Spring's in swing here in Seattle. As much as one can call March in Seattle Spring. Nonetheless, Maya's loving the flowers and getting us outside with alarming regularity. Hope your own longjohns were shed ages ago. Rock on.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
"If it pleases the Chairman, I'd like to request a break to change my shorts for the first time."
Before I offer a few quick thoughts on Gonzo's mess over at the (In)Justice Department, the following Karl Rove clip deserve a quick mention. This guy can't even deliver a scripted joke, much less a legacy for Dubya that doesn't start with mention of Iraq. If you want to throw up in your own mouth just a little, here's the finger for your gag reflex.
Kyle Sampson's getting the knobby end of the bat right about now in front of the Senate's Judiciary Committee. As far as political theatre goes, this is burlesque. The doods over at TalkingPoints Memo are providing the best blow-by-blows that I've seen, especially since they've been way out front on this story from the beginning. After just a handful of questions, Sampson's already complicated Gonzo's future testimony hugely. My lockbox prediction - "You Can Call Me Al" Gonzales will be out within a week. On a related level of almost indigestible irony, it doesn't seem that we'll have a chance to see what sort of legal mind Pat Robertson's "law" (wink wink) "school" (nudge nudge) arms a young Bushie with since Monica "(insert your own Lewinsky joke here)" Goodling is taking the Fifth to avoid testifying. Just pile her on the mountain of felonious lackey roadkill in this scandal. And for those Bushie apologists that say this is a political fishing expedition I offer just one counter - with bait like this, who needs to go fishin'.
Hope your own limit is caught early on. Rock on.
Kyle Sampson's getting the knobby end of the bat right about now in front of the Senate's Judiciary Committee. As far as political theatre goes, this is burlesque. The doods over at TalkingPoints Memo are providing the best blow-by-blows that I've seen, especially since they've been way out front on this story from the beginning. After just a handful of questions, Sampson's already complicated Gonzo's future testimony hugely. My lockbox prediction - "You Can Call Me Al" Gonzales will be out within a week. On a related level of almost indigestible irony, it doesn't seem that we'll have a chance to see what sort of legal mind Pat Robertson's "law" (wink wink) "school" (nudge nudge) arms a young Bushie with since Monica "(insert your own Lewinsky joke here)" Goodling is taking the Fifth to avoid testifying. Just pile her on the mountain of felonious lackey roadkill in this scandal. And for those Bushie apologists that say this is a political fishing expedition I offer just one counter - with bait like this, who needs to go fishin'.
Hope your own limit is caught early on. Rock on.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
So wait...do we now need updates on the health of every other candidate's spouse?
John Edwards just confused the crap out of me. Politico.com blew the lead with the entirely wrong leak that he was getting out of the race. And then his people manipulated the crap out of the story by pumping the announcement. This is BALLS, people. Can't wait to see where it heads.
I'll offer one Edwards story, with a brief editorial. I saw him in the Student Center on Dartmouth's campus when I was working for Dean in the week leading up to the New Hampshire Primary in '04. He was an hour late. Lame. The people running the show were making excuses to everyone, and I remember one particularly beautiful advance staffer distracting every single reporter in range. Frickin' smart advance work...but that's another story. Eventually, John came on. And SLAYED the crowd. Everyone there left on board. I saw every other candidate in the field that Primary lead-up. John was the best. But that's maybe what is so scary. This guy has known some tragedy. And this guy has an incredibly smart, tough lawyer as a wife (translation: Clinton echo to undercut Hillary). I'd say don't count John out. He smart. And crafty.
Al Gore's got the good press. But Barbara Boxer has balls. The way she smacked down James Inhofe was stronger than anything anyone's offered that doosh to date. Please do yourself a favor and watch it.
Hope all your campaigns continue unabated. Rock on.
I'll offer one Edwards story, with a brief editorial. I saw him in the Student Center on Dartmouth's campus when I was working for Dean in the week leading up to the New Hampshire Primary in '04. He was an hour late. Lame. The people running the show were making excuses to everyone, and I remember one particularly beautiful advance staffer distracting every single reporter in range. Frickin' smart advance work...but that's another story. Eventually, John came on. And SLAYED the crowd. Everyone there left on board. I saw every other candidate in the field that Primary lead-up. John was the best. But that's maybe what is so scary. This guy has known some tragedy. And this guy has an incredibly smart, tough lawyer as a wife (translation: Clinton echo to undercut Hillary). I'd say don't count John out. He smart. And crafty.
Al Gore's got the good press. But Barbara Boxer has balls. The way she smacked down James Inhofe was stronger than anything anyone's offered that doosh to date. Please do yourself a favor and watch it.
Hope all your campaigns continue unabated. Rock on.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
"Just when I thought I was out..."
While a hearty majority of the nation is probably debating whether "Dancing With the Stars" will have another vaguely creepy Emmitt Smith character this time around, Alberto "Call me Al" Gonzales continues to simmer in a salty broth. That turkey's almost cooked. My money's on the fact that he'll be compelled to testify before Congress and even the most loyal Bushie has no idea where that might lead. But I must admit that I'm more fixated on Harriet "Greatest Counsel Ever!" Miers. Can you just imagine the Constitutional crisis we'd be facing if she'd not been yanked back from that insanely misplaced nomination to the Supremes? 'Cause ya know the last Congress would have rubber-stamped her when push came to shove. And she'd been involved - pre-nomination, mind you - in the idea of selectively purging the Judicial Branch of folks unwilling to play ball with the hardcore Bushies. Holy. Moly. Even though she's been put back to pasture in Dallas, "Heckuva Job!" Harriet's getting yanked back in "Godfather III"-style (translation: horribly unworthy, unworkable final chapter). I can't see how the White House will be able to quash a Congressional supeona since she's already on the outside - resigned last year to "spend more time with her (selected cover story)." She'll have her C-SPAN moment. Tough timing to have just had the lusciously lucid Valerie Plame before the Members. Don't expect Tony Blankley to make any jokes about the color of Harriet's "roots" as he appallingly did on last week's "Left, Right and Center". Speaking of which - Tony Blankley is the biggest doosh in the entire medicine cabinet of Conservative apologists. My wife, I believe, thinks it's Tom DeLay, based on his "Morning Edition" interview this morning - much dooshiness was to be beheld, no doubt. Regardless, let me know if you've got a nomination for this game.
Hope your own emails are selectively deleted forever and ever when you see fit wink wink nudge nudge. Rock on.
Hope your own emails are selectively deleted forever and ever when you see fit wink wink nudge nudge. Rock on.
Friday, March 16, 2007
"Could Ms. Plame please repeat that last bit about 'under cover operations'...and just a little slower this time?"
The two stories that have my attention today are obvious yet still surprising. Foremost, Alberto "The President calls me Al" Gonzalez is finally catching the heck he should've received years ago. I simply believe that he's on his way out. Dubya will need to cut bait on Justice and Gonzo's the designated chump there to keep the taint from running all the way uphill. I always thought he was a greasy loyal-to-a-fault Bushie. Now we get to see for real just how comfortable he is lying repeatedly. Not a pretty sight.
But in terms of prettiness, Valerie Plame is pretty much off the charts. I just caught a bit of the opening of her appearance before Henry Waxman's House Government Reform Committee. All the prior photos haven't done her justice. I'm sure she'll be all over the place for the next few newsy cycles. Rawrr.
Hope your own March Madness is easily treated with proper medication. Rock on.
But in terms of prettiness, Valerie Plame is pretty much off the charts. I just caught a bit of the opening of her appearance before Henry Waxman's House Government Reform Committee. All the prior photos haven't done her justice. I'm sure she'll be all over the place for the next few newsy cycles. Rawrr.
Hope your own March Madness is easily treated with proper medication. Rock on.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Nothing helps Maya get truly better than some quality playground time.
Nothing helps Maya get truly better than some quality playground time.
Originally uploaded by emaggie.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Newt and Joe, showing off their moral compasses.
Two insultingly ridiculous stories caught my eye recently. Number one, Newt "Cancer Divorce" Gingrich was cheating on wife Number Two with lucky future Number Three while he was leading charge for impeachment of Clinton. Them's some massive hypocritical cajones on ol' Newt. But I dearly love having him in the race for the GOP Nomination.
Secondly, Joe "I hold the balance of the Senate in my watertight arsehole" Lieberman took cash for his re-election bid from the big money behind the Swift Boat Vets. I'm not surprised. Just appalled.
In better news, Maya's pretty much back on the job after her pink eye adventure. Can't say that I'll miss dealing with her waking up temporarily blinded by crusted shut eyes. I suppose she'd concur.
Hope all your own senses are ungooped, so long as you need them today. Rock on.
Secondly, Joe "I hold the balance of the Senate in my watertight arsehole" Lieberman took cash for his re-election bid from the big money behind the Swift Boat Vets. I'm not surprised. Just appalled.
In better news, Maya's pretty much back on the job after her pink eye adventure. Can't say that I'll miss dealing with her waking up temporarily blinded by crusted shut eyes. I suppose she'd concur.
Hope all your own senses are ungooped, so long as you need them today. Rock on.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
No longer desperately seeking a Bird, a Sheep, and an Elephant.
Everyone's stumbling over themselves to snark that Scooter's guilty, minimum security shower stall with body gel style. Sucks for that guy to have at some point sold his soul to the Devil, I suppose. This really piles on another historic bad newzy run for the Bushies. I can't imagine that this story diminishes before the end of June when Scooter get sentenced. My early bet is that even with time off for being a rat, he still does 5 years. But he could get 25. However thinly you slice it, the outcome is a big ouch.
Maya's really got the gunk all up in her lit'l grill. Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an insidious punk of an affliction. Pesky eye boogers everywhere. Most parents know, I'm sure. Since you can't really efficiently test whether it's bacterial or viral, antibiotics sound as surefire as taking Dick Cheney to a friendly trap shoot where your kids are throwing the clay pigeons. So we're riding it out, enjoying the company of a friend passing through on a book tour, and letting Maya write the stage directions. One of which is worth mentioning, as a recommendation for the youngins. Namely, "Jack's Big Music Show" within the Nickelodeon universe of cable channels. We all dig the show since the music is diverse and the shtick with the puppets is so well done. Maya got obsessively connected to one episode. Which we mistakenly deleted a month ago. Oopsie. Everytime we've allowed Maya to watch TV since, she's asked for this episode of "Jack's" by saying "bird, sheep and elephant". With a thick San Francisco/Seattle two-year-old accent, but that's beside the point. Which is that today that episode of "Jack's" replayed. Not really sure if Maya can see eveything through the sludge. But she was still happy as an elephant with a trunkful of water when we watched it this morning. Karma seems to be on our side. Which is nice.
Hope your own TiVo finds you a longlost love today. Rock on.
Maya's really got the gunk all up in her lit'l grill. Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an insidious punk of an affliction. Pesky eye boogers everywhere. Most parents know, I'm sure. Since you can't really efficiently test whether it's bacterial or viral, antibiotics sound as surefire as taking Dick Cheney to a friendly trap shoot where your kids are throwing the clay pigeons. So we're riding it out, enjoying the company of a friend passing through on a book tour, and letting Maya write the stage directions. One of which is worth mentioning, as a recommendation for the youngins. Namely, "Jack's Big Music Show" within the Nickelodeon universe of cable channels. We all dig the show since the music is diverse and the shtick with the puppets is so well done. Maya got obsessively connected to one episode. Which we mistakenly deleted a month ago. Oopsie. Everytime we've allowed Maya to watch TV since, she's asked for this episode of "Jack's" by saying "bird, sheep and elephant". With a thick San Francisco/Seattle two-year-old accent, but that's beside the point. Which is that today that episode of "Jack's" replayed. Not really sure if Maya can see eveything through the sludge. But she was still happy as an elephant with a trunkful of water when we watched it this morning. Karma seems to be on our side. Which is nice.
Hope your own TiVo finds you a longlost love today. Rock on.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Just a bit better than gettin' the stink eye...
Daycare's a scary petri dish, especially in the winter months. Maya's most recent extraction from the mix - pink eye. It started out looking like something flu-ish. Then her eyes got mucked up starting yesterday. Kid needs a steam room. But she's doing aiight. We get to hang and catch up, while I wait for my own infection to arrive. Speaking of which, two personal ratings need a small drumroll with just a little snare.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is fabulous. My rating is a solid A. The cast is flawless and the magic realism is like one of those trips into the crazed suite at the end of the hallway in your college freshman dorm where you knew you'd see most everything. Some may cringe often in the "Labyrinth". There are heaps and heaps of gruesome scenes. Nonetheless, I believe even many of the grossed-out will watch this movie for years and continue to find new details in the mix. Go. You'll enjoy it, I promise.
In the burgeoning field of Iraq War journalistic bombshells, The Walter Reed Hospital scandal and the general malaise in the VA System that simply MUST be headed toward pending scandal is compelling. But I believe that Bob Woodruff's ABC docu-newsie-trip back to Iraq plus his David Letterman appearance was the biggest gutcheck in the most recent "surge" of media insight. Woodruff will become only more impressive as time goes by. Good luck sure didn't hurt. Most importantly, the money to get everything repaired. Still, I give Bob Woodruff's return to the stage another solid A.
Before Maya got to fullblown ickiness, I got to play Seattle tour guide with a college roommate and his wife here for a conference from Madison. If you had any sort of damage to your property or collective soul this weekend - blame it on this rollicking conference full of drunken radiology folks. We did some of what I was sure had been outlawed - the big throwdowns sponsored by drug companies. Like a six-hour open bar at a Coyote Ugly-like jazz bar ("88 Keys" in Pioneer Square deserves in the best of circumstances a snarky C-minus). And a top o' the Space Needle party. Luckily, I could also corral this friend, Mike, to visit a few dives and drive all over the damn place in the afternoons. Our only failure was my inability to re-find the original Soundgarden out in Magnuson Park. You'd think I'd know my own damn park, ya know. Regardless, it was great to see them and to get yet another chance to show off what the City means to me.
Hope your own tours take you both off and on the beaten path, with footwear to match. Rock on.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is fabulous. My rating is a solid A. The cast is flawless and the magic realism is like one of those trips into the crazed suite at the end of the hallway in your college freshman dorm where you knew you'd see most everything. Some may cringe often in the "Labyrinth". There are heaps and heaps of gruesome scenes. Nonetheless, I believe even many of the grossed-out will watch this movie for years and continue to find new details in the mix. Go. You'll enjoy it, I promise.
In the burgeoning field of Iraq War journalistic bombshells, The Walter Reed Hospital scandal and the general malaise in the VA System that simply MUST be headed toward pending scandal is compelling. But I believe that Bob Woodruff's ABC docu-newsie-trip back to Iraq plus his David Letterman appearance was the biggest gutcheck in the most recent "surge" of media insight. Woodruff will become only more impressive as time goes by. Good luck sure didn't hurt. Most importantly, the money to get everything repaired. Still, I give Bob Woodruff's return to the stage another solid A.
Before Maya got to fullblown ickiness, I got to play Seattle tour guide with a college roommate and his wife here for a conference from Madison. If you had any sort of damage to your property or collective soul this weekend - blame it on this rollicking conference full of drunken radiology folks. We did some of what I was sure had been outlawed - the big throwdowns sponsored by drug companies. Like a six-hour open bar at a Coyote Ugly-like jazz bar ("88 Keys" in Pioneer Square deserves in the best of circumstances a snarky C-minus). And a top o' the Space Needle party. Luckily, I could also corral this friend, Mike, to visit a few dives and drive all over the damn place in the afternoons. Our only failure was my inability to re-find the original Soundgarden out in Magnuson Park. You'd think I'd know my own damn park, ya know. Regardless, it was great to see them and to get yet another chance to show off what the City means to me.
Hope your own tours take you both off and on the beaten path, with footwear to match. Rock on.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
"But Daddy, if I smash it and kick over my amp, how do I get to play 'Old McDonald' or anything else?"
"But Daddy, if I smash it and kick over my amp, how do I get to play 'Old McDonald' or anything else?"
Originally uploaded by emaggie.
"If you'd read my rider, you'd know that on the Day after the Day after Oscar Sunday, I expect that you'll allow me to sleep in as late as possible."
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
A San Francisco drive-by, in a good way
Being back in San Francisco for the first time after 6 months in Seattle is delightfully entertaining. I'm on a tour of old haunts today, with Maya fully ensconsed in the welcome embrace of aunts and grandparents while Sarah's pleasantly tied up at a conference with collegues. Lower Haight, Cole Valley, Ocean Beach, past the Golden Gate on the way to North Beach, and more to go. One day of running a rental car raw through this amazing city's streets will scarcely be enough. But as I listen to an elderly Italian man sing with his regular Saturday back-up band of accordians and mandolins in Caffe Trieste, I'll take this without complaint. The weather is positively stunning. The blues and greens of the city are blinding. So I'm refueled and ready to hit the road again.
Hope your own background music today also features loads of accordian. Rock on.
Hope your own background music today also features loads of accordian. Rock on.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
"Where's that Gannon guy - sure could use one of them questions..."
Dubya just finished the strangest news conference I've seen in many moons. Part of it had to be that the vast field of tough problems and unbelievable missteps that naturally lead to a bazillion snarky White House Press Corps questions. But he's flubbin' and stumblin' more than ever. Including a repeated assertion about Iran's alleged link to weapons found in Iraq being bad even if the Iranian government didn't know about it. And an outright refusal to respond to my earlier planted question about Rove/Fleischer/Armitage's leaking of Valerie Plame's name. I look forward to how the chattering class battles over this moment in the life of the Administration. I think it's a low point. Let me know if you disagree.
For those looking up Maya's progress, it's been a solidish week of flu featuring a few days of hearty barfing. She dealt damn well considering everything, we did approximately 37 loads of laundry, the house got a bit manky, but we've dosed it all in kerosene so it's all just a sensory memory now. More importantly, Maya's back to about 97%. Good thing, too. Tomorrow nite we're heading back to San Francisco for a few days. Should be lovely to revisit some short-lived-but-loved haunts and see some cherished folk. Please check back for pics.
Hope your own follow-ups are unavoidable today. Rock on.
For those looking up Maya's progress, it's been a solidish week of flu featuring a few days of hearty barfing. She dealt damn well considering everything, we did approximately 37 loads of laundry, the house got a bit manky, but we've dosed it all in kerosene so it's all just a sensory memory now. More importantly, Maya's back to about 97%. Good thing, too. Tomorrow nite we're heading back to San Francisco for a few days. Should be lovely to revisit some short-lived-but-loved haunts and see some cherished folk. Please check back for pics.
Hope your own follow-ups are unavoidable today. Rock on.
Friday, February 09, 2007
My bet - Cheney had Anna Nicole Smith whacked
While the entire chattering universe fixates on which pic of Anna Nicole Smith to use attached to the snarky eulogy, a Pentagon report is emerging that slays Douglas Feith and Rummy's intelligence shop. What does the report say? Only that the Iraq/Al Qaeda link was bullshite, and everyone who should know certainly knew it. But when you've got THE dead ex-stripper to end all dead ex-strippers to blather about...who cares about a War begun on false pretenses, right?
Hope you own hotel rooms are free of baggable evidence today. Rock on.
Hope you own hotel rooms are free of baggable evidence today. Rock on.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Operation When Will This End
Those that have been paying attention won't need to be reminded that as of today we've lost 5 helicopters in Iraq in the last 3 weeks. The first 4 were shot down, even though the military hated to admit it. This latest tragic downing carried 7 now lost Americans. Reports say it was shot down, too. Read about it - we all should be aware of how bad that mess is becoming. Personally, I've had trouble getting up the gumption to post anything regarding this debacle as of late. Bad news getting worse, day after day, is awfully hard to joke about. So when is enough truly enough? Dubya's "surge" is on display in these losses. And everyone says it will only worsen before it becomes less worse. Not better, but different. Oy. We need to invent a new category of screw-up to truly gauge what we're starting to tally herein.
Hope your own categories are expansive today. Rock on.
Hope your own categories are expansive today. Rock on.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Maya does her first few laps on her new racetrack.
After years of sleeping on a perfectly adequate mattress made from cardboard and stripclub fliers, we finally took the plunge and went plush. Our "Golden Dreamer" arrived today. Maya loves it. So will we. Hope your own mattresses are turned with obsessive regularity today. Rock on.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
And on my mark...set your watches for withdrawal countdown...now
Holy moly - I've read few more immediately compelling recaps than that just posted on the NYTimes describing today's Senate Judiciary Committee. Expect. Massive. Conflict. The Dems plus Specter are going to put an end date on funding for Iraq six months out. Everyone crapped in their pants, apparently. Gather your thoughts after you read the recap.
Hope your own testimony isn't derailed by protesters today. Rock on.
Hope your own testimony isn't derailed by protesters today. Rock on.
Monday, January 29, 2007
This chicken tastes like a parenting lesson yet is oddly yummy...
Killer vignette on the Maya front this afternoon. Set the scene with me picking up Maya from the Lutherans in Ballard @ noon, as usual. The daycare center is a pretty standard churchy building of classrooms behind a contempo-bricko church. Everything around is residential. Save one place - Smokin' Pete's BBQ down the block and across the street. Maya and I've been there together a few times over the past months, and she's been a hit with folks when she's come strolling in before. Important to note: their ribs and chicken plates are crackin' good (my rating - usually a solid B but sometimes with a Plus, like today). Heavy as the recent Rush Limbaugh and often as merciless, though. The idea of heading there today for me was way down the list. Once we hit the sidewalk, Maya turns toward Smokin' Pete's in full babble. Forcing me to either cut bait and pick her up. Or let it run it's course. So we walked. I eventually tried to cut bait and head back to the car. But Maya would have none of it and presented a somewhat convincing case. In no time, we were inside Smokin' Pete's where she'd led me to the cooler for a "wa-wa" and then on to the deli counter where she'd identified the Mac 'n Cheese she's had twice from there. We debated, I caved and ordered a chicken plate to get the sides. We were at a table in no time - jackets off and Maya pleased as Hawaiian Punch way back when they made the stuff from real Hawaiians. We had some Mac 'n Cheese while we waited for the chicken and cornbread to go. Now mind you, I've introduced the hook - Maya's never heard anything prior this day about the cornbread from me or the hipster coolguy behind the counter. But she's had it before. Our food comes in a paper bag with all smiles and the whole spiel on all ends. I start prepping Maya for the exit. And just like a two-year-old, I thought, she got all uppiddy and wanted nothing to do with, um, getting up. She was mumbling something that sounded vaguely like Dubya's last State of the Union (my rating - F-plus), while I gathered our coats and foods and gawd knows what else arrayed around us like a schizophrenic banquet. By the time we'd crossed the street, it hit me. She was asking for "bre-bre" - her goo-goo-ish take on the universalized word for bread. I recalibrated. We saddled up on our hearty Volvo steed. Maya devoured the cornbread on the way home, washed down with loads of "wa-wa", then aced a bottle and passed out like Vince Vaughn at an open bar boat show. I'll see her in a few hours. When I do, I'll thank her for choosing our lunchspot on her own for the first time. My chicken is delicious.
Hope your own takeout is amazing today. Rock on.
Hope your own takeout is amazing today. Rock on.
Friday, January 26, 2007
So a rabbi, a Lutheran and a stem cell researcher approach me in a gay bar...
Big newziness from the Northwest - Big Foot has been found. Minus the big feet. Confused? Why do you hate our freedom.
Hope your own non sequiters make perfect sense today. Rock on.
Hope your own non sequiters make perfect sense today. Rock on.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Carl tries to reclaim the title from Karl
For my money, the best antedote to the lingering post-State o' the Union banter is the rim-rattling historical reference provided by Carl Bernstein. He really is an eloquent man when he chooses to be. The way he eviscerates Dubya in deference to Nixon is gold-standard interesting. A quick check is worth it many times over.
Hope your own break-ins are merely attempted today. Rock on.
Hope your own break-ins are merely attempted today. Rock on.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Maya's First Brat Series - Temp/Greasiness Testing
Out of blind, tasty allegiance to some sort of NFL Fans mantra, I made tasty brats and some necessary fixins yesterday for the Conference Champs gaming. Maya helped. Honestly. And even gave the links a try. She seemed happy-ish. Hope y'all were, too. Rock on.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Headin' elsewhere...
There doesn't even seem to be a point in addressing Dubya's plan for a so-called "surge" - some tragic mistakes just stand out glaringly enough on their own. And as the news over the weekend out of Iraq went from stunningly bad to even worse with the decapitation of Saddam's half-brother (boy, is that an unfortunate irony), I'm turning elsewhere. Most of the Press today will be focused on Obama's exploratory committee announcement. I'll instead offer up a few quickie reviews as this morning's Seattle snow turns to slush, taking with it so many unknown snowmen.
Sarah and I did a dinner and movie on Saturday. We chose "Children of Men" starring a terrific Clive Owen and a uniformly strong cast. It's cut from the same post-apocolyptic cloth as "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (my choice as Best Novel of 2006) - lots of bleakness layered with enough hope to make it hugely entertaining. I was most struck by the masterful staging of the battle scenes. Not since "Full Metal Jacket" have I seen a movie that captured "war" in such a harrowing and chaotic way. But the allegorical aspects of the movie really set it apart. Alfonso Cuaron is one of those uber-cool Mexican auteurs. See it. My rating - an A-minus.
Dinner-wise, we went to Volterra in Ballard - a well-reviewed newish "contemporary Italian" place with a dark red interior that looks borrowed straight from the Playboy Mansion collection. We were pretty hearty and tried a wide enough array to say...bunk. Middling to at-best passable food, no original flair, perfunctory everything else. Order a pizza instead. My rating - a C-minus.
And I don't think I ever gave my take on "The Departed" which we saw a couple weeks ago. An instant crime classic. Jack Nicholson over-eats the scenery but he's Jack and no one can stop him now. Matt Damon isn't getting the accolades, but he carries the movie front to back. Claire Forlani looks like she's aged about 20 years since she was the Next New Mz. Thang back in the late 90s - her role is by far the most confused and inauthentic. Scorsese still can't write chicks, know what I mean. And it's overlong by about one-and-a-half extra plot twistees. But if you like noir and can take a few bloody, violent deaths, you need look no farther than this ride. My rating - a strong B-plus.
Hope your own thumbs are up all day. Rock on.
Sarah and I did a dinner and movie on Saturday. We chose "Children of Men" starring a terrific Clive Owen and a uniformly strong cast. It's cut from the same post-apocolyptic cloth as "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (my choice as Best Novel of 2006) - lots of bleakness layered with enough hope to make it hugely entertaining. I was most struck by the masterful staging of the battle scenes. Not since "Full Metal Jacket" have I seen a movie that captured "war" in such a harrowing and chaotic way. But the allegorical aspects of the movie really set it apart. Alfonso Cuaron is one of those uber-cool Mexican auteurs. See it. My rating - an A-minus.
Dinner-wise, we went to Volterra in Ballard - a well-reviewed newish "contemporary Italian" place with a dark red interior that looks borrowed straight from the Playboy Mansion collection. We were pretty hearty and tried a wide enough array to say...bunk. Middling to at-best passable food, no original flair, perfunctory everything else. Order a pizza instead. My rating - a C-minus.
And I don't think I ever gave my take on "The Departed" which we saw a couple weeks ago. An instant crime classic. Jack Nicholson over-eats the scenery but he's Jack and no one can stop him now. Matt Damon isn't getting the accolades, but he carries the movie front to back. Claire Forlani looks like she's aged about 20 years since she was the Next New Mz. Thang back in the late 90s - her role is by far the most confused and inauthentic. Scorsese still can't write chicks, know what I mean. And it's overlong by about one-and-a-half extra plot twistees. But if you like noir and can take a few bloody, violent deaths, you need look no farther than this ride. My rating - a strong B-plus.
Hope your own thumbs are up all day. Rock on.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Maya surveys the renewed Seattle snowscape in her spiffy new jacket.
Maya surveys the renewed Seattle snowscape in her spiffy new jacket.
Originally uploaded by emaggie.
Monday, January 08, 2007
A wee bit of the ultraviolence...
I suppose I shouldn't have insulted whatever balance of karma resides in the universe on Saturday with my last blog post before going to the Seattle Seahawks/Dallas Cowboys Wildcard playoff game. Jokingly, I mentioned the horridly escalating drunken swagger of the Seahawks' fans as I'd seen it at the Packers/Seahags Monday Night game at the end of November. But for this game I was lucky enough to have a Suite seat, thanks to the generosity of a friend (Russ, you da man). After a crazy, flipfloppin' game throughout, the Hags backed into a victory. I left the stadium and headed toward my bus. Then I got jumped. The details aren't important because nothing was broken or stolen or will even leave a long-lingering mark. Bummer, nonetheless. But when life gives you a bump on the head, I've always said make lemonade. So I've used this opportunity to explain boo-boos and owees to Maya. She seems unfazed and rather entertained.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
A sick kid's like a messy lawn - you'd hate to have a neighbor complain, but it's sure more convenient if you can get a professional in to deal...
After an amazing New Year mix of Holidaze and general days, we've been smacked clean in the middle of the forehead by the nature of parenting. A child. Inexplicably sick. Full of snot. And discontent. With the welcoming hug of so-so-many available surrogates gone, I was left to ponder this past Thursday and Friday - where have all those pretty flowers gone? Let me digress...
Maya awoke on New Year's morning with a cough that would have made even Bea Arthur uncomfortable. Phlegm. Or the Feared Flems. Whatever. No one can wear that raspy thing for long before the listener begins to question their own mortality. So we dealt. Probably pretty poorly. Mainly on my watch. But I'm still driven by the general pronouncement of "Maya's such a good girl" in all circumstances. Even though I think she might have compared me to the Lord of All That is Evil for not relieving her pain, we're now seeming like we're past the worst of it. Sorry that I don't have any especially cute coughing pics to offer. Now or ever.
Looks like we're headed into a crazy biggun week for Iraq policy posturing. In my opinion, we've all been willing to give Dubya all the leeway in the remaining free world with regard to his Sisyphus-like contemplation. But I foresee one major mistake emerging that I expect all my plagarists to soon echo - Dubya's reluctance to do his job allowed the newly empowered Dems to undercut him by advising that a troop increase is an admitted failure. Dubya's still pathologically stuck in the same mode that informs his arrogance. Call it his "I'm the Decider" Syndrome. Because as soon as you feel the need to tell people that's what you are...well, that role slips away like so many false dreams of a legacy. I fully expect any New Year hangover of pulled punches directed at Dubya to seem so utterly 2006. If you think you've seen an unpopular Prezidunt in your lifetime...well, just wait.
I got an especially friendly offer from a friend to go the Seattle Seahawks' Wildcard game versus the Dallas Cowboys this evening. I'll take my camera. And my keen eye for detail. And a shiv for the first Seahawks fan that asks me "Are You the 12th Man?" That sucker's goin' down. Hope your own encounters today lead to results that just may cover the spread. Rock on.
Maya awoke on New Year's morning with a cough that would have made even Bea Arthur uncomfortable. Phlegm. Or the Feared Flems. Whatever. No one can wear that raspy thing for long before the listener begins to question their own mortality. So we dealt. Probably pretty poorly. Mainly on my watch. But I'm still driven by the general pronouncement of "Maya's such a good girl" in all circumstances. Even though I think she might have compared me to the Lord of All That is Evil for not relieving her pain, we're now seeming like we're past the worst of it. Sorry that I don't have any especially cute coughing pics to offer. Now or ever.
Looks like we're headed into a crazy biggun week for Iraq policy posturing. In my opinion, we've all been willing to give Dubya all the leeway in the remaining free world with regard to his Sisyphus-like contemplation. But I foresee one major mistake emerging that I expect all my plagarists to soon echo - Dubya's reluctance to do his job allowed the newly empowered Dems to undercut him by advising that a troop increase is an admitted failure. Dubya's still pathologically stuck in the same mode that informs his arrogance. Call it his "I'm the Decider" Syndrome. Because as soon as you feel the need to tell people that's what you are...well, that role slips away like so many false dreams of a legacy. I fully expect any New Year hangover of pulled punches directed at Dubya to seem so utterly 2006. If you think you've seen an unpopular Prezidunt in your lifetime...well, just wait.
I got an especially friendly offer from a friend to go the Seattle Seahawks' Wildcard game versus the Dallas Cowboys this evening. I'll take my camera. And my keen eye for detail. And a shiv for the first Seahawks fan that asks me "Are You the 12th Man?" That sucker's goin' down. Hope your own encounters today lead to results that just may cover the spread. Rock on.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Just one more sleigh ride shot from an afternoon full of them.
To cover a few more of the bases from our trip to 'Sconi, the following pics are a few of my faves. I hope you agree.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas in 'Sconi
Happy Holidaze to all on this fourth day of Festivus. We're back safe and sound in Seattle after a trip to my 'rents place in Ogema, Wisconsin. I've taken a few weeks off from posting, but you can bet your bottom Swedish pancake that I've got some good shtick upcoming. Sounds like most of the country missed out on a white Jesusmas. That's surely what we were expecting. Even though my Dad had been working for months on the idea of staging one-horse open sleigh rides on the fields behind their house for Maya and her two cousins that live in Wausau. When we got in to the impossibly cute airport in Eau Claire after yet another badluck Northwest Airlines layover (my official badluck airline), all we saw was ice. Then more rain. But then a hearty, perfectly-cured 5 inches of the best snowman snow you ever saw dropped the early morning hours of the 23rd and stuck like glue to everything in sight. A thousand people in the vacinity of where I grew up lost power when lines broke beneath the weight of what appeared to be Christmas chandaliers, made of ice and branches. Up therebouts, a thousand people cover some serious territory. Sadly, many were still unjuiced on Christmas. I can only assume the vistas were less stunning viewed over a camp stove or while struggling with a generator. From my point of view, however, it was the most idyllic Holiday I've ever seen. In all earnestness. Please check back later for pics.
Hope all your hangovers today are easily cleared with a broom or long board. Rock on.
Hope all your hangovers today are easily cleared with a broom or long board. Rock on.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Maya warmed up to Seattle's three-day winter like a champ.
Here's a few shots for those of you worried that we'd never post wintery photos from last week's freakish Seattle snowstorm. The snow's as gone as James Baker's midlife-crisis mullet. But it was fun while it was there to see. Maya truly loved it. Hope your own climate is normalish these days. Rock on.
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