I'm trying to ignore her but OMG!

Here's Sarah Palin at 24 in 1988, sportscaster for KTUU, NBC affiliate, Anchorage, Alaska! Her accent makes me want to put ice picks in my ears!

Another Cheney... i.e., another asshole.

So Sarah Palin is McCain's chosen running mate. Gross. In addition to her lack of experience, her Creationist bent, her belief that humans have nothing to do with global warming, there's another reason to loathe her, her lack of a soul. Listen to her telephoned interview with Anchorage's answer to Howard Stern, The Bob and Mark Show. The fact alone that she was on a show of such level makes one wonder about her judgement. But what's worse is her reaction to things said about her political rival, Lyda Green, president of Alaska's state senate. (Although they're both Republicans, they have apparently clashed rather seriously.) Bob twice calls Green a "cancer," which is foul since Green is a cancer survivor. The second time he calls Green a cancer as well as a bitch, Palin laughs in response. The host insults Green in other ways, including a reference to her "big and cushy" chair, an allusion to her weight, and Palin never contradicts, never tries to elevate the conversation. She giggles and cackles like Regina George. In fact, when Bob and Mark say that they'd like to come visit Palin, she responds with "We'd be honored to have you." Palin's actions after the interview are just as cowardly and immature, calling Green's office and saying that the governor does not condone name-calling. But isn't that what she does when she lets it pass in silence or, in this case, just giggles? Shouldn't she stop someone speaking publicly in a way which is morally reprehensible and ask him to conduct himself in a more suitable manner? Shouldn't she demand that the level of discourse match the dignity of her office? She's supposed to be ready to step into McCain's shoes when he croaks, for Christ's sake! But how is she supposed to stand up to Medvedev when she can't or won't stand up to a dickhead DJ?



According to Lyda Green's own website, she's withdrawing from the race for re-election. One wonders if her health has been a factor, which would make Palin's response especially odious.

Obama Accepts!

Nicely done, well spoken. I have to say that this year the DNC has felt a lot more like a production along the lines of the Olympic Ceremonies than just politics. And the hoo-hah over the aerial angle? Are people really that desperate to find something to pick at? Guess so. At any rate, it feels more like a reality show than reality. And Obama's acceptance speech was well done, although I have to say I tuned out after a while, the same way that I sometimes tune out when I'm grading the work of a student who always gets A's on everything, (right... right... nice point... blah, blah, blah, "A!").

Back in NYC.

And it's actually cooler than it was in California! Low temps, low humidity... very odd.

Who do they think they're fooling?

I receive Flavorpill, a weekly newsletter featuring cultural and nightlife events for New York City. (I also get Urban Junkie, optimistically hoping that I'll be able to visit London and take advantage of some of their listings. It's been, like, seven years since I've been there, so whatevs!) I love living in NYC, but having spent the first quarter century of my life in the San Francisco Bay area, I know that there are other, wonderful places in the world. That's why when I read things like this, it just pisses me off:

It's easy to make fun of Burning Man: 50,000 costumed/naked hippies converging in the desert for a massive, drugged-out Kumbaya doesn't exactly jive with New York's cutthroat individualism.

Does this writer have eyes? Has she never been to Williamsburg and seen the hipsters who wear "individuality" as a uniform? Has she never seen the herds of CarrieSamrandalottes moving through Soho or the Meat Packing District? Anybody working around the Financial District or Midtown? I see a lot more people doing whatever they can to look like they belong to a group than those acting independently. Actually, the best quote I ever heard about New York was that there are seven million people in New York. So even if you're one in a million, there are seven others out there just like you.

But he got the gold in being a dick.

When the Cuban Tae Kwon Do Olympian, Angel Valodia Matos, was disqualified from receiving the bronze, he kicked the ruling ref in the face. An Olympic, titanic, gigantic display of poor sportsmanship.

And now they're over.

I've watched the Olympics more this summer than I ever have before. I mean, part of the reason is that, for reasons which require no explanation, I've been staying in evenings this summer more than ever before. And it may just be my imagination but it seems like the Olympics buzz has been especially intense this year. It may because of Michael Phelps' amazing eight gold medals. It might be because the Chinese and NBC have done such a nice job. Or it might be because with our present administration, our military quagmire in the Middle East, gas hovering around $4/gallon, the housing and credit crises, maybe people just want a reason to feel good about themselves. Who can say?

Holy F*ck!

My friend, P, has the demo/preview/whatever and about all I can say is: Holy F*ck! This game is absolutely amazing!

Isn't it Ironic?

In the midst of my preparations for today's wedding, between two men (gasp!), there was a knock on the door. Lo and behold, it was a man who was passing out flyers in support of Proposition 8. I wished him sunburn and closed the door.

Red State Grossness.

Did you know that Nebraskan law allows parents to abandon children up to the age of 19? Under its new Safe Haven law, Nebraska allows parents to abandon minors at specific locations, with no questions asked. Other states with Safe Haven laws specify that the child has to be a newborn, but not Nebraska. So if your little girl got a tattoo? Dump her. Your boy not going out for football? Give him the boot. The other thing about Nebraska's new law is that you don't even have to be the legal parent to abandon the child. Wow. I guess that's family values at work. And there's something wrong with me if I judge this? I'm an out-of-touch elitist? Fine, I'm an elitist you frickin' barbarians!

I just received my teaching schedule for the coming year.

I'm teaching first period and eighth. Ugh. Last year my first class was second period, which meant a more leisurely morning. Also, my first period is my myth class with the seniors. My psychic abilities are telling me that attendance could be a problem.

Another Sign from God!

Seriously, people can see a water stain in the form of a shrouded woman and next thing you know they're all "Holy shit! It's the Virgin Mary! Let's set up a shrine right here below the freeway overpass with the rats and the discarded needles!" So why hasn't anyone pointed out the obvious: that our beloved and sainted Walt is sending a clear omen and indication of his plan? I mean, Walt, having transcended human form, must be aware of the future that global warming has in store for us. This Mickey Potato is obviously telling us that within a few years Florida will become way too hot and swampy for anyone to enjoy DisneyWorld (whoops, too late!) and that it is his will that the entire complex be relocated to Maryland! What are we waiting for? Dig it all up FedEx it to Maryland right now!

BebeMoche calls readers "fools"!

Almost three weeks later, BuddyCrocker says, "Now c'mon! That's not nice!"

I bought the farm!

Well, not the "farm," but a lot of clothes! My friend, P, and I went to the Napa Premium Outlets and I finally got to pop my shopping wad. After sweeping through the J. Crew, the Brooks Brothers, and the Barney's outlets, I feel like I'm ready for the fall. Whew!

Of course, it wasn't all shopping. We also decided to go for a drink and dinner up along the Russian River, which would have been more lovely had we not gotten lost. Ah well, live and learn.

Saw It.

Actually, I saw it last Friday night... at the 10:25pm showing... with, like, five other people in the theater. Life in California suburbia can be miserable. Oh yeah, and the movie was NOT for anyone over the age of thirteen.

Hipster Olympics

Okay, it's pretty funny. But something tells me that those who are responsible for it could be defined as being Hipsters themselves. Which makes me wonder, will there be an irony feedback loop? Will the ironic pop eat itself?

Ha!

more cat pictures

Nightmare.

A friend of mine will soon be leading visitors through the newly opening Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. At the moment, he's still in orientation and this is the video they showed over the weekend... you know, just to get into the spirit!

Geekhood.

I spent all day yesterday in UC Berkeley's library, researching and writing. I left feeling as happy as if I'd been to Disneyland. My poor BF.

And in the Cute News...

Norway has bestowed knighthood on a penguin... he dressed for the occasion. (Thank you, I'll be here all week!)

No Gold.

In fact, no nothing. She finished 21st in the three position rifle competition. Ah well.

And Now, a Different Car...

So now I'm driving this and I'll have it until I leave. (The banana yellow beetle was just for a weekend.) It's a Mitsubishi Eclipse, mine is the same burnt orange color, it has NO legroom for the back seats, and the seats are so low that I feel almost like I'm sitting on the floor... or the road. I was expecting to get a Toyota Yaris but they were out of compacts on the day I picked it up. As a result, I got the futuristic-looking sports car. The funny thing is, I think that I'm compensating for how sleek and zippy it looks by the way that I'm driving. I'm driving even more like grandpa than I normally do.

Have I mentioned my amazing students lately?

Actually, I can't say that she was ever a student in one of my classes. But tomorrow one of ours will be competing in Beijing. I've got my fingers crossed!

And by the way, I couldn't give a shit about the lip-synced, computer-generated fakeness of the opening ceremonies. Are we supposed to pretend that this has never happened before? Besides, it might have been fake but it looked damn good. Isn't that what we really care about anyhow?

Dark Knight...damn good!

I gotta say, its several week stay at the top of the box office has been well deserved. We watched it on IMAX last night at the Metreon in San Francisco. Wo.

Could I just be him for, like, a day?

Nom nom nom.

My rental.

Good God. It's hideous. But damn! it's fast and nobody's gonna crash into me... would you drive into something that gives you retina burn?

The Soul Train's a-runnin'

If you get WGN, you really should check out their Saturday afternoon airing of The Best of Soul Train. Were the '70s really that embarrassing? The platform shoes, the polyester bell bottoms, the chains... Especially fun is when the whole cast lines up and couples do their dance moves down the center.

You can see that some couples choreographed their steps and they're totally in sync. Then you have those couples where one told the other, "Just follow me and do what I do." And then you have the couples where one narcissist just lets loose and the poor schmuck he/she has grabbed just kind of walks along with them.

And then, the music's just damn good. It all sounds familiar, but growing up with three brothers whose interest ran from the Who to Kansas to Rush, I just didn't hear a lot of this stuff.

In Cali.

More to come. Not really on vacay but I'll do my best.

This whine has spoiled.

Like in most big cities in August, New Yorkers flee and tourists invade. But this year we've all noticed that it's been different. With the dollar crippled, traveling abroad has been a much less appealing option than before. Even some of those who spend the summer on the beach have had to give up their shares in the Hamptons or the Pines, (Say it's not so!). Since the onset of summer we've heard a new word repeated over and over: staycation, even though the pathetic economy has been a boon to foreign tourists for a while. (I remember people talking this winter about visitors extending their stay so that they could do their Christmas shopping here rather than at home.) Still, most of us remember not all that long ago when things were the other way around, when traveling in Europe was amazing since everything was so much cheaper, (Camper shoes here are less than $60? I'm buying all of these!). We know that things will even out again, that some years are good, (Clinton), and some years are bad, (Bush). On the other hand, there are those among us who feel a sense of indignation about the economy, as if they've been personally affronted by the weak dollar. What do they do? Bitch about uppity Europeans who don't know their place. Check out what they have to say in the New York Times. I have to say that I'm astonished at people's sense of entitlement and the classist tone of the article. New Yorkers are upset seeing "outsiders treat their city like a Wal-Mart of hip." One New Yorker expresses shock about her friends' spending saying: “Back home they’re just run-of-the-mill cubicle people... but here, they’re like three parts Kimora Simmons and two parts Oasis, circa 1995.” My favorite, however, is the unfortunate young woman who clearly doesn't understand that her status has changed after the mere shop girls, who should trip over themselves to help someone as elegant as her, ignore her for some tacky Europeans. "Wearing the sort of outfit that usually acts as a siren for department store salespeople — a Tory Burch shift dress and Jimmy Choo slingback heels — she instead found herself waiting behind a European couple in sneakers and bike shorts..." (Bike shorts! They're tacky and tasteless and they're still getting more attention!) Her inability to grasp the situation is summed up in the following: "She was always used to first-class service, she said, adding, 'But now, there’s an ultra-first.'" The poor thing doesn't even understand how ordinal numbers work. I wonder if she also thinks that Olympians who win silver come in first, it's just that the gold medalists come in ultra-first.

BuddyCrocker now two full months without posts!