R.I.P 2008 Election

I am SO happy that this is over. My guy won which makes me happy, but either way I'm glad. This has been exhausting. Mac seemed to speak from the heart tonight. I wonder if things would have been different if he had done that sooner (and of course if he had chosen a different running mate).

I've got a new (and probably wildly inaccurate) theory about PayPay's possible next step. But, I'll need to do a little research before I share it.

And PS- Yes we can.

4. PS- Uh huh.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/15073.html

1. “Because of successful identity politics, people have come to identify profoundly with other kinds of groups — ‘I am a Jew,’ or ‘a French person.’ But it’s not likely with ‘I am an ugly person and let’s have a meeting of all ugly people.’ Most people in general would want to disclaim membership. It’s like declaring yourself a member of the clueless, " Sherry F. Colb, a law professor at Cornell said."

"Defining ugliness is difficult."

“Beautiful people are considered to be more intelligent, sexier, more trustworthy and they have more partners,” Dr. Synnott said. “And this implies that ugly people are assumed to be less trustworthy and less intelligent.”

I'm not saying that anything is wrong with the less pretty, but I thought that these were interesting quotes about the perception of ugliness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/fashion/30ugly.html

2. Tina is back and not a moment too soon. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/arts/television/30stan.html

3. I really love the NYT.

So today, I’ll say this about Ms. PayPay… I still don’t think she should be set loose in DC, but was it her fault that McCain’s handlers and RNC peeps went on a shopping spree? She was too busy prepping for her cut-throat interview with Katie Couric to go herself or to ask questions about where the items came from and how much was spent. PayPay is off the hook, in my book, for this infraction.

This is purely speculation, but maybe the shopping was directed by Cindy, who is suspected of having worn a $300K outfit at the convention. But really, do I blame Cindy? No, she’s rich and who wouldn’t want to get stuff from Saks. Have you seen their shoe department?

I haven’t gone soft though. I read a fantastic article on PayPay in the New Yorker this past weekend. The article mentioned that PayPay has long had her sights set beyond the elk and flannel of Alaksan politics. That’s fine (ok, that’s not fine because the woman worries me, but that’s another story), BUT if she’s had DC in mind for longer than she’s been the Veep nominee why hasn’t she done her due diligence? She’s not stupid and perhaps she really is an RNC rising star (argh!), but if she wants to compete and make a difference why has she not done her homework? Why didn’t she have a passport until 10 minutes ago, what can’t she name a single international newspaper that she reads, and why can’t she answer a question?

I find her so bothersome because she’s a total rookie and is in way over her and it makes me want to scream two things:

1. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.
2. What? Do you think this is amateur night?

The good news is that I’ll think she’ll be spending at least the next few years in Juneau.

I've been meaning to post something for a while, but I don't want to bore any one with my obsession. The truth is that I didn't realize that "it" was an obsession until just now. I suppose that "it" should be called "she". And "she" could, should, might, ought to be called "Sarah Palin."

At the Emmy's Tina Fey so poignantly said, "I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5. So if anybody can help me be done playing this lady Nov. 5, that would be good for me." I don't want to write or talk about her, but she keeps creeping into my thoughts. So, to go along with Tina's sentiments, I'll echo her and say that I want don't to keep thinking about her so if anybody, especially in the flyover states, could help me with that I'd appreciate it.

Back when life was simple (in early September), before the train wreck interviews had aired and Joe-six packs references were used, back when I didn't know how to conjugate estar, I had a candid discussion with my mother about Ms. Palin, who at the time, seemed like a passing guility pleasure of mine.

(And let's be clear- the guility pleasure was the scowl-browed interest, like reading People Magazine for politicians AND not in any way an admiration of her and/or her aspirations to ru(i)n the country.)

But I digress, I expressed my concern to my mom about SP's qualifications that are and were MIA and my perception that perhaps her children need her right now more than the country does (or ever will... again, I digress). My mother simply responded that I needed to therefore do a couple things in own life so as to not fall into the same trap:

Choose either 1. to go into politics OR 2. get married/have kids

(Ok technically we discussed that fact that I could be in politcs if my kids were older, but no baby bjorns with a business suit)

AND on top of that, create a really good single serving lemonade recipe.

I have made no choices, nor have I worked on the recipe. But at least I know what my options are.

Regarding Mrs. Palin, I'm sure that she's a nice person, but come ON! Vice President? This is a joke, right? I saw the SNL stuff as well as the actual interview with Katie Couric. I wonder if Sarah is quietly mortified. (I would be.) I don't think that she's an idiot, just ignorant. It just seems that she doesn't know a lot about the country and the world. AND it seems that she doesn't know that she doesn't know. Girlfriend is in way over her head.

I guess that the best news is that in these times of such political uncertainty we at least have Tina Fey to keep us laughing.

Tina for President!

Multitasking may be my new favorite topic. Ok, maybe it’s my second favorite, because piracy is still on my mind.

On occasion I actually listen while I sing. I don’t mean listening to the sound of my own voice (boo). I mean really listening to the song lyrics. Given my affinity for 1980’s cheesy love songs, I frequently belt out these ballads as I drive. I’ve heard most of these songs hundreds of times. And due to the fact that you can’t put too much thought into a cheesy love song I rarely think about the lyrics or the “storyline”.

Doing two things at once can be productive and sometimes insightful. And last week my insight came via one of these singing sessions. I was driving and I heard a classic: Heart's “All I wanna do is make love to you”. I won’t get into the morality of it all, but suffice it to say a woman’s one night stand leaves her with child and when she runs into the baby daddy at future date she's got some explaining to do. She tells him that she’s in love with someone else, but that there was one thing that her true love couldn’t give her. Here’s where the insight comes in…. I realized that this is a song (at least partially) about infertility. Her true love couldn’t have children! Can you believe it? How many other songs about infertility are out there? I want to know.

Fascinating in a who-in-the-world-cares sort of way!

A few years ago this same multitasking brought me to the realization that “The Gambler” died at the end of the song! Who knew? I was shocked.

As Sarah Palin (er Tina Fey) reminded us on Saturday night, global warming is just “God hugging us closer”. I’ve got to believe that something with the earth is out of whack because I spent yesterday evening wearing, among other things, socks and gloves. Given that we’re sub September 21st it’s still technically summer. And even if it were “early fall” what is happening to the time honored California tradition of the Indian summer? Has that been canceled, just like TRL?

I want my MTV, I want to have my cake and eat it too (seriously, I made some cake a day ago and it’s delicious and I haven’t had breakfast yet), and I want my summer and my Indian summer too.

Don’t get me wrong. I love hugs. But, perhaps this hug is a little too tight.


PS: An update on the multitasking from last weekend. It was sexcessful! And no, that’s not a misprint. The 10k took a little longer than it should have, but it was completed without stopping and so I get a gold star. I had questioned whether I really had it in me to listen to Spanish tutorials for 6.2 miles. Apparently I did and it was fantastic except for one word: la palabra. While listening to the vocab section I knew all of the words except for this one. I racked my brain trying to remember the word. La palabra, la palabra, la palabra. What could this word be? What did this word mean? I’m a slow runner and with every step my desire to know this word and my frustration at not knowing this word intensified. Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic, but I really could not remember this word.

It turns out that the word “la palabra” means “the word”. Sheesh.

Dos thoughts

1. It seems like bloggers (or at least the ones I’m aware of) usually fall into two groups: 1. those who are recently-ish married and quite possibly baby mama’s and daddy’s and 2. those who blog for money and book deals.

I guess that I’ll fall under #2 by default. And I guess I’m ok with that.

2. I was going to write a bit on multitasking (tonight I'm doing to 10k by moonlight while concurrently doing a Spanish tutorial. Which reminds of the time I did a wardrobe change while doing a race in Central Park on a winter night, no less....that's serious multitasking!). I think I'm a pretty good multitasker, but unfortunately I need to leave and driving a car and simaltaneous typing is beyond me. . . at least right now.

I want a recipe for homemade jelly beans.

I suppose that I'll have to settle for Turkish Delight.