures. I'm just fortunate not to have encountered any yet.
I saw a preview for Wordplay last weekend and my head nearly exploded from the excitement. There was definite quivering. Finally, a movie just for me and all the other wordgeeks out there who pray at the shrine of Will Shortz and would have trouble breathing were someone to pry our crosswords from our eager, pen-clutching fingers. Plus Jon Stewart and Bill Clinton are in it!
I never knew, until I saw the Wordplay preview, that there exist such mythical things as crossword-puzzle competitions. Oh, the geekery of my people! Of course, I'm light-years away from the ridiculous level of these inhuman puzzle-doers. But then again, I do practice my craft a LOT more than I'd care to admit.