What Stella Said

Stella said...

On behalf of California, I apologize. We have a lot of non-Californians in our state that don't understand our culture and values. Of course I voted against banning gay marriage.

Attorney General Jerry Brown, who was our governor and may be running again in 2010, said that he would stand by the voters' choice, but anyone who got married when the California Supreme Court sanctioned gay marriage would continue to be recognized married. He was against the measure.

Ghost dancing is absolutely correct perhaps the issue of Church-State separation is what truly needs to be examined here. What got voted in were Christian values. Our Founding Fathers were Deists, particularly Thomas Paine, George Washington, and James Madison.

So, I am particularly angered by this proposition and consider the entire matter unconstitutional in violating the Fourth Amendment. The wonderful Margaret Cho stated: I am totally disgusted and furious that now there is a ban on gay marriage in California. So my happiness about Obama is tempered by my anger about Prop 8. Still, we cannot give up on the struggle. This is just a reason to fight harder to make gay marriage legal again. We can overturn the ban. We lost this by such a narrow margin. It was only a few votes. We could take it back.

I feel the same way.

There is already a lawsuit pending by the ACLU and LAMBDA, among others, appealing the vote. Last night, there were 3,000 people in the streets protesting the Yes on 8 win and strong support to overturn this mess: Numerous public figures have spoken out against Proposition 8, including President-elect Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Joseph Biden... It's not over.

And then Stella said this...


Blogger Stella said...

Last decent Republican:

At 85, after a life in politics spanning five decades (he retired from the Senate in 1987), Mr. Conservative has found himself an unlikely new career: as a gay rights activist. While that's not his sole pursuit – he returned to Capitol Hill yesterday to testify in favor of scenic overflights of the Grand Canyon – in recent years he's championed homosexuals serving in the military and has worked locally to stop businesses in Phoenix from hiring on the basis of sexual orientation. This month he signed on as honorary co-chairman of a drive to pass a federal law preventing job discrimination against homosexuals. The effort, dubbed Americans Against Discrimination, is being spearheaded by the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the influential gay lobbying organization.

"The big thing is to make this country, along with every other country in the world with a few exceptions, quit discriminating against people just because they're gay," Goldwater asserts. "You don't have to agree with it, but they have a constitutional right to be gay. And that's what brings me into it."

Her comments were in response to this post by me:


I'm furious that in a moment when we made history by proving to ourselves and the world that we have overcome our racism enough to elect a black President, we want to rescind the civil rights of gay Americans who live in California, a state we like to think of as progressive. I know there were several other states that passed similar measures to prohibit the marriage of gay couples, but they are not states with the reputation for tolerance and inclusion that Californian has. Rachel Maddow pointed out that there were also measures on many states ballots that made the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana legal. But not gay marriage. We are now more afraid of "the gays" having the same civil rights as the rest of America's citizens than we are of the pot smokers. We have a long way to go baby.

I remember a time when it was not legal for a black person to marry a white person in many states. This is no different an issue. It is an embarrassment and shame to all of us that we tolerate this kind of intolerance in our state constitutions.

Marv Fleming Now

Marv might be single.

The Sheltering Tree Is Bare

Only a couple of weeks ago the leaves on the green ash tree were brilliant gold. It is now a bare and fragile looking skeleton of a tree, towering over the big house. It takes several days to get all those leaves raked and bagged and carried to the curb for the city leaf pick-up. So we have one tree bare and cleaned up after, and about thirty to go.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The official info on Roy Jefferson is linked to the title.

The young man I called the Washington boy, was really the Jefferson boy. Roy Jefferson to be precise. He and Marv Fleming were both Texas boys and both had football scholarships to the University of Utah. Roy and Marv were both handsome young men, smart, charming and kind. I had made a vow early in my high school days never ever to date an athlete or a frat boy. I stuck to my guns on that so I was always the friend of the girl who dated the athlete. Frat boys were beneath contempt in my book, so I wouldn't even have a girlfriend stupid enough to date a frat boy. But my only friend in early admissions who didn't live on campus briefly dated Roy Jefferson. Marv and Roy nominated her as the girl with the best legs and she was unanimously given that honor by the U of U football team of 1962. She was a ballet dancer.

Roy played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Colts and the Washington Redskins. He played in two Super Bowl games. I think the first was a Colts victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Then there was a Super Bowl VII victory for the Dolphins over Jefferson's Redskins.

Roy married my friend,Victor Gordon's little sister, Candy, and I think she and Roy stayed married and raised a family. My movie matinee date, Nick emailed me to correct the record on Roy. I don't know why I thought his last name was Washington but I knew it was one of those early President's names. I never ran into Roy after he left Utah.

Getting Ready for the Next Storm

The Grape vines have been pruned, the roses too. Time to cut the remaining tall mint, take the gazebo furniture cushions to the storage shed behind the little house. Get as many leaves off the deck as possible. I'm hoping for a long enough stretch of time to let the deck dry to get a coat of linseed oil or Thompson's WaterSeal on it before it's too late. It might be already. It wouldn't be the first time I let winter slip up on me. I hate the preparation. I hate cleaning rain gutters, hate raking leaves, hate taking the cushions in because it means I have resigned myself to winter. No more evenings sitting in the gazebo, listening to squirrels and chickadees and crickets. Short days, long nights. Shoveling snow. Oh yes, I know how you sunbirds love the snow you don't have to shovel. But it's enough to break an old woman's back. If it's really deep and staying, I call the teenage girl across the street and she runs over to shovel for me. She's a most ambitious little entrepreneur, helpful and prompt for the right price. Good girl, Alex. It's nice to know you dear.

Ghost Dansing Left This Comment in Response to This

(Original post is linkied to Title)
Blogger Ghost Dansing said...

the arrogance of humans to think Caesar decides what is bound together in heaven and on earth.......

perhaps there is insufficient Church-State separation in the first place..... let the Churches marry, and the State takes license fees to establish civil unions for legal purposes for all its citizens.....

why should the State recognize the action of any Church? why should the State perform any function in lieu of a Church..... like marriage?

perhaps the State should deny corporate status to businesses involving gays? the Churches don't like gays, so perhaps the State should prevent them from having business licenses or forming corporations.....

are they not applying legal sanction to a social group because some Churches don't approve of them receiving the same equal rights under the Law?

what is marriage from the perspective of the State other than a contract between two people?

is the State recognizing a Religious sacrament? does a Church require the State to recognize a religious sacrament in order for it to be valid?

does God require a Church or the State to unite two people spiritually in heaven and on earth?

are there Churches that will marry gays?

if the State bestows on marriage a special legal status of contractual union, on what basis would that special status be denied a gay couple that was married in a Church.

or if the State insists upon performing Church ceremonies like marriage, to which Church's dogma will it comply?

perhaps the issue of Church-State separation is what truly needs to be examined here.

Marv Fleming Was a Friend of Mine

Yes, that's right Randal, Marv Fleming. Five Superbowl wins! Greenbay Packers and the Miami Dolphins. I've linked the wiki site in the title of this post for those of you who are new to the geekatude of FOOTBALL as we so quaintly call the game of gladiators we know of as tackles, point guards, line backers and tight ends. Oh how I loved those tight ends. There was a Washington boy who grew up in the neighborhood who dated the little sister of another friend of mine when I was first at college who was also a Superbowl winner. Marv Fleming dated a dorm friend of mine, Mary... I'm sorry Mary, I just had a bowl and my short term memory is shot for the moment, but it will come back to me. Mary and I used to drive the little sissy girls in our dorm crazy by pretending we were lesbian lovers. She and Marv, who was going to school at the University of Utah on a football scholarship, were great dancers. They entered dance competitions and won prizes. He was a great guy and when I last saw him, about ten years ago in a bar in Salt Lake, he was charming as ever.

The Washington kid's first name escapes me now too, but he played for the Redskins and the Dolphins and had two Superbowl rings. He was, I believe, a wide receiver. One of those flashy players. The kind who cross that line and score. My third husband and I had two things in common--a love of football and great writing. We mainly watched football and then retreated to our corners for the serious reading. It was a strange marriage. But I won millions in monopoly money bets.

I did have the dream about the NFL Baby Farm. I was driving alone along one of those winding forest roads in the Willamette Valley of Oregon on my way home. And as I am a driver who speeds I came upon the taillights of a white van. It's back doors were not properly closed and as it went around a curve one door flew open and out rolled a bundle. I slammed on my breaks and managed to miss the bundle. I got out and discovered that the bundle was a baby a few months old. It was not crying and didn't seem hurt. I took it home with me and decided it was a fine baby and I would keep it. As I was unwrapping it I noticed, stitches here and there and healed scars. This was without a doubt the beefiest baby I had ever seen. And then the doorbell rang. When I opened the door with the baby in my arms, Rosie Greer said, "You have one of our babies. That baby belongs to the NFL Baby Farm."

Let Bigotry and Exclusion Ring

I'm furious that in a moment when we made history by proving to ourselves and the world that we have overcome our racism enough to elect a black President, we want to rescind the civil rights of gay Americans who live in California, a state we like to think of as progressive. I know there were several other states that passed similar measures to prohibit the marriage of gay couples, but they are not states with the reputation for tolerance and inclusion that Californian has. Rachel Maddow pointed out that there were also measures on many states ballots that made the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana legal. But not gay marriage. We are now more afraid of "the gays" having the same civil rights as the rest of America's citizens than we are of the pot smokers. We have a long way to go baby.

I remember a time when it was not legal for a black person to marry a white person in many state. This is no different an issue. It is an embarrassment and shame to all of us that we tolerate this kind of intolerance in our state constitutions.

Changeling

This is the best movie in the old film noir tradition I've seen since Chinatown, by Roman Polanski. Eastwood has become one of our best directors. Every detail was perfect. And several performances were superb, but Angolina Jolie and John Malkovitch were terrific, inspired casting, and gave great performances. I loved the casting, lighting, costuming, set decoration, musical score and directing. The were no car chases, no special effects, not explosions, no sex, no nudity. So some of you may not think much of this film, but for old movie buffs it will be a treat. I'm thinking Oscar buzz. And if you're old and going to an early matinee on a weekday in Utah it's only $5. a piece. We smuggle in treats and drinks. I'm a good cheap date.



For more on this film click the title and you'll get all the Wiki details.

Matinee Movie Friday

Well, I've recovered from my medication screw up Tuesday night and am now as back to normal as I ever get. It isn't snowing, but it's cold. I must now face taking a shower in my cold bathroom. Even with the sun shining in my greenhouse roof, it hasn't yet warmed the room, but this is a look at blue sky and a few gold leaves on the glass above my head. I think we're seeing the movie directed by Clint Eastwood, Changeling.

Snowy Morning

This was what I awoke to November 5th, the day after the election. The solarium or greenhouse is open to the bathroom and technically the room is passive solar with a small electric heater built into the wall in the greenhouse. On a dark snowy morning, with the tile floor, and the south wall and ceiling of glass it's a bit of a shock. Early on a snowy morning it might be in the mid to high fifty degrees. But on a sunny morning it's lovely.

A Peaceful Frame of Mind

I am not peaceful. I'm relieved and thrilled that we have elected Barack Obama. I'm happy with his choice for Chief of Staff. I'm glad he's getting briefed and has learned from the mistakes of others about setting priorities for picking cabinet level posts. But I'm furious that BushCo is going to waltz out of town whistling Dixie on the way to a peaceful obscurity somewhere in the south, maybe somewhere without extradition laws.

I want all the war criminals to stand trial at the Hague and eventually to have that bunch of crooks do time--preferably at Gitmo, getting waterboarded every morning before a breakfast of whatever they hate most, with weevils. Forever.

Other than that, I'm completely in favor of peace.

Michelle Obama and the Fashion Police

Women don't seem to like Michelle Obama's choice for an election night dress. I have to admit it was a tad bit disconcerting to see our next First Lady in a dress that was so... We'll, I have heard it called "The Lava Lamp Dress," "The beam me up Scotty dress," "the these are the mommy parts dress." but so far, my favorite comment came from Phillip in a brief unsolicited email last night. I liked his comment best: I thought it was fabulous. She was on fire! When the sweater thing fell down, shoulder appeared ... wow! I hope she doesn't change.

So here is a review from the American Press:


If you click the title of this post you will see the Brit's response.

Crazy or Just Euphoric

I'm out of my mind with joy. That's a bad sign if you're bipolar, but if your country had just pulled its head out of its ass for the first time in your memory you'd be euphoric too. Yes, I did forget to take my bipolar drugs last night. But the moment I figured it out this morning, way too early by the way, I took my antidepressant and half my missed dose of mood stabilizer.

I called Nick and told him my dilemma. We rescheduled our matinee movie day to Friday. And then I set my alarm for 2:00 so I'd make it to my doctor's appointment at 3:30. But I couldn't stop watching the news. So I fell asleep with visions of a happy world cellebrating our waking from the slumber of the profoundly stupid.

I somehow missed your emails of concern about the malfunctioning comments thingy until late in the day yesterday. I'm sorry that I didn't get back to you, but I was by then into watching returns with my breath held and tears streaming down my face. But I am moved by the kindness of bloggers. You are a very generous group of people. It seemed I wasn't the only blogger missing in action yesterday due to technical difficulties. Good thing I'm not paranoid.

I'm still unable to talk intelligently about what this election means to me. I think it's gong to be a sea change and not just because eight years of Dubya ruined us. We will be in for hard times. It will take time to turn this wildly off course ship of state around. But I believe we are up to the task.

And just in case I'm talking gibberish, I'll stop now and try to get to bed early tonight.

It's a New Day In America

I was so exhausted last night I forgot to take my bipolar meds. So far from what I can tell this morning, it is the biggest win since sometime in the '60's. It's a landslide and that's what we needed to make it clear to those who were so opposed to "THAT ONE" that there will be no question of the legitimacy of this election.

For some reason, sometime yesterday Utah Savage was unable to leave herself a comment and neither apparently could anyone else. So with three posts up and zero comments on all three posts, I thought maybe you'd all decided you didn't like me anymore. I went visiting blogs everywhere looking for crowds and found them here and there, but not a soul at my place. Randal seemed to be missing in action, and so far this morning he still is. I hope Randal didn't get lost in the throngs of voters. Even Ohio voted for President Obama. Yea Randal. Now where is he?

You have to say this for McCain. That man sure can lose well. He seems to take more pleasure in losing than anyone I've ever seen. His most graceful moment of the campaign was his concession speech.

Tucker Carlson had a tantrum on Morning Joe--I'm usually not up early enough to catch the bully that is Morning Joe. But I did awake to a pouting, upset Tucker Carlson. Maybe he's really upset about all the weight he's gained since last we saw him, and is blaming his binge eating on THAT ONE.

It's 9:45 AM and I need a nap.

It's official

So lets party. I'm waiting for the speech. I missed talking with you today, but something happened at my place. One more little kink in the ever evolving thing that is the blog. I haven't been paying close attention to my email since I was glued to the tube. We can only talk like this because the moment I hear a cheer go up and Keith shut up, I'm dropping you like yesterdays apple pie. I made it. I'm not very good at making one of my favorite of foods. This is a failing I'm determined to overcome soon.

Brother Can You Spare a Dime

From one of my Republican friends

I can hear you saying, "She doesn't have any friends does she? But even if she did, would she have a Republican friend? Well, yes and no. We used to work together. He is a voice talent, and I was an actor, occasional voice talent, and make-up artist, and we had the same agent. We don't see each other anymore since I no longer work. But he knows I blog, claims he reads me, and this morning in my inbox was this gem.

Wasting Money in Utah

I don't understand the strategy or tactic of spending money on campaign ads in a State that is the safest bet for McCain in the nation. McCain is in more trouble in Arizona. And yet, night after night I see the Reverend Wright ad over and over. I have been robo called. And if pissing off mormon soccer moms is what your going for, then by all means interrupt dinner with a recorded political message. And if you're not aware of the Reverend Wright flap from the primary, and you are hearing about it now, you are a very low info citizen if you're a voter at all. And if you are that low an information voter, you will probably vote for the guy who doesn't make you feel stupid, and I'm guessing that would be the old man running with the hot babe who looks like Tina Fey. What's their names? Oh yea, it's the "not Obama" spot on the ballot where it says President.

The polls have now opened in some tiny town in New Hampshire called Dixville Notch. All the eligible voters have trooped into the only polling place in town several seconds past midnight, voted, had their votes counted, and Obama won this first round, and in traditionally Republican New Hampshire. It took all of twenty minutes, if that. I thought they loved McCain in New Hampshire? Oh dear. Well, we might not be up all night tomorrow. Wouldn't that be novel? The percentage of the win in the tiny town in New Hampshire that just voted hasn't been seen since the '60's. Or else I've started hallucinating. It might be time to call it a night, but I want to watch The Daily Show and Colbert. These are the really tough decisions.

Oh and by the way, Palin bombed on the SNL Election Eve Special. It was not a pretty picture. I heard the audience gasp.

Sweeney Among the Nightengales

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965). Poems. 1920.

12. Sweeney among the Nightingales

APENECK SWEENEY spreads his knees Letting his arms hang down to laugh, The zebra stripes along his jaw Swelling to maculate giraffe. The circles of the stormy moon 5 Slide westward toward the River Plate, Death and the Raven drift above And Sweeney guards the hornèd gate. Gloomy Orion and the Dog Are veiled; and hushed the shrunken seas; 10 The person in the Spanish cape Tries to sit on Sweeney’s knees Slips and pulls the table cloth Overturns a coffee-cup, Reorganised upon the floor 15 She yawns and draws a stocking up; The silent man in mocha brown Sprawls at the window-sill and gapes; The waiter brings in oranges Bananas figs and hothouse grapes; 20 The silent vertebrate in brown Contracts and concentrates, withdraws; Rachel née Rabinovitch Tears at the grapes with murderous paws; She and the lady in the cape 25 Are suspect, thought to be in league; Therefore the man with heavy eyes Declines the gambit, shows fatigue, Leaves the room and reappears Outside the window, leaning in, 30 Branches of wistaria Circumscribe a golden grin; The host with someone indistinct Converses at the door apart, The nightingales are singing near 35 The Convent of the Sacred Heart, And sang within the bloody wood When Agamemnon cried aloud, And let their liquid siftings fall To stain the stiff dishonoured shroud. 40

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Drill Baby Drill

My dear friend Rachel who lives in New York sent this to me in an email. This is especially disturbing to anyone who lives near Canyon Lands. And should be of concern to all of you because it's one more way Dubya can help his buddies in the oil industry and fuck over the rest of us before he leaves office. He must be stopped. He isn't done screwing the American people yet.

Drill Baby Drill

It Rests In Your Hands

I am uneasy this election season because it matters more than ever in my lifetime, and because it rests in the hands of young and first time voters. It rests in the hands of the generation that can't be polled. The generation that has grown up always owning a cell phone. And I hope you know that it's your future we're talking about if you are of that generation. We are at a tipping point. Maybe we have passed it, I'm not sure. I grew up knowing that the first time I voted I was really an adult. It was a right of passage. It was a responsibility. I took it seriously. But I grew up in a family that talked about politics. It was a topic of conversation at the dinner table. So was religion, and the right to question, the obligation to be skeptical, and need to learn. I learned these lessons and when I encountered compromise on questions of political principle I was indignant. I was a fierce critic of my father's having taken a loyalty oath in order to keep his teaching job. This oath grew out of the McCarthy era and in order to teach one had to vow on a bible that one had never been a member of the communist party so help you God. There are two things wrong with that. It stomps on two constitutionally guaranteed rights. This is also what is so horribly wrong with the hysteria concerning gay marriage. In the land of liberty we want to say that certain of our citizens are not guaranteed the same rights as every other citizen? This is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Those of you under thirty are probably the least racist and homophobic demographic in our culture. We're counting on you. Vote. It's important.

Nerve Wracking.

I'm finally exhausted. I have turned off the tube and I'm listening to music. Nick and I spoke on the phone about an hour ago and made movie plans for next week. We talked about the exhaustion we both feel. Yes we are old, but this is not that sort of exhaustion. This is the result of caring so passionately about the outcome of this election. We have been paying close attention for a couple of years now, or close to it. I started blogging last January, and have written about little else. Now I'm posting You Tube clips of music or poetry. The savage beast that is my political passion needs calming. So, unless something really news worthy happens between now and Tuesday, you will probably be facing a music clip.

I have finally tackled cleaning the house, and I'm looking forward to baking something tonight. Maybe an apple pie. Something to make the room warm and smell good. Something to feed my need for comfort. And between now and then, I'll be dusting.

If you want to vent or rant of flirt or whine, now's the time to let it out. Often I find the comments to a second rate post the most interesting thing happening anywhere. I can hear you saying, "Get a life!" Well, children, I had a life so exciting and full of thrills that I am now happy to keep the excitement to a minimum. My biggest thrill now, is a comment from one of you. You know who you are.

Some Other Time

Anita turned me onto the this very new Female Jazz vocalist, Jane Monheit. Thank you Anita. She's wonderful.

Poetry Sunday for Anita

The Ageless Hippie Chick Knows a Thing or Two About Jazz

Linda Sama suggested that I give Patricia Barber a listen. She's absolutely right. This woman has some vocal chops.

For my Pianist Friend

Dear Unconventional Conventionist, this clip's for you. By the way, would you leave that ring to me in your will? I know, I'm getting a little overconfident in my odds for longevity, but it doesn't hurt to hope. I know how you loves the jazz, but I really do think your going to like this. You are so much cuter than this guy and probably a better pianist, but he does your thing. He sits on the bench and plays with gusto and talent, control and passion. Here is Brubeck's Blue Rondo A La Turk.

Paula West: Like a Rolling Stone

Thanks for the tip. I know feel less like a dinosaur, and more like a woman with friends with great taste. This clip works for me on two or three levels. Maybe more. She's new to me, and she doesn't sing like a woman who should be new to me. Her back up is superb. Love the bass player. And as an old hippy I like this cover of a Dylan classic, Like a Rolling Stone.

Thank you Phillip

I would not be blogging were it not for my wonderfully generous Administrator, the wizard, my guru, and the blogger known as Sitenoise, and my friend Phillip. He has taught me everything I know about the "intertubes" (thank you Ted Stevens for that tube explanation for the internet). But more importantly he's the handyman I've always dreamed of. I always thought if a man can't fix it (whatever "it" is) he's not worth knowing. I know this is chauvinist, but I'm old and came of age in the moments before the modern women's movement got going. I can do a lot of things, but I can't fix my plumbing, rewire anything, or wield a chainsaw. Yet--I have hopes that before I die I will be able to wield a chainsaw, and better yet, own my own. Neither can I find my photos when my Iphoto application tells me that yes, seconds ago I had over 800 photos, but now I have none.

Shock of almost any sort makes my brain go whaky. Kind of like Sarah Palin has become "a whack job" to aids in the McInsane/Impailin campaign, my brain became a whack job yesterday when all my photos disappeared in an instant. I figured Phillip was probably having a lovely Friday evening, and so, when I composed my email to him, I tried to keep the panic and desperation out of my voice. I am trying to learn not to scream at men in my email, as I have alienated one good friend and come close to it with Phillip. Swearing in all caps, bold and italics, does not endear me to my men friends--all three of them. So, as the evening wore on, my brain got slower and slower heading for complete shut-down. By 11:00 I was so stupid I was trying to watch a Bond movie on On Demand. It was droning on--explosions and car chases, and lovely damsels in distress was all I could discern and it was oddly unexciting. It was probably during this portion of the evening when Phillip tried to contact me. I couldn't hear anything but the cottony crash and bang of the movie, so missed him last night. But even if I had heard the ring of the voice chat thingy, I wouldn't have been able to talk coherently. That is what the sudden onset of depression does to me. It's almost as if I can hear the circuits fizzing out and the whole mechanism slowly grinding to a halt with a dull and fuzzy sound that ends in nothing.

This morning, around noon, after I'd had one cup of coffee, Phillip called. I didn't time him, but within a few minutes he had restored my photos. Then he restored my flock application and with that taught me how to put my favorite, daily reads on RSS feed. What a man. So, thank you Phillip. It's so nice to know a handy man. I owe you cookies darling--chocolate chip or peanut butter?

Accepted Political Wisdom

How did we get to be so stupid? How is it possible that people earning less that $40,000. a year think that tax breaks for the very rich are in their best interest? And what made us so stupid? Reality TV is part of my guess at an answer to that. But seriously, folks, my friends, when did poor people start thinking of themselves as the citizens who would benefit from cuts to Capital Gains taxes. And how is it possible that we buy the notion that millionaires have taxable earned income? When did the Estate Tax become the Death Tax, and how stupid are we that we think Estate Taxes will have any effect on us with our one small house mortgaged up to the chimney? We must be just about the dumbest bunch of idiots on the planet.

"(Rich Republican "experts") will tell us", as McCain has repeatedly warned in his speeches, that "spreading the money around" is a bad idea that has been tried, as he put it, by the "far-left liberals." They will whine and moan about "tax and spend" and offer predictions of doom at every percentage increase in marginal rates on the very rich.

Unless Americans understand how the economy has worked -- and how this country was built in the past century -- it is entirely possible that those false prophets will once again block changes that the nation has needed for decades. That understanding should include a review of some very recent history, too.

Will anyone besides the pundits remember what happened then and why it is still relevant now? Not unless Obama himself educates the public -- as he alone now seems able to do. The country is undergoing a teachable moment that is certain to last for many painful months -- and if the new president doesn't seize that opportunity, then his adversaries surely will.

What Obama needs to explain, over and over again, is that Democratic economic programs have succeeded in promoting growth precisely because they distribute national wealth more widely than the Republican tradition of trickle-down. The numbers have told the story for decades -- and the statistics detailing the Clinton administration's success and the Bush administration's failure have only reinforced the narrative.

Consider the cumulative performance of the stock market. Until this year, the best data available showed that on average, equities increased in value by more than 12 percent during Democratic administrations, and by around 8 percent when Republicans were in power. The largest gains in the past 80 years occurred under FDR, Truman, Johnson and Clinton -- and when the awful declines of the past few months are factored in, the Democratic record will look even better.

For the moment, scaring voters is no longer so easy. The Republican administration is nationalizing financial institutions and Republican economists are demanding big federal spending initiatives. But if Obama wants to avoid the defeats of Clinton's first two years, he must consistently remind Americans what has succeeded and who has failed -- and why.

And Especially for Susan

Brubeck as you've never heard him played before.

For Tengrain and Susan

I have a bottle of Bourbon and something nice to smoke. So I invite my two jazz loving friends, Tengrain and Susan, to spend a late Halloween evening with me listening to a great jazz vocalist play one of my favorite songs in Paris. What could be nicer. The embed has been disabled on this one some you will just have to click this link.

Real Life

There's a storm blowing in. All the leaves are finally off the big green ash tree. Melea has raked and bagged most of them. We worked together on my little third of the property together. She seems to see me as elderly now, and is a bit overly solicitous. And I'm a bit overly motherly. So in the end she does most of the work, and I sit in a chair, smoke and sip my latte, and warn her to be careful. If she stays, the property will be hers. If not, she'll get a goodly chunk of change. As it is, the big house and grounds are her responsibility. If something goes seriously wrong, she tells me, I arrange for someone to fix it, and I pay for it. But the tasks of upkeep and cleaning are hers. And she does a lovely job. We look quite respectable.

But today, with rain coming, I needed to do some final outside chores and she's gone. I now feel sore and tired and plan to soak in the tub before I retire for the evening to watch news non-stop.

I took pictures of the bare limbs of the green ash tree, uploaded them to my files and while trying to post one, deleted all my photos. Yes, that's right. ALL MY PHOTOS! Happy Halloween fuckers. If this is a cosmic trick without a treat, I'm not amused.

I gave my 1986 Jetta to a friend today. When I went to the DMV to get my new old car registered and get plates for it, I discovered that my old bank had a lean on my old old car. I thought I might just drive over there and park it in their lot, take the keys to them and tell them they have just repossessed a filthy 1986 Jetta. Congratulations Big Bank, it's all yours. But it was easy breezy to get them to sign off on the title. No money changed hands. I like that kind of transaction.

The Kitty Caucus

Diva Jood this one's for you. Happy Birthday. And for Dcup, whose Pussies for Peace are working hard to help us claw our way to the White House.

If I Were President

Now This Is Scary

Stella the excellent blogger at Swiftspeech, and the first person to tell me I write like Dorothy Parker, left a comment at my place with this link. I think this is scary, so in honor of one more stupid holiday where nobody gets a day off with pay, I present the real vampire.
Art by cartoonist Alex Roth.

Alaskans for Obama

The Ageless Hippie Chick, Linda Sama finds the good stuff. Please go check the rest of the links in her story. Lazy woman that I am I'm only stealing the YouTube part.

What Halloween Means To Me

Well, nothing really. I hate costume parties. I spent too many years having to wear some kind of costume and mask daily. I never could leave my house without the full drag required of a professional beauty. When I was working it was hose, high heels, the right undies (seamless flesh colored bra and flesh colored thong) and big name designer label clothing. Every season required a new wardrobe of shoes for shows and photos, the monthly expense of a good hair-cut and color. Every season required the right costume jewelry, and accessories. But it was the applying of the make-up (as much part of the costume as any other item) that made me hate Halloween. My hairdresser and his boyfriend always came to me to get them ready for Halloween parties. Since we were about the same size, I would dress them both in drag and apply the necessary make-up to turn them into the tart of their dreams. I had wigs, hair pieces, hats, gloves. I only drew the line at shoes. It grew tiresome. Then my mother went crazy and required my full time attention, and then I went crazy and stopped caring about any of that crap.

Another reason I hated Halloween was that it seemed (for grown-ups) to be the perfect occasion to wear a disguise, go to a party, drink too much and act like an asshole.

If you were to trace my distaste for Halloween back to its roots, you would find a three year old dressed as a ghost with a gold cardboard crown on top of her sheet covered head, holes for eyes, nose, and mouth. She carried a bag and was to be taken around the neighborhood by her brothers and returned home safely before the boys went off by themselves. They lost her somewhere along the way. She lost her crown, she lost her bag of candy, and was finally taken home by a lady who lived in the neighborhood. And to add insult to injury, this little girl was called a crybaby by her mother when finally delivered to the door by the kind neighbor. All our neurosis can be traced to our childhood and our siblings and our parents. So in some respect, we never grow up, never grow up, never grow up.

OK, So I Lied

Well, I asked my administrator. He'll help me get slick and tricky. It is Halloween isn't it?

I Need Help

When I have no ideas I visit you and steal yours. Have you noticed that? Sometimes I ask, or merely inform you. Sometimes I steal from you without a bye-your-leave. No comment, nada, niente, zip, zero zilch nothin'. Like a thief in the night. But really, it's time I learned some of the tricks of your trade. For instance, where do you find the lovely pictures that illustrate your excellent posts? I know there are sources, but where are they? All the pictures I have access to were taken by me, and I'm not really much of a photographer. And how many photos of my books or dogs or gazebo can I post before you start to scream, "No, stop. I can't take it anymore?"

I have an administrator who worked hard to get me this far and I will be eternally grateful. But it's crunch time for anyone trying to make a living being self employed, or at least so I presume. I'm trying not to bother him. I miss him, but I will survive. I will answer when he calls, but I won't ask him to help me do something as simple as this. Christ I mean, if Randal can do it, so can I. Anyhow, where do the pictures come from? There must be an archive somewhere out there in the tubes. Speaking of tubes, I'm kind of going to miss Ted Stevens. Everyone loves that nugget of him shouting "NO!' in response to some perfectly respectful request for comment. I could use a photo of Ted right in here somewhere with text wrapping around it as if I knew what I was doing. Know what I mean?

Dcup as helped me far too often. She's busy. Dusty is busy but has helped me so much. Randal owes me, but is so into his man things that I doubt he'll tell me how. I want to learn the strike over, the trademark symbol, how to punctuate in French and where do you get those pictures? I can't always delight you with a purloined post. I need to get creative.

A Song for Sarah

McCain/Palin the Real Socialists

A New Map for the Red States and the Blue States

Dear Red States:

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay
their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Sadam was involved in 9/11... and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you
are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,

Blue States

Hug and a H/T to Bob and Dusty for this lil gem. ;)

The Real Mavericks

I have "borrowed" this from The Unruly Mob or Les Enrages.org. I'm obviously learning the art of the embed. But what the hell. Watch it twice.

For Liquid Illusion

My dear friend, Liquid Illusion has written a gorgeous poem. Take a look. While I was there, this was the musical accompaniment.

I've Got A Bad Case of Schadenfreude

Yes, I admit it. I have schadenfreude. I've waited oh so long for this, and now it's so good. McCain and Palin are at each other's throats, "Diva," "Old Fart," "Rogue"--what did you expect you senile old man? It's too sweet. Ted Stevens was convicted of 7 , yes that's seven, felonies, yes dear, felonies. Five years in the pokey for each. The timing couldn't be better. It's looking bad for all of them, and for me it's time for schadenfreude. Sing it to me. Where's my stein? That bullet proof majority in the Senate's looking easier and easier a hill to climb.

I paid my bill at Comcast today and usually that's a drag. But the clerk who waited on me (after I waited for her for eighteen minutes) said, "I'll sure be glad when the election is over, and I'm really hoping for change." We did the famous terrorist fist bump while rather loudly whispering Obama. Paying Comcast didn't hurt so much this month. I hope she doesn't get fired.

A friend of mine who lives next door came home from work. She stopped in for a smoke. She asked me if I'd seen the bumper sticker "MOBAMA, Mormons for Obama," and we did a fist bump too. Ah, schadenfreude is good. Wish I were a beer drinker, I'd have swung by the liquor store for a nice German Pilsner. I'd have a toast to Schadenfreude!

My Email to Rachel Maddow

I used to be a fan of Keith's. I even set my Ichat to say I was "Unavailable, Watching Keith." Oh I still like Keith. But I used to love him. He was mine and many of the bloggers I visit also claimed Keith was theirs. It's looked like maybe the female bloggers were going to have a blog off to claim Keith. I first noticed you as a guest on C Matthews, then more and more often a regular on Keith's show. I started sending MSNBC email begging them to give you a show. Once I saw them put you on a panel with Morning Joe, who was so incredibly rude and dismissive to you I wanted to slap the @#$@! out of him. Sadly I could not reach through the screen or he'd have been on his back wondering what hit him. It was the incredible arrogance of a man who thinks he 's the smartest guy in the world but has just discovered that the little lady has him beat by miles. Pat Buchannon does that same kind of thing. And I know no one wants to tell them to shut up, since they are talking over you, as this might look condescending to you. Anyway, I love your show so much, Keith's not so important in my life anymore. Oh yeah, I still love him. I always watch. But once a night is just fine. But as I have said on my blog, Utah Savage, Watching Rachel once is nice, but twice is better. It's not just cheerleading. There are many female bloggers out here who have professed our love for Keith for at least the last year. Now we all want to claim you as our real and only true love. Most of us are women with husbands, children and even pets. But we loves us some Rachel. (I'm the prettiest)

I have one small complaint. Please call your old, and I mean Old, uncle Pat once a month or so if you must. But please, please, never have the old mummy on your show again. He's every bit as big a blowhard as Morning Joe, only Pat's embalmed isn't he?

Love your show,
Peggy Pendleton
Aka Utah Savage

Republican Defections So Far

This is a list of Republicans who are supporting Obama

Jim Leach, Former Congressman from Iowa

"For me, the national interest comes before party concerns, particularly internationally. We do need a new direction in American policy, and Obama has a sense of that."

Lincoln Chafee, Former United States Senator from Rhode Island

"As I look at the candidates in order who to vote for, certainly my kind of conservatism was reflected with Senator Obama, and those points are that we're fiscally conservative, we care about revenues matching expenditures, we also care about the environment, I think it's a traditional conservative value to care about clean air and clean water."

William Weld, Former Governor of Massachusetts

"It's not often you get a guy with his combination of qualities, chief among which I would say is the deep sense of calm he displays, and I think that's a product of his equally deep intelligence."

Arne Carlson, Former Governor of Minnesota

"I think we have in Barack Obama the clear possibility of a truly great president. I would contend that it's the most important election of my lifetime."

Wayne Gilchrest, Congressman from Maryland

"We can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness."

Larry Pressler, Former Senator from South Dakota

"I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better."

Richard Riordan, Former Mayor of Los Angeles

"I'm still a Republican, but I still will always vote for the person who I think will do the best job."

Lowell Weicker, Former Governor and Senator from Connecticut

"At issue is not the partisan politics of two parties, rather the image we have of ourselves as Americans. Senator Obama brings wisdom, kindness, and common sense to what is both his and our quest for a better America."

Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks, Alaska Mayor

"If we are as a nation concerned with energy, then our consideration should be a national energy policy that is not predicated on crude oil 50 years into the future. We need to get to it, and I think Barack Obama is very clear in that regard."

Linwood Holton, Former Governor of Virginia

"Obama has a brain, and he isn't afraid to use it."

Government Officials:

Colin Powell, Secretary of State under Bush 43

"...he has met the standard of being a sucessful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world-- onto the world state, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

Douglas Kmiec, Head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Reagan & Bush 41

"I was first attracted to government by Ronald Reagan, who lives in our national memory as a great leader and an inspiring communicator. Senator Obama has these gifts as well, but of course, more rhetorical flourish without substance would be worth little. Is there more to Senator Obama? I believe there is."

Charles Fried, Solicitor General of the United States under Reagan

"I admire Senator McCain and was glad to help in his campaign, and to be listed as doing so; but when I concluded that I must vote for Obama for the reason states in my letter, I felt it wrong to appear to be recommending to others a vote that I was not prepared to cast myself."

Jackson M. Andrews, Republican Counsel to the U.S. Senate

"Barack Obama is a thoughtful visionary leader who as President will end the decline of American law, liberty, and fiscal responsibility that are the hallmarks of the extremist policies of the current Administration, now adopted by John McCain."

Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower & President of the Eisenhower Group

"Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole."

Francis Fukuyama, Advisor to President Reagan

"...Obama probably has the greatest promise of delivering a different kind of politics."

Rita Hauser, Former White House intelligence advisor under George W. Bush

"McCain will continue the wrong-headed foreign policy decisions of Bush, while Obama will take us in a new direction."

Larry Hunter, Former President Reagan Policy Advisor

"I suspect Obama is more free-market friendly than he lets on. He taught at the University of Chicago, a hotbed of right-of-center thought. His economic advisers, notably Austan Goolsbee, recognize that ordinary citizens stand to gain more from open markets than from government meddling."

Scott McClellan, Former Press Secretary to President George W. Bush

"From the beginning I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done and I will be voting for Barack Obama and clapping."

Bill Ruckelshaus, served in the Nixon and Reagan administrations

"I'm not against McCain, I'm for Obama."

Ken Adelman, served in the Ford administration

"The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate. That decision showed appalling lack of judgment... that selection contradicted McCain's main two, and best two, themes for his campaign-- Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick."

Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel

"This election is not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most important, it is not about distracting the public-- you and me-- with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."

Columnists and Academics:

Jeffrey Hart, National Review Senior Editor

"It turns out that these political parties are not always either liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican. The Democrat, under certain conditions, can be the conservative."

Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University

"For conservatives, Obama represents a sliver of hope. McCain represents none at all. The choice turns out to be an easy one."

David Friedman, Economist and son of Milton and Rose Friedman

"I hope Obama wins. President Bush has clearly been a disaster from the standpoint of libertarians and conservatives because he has presided over an astonishing rise in government spending."

Christopher Buckley, Son of National Review founder William F. Buckley & former NR columnist

"Obama has in him-- I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rehtoric-- the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for."

Andrew Sullivan, Columnist for the Atlantic Monthly

"Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate to him."

Wick Alison, Former publisher of the National Review

"I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history."

Michael Smerconish, Columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer

"...an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe."

CC Goldwater, Granddaughter of Barry Goldwater

"Nothing about the Republican tickets offers the hope America needs to regain its standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama."

Technorati Tags: Republicans for Obama obamacans obamacons Jim Leach Lincoln Chafee

The End of the McMansion

The McMansion is soon to be a thing of the past. Passe' at last, thank god. There are property lots a quarter the size of mine up on the foothills of Salt Lake with houses that fill the lot, are three stories high, and block the lovely views for the home owners around them. They're hideous, and now they're too expensive to heat and cool and too large for one person to clean--it takes a cleaning crew to clean a McMansion. I've seen a lovely neighborhood with normal sized houses get up in arms about the neighborhood going to hell when someone buys one of the old houses, tears it down, and builds a monster house that blocks the view and crowds it's lot. Bigger isn't always better, but during the Bush years, it became the mantra of newly wealthy, upwardly mobile, living on stock dividends home buyers--tear it down and build it bigger, and seldom do they build it better.

It is possible to do more with less. Less money, less space, more efficiency, and a much smaller carbon footprint. I live in what was once a garage with a 400 sq ft original floor space. When I decided to convert it to "the little house," I added one room--a bathroom with a greenhouse sitting room. I carved a bit out of the original 400 sq ft room by building a large closet for my clothes and some storage, and I added a small utility closet that holds the water-heater. So in the end I'm back to roughly the original 400 sq feet. I don't feel crowded. I feel cozy. I have everything I need in terms of space. And everyone who's visited this space has asked when I'm going to move out, so they can move in. I have rented it in the past and never had to post an ad or wait more than a couple of days to find a good tenant--I now have a waiting list of people who want to live here and hope I move out again. I rented it once to a couple (I worried that it would be too small for two people) who lived here for five years. If you've lived in Manhattan or San Francisco and rented, this space is huge. I now realize that a family of three or four could live here, and in other countries it would be considered luxurious for that sized family.

There are things I hope to do someday that will make the little house energy independent. There is a small company in California that makes glass that is photosensitive--it turns darker in bright sunlight and it acts as a year-round solar collector for energy to heat the water used in the house. I have three door length panels of glass in the ceiling of the greenhouse and three along the south-facing wall. And there are two porthole skylights in the main room. There are two other windows and a door with a window. All that glass could be collecting and storing energy. I have a ceiling fan that brings warm air down in the winter, and reversed, it creates a cool breeze in the summer in conjunction with the swamp-cooler. I'd like to have a solar panel on the roof for the heating and cooking. For now I have a small gas stove in the kitchen that does not have a pilot-light (it must be lit with a match) and a small gas heater in the main room. There is a little electric heater built into the wall in the bathroom greenhouse that pumps a bit of warmth into the bathroom on snow days when sunlight isn't heating that room. It is at worst 60 degrees in the bathroom some mornings in the depths of winter. On sunny days it's toasty and a good place to soak up sun when days are short. I can live with that. Apparently so can everyone else who's lived here, since I've had to pry them out when I wanted to live in the cottage again.

The floor in the big room is concrete and painted. The bathroom/greenhouse floor is tiled--I did it myself and enjoyed every second of that work. I have some nice old rugs and these floors are a lovely background for them. But in the winter I wear warm socks and slippers.

Landscaping the area around the little house was done with an eye toward creating a space with it's own little forest and is mostly self-sustaining. I xeriscaped it before I'd heard the term. Where I planted, I planted bulbs and perenials. Some things took over and crowed out others, but I was too busy taking care of my mother by then to notice or do much about it. Eventually I realized that letting the strong survive is, in most cases, a good thing in a xeriscaped garden. It doesn't require a lot of human energy or water. Mint was one of the big winners in the survival race of the back garden. For a few years I tried to contain it. But now I make a lot of mint tea, and the dogs smell great when they've walked through one of the mint patches. Some of my tree plantings were a mistake and have since required removal--I planted two Navaho willows on the east side of the little house. They grow fast and can thrive in almost any kind of soil, and they provide deep shade--they're sometimes called Globe Willow. Yes, they did grow fast, and they became a problem for the public utilities guys who trim trees over-hanging power poles. The roots are notorious for invading sewer lines and create a lot of business for the rotorooter guy. I took one of them out when I had the money to do it, but those days are past and I no longer have the money to remove the other. It crowds the fence and has been trimmed by the utility companies into near death. Once I get my property taxes paid, I'll try to save for getting that remaining tree removed. I pray I won't need dental work or major car expenses in the meantime, or that tree will still be there next winter.

It's hard to get a good photo of the exterior of the little house because it is will hidden by plantings of shrubs and trees. But as best I can, I'm going to give you a look at this space. This or something like it is the way of the future. Here are some photos of the little house.

The Ubermilf's Writer's Challenge

My response to the Ubermilf's writer's challenge has been posted on Savage Stories and at Writer's United.

Yes We Can

It Pays To Vet If You're a Vet

I picked up a little something at Mock Paper Scissors.

Stolen From Franiam

Yes, I Once Was A Make-Up Artist

This new wrinkle in the Palin problem really is now in a way all about lipstick. Pig? Not Pig. Not the point. Everyone has a talent, some more talents than others, but one of mine was that I was a very good make-up artist. I even have a resume with pictures of some of my jobs. Once I put lipstick on a Rottweiler. I'm not proud of it, but the dog did have a handler who assured me it was ok and would not hurt the dog. His handler was, no doubt, much better paid than I, but I didn't work for chump change. I was seldom told exactly what my job would be prior to arriving at the photographers studio. The dog was a complete surprise to me. But like any good make-up artist I was prepared for just about anything. There was also a stylist on that job. No expense was spared for the dog. Imagine what they are doing for Palin.

I have made perfectly healthy people with nice skin look like they had all kinds of wounds and scars and acne for the before photos, and then removed their icky skin problems and made them look lovely. All in the name of advertising for a skin care company.

I have worked on some gorgeous women making them ever more gorgeous for fashion shoots, for TV commercials or catalogues. I have also put make-up on Orin Hatch and Jake Garn, notorious Utah Republicans for local TV interviews. I almost got to put make-up on Colin Powell, but he travels with his own make-up artist. Who knew? It sure shocked me. This was several years before he became a member of the Bush Cabinet, but still.

Those were the Clinton Years and they were very good for me economically speaking. I acted in movies and three TV series. I did some voice work that paid incredibly well. I modeled. And I was a make-up artist.

No one goes in front of a huge audience or in front of a TV camera (especially in a studio) without make-up. But this two week paycheck for Sarah Palin's make-up artist is purportedly bigger than McCain's economic adviser's paycheck for a comparable time span. Humm. I guess you get what you pay for. $22,000. 00 for two weeks is a hefty paycheck even for a traveling full-time make-up artist. She makes more in a month than Joe the Plumber makes in a year. And plumbers aren't cheap. I do not begrudge the make-up artist her salary, but I do think they could have found someone perfectly excellent for Sarah without quite that price-tag. Same with the wardrobe. And is the RNC paying for everything? And who finances the RNC? Is this income? Taxed income? I know it is for the make-up artist, but... I wonder how many laws are being broken in all this financing of Palin and her family? I have no doubt the make-up artist knows how much she got paid and how much she will owe in taxes. And she's skilled. There is no doubt about that. She's probably smarter than Sarah, too.

The Palin Rap

Palin Rap:

I Think I know What Randal Looks Like

Is this what Randal looks like? I'm thinking he has this thoughtful and almost brooding quality. The mustache, maybe not. But the pale skin and the dark hair and eyebrows, the soulful eyes, yes. Do you still have the sky blue tux tucked away somewhere Randal?

My Artistic Temperament According to Quizzy

I'm antisocial.

I mean, balanced, secure and something, something, and something else.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

10 Impressionist, -5 Islamic, 4 Ukiyo-e, -1 Cubist, -5 Abstract and -18 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

HelloQuizzy

I Heard About It On Twitter

Carl Rove was the best cast character in the new movie W. And now I'm home and cruising around the only social circle I have which is cyber. Sad isn't it. But I saw Randal, Diva, Freida, and a new guy called latimis or something like that and he mentioned this on Twitter.

Turd Blossom and The Killa From Wasilla (in a quarter million dollar wardrobe) living in this country at the same time in history is very scary if you think about it.

Home At Last

Well, I got cleaned up, put on my lipstick and mascara and went out. I wore a skirt. And here is a picture to prove the lipstick part. Why am I smiling? Well, the movie was worth seeing, the company was good, and now I'm home, the TV is on and I'm smoking my first cigarette in three and a half hours. I'm going to get back into my round-the-clock-jammies and settle in for some blog reading, some news watching, and some chain smoking.

In about an hour I'm making Chili for the first time this fall. Mmm, Chili! Tomorrow I might even work outside like a good home owner. I should be out there every day the sun shines until it's done. Taking care of an urban forest is harder than you'd think. And the utility bills need paying. The property tax bill came in the mail today. I haven't opened it yet, so that's probably while I'm smiling still.

While You're Waiting

I've been taking some photos of the yard. It is the most spectacular time of year in my little world. I really am snugged in back here. Even when the leaves fall and all the bushes are naked I will still have a wall of high- altitude Asian Bamboo along the western fence. The gates are locked and there are BEWARE OF DOG signs posted front and back. In my forest are some very tall pines, so even in the worst of winter I will have bits of green. The Halls Honeysuckle keeps some green leaves. Even the mint will winter- over bright green under a coat of snow if the temperature's not too terribly cold. But for now, it's lovely and changing day by day as the nights grow colder. Have a look.

Movie Matinee Day

Well, it's that time of the week and there's a movie I'm really looking forward to. You guessed it. W. I'm an Oliver Stone fan and I've been savoring the notion of this examination of our current President while he's still in office. Has this ever been done before? Other than Wag the Dog? Well that answers my own question doesn't it? Anyway, it's great timing to my way of thinking.

A matinee movie date requires a bit of effort on my part as I am leaving the house to be in the company of a man I really love. He is my best male friend. I have never known another man who allowed me to set the agenda for the time we spend together. The rare lunch and the frequent mid-week matinee movie. The occasional lengthy phone conversation. Perfection. Talking politics with a really smart and well informed (in the flesh) human being is such a treat. Not to cast aspersions on the flesh any of you inhabit, but it doesn't sit next to me in the empty theater for half an hour before the movie starts and talk politics. So I'll comb my hair and maybe even put on a touch of make-up. I might wear a skirt. Liberality has challenged my lazy ass into a skirt wearing phase.

When I went to the grocery store today my new fat pants were hanging on my hips like one of those low rider guys. By the time I'd shlepped my groceries to the little house they were nearly off my ass. When I got inside and happened to pass a mirror I noticed that my fly was undone. Lovely. So I do need to take stock. I'll actually give myself the once over before I head out to my matinee movie date with Nick. If I look good enough I'll treat you to a rare photo of the savage one. In the meantime there'll be some whisker plucking going on.

Poo Pie

It's lets get dirty time in the political cycle. The Republicans are calling Obama names: Socialist, Communist, Liberal... Oh the horror! I just saw a clip of a campaign stop for McCain with him saying "Obama wants to take your slice of the pie and give it to someone else". Boo! Hiss! Boo! "I want to grow the pie." Grow the Pie? You dumb old fart, you think pie grows? Ask any woman in small town America, the real America, the America of real Americans who are like you, how to grow a pie and she will bust up laughing. A pie gets made. And before a pie gets made someone has to earn the money to buy the ingredients, which probably entails a shopping trip, which requires gas for the car, assuming that the Repo-man hasn't already repo'ed it. But once all the ingredients are assembled, someone with a certain skill in pie making will have to put that pie together, bake it in an oven, using either electricity or gas to heat it. Then that pie will disappear faster than it could ever be put together. Turn your back for an instant and that pie will disappear into the mouths of all pie lovers in close proximity to that freshly baked pie. But I think that MCCain and Palin are assembling a poo pie, and it does seem to be growing. John Sydney doesn't like to lose, though he ought to be used to it by now. But since it all seems to be slipping away, he and his Killa from Wasilla are getting ready for some poo-pie flinging. Duck!!! Incoming!

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

This is another of the perfectly timed and thoughtful gifts I have received from Ghost. Always left like a lovely bouquet of wild flowers in my comments thread. I have to say I am new to my love of Amy Winehouse, but if Amy Winehouse survives, she might look and sound just like me. No, I don't have a smidgen of her talent, but I do have the same deep register and ragged quality of the vocal chords, and I love her material. I certainly worked hard at self-destruction, but against all odds, here I am an old woman. This is an old classic, but Amy Winehouse's version is the best I've ever heard. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

Popularity

I'm probably the least popular woman in Salt Lake City. I won't go anywhere that doesn't involve foraging for food or second hand clothes. I won't go to girlfriend's houses unless they live three houses away. Even with my friend who lives three houses away, when I do follow her home it's because she wants me to read an article in the paper or see her geranium. He husband thinks I'm vulgar, and I have to agree with him, I am vulgar. So I stay home alone with my vulgar self.

But today, ten minutes after I woke up at 11:30, Melea came over for her day-off morning jolt of espresso and hot organic milk, and a bit of sugar. It is our "morning" ritual that we watch the news and drink coffee and smoke. While this was happening, another friend dropped by and she too joined the coffee drinking and smoking. This has gone on all day, and now I've missed half of the first part of Hardball.

I haven't gone anywhere in the blogs except Dcup's and even there I couldn't post a comment. Has she blocked me or something? I sent her an email telling her of this catastrophe and she emailed me back with her phone number. Another friend drops by, and now I'm not only wired on coffee, I'm stoned and low blood-sugar. I wolf down some Cheerios and call her. And now I am the friend that dropped by right in the middle of her evening with her family. I heard Cupcake's voice today. I'm completely in love with Dcup's family, especially Dcup herself. I am her much older sister. Oh how lovely it is to fantasize the family you always dreamed of.

So now that I have talked with Dcup, my day has been both productive and enjoyable. Life's good when you have friends who don't mind that you're vulgar.