70 degrees yesterday and 40 degrees today

I believe the only way to beat this stupid cold is a self-imposed quarantine. No contact until everyone is de-germed, I say. Sheets are to be changed and everything will be disinfected. No one who is coughing, sneezing, watery-eyed, or sniffley will be allowed to enter the downstairs of the barn until futher notice.

One week from today and midterms are finished. No more ads on television. No more political commentary about offensive ads that have been pulled but get played over and over again so everyone can see them and talk about how offensive they are. No more celebrity endorsements from either side be it Michael J Fox or everyone's favorite post-9/11 mayor Giuliani (can you believe Giuliani's doing a DeVos ad? It reminded me how much I disliked him pre-9/11). No more wondering when Karl Rove is going to unleash the hounds. No more paranoia about whether or not Rove has already unleashed the hounds and those hounds are actually polls that he's somehow manipulated lulling the Democrats into a false sense of security and allowing the Republicans to eek out a win not only securing the Evil Genius Legacy of Rove but also pulling off the biggest upset since 1994 because how that party can hold onto power given the gross negligence it has displayed the past 6 years is virtually unfathomable.

My mental health needs this election season to be over.

Anyone from Michigan who wants to look at their ballot and get links to candidates and non-partisan information regarding proposals go to publius.org. It really is helpful.

I could go on and on about Flags of Our Fathers and discuss the muddled mess of a script, the convoluted message of heroism, and the so subtle directing it seemed as if no one directed it. But I won't. Go see it. Really. It's a sad story and despite it's flaws I think it's worth watching on the big screen. And yes, the opening battle sequences are all Saving Private Ryaned out. Get over it. I don't know if anyone remembers, but war is hell. The least we can do is sit through a 20 minute battle scene that illustrates that.

i don't want to talk about it

The Tigers.
Jesus Lord Almighty.
Give me strength.

So it's Friday. And therefore the beginning of the weekend. What a dilemma. Does one spend yet another evening at home watching the Tigers game or does one go out to share in the exhilaration or agonizing defeat of the outcome? It's a tough call. And tonight is my one true honest to god weekend night as Sunday I have the extreme pleasure of working. No pressure.

I had another post-apocalyptic dream thanks to the McCarthy book. Basements filled with hoards of people waiting to be eaten by cannibals and running through deep snow to escape the bad guys. Despite having been brought up on horror movies at a very young age thanks to my Dad, I have a really hard time reading scary books. My imagination just can't take it. It's a beautifully written novel, but man, it's terrifying. I stayed up until 12:30am to watch the end of the game, fell asleep and then woke up at 2:30am freaking out. I actually wished that it was time to get up because the thought of going back to sleep was too much. There was some tossing and turning. I've said it before but this time I mean it: no more McCarthy before bed. This ain't no All The Pretty Horses. This is despair and fear and starvation and loneliness and fear and ash and cold and fear and death and blood and fear.

Gray legwarmer #1 finished and I've started #2. I know I said that I was going to start Christmas presents, but I really want those gray ones finished as the fuscia is perfectly acceptable to wear about my house, but a little much with the red winter jacket I'm currently sporting (I'm on the lookout for a new winter coat--something in the fake fur vein I'm thinking--hello second hand store shopping!!!) This weekend I have made it a goal to go out and purchase the yarn I need for some of these projects. Hopefully I'll have no trouble procuring a vehicle as I'm not heading to the LYS, but rather-gulp-Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I'm thinking about afghans here, people! Honestly! I'm poor! And The Big Red Scarf that I adore was made with yarn purchased at Michaels.

Tomorrow night, of course, everyone I know is throwing a Halloween party. Well there are 2 anyway that I have been invited to. I have little choice but to attend at least one of them. It's not going to be too hard. She's made homemade peach sangria that she claims will cure all of my ills.

I got me some ills.
Bring on the sangria.

it's rude to keep fans hoping a game is going to be on when clearly it's raining like crazy. was it really necessary to wait until 10:15pm??

I'm sick. Again. And I'm sick of being sick. I've even been taking extra special care of myself lately as I've been feeling like a kindergartener this fall. I awoke this morning with a screamingly painful sore throat (no fever, Mom, so I don't think it's strep). I really shouldn't be all that surprised, I guess. It was confessed to me this morning that someone else hasn't been feeling well since Monday. Blast.

Last night I watched Me and You and Everyone We Know. There is something oddly satisfying about watching a substandard indie film. Within the first 5 minutes I was rolling my eyes and trying to convince myself that watching it wouldn't be a complete waste of 90 minutes of my life. I was right. I still didn't like it. The second half was better (there was a wee intermission), but I still think it was maybe overloved by the critics. The filmmaker is a performance artist/fiction writer who's shown work at the Guggenheim, the Whitney and The Museum of Modern Art. Taint too shabby. It was her first feature film and she made the decision to write, direct, and star in it. Yeesh. I thought the script was weak, the directing all over the place, and the performances okay. It nailed this...mood though. I don't even know if mood is the right word to use. Style I think I called it last night. The editing was pretty good and the music was close (though with weak characters it started to feel a little much). ANYWAY, if you are like me and have a good time talking about every little detail for hours after it's worth a watch.

The sweater of last year has been resurrected! I have a lovely coworker who deciphered some sketchy directions regarding the neck shaping for me. I wasn't crazy. The pattern really wasn't all that clear. I'm almost finished with the front (the back was done last year--pathetic right? That thing has been stuffed in a bag for months.) and I have both the sleeves to do which shouldn't take all that long. Then it's gotta be blocked and stitched together. I refuse to let another winter go by without having my very first sweater I knitted all by myself wearable.

I also started the very scary task of sorting my needles. Lord. I think I have about a dozen pairs of size 8 needles. It's genetic. My mom does the same thing when she buys new yarn--I can never remember which needles I have at home and I'm also foolishly thinking when I buy yarn that I'm going to need to cast on immediately before I get home and have access to my stash. Because the mess of needles were all shoved into the same bag as the aforementioned sweater, I've been forced to relocate them. They're currently a tangled mess on my futon. I just saw a great idea though. Using a soft tackle binder bag! I'm in. It's perfect for the numerous circular needles I own. I'm in.

I'm off to fetch some more tea.

walmart for president!

I, Erin, hereby swear to stop watching news conferences of G.W.B. It is completely unnecessary for me to watch that lying son of bitch smirk into the camera, lie to the American people, and attempt to remain credible internationally because I can very easily read the transcript online later in the day. It's not good for my mental health. It's not good for my blood pressure. And it is not good for my cat who ends up huddled in a corner cringing whilst I throw whatever is within reach at the tv. I watched him tell the American people that we have the mastermind of 9-11 in our custody. Really? Huh. Funny, I think I would remember you putting on a big God Bless America Show if we caught bin Laden. I watched him point to Afghanistan pre-"liberation" under the Taliban rule as an example of why securing Iraq is so important. George, I'm not sure if you just haven't been paying attention to your briefings or if there's no one around to read them to you anymore but things aren't really going so well in Afghanistan right now. Here's one of my favorite quotes:

"We must not fall prey to the sophisticated propaganda by the enemy, who is trying to undermine our confidence and make us believe that our presence in Iraq is the cause of all its problems."

George? Our presence in Iraq is the cause of all its problems. That's reality. The majority of the violence that exists in Iraq is sectarian. These are not terrorists. These are warring religious groups who spent the last 24 years being tamed by a dictator. When we invaded Iraq without a clear understanding of the culture of that country we unleashed this disaster. When we removed the "evil" dictator we opened up a conflict that has been brewing for centuries. A military solution to this problem is not going to work. Nor will attempting to unify the Shias and Sunnis with a "government." You.cannot.impose.democracy. And that is why no matter how many benchmarks and timelines and adjustments in strategy you make, this occupation will ultimately fail.

I know I'm not the only one, but man oh man have I got me some serious election fatigue. I cannot wait until this is finished. It's one of the downfalls of getting psyched about midterms so early in the game. And living in a state where one of the candidates for governor starts campaigning in April. Of course I care about the outcome, but I'm starting to feel a little more removed from it all. The Dems should take back the House. The Senate is going to be little tougher as we're looking at traditionally Republican states Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia where we have to win 2 of the 3 to have a chance. What might save the Dems is the Republicans choice to use their formerly tried and true strategy of leaning on Christian conservatives for the votes. Though people aren't giving the Foley scandal the weight some thought they might (and rightly so, I say, though the hypocrisy still makes me crazy), Christian conservatives have been fucked over so many times by this administration they might go elsewhere. Or nowhere at all.

Yeah, I'm so clearly over the midterms!

David Brooks, one of my all time favorite conservatives, wrote a nice little piece for the NYT about Barak Obama and why he should run for president. It's worth a read. Though it's been discussed that mayhaps the young Obama is actually more interested in the #2 spot. How's about an Edwards/Obama ticket to give you a nice political hard-on?

I cannot believe Zumaya threw to 3rd last night. I can't believe it. It was Carpenter's night. Fine. Tonight we've got Bonderman.

One game. We just need one game away.

awww shucks! and i really liked it when he used to say we're gonna "stay the course"

Last night I watched Reality Bites for the first time in I don't even know how long. That movie was standard viewing for awhile with my bestfriendfromhighschool Patty. When it was showing at the dollar theatre in Burlington we'd drive her little Tercel down there once a week and spend entirely too much time discussing the merits of Troy vs Michael. Clearly you're supposed to be a fan of Troy--the unemployed philosopher/songwriter/intellectual who spends most of the movie making Lelaina feel bad about herself, insulting her new boyfriend Michael and acting like an insecure child. Michael is a weenie. There is absolutely no way around that. He's not very smart. His job is fairly lame. But every once and a while he gets it. He gets the bigger picture relationship shit that Troy completely misses because he's too busy trying to be clever. And for those of you who are either too young to have fully appreciated this movie or just wrote it off--watch it. There is a subtle satirizing of the Gen Xers that is a beautiful beautiful thing. Regardless, the viewing of this movie left me with no choice but to track down a computer immediately and write Pev. Dang me. I miss that girl. She's not officially a Canadian yet but she's been up there for a few years now. She lives in a purple house. Allegedly she's got herself a big tattoo and a nose that is pierced once again. It looks like we're going to miss each other this year as I'm not heading home until Christmas and she's making the VT appearance for Thanksgiving. Ah well. The best thing about Pev and I is that we won't see each other for years and when we finally do get together it's as if no time has passed.

What.did.I.say.on.Saturday?!? With the election 2 weeks from now, the administration is scrambling to put together some "benchmarks and milestones." Ready for the best part? It's not a change at all. It's a change in language. That's it. There will be no exit strategy nor will there be a real timeline set. It's a way for the White House to appear as if they are doing something about the Iraq problem without actually doing anything about the Iraq problem. I'm optimistic that the voting population will not be fooled.

You guys are gonna lose.
And it is about time.

Tonight it's Game 3 in St. Louis. Robertson's got himself a rough night. I'm there for you, man. Just don't screw up, okay? We just need one on the road to get us back to Detroit and Rogers. Just one.

it's monday!

This is the happiest I have been to be back at work on a Monday in a long time. It's probably because I don't have to work extra for a DVD Release Party. And things are coming together nicely for the next one. And despite a pretty fun party Saturday night, it wasn't such a stellar weekend. I have alot of life-sustaining errands to get out of the way this afternoon: grocery shopping, laundry, calling insurance companies and doctor's offices. I'll have about 4 hours to complete these tasks and I gotta say I'm on top of things. I'm pretty much living for getting these things done so I can put on some warm flannel, curl up on my couch and knit.

Speaking of....fuscia leg warmers are finished! If I was all technologied out I'd post a picture. I heart them. Muchly. They are so warm and cozy. I've already started a second pair in a much less offensive gray. I know I should really start working on some Christmas projects (!!!), but I don't have the yarn I need to do that and I do have the yarn I need to make me some more legwarmers.

I'm going to get the yarn I need today. For Christmas projects. Really.

Barak Obama said he "might" run in 2008. Now you know how much I hate to criticize politicians, but I wouldn't have done it quite like this. He's currently out there promoting a book (reminiscent of Colin Powell in '94, anyone?) and nothing boosts book sales like speculation. Anyone who knows me knows that I think Obama should absolutely, positively, 100% run in 2008. But I would have waited. Clinton's got her self a cashstash that's pretty significant and waiting until full Hillary Fatigue sets in might have been more effective. Obamamania could fizzle out pretty quickly, I fear. I know he's going to take a hit because of his lack of national political experience. For all ye who dare say it, I have 3 letters for you: G.W.B.

The administration issued a stern statement to the Iraqi government: It's time you guys stood up and took some responsibility for the security situation. I'm going to walk you through this as if you are an idiot, G.W.B. You invaded a sovereign nation. You toppled it's government. You destroyed it's infrastructure. You did this alone because everyone else in the world thought that this was a very bad idea. You are now left with a more dangerous situation than when you invaded. You foolishly keep using sweeping statements like "stay the course" and "we won't cut and run." You've lost. Everyone knows this. The insurgents know it. The American people know it. The rest of the world knows it. And I think that deep deep deep down inside your little cold heart you know it too. I know that when the Iraqi P.M. starts begging you not to leave the guilt starts setting in. It should. I hope you spend the rest of your life regretting just about every decision you've made during your presidency. But now is not the time to let your ego and your pride and your guilt get in the way . Get. Out. Now.

Kenny Rogers is my new hero. And smudge or no smudge, the Cardinals still couldn't hit what he was throwing their way.

but...but..i don't really feel like watching baseball tonight!

It's game one of the World Series tonight and though the mighty Tigers are in, I seem to be having some trouble mustering much enthusiasm for the game. And it's not as if I have a wealth of superfantastic social opportunities that are preventing me from participating in this monumental event. Yeesh. There was talk of The Elbow Room, but no one really wants to drive allllllll the waaaaaay to G.R. Saugytauck was mentioned, but it's probably going to be really crowded and the only place I'd want to sit is at the bar and the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Oh woe is me.

My day off yesterday was not a complete loss despite the unexpected realization that I had a doctor's appointment at 9:45am. I was home and alone by noon (there's a new cat on the property at the front house--Max, a white persian male that's crabby, cranky, and really cute). I watched disc 1 of Anne of Green Gables and knit. At 2 I decided to "read" which of course turned into a nap. At 5 I started making stuffed shells. At 6 I was drinking a glass of red wine, eating crackers and cheese and waiting for the shells to finish. At 7 I was sobbing over the death of Matthew (watching disc 2 of Anne of Green Gables) and managing to reverse the pattern I was knitting which reminded me that drinking and knitting is dangerous.

Watch really carefully over the next few weeks and see if reality doesn't start setting in with the Bush administration. Right now they're saying that they're willing to change their "tactics" but not their strategy: short-term shifts are needed but the long-term goal of doing whatever it is we're supposed to be doing in Iraq is remaining the same. I won't be surprised if by November 7th there is a tentative plan for some sort of limited withdrawal announced. Iraq is going to be the deciding factor in the midterms and if the Republicans want any hope of holding onto Congress they're going to have to face that the policies of the administration are wrong. Which of course means that the administration is going to have to admit that it's wrong.

Which of course will only happen when hell freezes over.

Disregard what I said.

#9...#9...#9...

Spectating 13.1 miles is harder than running 13.1 miles. Especially if you are the official 2006 Greater Hartford Marathon Digital Photographer and get some good shots of your sister and dad, but the best you can do for your bil is a shot of his back. And shots of him waaaaaay in the distance. I honestly got so excited to see him on pace for where he wanted to be that I just randomly hit the button. That would be why I also got a sweet shot of the pavement. Ahem. But seriously, the race was great. I had tears in my eyes as the race began. Hartford was my first race ever. And to be able to be there to see my sister and bil run in their 1st 1/2 is something I wouldn't have missed for anything. I didn't sleep much, but I spent time with some of my favorite people in the world. I also drank me some Magic Hat and some Long Trail. And ate some killer veggie lasagna and chili. And got dubbed Poison Ivy by a 4 year old Batman. And was defeated by him in a mighty battle. And went for a run with my dad and co. The airline experience was less than stellar. I have never been on a flight with so much turbulence where the stewardess came on just as we were landing to remind us if we needed to make an emergency landing to be sure to leave our carry on bags behind. And, of course, my luggage didn't make it from Chicago until the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday. Regardless, it was wonderful. My heart belongs on the east coast. Along with the rest of me.

I returned to the mighty midwest excited that the Tigers were in the World Series and the Lions won their first game of the season. It was touch and go as to whether or not anyone would let me back into this state. My dazzling personality and good looks were enough, I think. Saturday night will be the big test of just how much bad luck I can bring to Michigan professional sports.

The DVD release party was a smashing success. So smashing, in fact, that by 6:10pm we had reached the 200 person capacity. I'm waiting to hear officially, but it looks like I'll be adding a second earlier showing of the films sans popcorn. I have some mixed feelings about this and not just because I'm the one who has to pull a second show off. I'm of the opinion that library programs exist to get people into the library. The greatest success last night wasn't that 200 people got to watch Over the Hedge and eat free popcorn. It was that over 100 people couldn't get in so they ended up going to the AV and Children's Departments to check out materials. People were registered for cards who wouldn't have been in the library had it not been for the program. And if anyone has a fabulous idea for a non-messy, non-carpet staining snack that kids will actually eat let me know. I've been told that the 4pm show needs a snack. I've also been told by the same individual that if stains continue to show up on the carpet it's coming out of my programming budget. Imagine for a minute just how ridiculous that conversation was.

So I'm back. And ready for action.

i think i'm a droid

And that's all I'm willing to say about that.

Suppose you have someone in your life. This someone is going to your home when you are working at night in order to watch the beginning of the Tigers game and possibly some Clone Wars/Star Wars cartoon thing (which, coincidently, I actually watched 30 minutes of and came to the conclusion that I'm missing out on some pop culture stuff because I don't have cable. And the cartoon is completely unnecessary as most of the issues addressed in said cartoon, which is intended to bridge the gap between episodes 2 and 3, are actually alluded to in episode 2. And 3. George Lucas just wanted to make a cartoon and knew a bunch of geeky people would be into it. Oh. My. God. I cannot believe I just wrote all of that.) and enjoy an adult beverage. And before heading to your home the 2 of you are conversing via email. And it becomes increasingly obvious to the someone in your life that you are mildly stressed out about going out of town and missing the beginning of the Tigers game and having a pile of dishes to do and having spent the day explaining for the gazillionth time how a library is funded and how you're not just being a bitch by denying them a library card if they don't have their current address on their ID. If this someone at this moment offers to do the dishes they had no part in dirtying and then offers to pick you up at 9pm with nonwork clothes and then offers to drive you to Saugatuck to watch the Tigers game so you can actually be able to differentiate between the ball and the bad reception it is probably in your best interest to not only take them up on their offer but realize mayhaps having this person around for a while is a good idea.

So.
How 'bout them Tigers last night?

It's been suggested that it's probably for the best that I'm heading east for the weekend as I'm notoriously bad luck for Michigan teams. I'm starting to wonder if I may have broken the curse as I've watched the past 2 games and things have worked out unexpectedly well. The next 3 games are in Detroit where the fans are hungry and the abandoned buildings are just waiting to be burned in a celebratory fashion.

I know you're all waiting with bated breath wondering about the last LYS and whether or not I was able to procure the much coveted 12" #8 needles. I was not. Though I take back what I said about them not being very knitterly. They didn't mock my request and in fact went digging through a new shipment of needles for me. Alas, it was not to be. I'm now thinking I'm going to be forced to make this little project on double-pointed needles. Which will suck as I find them to be awkward and I don't want to end up with the much dreaded ladder at the join given how much I love this wool. And though it has been confirmed I am able to bring needles on the plane, I'm not sure how they're going to feel about 5 double pointed-needles. I'm back to square one where I'll be knitting flat and seaming. Or going with a completely different pattern which makes me sad in my heart.

12" #8 circulars doesn't seem like too much ask for.

Ah well.
Someone in my life did my dishes for me.

it's really more of a rant and less of a post so scroll down if you want to read the real post of the day

Why in the name of GOD is it so difficult to find 12" #8 circular needles?!? Over my supper break in gale force winds I traversed the 4 blocks to my never-let-me-down LYS. Not only did they not have the needles, the guy actually convinced me that I was a lunatic, that 12" needles didn't exist and got me to purchase 16" for $7.25. Desperate to start the legwarmers, I bought them. I've now been on the website of LYS #2 and THEY don't have 12" either. I'm down to the last LYS that I never use because they don't have a website, their stuff is way overpriced and they seem all snooty and not knitterly but tomorrow I have no choice. My only other option is--I can't believe I'm even considering this--the big bad box stores on the north end of town.

I shudder at the thought.

Oh, Mr. Yarn Shop?

I'm not crazy.

if you have midterm election fatigue, be warned...

DeVos vs Granholm Round 2:

He is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad debater. I don't think anyone on either side of the aisle would refute that. I've been reading some comments online about the debate last night and really enjoy the pro-DeVos peeps. Here's some of my favs:

"I'm not voting for an eloquent speaker, I'm voting for someone who will bring changes to Michigan and get us in the market again. Granholm hasn't kept half of her promises and yes, she did speak well but talk is not something I am looking for, action is. DeVos may not have done well in the debate but it's the way he will change the economy in Michigan that interests me."

DeVos has yet to say anything of substance regarding his economic plan. Even when given the opportunity last night to speak on the "134 ideas" he has, he passed. I'm guessing because he had nothing to do with actually writing the plan and has no idea what is even in the plan. Regardless, it seems to me that mayhaps campaigning is the time for candidates to do exactly what Granholm is doing: talk. Be specific about your ideas. Articulate very clearly what you intend to do. And as far as Granholm not keeping campaign promises: have you ever played the big bad game of politics? You don't honestly want me to go back to the past 2 presidential campaigns and remind you what G.W.B. promised, do you? Mr. I'm-a-Uniter-not-a Divider?
Right.

"I'm beginning to think that she will never take ownership of the problems the state has and work to address them. Michigan needs more jobs, a more diversified economy and better leadership. Broad platitudes on the subjects will not cut it any more."

That is exactly what Granholm's trying to do and ironically "broad platitudes" are exactly how DeVos is campaigning. Diversifying an economy that has been based almost solely on manufacturing cars for the past 100 years takes alot of time. It definitely takes more than 4 years. We have to change the perception of what constitutes a "good job." We have to re-train workers and invest in higher education. The U.S. will no longer be a country that makes things. We will be a country of innovation and ideas. Our economy will be service and information based. Of course we have the highest unemployment rate in the country. Our entire economy was manufacturing based and Granholm's plan-which I think she eloquently laid out last night-addresses that directly. Saying that "Michigan needs a business man" or "We need leadership" without explaining specifics is all DeVos has. I'd call that broad platitudes.

"She was left a poor economy ( should have beeen upfront about that during her last campaign), Going to fix our healhcare system, So far no improvement (we are still paying the tab for the uninsured and those who abuse the system). We need a change, I dont care if Devos is as articulate as Granholmas long as he can get the job done and if he doesnt well fire him in four years. Look we are at the botom of the barrel while the rest of the country is humming along, we are loosing jobs and students to other states that have their act together. Lets throw the bum out and give Devos a chance!!! Hes got my vote, I already know what Granholm is capable of, Blameing everyone else!"

The health care situation all over this country is deplorable. The only state that is really trying to radically change how it works is Massachusetts and I certainly applaud them for it. Because the economy was in such bad shape when she took office and only looking to get worse health care got put on the back burner. There's no money in the budget right now. There it is. Instead she used whatever money she had to invest in education. You know, schools? Where people learn to read and write and spell? (Cheap shot. I couldn't help it. It's the losing/loosing thing that really gets me.)

"I am voting for a change and if Granholm wins again, its time to relocate to Texas!"

Please. Go to Texas.

In other news, I'm heading to Connecticut this weekend to watch some of the family run a half marathon. I've flown alot and yet I always get a little anxious. It's not the flying and dying in a horrible accident that gets me. I have no control over that. It's the preparations--the doing of the laundry, the cleaning of the house, the making sure the cat is going to get fed, the trip to the airport, the standing in many lines, the hurrying up and waiting of it all. You'll all be very happy to know that I'm able to bring my knitting needles on board with me. Funny, isn't it? I still can't carry on my big bottle of shampoo, but 12 inch knitting needles are fine. Anyway, I'm looking forward to everything else about the trip. I'm getting me a haircut and I'm getting me a massage with my sister. I'm sitting down and chatting up some religion and politics with my Dad and I'm knitting like a crazy woman with my Mom. No one there knows this yet, but there will be some baseball watching as the Tigers series will be wrapping up this weekend. And most importantly there will be beer.

Long Trail and Magic Hat.
Soon we shall be reunited.

monday morning

Remember in 2002 G.W.B. gave a little speech that is lovingly referred to as "The Axis of Evil" speech? And in this groundbreaking speech he named Iraq, Iran and North Korea as the big 3 evil? And remember about a year later we invaded Iraq because though there was zero evidence indicating such, G.W.B. claimed that Iraq had not abandoned their chemical and nuclear program? And in 2003 as the coalition of the willing was declaring victory and looking for Hussein, North Korea pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and completely pointless 6-party talks began? Remember how some people thought that maybe the administration was focusing on the wrong axis? That maybe a bad dictator with no weapons program was something we didn't need to focus on but maybe a slightly crazy leader with nuclear capabilities was something we should take a look at? I know that charging into war is a hell of alot sexier than diplomacy, but it seems to me we wouldn't have gotten to this point if the U.S. hadn't gotten distracted. The remedy to Kim Jong-Il's actions will not be of the military variety as the U.S. is the biggest and the best and we're a little pre-occupied. So we're looking at sanctions of some kind which will have virtually no effect on Kim Jong-Il as he's already allowed tens of thousands (possibly millions) of his own people die of starvation in the last decade in order to advance his nuclear program.

Nothing is fucked here.

Waking up Monday morning after too little sleep to this bit of news put me in a mood. An angry, depressed, frustrated and tired mood. I alternate between rage and tears. Thankfully I have a ton of stuff to do this afternoon which should keep me busy and my mind occupied. No need to cry over spilled radioactivity.

I saw the new Scorsese film, The Departed, last night. I liked it. Alot. And suprisingly it wasn't Jack Nicholson that got my blood pumping. He was Jack. Same performance he's been giving for the past 30 years. What did it for me was DiCaprio, Mark Walberg, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and even Matt Damon. It's a compelling story with decent characters and lots of twists and turns. It's really violent and was nice to see people getting the shit kicked out them so Mom you're going to want to stay away from this one and Dad go out and see it. I like to think of this film as the triumphant return of Scorsese. I didn't see The Aviator, but I did see Gangs of New York and hated every moment of the over-directed nonsense. In this one, Scorsese has a nice light hand with a lot of good moments. I really like this time of year as this is when the real Oscar contenders start trickling into our theaters.

I have a plan for the Democratic Party. Assuming they can take back the House and the Senate, I say let's roll up our sleeves and start looking forward. Let's look at a plan to get us out of Iraq. Let's do what we can to resecure Afghanistan. Let's start talking about investing in higher education as this country will no longer be the manufacturing safe haven it once was. Let's come up with a non-market solution to the health care crisis. Let's start decreasing our dependence on oil in particular oil from the middle east and come up with alternative fuel sources. It's a common sense, very Democratic Party plan.

What I'm afraid we will do is get bogged down in retribution. The first thing the Democratic Leadership will do is go after G.W.B. I really really really think this is 100% the wrong direction to go in. I'm angry. I'm so angry I let that man's actions ruin my days. I spend hours enraged at what he has done to this country-OUR country. What he's done makes Watergate look like a practical joke and Clinton look like just another stupid politician who got caught. G.W.B. is a criminal. But going after him won't bring our servicemen and women home. And going after him won't make the ozone layer repair itself or our children become smarter. It will be politics as usual and you can bet your ass it will turn off voters. Let's be the party of leadership and the future. Not a party of the past.

Cue swelling campaign music.

It's clearly midterm election season.

It's supposed to snow here by the end of the week.

i'm a live and let live kinda girl but if you get involved with a german shepherd it's over

I don't want to curse myself or anything, but in a mere few short hours I will be officially finished with the 7 days straight of library hell. I have survived 2 illnesses, lots of rain, the first DVD release party, and many many many irritating patron and co-worker interactions.

First up:

Drinks with Molly. We're off to Boatwerks instead of Butch's for a change. Now I know it's a little pretentious to have a mission statement for a restaurant especially one that says this

"Our mission is to create a place that reminds you of simpler times, of vacations on the lake, carefree summers and that first time learning to water-ski. You'll be able to relax and have fun at Boatwerks... it will be like taking a mini vacation every time you're here."

but the goat cheese crostini is really good. Molly's looking for a mojito and I'm thinking an ice cold Grey Goose martini with a twist. But I'll be open to a specialty drink menu too.

Next up:

Eat the beejezus out of a veggie Jimmy John's sub. I dream of this piece of sandwich art. And tonight I get to enjoy it.

Followed by:

Deep chilling out. Maybe some Scrabble outside. Maybe a nature walk. Maybe some Season 2 of Arrested Development disc 1 (finally!). We'll just have to see.

And finally:

Well that's still kind of up in the air too but I'm thinking there will be a short drive (I bet it's close enough to walk...) down South Shore Drive for a bonfire at the very least and some checking in of the score of the Tigers game.

Tomorrow someone is coming at 11 am to fix my broken windows (!!!!!!!!!!). At 4:30pm the U of M vs Michigan game is on as is game 4 of the Tigers/Yankees series. Honestly, who planned that?!? I'm thinking I'm going to go with the football and check in on the baseball game periodically. Tomorrow night. Huh. I have no idea. I know there was talk of a bonfire at the compound and I told the Berghoef to alert the urban jetset crowd in the Grandest of Rapids, but I'm not sure if he did. Confidentially, dear reader, I'm sort of hoping to make a trip to the big city for the evening. I haven't been to Sazerac in forever. Or Founders. Or the garage. Or Cambridge House. Then again I am a fickle woman. By tomorrow night I could be ready for a bonfire at mi casa.

With my renewed interest in knitting I've been checking out many a knitting blog lately. I really like Crazy Aunt Purl and Yarn Harlot. They give me hope in my time of darkness and uncertainty. Will I EVER finish that blasted lacy scarf? Will my hands EVER feel the perfect touch of wool again? Plus I can completely relate to many of the bizarre and quirky things knitters have in common like abandoning a project when you are within striking distance. And shedding tears of frustration when you have spent hours working on something only to discover it looks like a ratty mess and then realizing that you are shedding tears over something you supposedly enjoy doing.

It's a perfectly neurotic hobby for a perfectly neurotic person like myself.

super trouper lights are gonna find me shining like the sun smiling, having fun feeling like a number one

Last night the Stockard Channing home remedy seemed to work. I curled up on my couch with a mug full of whiskey, hot water, lemon and honey. I swaddled myself in fleece, the big red scarf, and a quilt. I watched about an hour and a half of Star Wars Episode 3. I passed out-book in hand, of course-and awoke this morning at 7:20am. I told myself that after a very hot shower if I still didn't feel well I could call in as no one expected me to come in today anyway. Imagine my surprise when I actually did feel pretty good post-shower. I even walked to work. I've had just about everyone tell me I shouldn't be here, but I'm fever-free and being pretty psychotic with the hand washing and the anti-bacterialing. I'm stuffy and coughing and tired. But I'm here. And on day 6 of 7 days in a row.

The weekend is within my grasp.

I did end up ripping out the lacy scarf and I'm finally happy with the pattern and the width, but I'm so sick of working with the yarn. It's a hand-dyed silk thing that's all noveltied out. I keep gazing at the wool I purchased last week longingly. I just want to push through and finish this project. I need to check if I'm able to bring my knitting needles on the plane for next weekend as when all those crazy runners are out running 13.1 miles my Mom and I can find a nice bookstore/cafe and sit and knit like the crazy addicted women we are.

I've started reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon. It's a book I avoided due to it's book club quality, but Peter's reading his new book and mentioned that he liked this one. I like it. The stilted candence of the prose could be gimmicky, but it's not. The fact that it's written in first person with a very specific character could get annoying or cliched, but it doesn't. It reminds me of--and I can't believe I'm going to say this--but it reminds me of how I felt the first time I read James Frey's "Million Little Pieces." Though I'm not a drug addict in recovery, Frey wrote such a compelling and specific first person narrative it made me feel as if I could completely identify with him. Haddon writes this 15 year old autistic boy and makes him so accessible. I've also been reading this Phillip K. Dick "The Man in the High Castle" which is this crazy trip of a science fiction book that imagines the world if Germany and Japan had won WWII and all of the characters in the book are reading a best-selling novel that imagines a world if the Allies had won WWII. And nonfiction wise I've decided to read the much talked about as of late Bob Woodward Trilogy of G.W.B. I love that the administration encouraged the American people to read the first 2 and are saying that the last one is less than accurate.

In the annoyingly familiar famous words of The Rolling Stones:
You can't always get what you want.

First things first.

I watched the debates. Twice. First on PBS and then on FOX. A couple of observations:

• Dick DeVos is frighteningly similar to G.W.B. From the cadence of his voice to that deer in headlights look he gets when he's halfway through something he's saying but he realizes he actually has no idea what he's saying because alot of what he's saying is substance-less catchphrases.
• Jennifer Granholm flung mud. I thought it was cheap and unnecessary.
• Granholm talked substance and numbers; DeVos talked vaguely and sweepingly.

I guess because he framed the race I never thought about how silly it is that she's campaigning on 4 years as governor and he's campaigning on years of being the CEO of a company. Apples and oranges, people, that'd be apples and oranges. He's doing a pretty good job of making it seem as if she's just not doing enough when in reality there's very little she can do with things like trade agreements and various constitutional issues. It was interesting to watch the 2 of them frame this nationally--name dropping Trent Lott and Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton. It's sad really that state elections-where everyday citizens have the most power-are usually overlooked and instead of focusing on issues that are important to the people candidates still feel the need to make things bigger and feel more inaccessible.

The biggest scariest thing?

The similarities between DeVos and G.W.B. aren't just in their ratfaced appearance. G.W.B. had zero political experience before becoming governor of Texas. He was governor for only 5 years before he became president. He was a made politician by the Republican Party. He came from a family of unbelievable privilege and yet still managed to capture the good ol'boy vote by seeming to be down to earth.

Michigan does not want to be the state that launched DeVos' national political career. Because no one spends 20 million dollars of their own money to stop at the governor's seat. He's got his eye on something much bigger.

Second things second:

I'm sick of hearing about Foley. I hate to think that the only reason we're going to win back the house this year is because a very sad gay man acted inappropriately. I hate the moral hypocrisy of the right as much as anyone. But I hate the left's hypocrisy just as much. We were so pissed about Clinton. And here we are doing the same thing.

Third things third:

The DVD release party was a success. We had fewer people than expected which we're chalking up to some publicity confusion and the fact that it was rated PG-13. Which is totally the way to go. I don't think I can fully express the huge difference between a G rated film where parents drop off 5 year old kids or stay to "watch" the movie and then talk loudly to other parents leaving kids the impression that it's okay to be disrespectful or little animals who throw popcorn and run in and out of the auditorium willy-nilly. Unfortunately the rest of the movies are all PG or G so I got to ease into things, but I'm sure chaos is right around the corner.

Fourth things fourth:

It's not a cold. It's the weather. It's stress. It's allergies.

I'm not sick.

"and when i awoke i was alone, this bird had flown."

Today Norwegian Wood is my favorite Beatles' song.

It's raining here. Big rain. Thunderstorms and downpours. The kind of rain that makes one not want to leave the comfort of their homes. Sadly work beckoned this morning as did the storm. I was up at 5:30am and under the impression my house was being attacked by lightening bolts. It's probably because I'm an Angel of Sin, at least according to my neighbor who went so far as to purchase me a tank top saying so. I can dig it.

The highly-esteemed Western Michigan poet Mr. Peter Berghoef is published in this month's issue of Unlikely Stories. Check it out.

For those of you who are as perversely obsessed with this fall election as myself and who live in Michigan, tonight is the first debate between DeVos and Granholm. I believe it's going to be televised on FOX and PBS though right now my local PBS station is saying Antique Roadshow is on at 8pm. I'll watch. I'll listen. I'll scream at the tv and get frustrated about things I have zero control over and wish I lived in a country that valued leadership and was truly representative of the people and not corporations or manipulated by the media.

Good thing I have that padded room in my future. The one where I'm in control of everything.

It's going to be a big week at work as tomorrow is the first DVD release party. Woo. Hoo. I'm psyched. It's going to be fine. I come in at 1pm and pretty much make popcorn for 5 hours which will leave me coated in a fine layer of oil and seasoning.

I'll be delicious.