Monday, October 31, 2005
Dubya picks the first name off his new list - Alito
Samuel "Scalito" Alito was dubbed by Dubya the next pick to join the Supremes. He's very conservative ("Scalia lite" according to some), white, Ivy League educated, sorta balding, kinda fleshy, and the only life preserver the Bushies currently have to throw themselves to change the debate. Harry Reid and the Dems are already lining up opposition, which will be a great deal easier with this guy's extensive public record as both a judge (appointed by Bush the Elder in '90) and a U.S. Attorney. Ladies and gentlemen, start your fundraising and hellraising engines.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Maya sizes up her skunky gear on the Eve of Halloween.
Like a boxer trying on his gloves for the Big Fight, Maya spent part of the afternoon getting into character.
Maya digs the view and the hearty bouncing she gets from our new backpack.
Originally uploaded by emaggie.
NFL fan consumes 18 extra-large Busch Lights, unfortunately not done yet
I'm a lifelong Packers fan. I often feel as though I've seen it all when it comes to the NFL. I've seen my childhood Pack lose horribly for years then drive methodically over years to win the Super Bowl only to descend once again into sub-mediocrity. But today's loss to the Cincy Bungles was unlike any I've ever seen before. A fan ran onto the field with less than 30 seconds to go and the Pack driving for a tying touchdown. That fan stole the ball from Favre's hands. Everyone looked shocked for a few minutes, Favre had two more chances to move from the Bungles' 28-yard-line, and he collapsed as time ranout after a futile playground-quality scramble on weary legs. Favre looked utterly spent from all the manic silliness. He's so completely retiring this year. This kind of season (the Pack are 1-6) would wear out Sisyphus. Whatta drag. He's the most entertainingly frustrating and talented athlete in the NFL. He's the NFL's equivalent of an ass-kicking country singer that believes in gay marriage. Or a hooker with a heart of gold that fights crime on the side. Ya know - durable and versatile. Legendarily so.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Libby gets labeled, update #2
If Patrick Fitzgerald is your prosecutor for ANYTHING, you're screwed. By the book, almost funny, humble and tough as a titanium buttplug. Fitz nailed his press conference like a Mormon cousin. Fitz also left the door open wide enough to keep all the Bushies scared sideways. Libby's belonging are already in Cheney's special dumpster and I bet he's out of his skull on booze and pills, stuck in traffic, cursing the very people around him. Don't expect a Supreme Court pick for a few weeks. Hopefully Sandra Day O'Connor didn't make many vacation plans in the New Year.
Libby gets labeled, update #1
The Smoking Gun already has full digital copies of the Libby indictment. With Fightin' Fitz prepping for his presser, we get to watch things unfold. And The Huffington Post climaxed all over this story, with recharged interest building. What an amazing age we're meandering through - the immediacy of this internet utility is the new normalcy. This is political junkie crack.
Libby gets nabbed, Rove's still being followed
Get yer red hot indictments here! Libby, 5 Counts (obstruction of justice, perjury, sodomy, misogyny, something else really greasy) - lawyer up, buddy. Rove - you're now responsible for an extended investigation, extended costs, extended damage to the Bushies, and extended media interest. Fitzgerald's a great G-man, and totally sharp. Giving everyone a few hours to read it before he holds a presser is a classy start for the public phase. The GOP attack monkeys are going to have trouble going after him further. All they can do now is tangentially point to outsiders that are even harder to defend. Like the owner of the N'Awlins 'Aints who's expressed interest in moving them to Los Angeles (as the League hopes to do). Now THAT's a guy with a truly tough home crowd, Dubya. At least you've still got a flock of sycophants surrounding you in the District. For the time being.
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Thursday, October 27, 2005
2/3rds of the way to the Big One
"Plenty Bright!" Harriet withdraws, citing the contrived importance of protecting Dubya's ability to get good legal advice while in the White House. So she did it for liberty. Freedom. All that jazz. Now the uber-Christian Right gets to feel like they're driving the bus, the Dems get to feel like they're more in agreement with each other even though they're not, and the Bushies get to feel like they covered their butts which they didn't. In the end, this is a one day story, albeit one with a lingering aftertaste. Indictments tomorrow will guarantee that. At least "Cool!" Harriet got a partial makeover from the process.
The White Sox swept past the 'Stros on their way to their first World Series title in 88 years. I tried my best to watch the Series and pay attention to some of the stories from the mix. But it never got me excited this year and I always get excited to some degree about the Series. The White Sox got hot and rolled over their post-season competition. Barbara and George the Elder Bush tried to make like 'Stros fans, even when Babs chose to leave in the 8th inning of a 14 inning Game 3 (which her "team" lost anyways, so she probably felt some relief in that serendipity). Bobby Jenks (the White Sox closer) looks like he's about two pork chops short of joining that classic SNL "Da Bears" skit. Yawn. Good for those Southsiders - reversed yet another curse and in a cornfield in Iowa I'm sure there are tributes being erected. But I'm more excited about next year when the New Brew Crew reverses the fabled Curse of '82 and returns to their rightful glory. That will be the story a whole country can truly gather round and sing its praises.
Maureen Dowd's catty comments about Judy Miller get a bit of play today. Not nearly as much as it sounds like Judy gets from her sources, if you know what I mean. If you haven't been paying attention to the mess surrounding Judy Judy Judy, let me summarize by saying that it appears she's not only been used by the Bushies but that she has some really strangely conflicted allegiances. And the Mighty Mo is working Judy over with her trademark eloquence and snarkiness. Not a pretty sight, except when they offer glamour pics of Dowd.
Maya turns 8-months-old today. 2/3rds of a year. I'm thinking about making her 2/3rds of a cake - maybe leave out the eggs or the flour. But I'm also reminded of the often way-out-of-bounds-but-still-gutsy Bill Maher hitting it right when joking about new parents giving their baby's age in months. "It's not a cheese!" So I'm going to start saying that Maya's 2/3rds of a year old when people ask her age. Seeing people do math in their heads is not a pretty thing. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Rock on.
The White Sox swept past the 'Stros on their way to their first World Series title in 88 years. I tried my best to watch the Series and pay attention to some of the stories from the mix. But it never got me excited this year and I always get excited to some degree about the Series. The White Sox got hot and rolled over their post-season competition. Barbara and George the Elder Bush tried to make like 'Stros fans, even when Babs chose to leave in the 8th inning of a 14 inning Game 3 (which her "team" lost anyways, so she probably felt some relief in that serendipity). Bobby Jenks (the White Sox closer) looks like he's about two pork chops short of joining that classic SNL "Da Bears" skit. Yawn. Good for those Southsiders - reversed yet another curse and in a cornfield in Iowa I'm sure there are tributes being erected. But I'm more excited about next year when the New Brew Crew reverses the fabled Curse of '82 and returns to their rightful glory. That will be the story a whole country can truly gather round and sing its praises.
Maureen Dowd's catty comments about Judy Miller get a bit of play today. Not nearly as much as it sounds like Judy gets from her sources, if you know what I mean. If you haven't been paying attention to the mess surrounding Judy Judy Judy, let me summarize by saying that it appears she's not only been used by the Bushies but that she has some really strangely conflicted allegiances. And the Mighty Mo is working Judy over with her trademark eloquence and snarkiness. Not a pretty sight, except when they offer glamour pics of Dowd.
Maya turns 8-months-old today. 2/3rds of a year. I'm thinking about making her 2/3rds of a cake - maybe leave out the eggs or the flour. But I'm also reminded of the often way-out-of-bounds-but-still-gutsy Bill Maher hitting it right when joking about new parents giving their baby's age in months. "It's not a cheese!" So I'm going to start saying that Maya's 2/3rds of a year old when people ask her age. Seeing people do math in their heads is not a pretty thing. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Rock on.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Happy Hour with Arianna
Dubya went back to the political equivalent of hugging his teddy bear yesterday - attending a Million Dollar black-tie fundraiser for the "Republican Eagles" in Los Angeles. The pool report made it sound like the ultimate roomful of well-heeled people in full scale denial. The standard pablum from Ken Mehlman gave the crowd time to pick through their $15K/plate meals. And then Dubya doing his groan-inducing comic folksiness and fear-the-future shtick. My favorite line was "I didn't come here not to deal with major problems." Because I won't tell you that he's not doing a for shite job of it.
No one wanted the 2000 dead soldiers in Iraq milestone to be passed, even though everyone knew it was coming over the past number of months. The tragic irony is that we saw that stat dominate the headline on the day that the Iraqis announced the final results of their Constitutional referendum. Of the tributes I've seen thus far, the NYTimes had a snippet of tragic info that surprised me yet again. In the past year (or since September, 2004) 994 Americans have died. Do you think anyone will still be supporting this "war" next year at this time if we're closing in on 3000 dead? Seriously - no joke there. Someone ask Dubya that, please.
With everyone that cares about politics waiting with bated breath to see what the Fightin' Fitz presents for indictments, I can say that there's one person out there I'd like to be sharing a bowl of pretzels with - Arianna Huffington. Her blow by blows on this whole cabal have been the most thorough. And by far the most entertaining. I can picture her this week in a swirl of cellphone calls, fawning assistants, lattes, wheat grass, martinis, fabulousness and grandiose pronouncements. She hits the mark maybe 35% of the time, which would make her a damn fine everyday player in Major League Baseball. As a pundit, she's more fun to listen to than rely upon. Much, much more fun. I suggest keeping an eye on "The Huffington Post" when the indictments come in.
Richard Clarke is making the rounds doing press for his first novel ("The Scorpions Gate"). Expect Fox News to introduce a book segment on all their shows, just to slam it. Regardless, the things he's able to offer as a critique of FEMA's handling of Hurricane Katrina make for fascinating listening. My, my he's done well rescuing his career from the ashes of this Administration's impending conflagration. I still say that his memoir "Against All Enemies" was the best potboiler of last year. Clarke said on "Fresh Air" that he has always enjoyed writing fiction because he enjoys reading fiction. Maybe he's a joke as a thriller writer. Still, I'd put his intellect above than all the Bushies that I've seen. So good for him. Smart sumbitch deserves to show off.
Tried to put together a crib for Maya last night that we'd gotten from a colleague of my wife. The parts were all there as far as we could tell, but we still couldn't figure it out. So I tried to Google plans or pics or something to help. As I expected, a few pics appeared because I searched for the exact company (Simmons from Wisconsin, under the "Little Folks" line). But more importantly repeated news of a massive recall of their cribs floated to the top of the Google results. So...we're shopping for a new crib. Apparently this one had a problem of the mattress base dropping to the floor because the supports gave way. So I've learned the lesson of researching the companies more completely. I'll be sure to pass along any that I find somehow lacking. Rock on.
No one wanted the 2000 dead soldiers in Iraq milestone to be passed, even though everyone knew it was coming over the past number of months. The tragic irony is that we saw that stat dominate the headline on the day that the Iraqis announced the final results of their Constitutional referendum. Of the tributes I've seen thus far, the NYTimes had a snippet of tragic info that surprised me yet again. In the past year (or since September, 2004) 994 Americans have died. Do you think anyone will still be supporting this "war" next year at this time if we're closing in on 3000 dead? Seriously - no joke there. Someone ask Dubya that, please.
With everyone that cares about politics waiting with bated breath to see what the Fightin' Fitz presents for indictments, I can say that there's one person out there I'd like to be sharing a bowl of pretzels with - Arianna Huffington. Her blow by blows on this whole cabal have been the most thorough. And by far the most entertaining. I can picture her this week in a swirl of cellphone calls, fawning assistants, lattes, wheat grass, martinis, fabulousness and grandiose pronouncements. She hits the mark maybe 35% of the time, which would make her a damn fine everyday player in Major League Baseball. As a pundit, she's more fun to listen to than rely upon. Much, much more fun. I suggest keeping an eye on "The Huffington Post" when the indictments come in.
Richard Clarke is making the rounds doing press for his first novel ("The Scorpions Gate"). Expect Fox News to introduce a book segment on all their shows, just to slam it. Regardless, the things he's able to offer as a critique of FEMA's handling of Hurricane Katrina make for fascinating listening. My, my he's done well rescuing his career from the ashes of this Administration's impending conflagration. I still say that his memoir "Against All Enemies" was the best potboiler of last year. Clarke said on "Fresh Air" that he has always enjoyed writing fiction because he enjoys reading fiction. Maybe he's a joke as a thriller writer. Still, I'd put his intellect above than all the Bushies that I've seen. So good for him. Smart sumbitch deserves to show off.
Tried to put together a crib for Maya last night that we'd gotten from a colleague of my wife. The parts were all there as far as we could tell, but we still couldn't figure it out. So I tried to Google plans or pics or something to help. As I expected, a few pics appeared because I searched for the exact company (Simmons from Wisconsin, under the "Little Folks" line). But more importantly repeated news of a massive recall of their cribs floated to the top of the Google results. So...we're shopping for a new crib. Apparently this one had a problem of the mattress base dropping to the floor because the supports gave way. So I've learned the lesson of researching the companies more completely. I'll be sure to pass along any that I find somehow lacking. Rock on.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Or maybe "Laverne Loves Shirley"
Look's like the GOP attack monkeys are taking a more vicious approach to "Greatest Lottery Commissioner Ever!" Harriet's nomination. They've launched a website subtly named WithdrawMiers.org and gotten plenty of ink today explicitly saying that "Most Qualified Nominee Ever!" Harriet should be pulled before the hearings. If "Greatest Christian Ever!" Harriet were a TV show, she'd be "Joanie Loves Chachi" - over before it began, yet doomed to infamy for an eternity.
Everyone's replaying the NYTimes scoop from this morning that quotes lawyers in the Rove/Libby investigation saying Libby found out about Valerie Wilson's identity from "Big Time!" Dick Cheney weeks before the publication of the Novak column. Cheney apparently found out from "Medal of Freedom!" George Tenet. Ah, the stew is reducing after a period of simmering. Yummy.
We got a hiking backpack for Maya that I must recommend highly. She loves it, especially when she's goading me to bounce her more. Or at least that's how I interpret what she seems to be saying. If I get arrested for child endangerment, that will be my defense. Anyhoo, it's a Lafuma (big European backpack manufacturer). If you want a way to hike with your <50 pound kid, it's absolutely perfect. Great around the neighborhood, too.
I predict that if the White Sox win this world series, they will be the least appreciated champion since the Twins in '87. When the Twins won again in '91, they were an amazing story. Should've been in '87, as well. But most of America didn't seem to care and the same seems to be true this year. In this case, it's the unfortunate timing of winning the year after the Sawx. In that case, it's, well, Minnesota. Might as well be Moosejaw. Rock on.
Everyone's replaying the NYTimes scoop from this morning that quotes lawyers in the Rove/Libby investigation saying Libby found out about Valerie Wilson's identity from "Big Time!" Dick Cheney weeks before the publication of the Novak column. Cheney apparently found out from "Medal of Freedom!" George Tenet. Ah, the stew is reducing after a period of simmering. Yummy.
We got a hiking backpack for Maya that I must recommend highly. She loves it, especially when she's goading me to bounce her more. Or at least that's how I interpret what she seems to be saying. If I get arrested for child endangerment, that will be my defense. Anyhoo, it's a Lafuma (big European backpack manufacturer). If you want a way to hike with your <50 pound kid, it's absolutely perfect. Great around the neighborhood, too.
I predict that if the White Sox win this world series, they will be the least appreciated champion since the Twins in '87. When the Twins won again in '91, they were an amazing story. Should've been in '87, as well. But most of America didn't seem to care and the same seems to be true this year. In this case, it's the unfortunate timing of winning the year after the Sawx. In that case, it's, well, Minnesota. Might as well be Moosejaw. Rock on.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Next question - How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?
As Maya pines away in Gitmo, I just watched Dubya take some questions from reporters following a Cabinet meeting. The heat's really rising for the Bushies and the confluence of events that they've got to speak to is unbelievable. CNN's going live with a trio of car bombings in Baghdad (video of the explosions included). Wilma's ruining some pretty darn serious beachfront property in Jeb's re-election effort. But when the questions get asked? Rove/Libby and "Plenty Bright!" Harriet. Ouch. Quick - find somebody for O.J. to kill or the Press may actually cover this Administration's messiness for a change. Morning photo ops with a tiny sliver of Press opening typically haven't ever been a time to actually show Dubya in unscripted mode. His responses this morning are typically retarded on language. Yet the way he's so inexpertly sticking his paddle out into the current to redirect and instead sending himself into even greater peril is pretty compelling. Cases in point - when questioned about his characterization of Patrick Fitzgerald as running a "distinguished" investigation while GOP attack monkeys tried to now call the Fightin' Fitz "overzealous" over the weekend, Dubya went back to his standard "I'm not going to comment on the ongoing investigation." All that means for me is that when charges are brought (and THE INVESTIGATION IS OVER), they'll need to comment. That should be fun for Dubya's speechwriters. Other case in point - when the suggestion that those same GOP monkeys playing defense suggested that the Bushies were looking for a way to withdraw "Cool!" Harriet's nomination, Dubya went right for the Executive Privilege argument to withhold White House records from the Judiciary Committee. Unreal. It's as if he knows what the next political disaster is slated to be.
Spent a good portion of yesterday playing NFL fan. A good friend from college who's now an insanely funny 2nd Grade teacher (Vikes fan) came up to watch the Packers get embarrassed. Two of the worst teams in the League playing some of their worst football of the year to date. And then the Vikes' 98-pound weakling of a kicker boots a fiddy-six yarder to win the game. Horrid. Thankfully we had lots of hearty brat stew and all the fixins to distract us from what we were seeing. Maya even managed to take a lengthy nap amidst the festivities. So it was a fine Fall day on this Coast.
Hope your own picks came in like a Senatorr Judd Gregg Powerball this weekend. Rock on.
Spent a good portion of yesterday playing NFL fan. A good friend from college who's now an insanely funny 2nd Grade teacher (Vikes fan) came up to watch the Packers get embarrassed. Two of the worst teams in the League playing some of their worst football of the year to date. And then the Vikes' 98-pound weakling of a kicker boots a fiddy-six yarder to win the game. Horrid. Thankfully we had lots of hearty brat stew and all the fixins to distract us from what we were seeing. Maya even managed to take a lengthy nap amidst the festivities. So it was a fine Fall day on this Coast.
Hope your own picks came in like a Senatorr Judd Gregg Powerball this weekend. Rock on.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Thursday, October 20, 2005
I'd call it more of a "re-screw-erating"
Outside of the U.S's news media who are so delighted they've got a new hurricane to cover like a hot Mormon daughter, the big story this morning came from an Australian news program. They showed American soldiers burning two Taliban fighters purposely to then use as propaganda against all the other Taliban within earshot. Go to any European or Asian news-site and this beats Rove and Libby's impending prison weddings big time. My bet is that the Pentagon has developed a weather machine to create catastrophic weather whenever they need a cover story here at home. But unfortunately most of the contractors were weaned on missile defense program requirements so we've got a shoddy, unpredictable, wholly dangerous weapon system and Rummy's chosing the target coordinates. Just a theory. But so is evolution and look at the legs that puppy's got.
Last night's most extreme rhetoric abuse belongs to a "Council on Foreign Relations" blimp named Walter Russell Mead. He compared the Iraq fiasco to "having a contractor come in and redecorate your kitchen" in what may be a Top 10 worst analogy in American history, which is saying bunches about where the neocons are reaching these days. Listen for yourself if you've got a stomach able to digest titanium. I cannot begin to fully voice my disappointment with both Zbigniew Brzezinski and Ray Suarez for letting him get away with it on the "Newshour with Jim Lehrer" last night. But the counterpoint missed is not nearly as important as discussing the point made. When was the last time that you chose to have something "redecorated" that led to 2000+ American dead, not to mention 20K or so injuries? Mead may have unintentionally touched upon the arrogance still in play for the neocons. This ain't war in their view. This is a fixer-upper. And we're all footing the bill for years and years to come.
The Astros made it to the Big Show for the first time with their victory over the Cards last night. I'll always root against the Cards after what they did back in '82 to da Brew Crew. But this time, I was honestly hoping the 'Stros (or maybe the As'es) would step through to face the White Sox. This non-traditional October has me very fired up.
Maya's screaming from "Gitmo" and I don't think the Red Cross will take care of this one. Hope your own prison populations are less unruly. Rock on.
Last night's most extreme rhetoric abuse belongs to a "Council on Foreign Relations" blimp named Walter Russell Mead. He compared the Iraq fiasco to "having a contractor come in and redecorate your kitchen" in what may be a Top 10 worst analogy in American history, which is saying bunches about where the neocons are reaching these days. Listen for yourself if you've got a stomach able to digest titanium. I cannot begin to fully voice my disappointment with both Zbigniew Brzezinski and Ray Suarez for letting him get away with it on the "Newshour with Jim Lehrer" last night. But the counterpoint missed is not nearly as important as discussing the point made. When was the last time that you chose to have something "redecorated" that led to 2000+ American dead, not to mention 20K or so injuries? Mead may have unintentionally touched upon the arrogance still in play for the neocons. This ain't war in their view. This is a fixer-upper. And we're all footing the bill for years and years to come.
The Astros made it to the Big Show for the first time with their victory over the Cards last night. I'll always root against the Cards after what they did back in '82 to da Brew Crew. But this time, I was honestly hoping the 'Stros (or maybe the As'es) would step through to face the White Sox. This non-traditional October has me very fired up.
Maya's screaming from "Gitmo" and I don't think the Red Cross will take care of this one. Hope your own prison populations are less unruly. Rock on.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Pincus sees the Stinkus (don't we all)
"Valued Talbot's Shopper!" Harriet should be topic #1 in the District today given her lame questionnaire release to the Senate yesterday as accompanied by the infinitely more insightful Dallas City Council "I support a Constitutional Amendment to end abortion" candidacy response from way back in 1989. After all, Dubya saddled her nomination with the claim she's not gonna change in the next 20 years so we should assume a 16-year-old disclosure to hold true. But instead the real story that everyone's sipping at water coolers everywhere is the Valerie Plame case and the expected indictments in the White House. The Bushies are entirely vulnerable given their loss of public support and, unfortunately for them, everyone knows it. I watched reporter emeritus Walter Pincus (WashingtonPost) on C-SPAN's beloved "Washington Journal" this morning during Maya's early nap. Ol' Walt (who I respect IMMENSELY) alludes consistently to just what a labyrinth of intrigue this story represents and how much indictments in the White House could shake the foundations of this Administration. The best I can say of this whole mix is that we ain't seen nothing yet.
SaddamTV gets rolling today. According to the WSJ, Saddam's legal strategy is to shake thing's up with courtroom surprises including trying to pin some degree of complicity on the U.S. for past crimes. This, dear readers, will be a circus. Yuck.
Bill O'Reilly really made an ass of himself on "The Daily Show" last night, going so far as to call Jon Stewart a "pinhead". Jon held his fire for the most part, but got some great zingers in. If you missed it, I'm sure they'll feature it prominently on "TDS" website very soon. An absolute must-see.
Speaking of must-sees, the best new show of this TV season is unquestionably "My Name is Earl" starring an extremely funny Jason Lee. I've almost melted our TiVo on a few occasions replaying bits and pieces that are especially hilarious. My favorite by far was in his "Quit Smoking" episode when he got into his brother's car and burped up a small lunger of smoke and quipped "I don't know where that came from - I haven't smoked all day." Absolutely fabulous sitcom humor and top-notch character acting. I give the series a solid A- thus far, with a chance for a legit (and rare) full A.
Maya's California grandparents are in town, giving them some quality time with her (especially Nanna) and me some concentrated writing time on my book. Very much appreciated all around. Maya's growing like a compost-pile weed. Check back for pics of the Halloween costumes we're considering. For her first Trick-or-Treatin' tour we've got either a skunk, a bumblebee, or a ladybug. We, as her parents, also will dress in related costumes. Any suggestions you might have will be greatly appreciated. Rock on.
SaddamTV gets rolling today. According to the WSJ, Saddam's legal strategy is to shake thing's up with courtroom surprises including trying to pin some degree of complicity on the U.S. for past crimes. This, dear readers, will be a circus. Yuck.
Bill O'Reilly really made an ass of himself on "The Daily Show" last night, going so far as to call Jon Stewart a "pinhead". Jon held his fire for the most part, but got some great zingers in. If you missed it, I'm sure they'll feature it prominently on "TDS" website very soon. An absolute must-see.
Speaking of must-sees, the best new show of this TV season is unquestionably "My Name is Earl" starring an extremely funny Jason Lee. I've almost melted our TiVo on a few occasions replaying bits and pieces that are especially hilarious. My favorite by far was in his "Quit Smoking" episode when he got into his brother's car and burped up a small lunger of smoke and quipped "I don't know where that came from - I haven't smoked all day." Absolutely fabulous sitcom humor and top-notch character acting. I give the series a solid A- thus far, with a chance for a legit (and rare) full A.
Maya's California grandparents are in town, giving them some quality time with her (especially Nanna) and me some concentrated writing time on my book. Very much appreciated all around. Maya's growing like a compost-pile weed. Check back for pics of the Halloween costumes we're considering. For her first Trick-or-Treatin' tour we've got either a skunk, a bumblebee, or a ladybug. We, as her parents, also will dress in related costumes. Any suggestions you might have will be greatly appreciated. Rock on.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Courting the "Matlock" vote
To better illustrate "Plenty Bright!" Harriet's good ol' boy credentials yesterday, Dubya emptied the Dallas country club bars and brought a gaggle of white guys to the White House. All ex-TX Supreme Court Justices. All old white guys. All probably big "Matlock" fans. One went so far as to say that he'd trust "Heckuva Job!" Harriet with "my wife and my life." Apparently in that order. Now aside from the latent acknowledgement of "Cool!" Harriet's greasy yet unthreatening lesbian past, what exactly are we to take that to mean? That she won't force anybody's missus to get an abortion? That she's good in a knife fight? That she swings both ways? Seriously, we knew "Mission Accomplished!" Harriet was popular with white male lawyers from Texas, but otherwise I'm still straining to see what else in her past aside from running the Texas Lottery like a church raffle with lots more advertising qualifies her for the job. Is this merely an effort to finally make Clarence Thomas look like a good pick? Inquiring minds are dying to know.
All manner of reports are circling the Veep's office with regard to the Valerie Plame investigation. The WashingtonPost goes large with the possibility that indictments may be coming as early as tomorrow and may reach all the way up to "Big Time!" Dick aside from Scooter and TurdBlossom. I've got loads of popcorn just itching to be popped to accompany my non-stop ingestion of that story playing out. At this point, I can't see how Patrick Fitzgerald can do anything but bring some charges forward. If he were to throw up his hands and say, "nothing to see here, please move along" I think that would be one of Malcolm Gladwell's tipping points. Much of the District would tip right into the Potomac and it would wash that last remaining iota of respect for the Press out to sea. No, this one's gonna end with a protracted Court battle and it has the Bushies very, very nervous. 'Bout time.
It's not exactly as important as the Scott Peterson case, but Saddam Hussein's first trial gets underway today. Thankfully Iraq has something to distract the scrutiny from the vote counting, especially those provinces where 99% of the voting population is alleged to have turned out to get all purply and steeped in freedom. Yea right. 99% of anything is a joke. Unless of course we're talking Dubya's opposition in the black community. Therein, it's bankable.
I'd mentioned earlier that I would give my review of the de Young Art Museum that just had it's grand opening gala weekend. We went with our friend Whitney on an absolutely gorgeous sunny Sunday. The lines were long and the reactions I think were largely laudatory. The copper exterior of the museum is amazing (which looks strangely like a rusted aircraft carrier - in a cool way). The observation tower gives great views of the City, but I've seen better from Twin Peaks or Grand View Park (very close to our place in the Sunset). I can't give a review of the gallery spaces since Maya got restless and I bailed before seeing the whole mix. Regardless, this is truly an innovative building. Great energy, to boot. If you come to San Francisco, I strongly advise that you check it out. Let me know what you think, thereafter. Rock on.
All manner of reports are circling the Veep's office with regard to the Valerie Plame investigation. The WashingtonPost goes large with the possibility that indictments may be coming as early as tomorrow and may reach all the way up to "Big Time!" Dick aside from Scooter and TurdBlossom. I've got loads of popcorn just itching to be popped to accompany my non-stop ingestion of that story playing out. At this point, I can't see how Patrick Fitzgerald can do anything but bring some charges forward. If he were to throw up his hands and say, "nothing to see here, please move along" I think that would be one of Malcolm Gladwell's tipping points. Much of the District would tip right into the Potomac and it would wash that last remaining iota of respect for the Press out to sea. No, this one's gonna end with a protracted Court battle and it has the Bushies very, very nervous. 'Bout time.
It's not exactly as important as the Scott Peterson case, but Saddam Hussein's first trial gets underway today. Thankfully Iraq has something to distract the scrutiny from the vote counting, especially those provinces where 99% of the voting population is alleged to have turned out to get all purply and steeped in freedom. Yea right. 99% of anything is a joke. Unless of course we're talking Dubya's opposition in the black community. Therein, it's bankable.
I'd mentioned earlier that I would give my review of the de Young Art Museum that just had it's grand opening gala weekend. We went with our friend Whitney on an absolutely gorgeous sunny Sunday. The lines were long and the reactions I think were largely laudatory. The copper exterior of the museum is amazing (which looks strangely like a rusted aircraft carrier - in a cool way). The observation tower gives great views of the City, but I've seen better from Twin Peaks or Grand View Park (very close to our place in the Sunset). I can't give a review of the gallery spaces since Maya got restless and I bailed before seeing the whole mix. Regardless, this is truly an innovative building. Great energy, to boot. If you come to San Francisco, I strongly advise that you check it out. Let me know what you think, thereafter. Rock on.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
A Hall of Fame exhibit to keep the kids away from
Huge sporty day for folks so inclined. Big college foohballin' (USC v. Notre Dame AND Minnysoda v. 'Sconi). Big Baseballin' playoffs. And big swimming lesson for Maya. My favorite sports story of the day about the Astros fan who caught not one but two home run balls in their epic victory 18-inning victory over the Braves also features the funniest headline of the day ("Dean, balls to be part of Hall of Fame exhibit"). Can't wait to see the way the HoF displays them.
Most of the early reports from Iraq seem to indicate a smooth Iraqi Constitution vote. The stakes are high and I expect that the Bushies will trumpet the success of whatever comes from the up-or-down vote. Personally, I'm more interested in the NYTimes piece on the border battles with fighters coming from Syria and the comparisons to covert operations into Cambodia during the Vietnam War. As usual, it's almost impossible to get a realistic, objective feel for what's really going on there from our immediate media.
Leave it to Matt Sludge to try spinning Karl Rove's 4 and a half hour testimony before the Grand Jury yesterday with a totally misleading headline. His big banner reads "Rove 'No Charges'" and features a shot of "Too Hot" Karl in his Jaguar. Of course there were no charges brought yesterday. There can't be until after the Grand Jury is done with its bizness (their mandate runs through October 28th). The WashingtonPost has an unnamed source that makes it sound much more pessimistic than Drudge and his favorite slanted pseudo-news-service, Breitbart.com (I keep looking for Jeff Gannon's by-line to show up there). I'd bet a round-trip ticket on Hooters airline that Rove does indeed get charged with something greasy. Conspiracy or obstruction charges, maybe public indecency. Whatever happens, he's still out there on the fundraising trail, believe it or not. "I'm outta here" Novak itemizes that fact in his most recent column. That's Tom "Help Me Defend My Honor with your Dollars" Delay quality audacity, which takes HoF-quality balls. Or Hall of Shame, more accurately. Rock on.
Most of the early reports from Iraq seem to indicate a smooth Iraqi Constitution vote. The stakes are high and I expect that the Bushies will trumpet the success of whatever comes from the up-or-down vote. Personally, I'm more interested in the NYTimes piece on the border battles with fighters coming from Syria and the comparisons to covert operations into Cambodia during the Vietnam War. As usual, it's almost impossible to get a realistic, objective feel for what's really going on there from our immediate media.
Leave it to Matt Sludge to try spinning Karl Rove's 4 and a half hour testimony before the Grand Jury yesterday with a totally misleading headline. His big banner reads "Rove 'No Charges'" and features a shot of "Too Hot" Karl in his Jaguar. Of course there were no charges brought yesterday. There can't be until after the Grand Jury is done with its bizness (their mandate runs through October 28th). The WashingtonPost has an unnamed source that makes it sound much more pessimistic than Drudge and his favorite slanted pseudo-news-service, Breitbart.com (I keep looking for Jeff Gannon's by-line to show up there). I'd bet a round-trip ticket on Hooters airline that Rove does indeed get charged with something greasy. Conspiracy or obstruction charges, maybe public indecency. Whatever happens, he's still out there on the fundraising trail, believe it or not. "I'm outta here" Novak itemizes that fact in his most recent column. That's Tom "Help Me Defend My Honor with your Dollars" Delay quality audacity, which takes HoF-quality balls. Or Hall of Shame, more accurately. Rock on.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Shifting blame to where it belongs - the Vikings
Are we seeing the approach of a perfect political storm? Today's economic news featured the highest monthly inflation numbers in 25 years. Since the Carter Administration, people. If you think gas prices have peaked, I've got some partly-cooked Costco sample kielbasa to sell you. Less influentially but equally troubling to economists that try to look forward (unlike pundits), industrial production numbers for the US are in the toilet. So where's the good news for the Bushies? In a poorly-staged satellite Dubya-fest with 10 hand-picked ass-kissing heroes? In Karl Rove testifying for 4 AND A HALF HOURS THIS MORNING BEFORE THE GRAND JURY? In tomorrow's Iraqi election? In the MLB playoffs? In the Minnysoda Vikings sex cruise scandal? If I was Rove's replacement, I'd seriously consider trying to pin blame on the Vikings.
Maya got a flu shot yesterday and didn't even flinch. Tough broad, that kid. Her top tooth also seems to have officially busted through. As a result, she's a bit more testy and willing to bitch than usual. Hard to blame her.
Since the Packers have a bye week, I'm psyched to tag along on a decidedly non-NFL activity with a college friend of Sarah's (Whitney - an architect in LA) who's coming to town to check out the new de Young Museum in our 'hood. If you haven't seen the reviews for this weekend's opening, you should know that I'm not alone in adoring this building. We walk/run by it almost every day and have been through the "soft opening" areas allowing free entry since September. This weekend the whole space opens for the public and we're going on Sunday with Whitney. If you're interested, check out the deYoung website. I'll post a full review this week after we get the full rundown with an actual architect leading our uninformed asses through the mix. Rock on.
Maya got a flu shot yesterday and didn't even flinch. Tough broad, that kid. Her top tooth also seems to have officially busted through. As a result, she's a bit more testy and willing to bitch than usual. Hard to blame her.
Since the Packers have a bye week, I'm psyched to tag along on a decidedly non-NFL activity with a college friend of Sarah's (Whitney - an architect in LA) who's coming to town to check out the new de Young Museum in our 'hood. If you haven't seen the reviews for this weekend's opening, you should know that I'm not alone in adoring this building. We walk/run by it almost every day and have been through the "soft opening" areas allowing free entry since September. This weekend the whole space opens for the public and we're going on Sunday with Whitney. If you're interested, check out the deYoung website. I'll post a full review this week after we get the full rundown with an actual architect leading our uninformed asses through the mix. Rock on.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
2% of any demographic is equal to...the worst Preziduncy in history
So Dubya went out on a limb yesterday to say that "Bring 'em On!" Harriet is religious. A prospective Supreme Court Justice. Being promoted. For being religious. Is it just me or have we lost complete control of things in this country? Seriously, maybe I'm just a lapsed Midwestern Protestant with too much respect for all the other flavors of cheese out there to believe that my brand should be forced down the gullet of the other 300-ish million Americans out there. But this move should be seen as the insult to us all that it is. Dubya's to be forgiven, however, for not having his A-game in the Q&As he's forced into these days - his new poll numbers are so in the toilet they're halfway down the street. And who's he got left to rely on besides his dog, Barney, or his trusty Mrs. Dubya - Rove and Libby are looking at indictments, Bill "Blind (wink, wink) Trust" Frist is getting indicted and DeLay's busy using his attack ad knee jerk on the DA (if hubris were a crime, The Hammer would get the death penalty). I've been doing loads of pondering on "Cool!" Harriet's nomination and I think I've got it figured out at last. She's a sacrificial lamb. Someone he can claim was the right person for the job who's sure to be sliced to pieces in the Senate debate. And then when she's disposed of, Dubya can appoint someone using his favorite approach (recess appointment - probably right around Christmas) that will serve until the next Congress is put in place after the November 2006 elections. Seriously, Dubya wants to give this "Defeat the Obstructionist Democrats" gift to the GOP to help them get off the bench (pun intended) and start playing the game by their chosen rules. One thing you gotta believe in is that Dubya is a sneaky shit. This just might be his sneakiest move of all.
The Dems are screwed if Howard "YEEEAARRGHH!!" Dean is still the best spokesman they've got - his appearance on Letterman last night was so painfully unfunny that I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Sort of. I'm an occasional Dave fan since my TiVo has always had him in heavy rotation, and last night he asked some appropriately snarky hard ones. Dean flubbed them all. Bummer for all of us. As was the case on his campaign, Ho-Ho just can't see fit to prep for anything. Smart guy, terrible jokester. The one moment where Dean showed his capability for straight talk was when he got grilled on the "hide the salami" flub from last week - still one of the all-time most hilarious political "am I still talking out loud" mistakes in American history. But when questioned on the issues, Howie sucks. Love the guy, but he sucks. And if the leader of the Party sucks on the issues, ya gots problems.
Maya's up from her early morning nap. Time to gather her opinions on the issues of the Day. Hope you've got your own brilliant audiences to do so with today. Rock on.
The Dems are screwed if Howard "YEEEAARRGHH!!" Dean is still the best spokesman they've got - his appearance on Letterman last night was so painfully unfunny that I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Sort of. I'm an occasional Dave fan since my TiVo has always had him in heavy rotation, and last night he asked some appropriately snarky hard ones. Dean flubbed them all. Bummer for all of us. As was the case on his campaign, Ho-Ho just can't see fit to prep for anything. Smart guy, terrible jokester. The one moment where Dean showed his capability for straight talk was when he got grilled on the "hide the salami" flub from last week - still one of the all-time most hilarious political "am I still talking out loud" mistakes in American history. But when questioned on the issues, Howie sucks. Love the guy, but he sucks. And if the leader of the Party sucks on the issues, ya gots problems.
Maya's up from her early morning nap. Time to gather her opinions on the issues of the Day. Hope you've got your own brilliant audiences to do so with today. Rock on.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
"Heckuva job" Harriet's papers are released...and they're totally "cool!"
Out of all the disturbing "Plenty Bright" Harriet Miers pieces as of late, the NYTimes nails down her sycophantic creepiness best in today's story itemizing personal notes sent to Dubya over the years. She uses inarticulate compliments almost as much as she abuses the exclamation point. Her childish writing could only be less professional if she also began abusing emoticons ==];-()>{ As if what we need on the Supreme Court is an evangelical ass-kisser. All the churchy stories bother me, like when she went to two mega-church services in Dallas over the weekend with her old sinning partner and personal pimp, Nathan Hecht. But the lovey-dovey connection with Dubya worries me much more.
For those of you with a horse still in the race to the World Series, I hope all's looking bright and shiny today. Seeing the Yankees lose last night was a personal highlight for me - there's no team in any sport that I root against as consistently. I still can't get excited about the Chicago White Sox possibly exorcising their 1919 demons at long last, the Cards leave me cold, and the Astros and Angels might make a good story if either team had anything like a new rally monkey to spur me on. Over the weekend even the Packers notched up a lopsided victory against the woeful 'Aints. The NHL is back which means Canada's ripe for the picking over the next handful of months if the Bushies want another victory in the Global Struggle Against Extremism. Sports stories everywhere. It's almost enough to make a guy forget about raising his child.
Speaking of which, we've decided to begin experimenting with sign language to communicate with Maya. We see it as a much better experiment than the early toilet-training movement (rimshot!) that I saw described in an article on Monday. Maya's also settled in well at playing for short periods on her own in her playpen that we've playfully dubbed "Guantanamo". Much catchier than Abu Gharib. Her top tooth still hasn't fully breached the surface and Maya makes pretty obvious sucking sounds on that gum accompanied by a pretty ridiculous face. And she took to swimming lessons like a well-balanced chimp to a properly sized bicycle. All in all, she's still hilarious and getting more adventurous all the time. Rock on.
For those of you with a horse still in the race to the World Series, I hope all's looking bright and shiny today. Seeing the Yankees lose last night was a personal highlight for me - there's no team in any sport that I root against as consistently. I still can't get excited about the Chicago White Sox possibly exorcising their 1919 demons at long last, the Cards leave me cold, and the Astros and Angels might make a good story if either team had anything like a new rally monkey to spur me on. Over the weekend even the Packers notched up a lopsided victory against the woeful 'Aints. The NHL is back which means Canada's ripe for the picking over the next handful of months if the Bushies want another victory in the Global Struggle Against Extremism. Sports stories everywhere. It's almost enough to make a guy forget about raising his child.
Speaking of which, we've decided to begin experimenting with sign language to communicate with Maya. We see it as a much better experiment than the early toilet-training movement (rimshot!) that I saw described in an article on Monday. Maya's also settled in well at playing for short periods on her own in her playpen that we've playfully dubbed "Guantanamo". Much catchier than Abu Gharib. Her top tooth still hasn't fully breached the surface and Maya makes pretty obvious sucking sounds on that gum accompanied by a pretty ridiculous face. And she took to swimming lessons like a well-balanced chimp to a properly sized bicycle. All in all, she's still hilarious and getting more adventurous all the time. Rock on.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
More details on "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the U.S." Harriet
Ain't history a bitch to deal with? Let's hope somebody asks her about this PDB in the hearings.
The only story to read this morning about "Plenty Bright!" Harriet Miers if you've only got the tolerance for one story - the WashingtonPost's insight into her abortion beliefs based on her wacked-out evangelical Dallas background. The fact that the Post got a Texas Supreme Court justice to go on the record by saying that "(she) believes life begins at conception" is a ripple that will build through the weeks ahead. And it should - Harriet's not "stealthy" at all. This broad's a ringer for the Wacko Right. Period.
If you're looking for an opinion piece on "Heckuva Job!" Harriet coming from an unlikely source of such strongly-worded opposition, check out George Will carving up this turkey. He makes one especially good anecdotal suggestion - if you asked 100 legal scholars to list a "top 100" of their nominee suggestions ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE PERSON would have listed "Darn Good!" Harriet. Seriously. As Will notes, being a lawyer, even a damn good one, doesn't necessarily translate to being anything like a constitutional scholar or even a person with the skills necessary to interpret cases through the prism of constitutional debate that the Supreme Court is required to use. In short - "Bring 'em On!" Harriet is the least qualified non-judge nominee you could possibly consider. All the Bushies that bring up the point about how there have been 40 (of 110) Justices that have come from non-bench backgrounds and how even Rehnquist hadn't been a judge forget one extremely important point. "Mission Accomplished" Harriet has only worked as a lawyer. Not as an Attorney General. Not as an Advocate or Inspector for any form of the public interest. Not as as anything other than a lawyer. Unless they want us to consider her time as Texas Lottery Commissioner or an at-large one-term member of the Dallas City Council. She's only represented private interests, most importantly her long-standing work for Dubya directly. And if "Don't Misunderestimate Me!" Harriet gets confirmed to the highest Court in the nation, she will only continue to represent those interests. Even when we're expected to pay her lifetime salary.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
"She's plenty bright."
This morning's presser in the Rose Garden was damn close to one of those crappy sitcom clips episodes that old shows always seemed to cart out in my formative years. Lots of reheated bunk answers, even though the set-ups were somewhat original (the Press pool seems to have grown more obvious character in the soggy aftermath of Katrina). Boil it down and we learned absolutely nothing new. But the more I listen to Dubya, the more I fear for the English language. Never before has someone so completely thrashed both folksy and Ivy-strewn colloqualisms. My favorite aside from the the title of this post was "(P)eople can opine all they want." Yet the standard Dubya keeps exhalting as Harriet Miers's finest trait slays me beyond any grammar lesson irritation. In short, "she won't change." She'll be the same blank slate at 80 that she is now at 60, apparently since Dubya kept saying "20 years from now." Since when is it good to assume that someone will not grow in a new role (please remember that she's never been a judge, people)? Sheesh.
Monday, October 03, 2005
After a few hours, here are my (only slightly) revised thoughts on Harriet Miers
OK, so with Maya down for a nap and C-SPAN's coverage of the Miers announcement TiVo'd to view, I decided to pick through things a bit. The first thing I saw was something that contradicted with a Wonkette post from earlier this morning that I found to be silly yet illustrative - ol' Harriet is supposedly quite the nitpicker. Late worker. Loyal Bushie. All that crap. But in her prepared announcement, she made a grammatical error. As someone who's done never made one, her nit offered needs to be briefly picked. The following sentence comes right from her ridiculously coded and yet still astonishingly boring transcript of the announcement:
"The wisdom of those who drafted our Constitution and conceived our nation as functioning with three strong and independent branches have proven truly remarkable."
"Wisdom...has" - right? But so far as the important stuff goes, here's a few unimportant thoughts while Maya continues to cooperate (she's such a great kid, by the way).
1. Harriet wears enough gaudy jewelry to make Mr. T shake his mohawked-melon in shame. Tacky, tacky, tacky. If she were a store at the mall, it would be on the uppermost level and offer two-for-one piercings. Whatever that means.
2. In introducing her, Dubya listed every lame-ass thing she's been associated with aside from her past recycling history. Not that recycling's lame. Except in Dallas (where I have lived and can verify), there was no curbside pickup as of the time Harriet left for DC to manage policy matters for the Bushies.
3. Conservatives are making a stink out of her past political contributions to Gore's infantile run for Prez in '88 and Lloyd "I knew Jack Kennedy...You're no Jack Kennedy" Bentsen. But are liberals making anything of her $5K contribution to Bush's recount fight in 2000 or the comparable party allegiance shifting of the douchebag now warming Dubya's old seat in Austin? Cut the crap, people - if Dubya chose her, he thinks she's cut from the same archaic cloth as his judicial heroes, Scalia and Thomas.
4. The term "stealth nominee" has gotten more hits today than Paris Hilton's breakup with her fiancee. Granted, Harriet's surely that - no record worth mentioning as of yet on the issues that will be central in this or any foreseeable Supremes' sessions. But if there ever was a stealthier Justice than the still-new-car-smell-infused Chief Roberts, I've got some barely used bathing suits to sell you.
5. One last word on her distinctively-Dallas-thumb-up-her...am-I-still-talking-out-loud look - absolutely-horribly-bad-mascaraness. Karen Hughes and Harriet must shop together.
Craparama - Maya just lit up the monitor like a Larry King call-in show featuring Tammy Faye Baker. I'll come back to this. Let me know if you care. It's only the future of the Nation in question after all. Rock on.
"The wisdom of those who drafted our Constitution and conceived our nation as functioning with three strong and independent branches have proven truly remarkable."
"Wisdom...has" - right? But so far as the important stuff goes, here's a few unimportant thoughts while Maya continues to cooperate (she's such a great kid, by the way).
1. Harriet wears enough gaudy jewelry to make Mr. T shake his mohawked-melon in shame. Tacky, tacky, tacky. If she were a store at the mall, it would be on the uppermost level and offer two-for-one piercings. Whatever that means.
2. In introducing her, Dubya listed every lame-ass thing she's been associated with aside from her past recycling history. Not that recycling's lame. Except in Dallas (where I have lived and can verify), there was no curbside pickup as of the time Harriet left for DC to manage policy matters for the Bushies.
3. Conservatives are making a stink out of her past political contributions to Gore's infantile run for Prez in '88 and Lloyd "I knew Jack Kennedy...You're no Jack Kennedy" Bentsen. But are liberals making anything of her $5K contribution to Bush's recount fight in 2000 or the comparable party allegiance shifting of the douchebag now warming Dubya's old seat in Austin? Cut the crap, people - if Dubya chose her, he thinks she's cut from the same archaic cloth as his judicial heroes, Scalia and Thomas.
4. The term "stealth nominee" has gotten more hits today than Paris Hilton's breakup with her fiancee. Granted, Harriet's surely that - no record worth mentioning as of yet on the issues that will be central in this or any foreseeable Supremes' sessions. But if there ever was a stealthier Justice than the still-new-car-smell-infused Chief Roberts, I've got some barely used bathing suits to sell you.
5. One last word on her distinctively-Dallas-thumb-up-her...am-I-still-talking-out-loud look - absolutely-horribly-bad-mascaraness. Karen Hughes and Harriet must shop together.
Craparama - Maya just lit up the monitor like a Larry King call-in show featuring Tammy Faye Baker. I'll come back to this. Let me know if you care. It's only the future of the Nation in question after all. Rock on.
Ladies and Gentlemen - Meet The Face of the Future
Harriet Miers gives herself the nod as the Bushies's next Supreme Court nominee after sizing up her own experience as White House Counsel, Assistant Chief of Staff for Policy, and past personal lawyer for Dubya. So she's got experience with corporate malfeasance and drug statutes, one would assume. No experience as a judge, not nearly as skilled in obfuscation as Roberts, and from what I've seen her taste in fashion is lodged firmly in Dallas blue-haired Talbot's bunk. Be afraid people. Be very afraid.
On a very different note, Maya's first swim lesson on Saturday went, well, swimmingly. She and about 15 other youngins (up to age 2) were joined in the pool by a parent. Practically everyone else except us had other family there ringing the pool with camcorders and digital cameras - I felt like Tara Reid with a boob out given the amount of flashes going off around me. Just prior to heading up to class, I got a call from a friend who had an extra ticket to the Giants game - fourth row, crazy good seats from the sound of it at the always lovely SBC Park. But life is very different now and I had to pass without objection in favor of singing "The Wheels on the Bus" while splashing around with a bunch of strangers (huge thanks for the offer go out to Scott, nonetheless). Maya's pretty fearless in the pool, even though we're not exactly expected to launch her off the high dive at this point in her swimming life. If nothing else, a half hour in the pool tired those lit'l cuties out big time. One little boy fell asleep on the locker room floor while his Dad and I chatted about our breeding success. Expect more updates on our little dolphin in the weeks ahead. Maya also got some top quality time this weekend with her Aunts Becca and Katie. Maya goes to them as comfortably and eagerly as Conservatives go to an NRA fundraiser. Having them in this timezone will surely be fun for all of us in the months ahead.
So the New Brew Crew finished the season with two losses, but finish at 81-81. As I've been saying for quite some time, this is a team that excites me. For once, I'm really looking forward to next year - something I'm always jealous of hearing baseball fans from other parts of the country saying after a decent season. And to have something to hold onto from this past season I put a bid on and won a team set of this year's baseball cards on eBay. It cost me a whopping $1, plus shipping and handling. Not exactly Hall of Fame prices. But it just may be the best investment I've made in years. Rock on.
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