Have you ever loved something truly, madly, deeply, and then completely forgotten about it?
No???
Ok... maybe I'm all alone on this one, but I used to read the Best of Craigslist a few times a week. It was often good for a wee dose of hilarity in my day. Recently, not so much. I just completely dropped it from my internets routine. Today, however, in the midst of a project for work Craigslist came up... and a light bulb flicked on somewhere deep in the recesses of my consciousness. Memories of laughter in days-gone-by hit me like a wall of water and I pulled up a new window to revisit my long-lost love. What did I find?
Kissing Lessons (favorite line from this post, "Pick up the phone now! And then put it back down and send me an email for an awe inspiring experience!!"), a Cat Bus (amazing picture), and a hairpiece that inspires rage in animals.
Believe me, that's only the beginning. Ah, Best of Craigslist... I'm so happy you're back.
Monday, April 28, 2008
A Picture's Worth A Thousand...
So, I don't know about you, but I had a GREAT weekend. I was down in Atlanta, celebrating my brother's 30th birthday and his friend Chris's 30th as well (do you make a word that ends in s possessive with an apostrophe s or just an apostrophe? Thanks in advance, grammarians). I took a zillion and a half pictures and will spend the next 6 weeks cropping and color correcting in photoshop, then uploading them all to Flickr. Or maybe it will happen more quickly than that. We'll see, but suffice to say there are some hilarious pictures that came out of the birthday celebration/"Play All Day" in the park.
I returned to work today and dug into my pre-work political blog reading to discover something wonderful posted over at Jed Report... originally posted at The Craggle Post.
I returned to work today and dug into my pre-work political blog reading to discover something wonderful posted over at Jed Report... originally posted at The Craggle Post.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Can't Stop the Awesome
Sorry... after my last post I also caught a great clip over at Purple State Blog, part of their Daily Diversion series... a fun bit to catch, if you're into... you know, laughing.
(Oh, and yesterday's diversion is pretty enjoyable too.)
(Oh, and yesterday's diversion is pretty enjoyable too.)
Skywalkers Cross Han Solo
Now, looking at the title of this post, you might think that you could only ever see it on a blog. If that's what you're thinking... check this out. My buddy Adam recently mentioned, and then yesterday emailed me a story he was blown away by... wherein the headline, "Skywalkers (in Korea) cross Han Solo" makes sense in a real world context. Thus begins today's post, themed FRIDAY AWESOMENESS. For more random, joyful, distract you from the democrats bashing eachothers' heads in, ridiculous, goofy awesome, read on below!
Finally, we'll close out the awesome for now with the Superfun Video of the Week: I Was Told There'd Be Cake
The people who made it do such interesting stuff. You can check out another of their YouTube videos here.
- This week in Taiwan, a lawmaker famous mostly for shouting and picking his nose in public will step down from his post. Bummer. I only wish we had been tracking his career these past few years.
- Ok, maybe you're not bummed about the nose picker, but you should be bummed out about the priest in Brazil who floated out to sea under thousands of helium party balloons as a fundraiser... for a trucker chapel (how much awesomeness can there be in one post???). Sadly the Brazilian authorities are calling off the search for him, saying there is little chance they will find him at this point. Now, my question is this: how can you miss the guy who's washing around in the ocean attached to over a thousand party baloons? Are the balloons all teal?
- Wow, is this post of awesome things turning into a post of sad things? NO! Here's some awesome for ya: Fictional President Josiah Bartlett endorses Barack Obama.
- Not awesome enough to kick off your weekend? How's this: Cartographer Hillary redraws the US to her liking... er... to the "will of the votes of the people who have voted..." or something like that.
Finally, we'll close out the awesome for now with the Superfun Video of the Week: I Was Told There'd Be Cake
The people who made it do such interesting stuff. You can check out another of their YouTube videos here.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Lou Dobbs is Satan
In case anyone was wondering, Lou Dobbs is possibly my least favourite person. Ever. Don Boudreaux made a good point about him the other day. I just saw it and liked it so much I needed to post a link. Like many Americans, I believe immigration is one of the most important issues facing our country. Unlike many of my compatriots, however, I believe we need much, much more of it. Check out the link (by clicking on the post title)!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Obama and the Harsh Realities of Pennsylvania Politics
I had hoped to make my first post something a bit more upbeat, but ideas for posts are starting to pile up and I figure it would be best to get a move on. How's that for an introduction?
The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was reading Dana Milbank's article in today's Washington Post about Obama's visit to McKeesport, PA yesterday evening. McKeesport, the "Second City of Allegheney County", was our father's hometown and a place we visited often growing up. We would take week-long trips out the length of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to see our grandparents, often finding time to visit Kennywood or the garden club where our grandmother was a member. By the time I started forming memories about the city, it was already in decline from the heyday of Dad's youth. Most of the steel mills sat silent. Stores were melting away from the downtown area. As we grew up, McKeesport sank deeper. Steel mills were torn down, blast furnaces toppled while grown men cried, and little grew up to take the place of the huge and rusty old factories. I recently visited McKeesport for the first time in ten years in order to show my wife where we had spent so much time as children. I was aghast to see how little had changed and how seemingly nothing had changed for the better. The Eat N' Park full of smiley-faced cookies is still right where we left it and with some searching I found the retirement homes my grandparents briefly occupied. Other than that, I didn't know what else to show off. There just isn't much there anymore. I feel a bit sad even for typing that.
So with that in mind, the Washington Post article didn't come as much of a surprise to me -perhaps just a sad reminder of the difference between today's McKeesport and the one Dad talked about all the time. When the furor over Obama's "bitter" remarks flared up, McKeesport is actually one of the places that immediately came to mind for me. With its shrinking, aging population and a lack of jobs, it's just the type of place where people might justifiably be bitter about their lot in life. Regardless of whether Obama misspoke or voiced an opinion he shouldn't have shared, the reactions in the article shows the problems facing his campaign: for people who have been battered by our economy for the better part of the last three decades, Obama will need to talk about something more tangible than hope if he wishes to mend the wounds of his comments and allay the voters' sometimes "illogical" peccadilloes when it comes to his candidacy. Hope is great, but it isn't creating jobs right now in McKeesport.
The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was reading Dana Milbank's article in today's Washington Post about Obama's visit to McKeesport, PA yesterday evening. McKeesport, the "Second City of Allegheney County", was our father's hometown and a place we visited often growing up. We would take week-long trips out the length of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to see our grandparents, often finding time to visit Kennywood or the garden club where our grandmother was a member. By the time I started forming memories about the city, it was already in decline from the heyday of Dad's youth. Most of the steel mills sat silent. Stores were melting away from the downtown area. As we grew up, McKeesport sank deeper. Steel mills were torn down, blast furnaces toppled while grown men cried, and little grew up to take the place of the huge and rusty old factories. I recently visited McKeesport for the first time in ten years in order to show my wife where we had spent so much time as children. I was aghast to see how little had changed and how seemingly nothing had changed for the better. The Eat N' Park full of smiley-faced cookies is still right where we left it and with some searching I found the retirement homes my grandparents briefly occupied. Other than that, I didn't know what else to show off. There just isn't much there anymore. I feel a bit sad even for typing that.
So with that in mind, the Washington Post article didn't come as much of a surprise to me -perhaps just a sad reminder of the difference between today's McKeesport and the one Dad talked about all the time. When the furor over Obama's "bitter" remarks flared up, McKeesport is actually one of the places that immediately came to mind for me. With its shrinking, aging population and a lack of jobs, it's just the type of place where people might justifiably be bitter about their lot in life. Regardless of whether Obama misspoke or voiced an opinion he shouldn't have shared, the reactions in the article shows the problems facing his campaign: for people who have been battered by our economy for the better part of the last three decades, Obama will need to talk about something more tangible than hope if he wishes to mend the wounds of his comments and allay the voters' sometimes "illogical" peccadilloes when it comes to his candidacy. Hope is great, but it isn't creating jobs right now in McKeesport.
Big Ole Day Down in PA
Well... it's going to be a heck of a day down in my home state. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Keystone State doesn't turn out to be yet another anti-climax in this long drawn-out experience, but we'll see how it goes. Until we find out... here's a goofy little diversion:
And if you're not feeling the politics today, perhaps you should watch this one instead. I found it yesterday on You Tube in the "Featured Videos" section... funny little music video for a singer songwriter I hadn't ever heard of (Jack Conte, the song is, "YEAH YEAH YEAH"). Anyway, enjoy both if you like!
And if you're not feeling the politics today, perhaps you should watch this one instead. I found it yesterday on You Tube in the "Featured Videos" section... funny little music video for a singer songwriter I hadn't ever heard of (Jack Conte, the song is, "YEAH YEAH YEAH"). Anyway, enjoy both if you like!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Start to a New Week
This should be an interesting week out there in the world, and especially in American presidential politics.
I, like many people out there, am hoping that this will be the week Democrats begin to coalesce around their presumptive nominee. I also acknowledge this may be wishful thinking. I'm hoping my home state will play a dynamic and cool role in helping the Dems start acting decisive.
Meanwhile, I don't know how much this was true anywhere else, but it was a lovely weekend in Connecticut. I spent the majority of Sunday afternoon outside playing softball, and enjoying the sunshine. Today it seems like it's just as wonderful out in the outdoors. I'm hoping to take a lunchtime walk and pull in some fresh air. I capped my weekend by watching the Phillies eek out a win against the Mets to prevent a sweep in their weekend series.
Beyond the primaries, baseball, and the weather, there's a whole world of other cool stuff going on... so stay tuned.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Amnesia: What Every Two-Year-Old Knows
One of my friends is about to turn 25, and the other night we were discussing our 20s, characterizing the decade as one of restlessness and confusion. I told her, "Dude, we have license to fuck up so badly in our 20s, but we've got to work it out." That is to say, my 20s have been all about trying on different lives to see if they fit, which has meant a few very unflattering outfits. However, I've come to the conclusion that if one refuses to move through the pain of losing or disillusionment, he or she may never feel anything but the pain. Like pain is a permanent attachment--or a permanent attachment to pain.
Staying with the analogy of trying things on, I've had a few lives that felt fashionable for a while (being a student in Italy, interning with famous editors at Random House, working for magazines in San Francisco, embarking on a year-long yoga adventure) and others that busted at the seams (moving in with a badly behaved CEO in London, slaving for a hedge fund in Manhattan). Maybe spontaneously combusted at the seams would be a better description of the latter. Anyway, without these “fittings,” if you will, how would I ever know what I want to put into motion?
Which leads me to the question: What if we considered our failures as mere diagnostic testing? What if the past meant nothing to us except the wisdom and sensibilities we've gained from having gone through it all? (By the way, all of these lives have culminated with the one I have today, living as a mostly blissed out mommy who works with writing students at a small liberal arts college.)
The reason I'm pondering these questions: I watched a totally fascinating documentary tonight called “Unknown White Male.” It's about a man called Doug Bruce who mysteriously developed amnesia early one morning in New York City. He woke up on the subway on March 7, 2003 and did not recognize his surroundings. He had no recollection of what he was doing or who he was. He soon realized he was wearing a backpack, but all it contained was a vile of clear liquid (later identified as medication for a dog), a travel guide to South America and two sets of keys. Since he didn't have any clue who he was, he went to a nearby police station for help. The police noticed his English accent and concluded that he must be English, which, at the time, meant nothing to Doug. After five days in the psychiatric ward of a hospital in Brooklyn, Doug called a phone number scrawled on a scrap of paper he found in the travel guide. He reached a woman who recognized his voice. She told Doug over the phone, “I know who you are. You have a great life, and I'll be there to pick you up in half an hour."
Doug soon found out he had been a successful stock broker who had retired at age 30 to pursue his passion for photography. He owned a large, sparse loft in Manhattan, three cockatoos and two dogs. He spent the next several years meeting family and friends for the first time and creating a new version of himself amidst the relics of his forgotten past. He soon concluded that he did not care if his memory came back and later grew to fear its return.
What excited me about this documentary was watching Doug experience the joys of life for the first time with an adult mind. New York was a new and exhilarating place. He wept the first time he saw the ocean. He fell in love for the first time--the all-consuming and devoted kind. His photography was suddenly elevated to a new level of artistic depth. It was as if he was only left with the sensory faculty of his past--almost like muscle memory of living without ego or cynicism (i.e., what we all enjoyed as small children).
As the mother of two-year-old Landen, I am constantly in the presence of this lack of inhibition (for which I am forever grateful). Before dinner tonight, Landen and I were walking along Seneca Lake and the moon was full and bright. He pointed to it excitedly and ran down the bank toward the lake shore. He stopped on a hill, reached up and grunted--thinking he could somehow grasp the moon in his little hands, fingers spread out like stars. He then stood there with his back to me for a while, his head tilted upward and still. The lake reflected the moonlight like sparks on the water and the moon floated above it, a giant pearl in the purple sky.
This moment reminded me that every moment is original. As every two-year-old knows, our origins lie in this moment and then the next...
Staying with the analogy of trying things on, I've had a few lives that felt fashionable for a while (being a student in Italy, interning with famous editors at Random House, working for magazines in San Francisco, embarking on a year-long yoga adventure) and others that busted at the seams (moving in with a badly behaved CEO in London, slaving for a hedge fund in Manhattan). Maybe spontaneously combusted at the seams would be a better description of the latter. Anyway, without these “fittings,” if you will, how would I ever know what I want to put into motion?
Which leads me to the question: What if we considered our failures as mere diagnostic testing? What if the past meant nothing to us except the wisdom and sensibilities we've gained from having gone through it all? (By the way, all of these lives have culminated with the one I have today, living as a mostly blissed out mommy who works with writing students at a small liberal arts college.)
The reason I'm pondering these questions: I watched a totally fascinating documentary tonight called “Unknown White Male.” It's about a man called Doug Bruce who mysteriously developed amnesia early one morning in New York City. He woke up on the subway on March 7, 2003 and did not recognize his surroundings. He had no recollection of what he was doing or who he was. He soon realized he was wearing a backpack, but all it contained was a vile of clear liquid (later identified as medication for a dog), a travel guide to South America and two sets of keys. Since he didn't have any clue who he was, he went to a nearby police station for help. The police noticed his English accent and concluded that he must be English, which, at the time, meant nothing to Doug. After five days in the psychiatric ward of a hospital in Brooklyn, Doug called a phone number scrawled on a scrap of paper he found in the travel guide. He reached a woman who recognized his voice. She told Doug over the phone, “I know who you are. You have a great life, and I'll be there to pick you up in half an hour."
Doug soon found out he had been a successful stock broker who had retired at age 30 to pursue his passion for photography. He owned a large, sparse loft in Manhattan, three cockatoos and two dogs. He spent the next several years meeting family and friends for the first time and creating a new version of himself amidst the relics of his forgotten past. He soon concluded that he did not care if his memory came back and later grew to fear its return.
What excited me about this documentary was watching Doug experience the joys of life for the first time with an adult mind. New York was a new and exhilarating place. He wept the first time he saw the ocean. He fell in love for the first time--the all-consuming and devoted kind. His photography was suddenly elevated to a new level of artistic depth. It was as if he was only left with the sensory faculty of his past--almost like muscle memory of living without ego or cynicism (i.e., what we all enjoyed as small children).
As the mother of two-year-old Landen, I am constantly in the presence of this lack of inhibition (for which I am forever grateful). Before dinner tonight, Landen and I were walking along Seneca Lake and the moon was full and bright. He pointed to it excitedly and ran down the bank toward the lake shore. He stopped on a hill, reached up and grunted--thinking he could somehow grasp the moon in his little hands, fingers spread out like stars. He then stood there with his back to me for a while, his head tilted upward and still. The lake reflected the moonlight like sparks on the water and the moon floated above it, a giant pearl in the purple sky.
This moment reminded me that every moment is original. As every two-year-old knows, our origins lie in this moment and then the next...
Friday Political Rant
I was browsing through the NY Times yesterday and came across an interesting if disturbing article on the current food crisis. This particular article drew a connection between global warming and a shortage of rice. Fair enough. But what is more interesting is the following tidbit, tucked away in the article, far from the headline:
“The global agricultural crisis is threatening to become political, pitting the United States and other developed countries against the developing world over the need for affordable food versus the need for renewable energy. Many poorer nations worry that subsidies from rich countries to support biofuels, which turn food, like corn, into fuel, are pushing up the price of staples.”
Again, this is a completely fair point. Subsidies for biofuel, in particular corn-based ethanol are one of the worst ideas I’ve ever come across. (Beet ethanol is perhaps another matter). But honestly: would the Times have us believe that biofuel subsidies are the only ones that pit the developing world against the rich countries? I can’t imagine ANY agricultural subsidies in the, EU or Japan are very popular among the world’s poor.
Unfortunately, they are currently very popular among American politicians, especially Democrats. It’s all too easy to see why. Nothing gets votes like the promise of subsidies for you and higher tariffs for your foreign competitors. When you consider that Iowa is among the greatest beneficiaries of agricultural subsidies, then it becomes obvious why virtually every presidential candidate this year has spoken favorably of such subsidies, usually well bashing NAFTA and/or immigrants. Brazilian beet-farmers, on the other hand, can’t caucus in Iowa. Even Ox-Fam is mostly run by Brits.
I often wonder why this issue doesn’t get more press. Isn’t this as important as who is bitter, whose pastor said what, etc, etc? If one believes, as I do, that agricultural subsidies and tariffs contribute to the appalling gap between rich and poor countries, then one ought to demand better of our politicians and our press.
The contrast between the three major candidates could hardly be greater. Both Obama and Clinton have campaigned against free-trade, and both would undoubtedly continue the subsidies that pit the haves against the have-nots. (They will, of course, do this out of altruistic concern for the well-being of American farmers!) You can’t really blame them for it. As I said before, virtually every major candidate promised more biofuel subsidies while campaigning in Iowa. The one exception was Senator John McCain of Arizona, who told Iowans bluntly that he did not and would not support such subsidies. Anyone who truly cares about closing the global wealth gap ought to keep this in mind in November.
“The global agricultural crisis is threatening to become political, pitting the United States and other developed countries against the developing world over the need for affordable food versus the need for renewable energy. Many poorer nations worry that subsidies from rich countries to support biofuels, which turn food, like corn, into fuel, are pushing up the price of staples.”
Again, this is a completely fair point. Subsidies for biofuel, in particular corn-based ethanol are one of the worst ideas I’ve ever come across. (Beet ethanol is perhaps another matter). But honestly: would the Times have us believe that biofuel subsidies are the only ones that pit the developing world against the rich countries? I can’t imagine ANY agricultural subsidies in the, EU or Japan are very popular among the world’s poor.
Unfortunately, they are currently very popular among American politicians, especially Democrats. It’s all too easy to see why. Nothing gets votes like the promise of subsidies for you and higher tariffs for your foreign competitors. When you consider that Iowa is among the greatest beneficiaries of agricultural subsidies, then it becomes obvious why virtually every presidential candidate this year has spoken favorably of such subsidies, usually well bashing NAFTA and/or immigrants. Brazilian beet-farmers, on the other hand, can’t caucus in Iowa. Even Ox-Fam is mostly run by Brits.
I often wonder why this issue doesn’t get more press. Isn’t this as important as who is bitter, whose pastor said what, etc, etc? If one believes, as I do, that agricultural subsidies and tariffs contribute to the appalling gap between rich and poor countries, then one ought to demand better of our politicians and our press.
The contrast between the three major candidates could hardly be greater. Both Obama and Clinton have campaigned against free-trade, and both would undoubtedly continue the subsidies that pit the haves against the have-nots. (They will, of course, do this out of altruistic concern for the well-being of American farmers!) You can’t really blame them for it. As I said before, virtually every major candidate promised more biofuel subsidies while campaigning in Iowa. The one exception was Senator John McCain of Arizona, who told Iowans bluntly that he did not and would not support such subsidies. Anyone who truly cares about closing the global wealth gap ought to keep this in mind in November.
Beginning to See the Light
Well, like many people with brains in their heads, I was annoyed with this week's debate, and I fumed a bit yesterday as I read accounts of the moderators taking queues from Sean Hannity. I fumed a bit more today as I read details of how Nash McCabe (parodied wonderfully on yesterday's Daily Show) was not a randomly chosen PA voter, but in fact someone interviewed by the NY Times last week about the fact that she couldn't vote for Obama because he didn't wear a flag pin. Still, yesterday evening and this morning I found three wonderful reasons to look past the fuming to something more.
... one final note: the title of this post also happens to be the title of an amazing song by the Velvet Underground. If you're not familiar with it, you should check it out!
- I saw posts about Obama's reaction to the whole thing, and how it has included adopting Jay-Z's brush the dirt off your shoulders move. I may just be a dork, but this strikes me as hilarious and incredibly cool. They're coming after you in ridiculous ways so what do you do? Shrug, brush the dirt off ya shoulders, and keep moving on. He won't be derailed, or distracted.
- Distractions brings me to the second item, last night's Colbert Report. I hope a zillion other people saw it, because Colbert had an amazing night last night. Guests on his show included both Clinton, Obama and John Edwards, who delivered the "EdWORDs" in place of Steven Colbert's nightly "the Word" commentary. It was an action packed half hour, and I'm sure there are some good clips either up or going up on Comedy Central's website as we speak.
- Finally, I discovered this morning, via Andrew Sullivan's blog, that my favorite election commentators of the season, the guys who brought you the "Be Brave America" You Tube video in response to the 3a.m. ad, have returned. Their latest video is below. Enjoy!
... one final note: the title of this post also happens to be the title of an amazing song by the Velvet Underground. If you're not familiar with it, you should check it out!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Love: Is it Wrong or Wright?
I'm going to label this post as a continuation of a theme that I find remarkably important, one that was stirred up quite a bit by last night's farcical debate on ABC. If you watched it, I'm sorry, because I caused my roommate to sit through it with me, and neither one of us enjoyed it one bit. Come to learn today apparently 9 out of 10 questions were written by Sean Hannity who was hidden beneath the moderator desk operating an Avenue Q-style puppet of George Stephanoplis. For more developed coverage of this mockery of what a debate is supposed to be about, visit Daily Kos or any other progressive blog. Take your pick!
Still, I was struck this morning by one piece of the picture, and that is an analysis of the Jeremiah Wright portion of the evening. A few weeks back I posted a quote I found on Andrew Sullivan's blog where Hillary Clinton's pastor lauded Pastor Wright as an important figure whose good works are done a disservice by sound bite politics. Today, Daily Kos highlights the military service that Obama mentioned last night in the debate. You can read their whole post here, but I was struck by the following:
"Who loves America? Jeremiah Wright loved it enough that while Dick Cheney was getting his string of five deferments, Wright voluntarily gave up his student deferment, left college and joined the United States Marine Corps. Wright was valedictorian of his class in Corpsman School. When asked about the sacrifices he'd made, Wright said he was inspired by the words of John Kennedy that he should 'ask what he could do for his country.' "
I hope that before this whole election season is over we see more people stand up and speak out for the sad smear that is being made of someone who seems like a pretty remarkable leader in his community.
Still, I was struck this morning by one piece of the picture, and that is an analysis of the Jeremiah Wright portion of the evening. A few weeks back I posted a quote I found on Andrew Sullivan's blog where Hillary Clinton's pastor lauded Pastor Wright as an important figure whose good works are done a disservice by sound bite politics. Today, Daily Kos highlights the military service that Obama mentioned last night in the debate. You can read their whole post here, but I was struck by the following:
"Who loves America? Jeremiah Wright loved it enough that while Dick Cheney was getting his string of five deferments, Wright voluntarily gave up his student deferment, left college and joined the United States Marine Corps. Wright was valedictorian of his class in Corpsman School. When asked about the sacrifices he'd made, Wright said he was inspired by the words of John Kennedy that he should 'ask what he could do for his country.' "
I hope that before this whole election season is over we see more people stand up and speak out for the sad smear that is being made of someone who seems like a pretty remarkable leader in his community.
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