Menu of the Day:
On my iPod: Hard Way to Fall by Ryan Adams
In my glass: Penguin chardonnay.
The Best Thing: Brian's band played again at The Swiss last night. AND my bowling average is getting better!
Exercise: Just ran for the first time after work where it wasn't dark when i was done! (This should be an added Best Thing.)
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I took the rainy picture last night on my way home from The Swiss. (We have a forecast of rain for 8 days in a row.)
1. Have i mentioned how very much i love this new D90 Nikon? I know i have, but i can't get over how much i love it. It's right up there with my iPod. Here is another photo of Seattle windows that I took a couple of weeks ago. I like it for the simplicity.
2. Something that touches me, because it's a small kindness, is when i drive down a road and see that someone has carefully propped up a lost hubcap in the hopes that the hubcapless car owner drives by and finds it.
3. I have never lost a hubcap on a car, but if i did it would so TOTALLY mess with my feng shui that i would immediately have to go out and buy a new one. (Or take off the other three. )
4. I sort of wish the Academy didn't honor posthumous Oscars. Why can't they just give a separate kind of award for the recent dead? I really liked Heath Ledger's performance (without loving the movie) but in a way it makes me more pissed off at him at his stupidity for dying so young and i don't feel like rewarding him. He robbed us of many other good performances. So i feel ripped off. I knew when i saw him in "Ten Things I Hate About You" that he really had something.
5. Anyway, i also wanted Brad Pitt to win best actor, though i would probably like Sean Penn in Milk, if i had seen it.
6. I haven't watched the awards but i do have them DVRd. I didn't like Angelina's black dress. I'm glad Kate Winslet won. I don't much care for Penelope Cruz though. I don't know why she doesn't do it for me. I can't stand her in the same way i can't stand Nicole Kidman. (Funny that they both used to be with Tom Cruise, another actor i love to hate.)
7. I just started tutoring at school again. (Last year i had to miss because the school was being rebuilt.) I have three really neat kids, i can tell already. One kid, Jesus, is a whiz at multiplication tables. You can toss out any numbers- throw out 6 x 7 and he answers quickly 42. He can multiply any of combination. Better than most adults. But to add 6 + 7, he counts on his fingers. He's adorable. They had trouble pronouncing my name so I said, "call me Miss B." And so we talked about name mispronunciations and I told Jesus "I bet people call you Jesus don't they?" (Pronouncing Jesus without the Spanish pronunciation) and he's is incredulous and exclaims, "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"
8. I had a Letter to the Editor printed in the News Tribune yesterday about all the legislative action in education. It's generated a couple of online comments. The funny thing is i quit looking for it because i had heard the house bill was dead anyway. These are the same editors who printed a very Pollyannish letter from "Donna Reed" a few weeks ago. (They need better researchers. )
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/letters/story/634647.html#user_comments
9. I just finished the West Wing episode where CJ's bodyguard and new boyfriend, Mark Harmon is killed in a convenient store and they played Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" at the end. I thought of you, Barbara. (You have to see that someday. It's so moving.)
10. Aaron Sorkin is a genius. Every episode in the four seasons he wrote are like watching little movies you would pay to see. There is not one wasted line or any filler. He's amazing.
11. I almost can't watch the news about the economy these days. I was complaining about the huge loss in my 401K to my boss in the office recently and then caught myself and felt embarrassed because a school bus driver overheard me and i felt like a total ass because i even HAVE a 401K with my job. (Especially since the bus driver pays my union salary.)
12. So ...lesson to all who have a savings and complain out loud about it: Be careful of your audience....some folks can't even afford to save.
13. Another kindness i like about strangers is how they leave you room when you need to pull out in your car. I wave like a maniac to them to make sure they see how thankful I am when that happens.
14. Did you know oatmeal only costs about 11 cents per serving? I read that today. (I don't have a clue why i just thought of that.)
15. Most people who know me, know that I hate when people talk about their dreams and try to analyze them in my company. (In fact as a joke for my 50th birthday, my nephew Adam wrote out a whole made up dream that went on and on.) Anyway lately i am dreaming about people who have died but are living in the dream and dreaming about living people who are dying. (one friend feel down an elevator shaft, don't worry Julie, it wasn't you.) So these dreams are giving me pause.
16. I think it's a menopause dream thing.
17. Has anyone seen Demetri Martin's new show on Comedy Central? I am so glad he got his own show. He's alittle bit like Mitch Hedberg with low tech props.
OK, y'all...what's on your mind? Come on lurkers too. Tell us your random thoughts! and if you watched, what are your thoughts about the Academy Awards?
25 comments:
Ok, i am finished with the fast forwarding DVR of the Academy Awards. Just a few thoughts:
1. Brad Pitt and Angelina never once looked at each other.
2. Jennifer Aniston was cool.
3. I didn't know Sean Peann and Robin Wright were back together but maybe not after tonight, since he didn't thank her.
4. Ben Stiller was so funny doing his Joaquin Phoenix impression.
5. Hugh Jackman was quite good as host. He can dance!
6. How come Springsteen's song wasn't nominated for The Wrestler?
7. I fast forwarded Kate Winslet's speech and it was still too long.
8. I have always liked a little bit of politics at the Oscars and Sean Penn brought it home for me.
9. I really wanted the Hustle and Flow/Benjamin Button's mom to win the Supporting Actress instead of Penelope.
10. I guess i better go see Slumdog Millionaire.
9.
Hey JoJo..How the hell are ya?
I'm waitin' on Obama to start talkin'..I'm hopin' he gits more excitin' than the debates.
Oh..and you need to twitter. Mickey twitters (the scary actor..not the mouse). Ashton Kutchner keeps stalkin' me.
I am surprised Furline you can get on here, seems like there is some trouble posting because the captchas are just LOADING but not appearing so the comment can't be made. I tried posting on Kylee/Modern Hippie and couldn't either so i'm wondering if it's not a blogspot thingie right now.
Does anyone know what to do? I am not even certain i will be able to get this to show.
OK, now everyone's blog but mine seems to be working. I had changed nothing in my settings from before, so i don't get this. Maybe i'll try and Google help.
testing 1-2-3
Maybe it's working now. This is posted with my other Google account that isn't the one i use for my blog. It didn't work before but this time i clicked Google Account on the dropdown as before and it let me get in to sign in from there and then move on. Weird.
OK, it appears i have to sign in FIRST before commenting? I don't remember that before. Then i type in a comment. I thought you could type first, then log on your account and it would zip away. I am confused and i'm going to go watch the Obama speech repeat now.
I attempted to post this many many times last night and this morning. Blogger is truly messed up. One more time...
Yay!! Jo's back!!
1. I'm glad you are so happy with the camera -- and I'm enjoying your photos.
2. I watched the Oscars from the ridiculous preshow fashion fest through the closing credits (previews of 2009 flicks -- hooray!!) Bud tolerates it...he knows it's my Super Bowl.
3. I didn't see Cruz' movie, and I was rooting for Taraji Henson.
3. After seeing The Wrestler this weekend, I was really rooting for Mickey Rourke -- and I don't even LIKE him. But he totally brought it in that movie. Plus I was totally dreading the totally predictable political crap (sorry) from Penn. He's an incredible actor but as for using everything as a platform...I tire.
4. I was also rooting for Meryl, my Meryl. If only to avoid another sappy Kate speech...but I loved Winslet's dad whistling from the cheap seats.
5. Slumdog Millionaire rocked. I loved that movie from start to finish. Good story, well told. But I still think that the director nod should have gone to David Fincher for Benjamin Button. Adaptation should have gone to Eric Roth for Button as well -- he turned a short story into a positively riveting 3 hour movie for crying out loud.
7. Keep it up, jo...you'll have me breaking out my W.Wing set any day now.
8. I hear you about the 401k whine. I have lost a ton of money in mine, and I'm nearing the time when I really, really wanted to retire. That's out of the question now. But I also know that I've lost more than many people would ever save. (Of course, I started when I was in my twenties, and I'm pretty save-y.)
9. I liked your letter. That's one of my biggest gripes about our legislature -- they keep passing crap that has NO funding attached. All feel good stuff, but with no means by which to carry it out. Not unlike Congress, come to think of it. And I'm really trying hard NOT to think of it.
10. I adore Hugh Jackman -- he has such a natural way about him. I loved his joke about how the nominees were all playing people from other places and he was an Australian playing an Australian in a movie called Australia...and he was hosting. V. funny.
11. I just had a wild urge to make Mardi Gras for my staff tomorrow, so I cooked up a pot of gumbo and baked a King Cake. Can't bring myself to stuff the 'good luck' charm in it though. So unsanitary.
Thanks jo!
Hooray!! It worked!! Finally!!!
Mardi Gras at the office was something of a bust. I only have 2 employees and one of them was out with the flu. So we had a LOT of gumbo and king cake. Yum. But I will not need gumbo for another year now.
hi! glad it's working now. of course i wrote something brilliant yesterday and lost it.
1. I am enjoying your new camera, too! cool pix!
2. I seem to be a bits and pieces kind of person. I never see a whole anything. I only caught a little of the oscars, and fell asleep on PresO last night.
3. I am also the most pathetic person in the world when it comes to seeing movies. The last movie I saw in the theater was Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Yesterday morning I caught the end (bits and pieces again) of Gilbert Grape on HBO. That was a really good movie.
4. it's funny that you are noticing small kindnesses when lately i have been noticing small selfishness in people. little things like turning well after the red light and parking in the handicap spot. but you're right that the good stuff is out there, too. it's just a matter of focus.
5. i am trying not to complain about the 401k stuff either. but i am complaining too much about the college savings. it's a timing issue, same as pearl's retirement. we just have to figure out another way to get along. fortunately we have good credit so we should be able to get student loans while we wait for the mutual fund to recover.
6. pearl, that is so cool that you are making mardi gras for your staff! i deliberatly avoided our coffee shop yesterday to escape the lure of the fastnacht. then we had a chili cookoff, and about 20 residents and employees brought their special chili recipes. we tasted them all and voted. i voted for the chipotle that was made with chardonnay. but my friend lois' aromatic chili was very good too. i guess we'll find out the winners today. in any event, i ate too much. there was corn bread, too.
7. your letter was great. i want to send one against the employee free choice act, i just have to get around to writing it.
8. yay you for tutoring again! those kids are lucky!
9. someday i will rent west wing and watch them all...
10. i haven't seen demetri martin, but i think he's adorable. i noticed that grace has been dvr'ing his show, so i'm going to check it out.
JoJo..I have powers ...I can go anywheres.
Heard Obama's speech and have looked at some analysis of this latest NEW spending bill. I'm starting to think that the Dems in charge are unleashing 8 years of bottled up spending in the first few months of the new regime. There are over 8500 disclosed earmarks -- over $7.6 Billion -- in the latest shopping list.
Didn't he say something yesterday about "earmark free" or was I wanting to hear it so bad I just made it up?
And if I have to look at Pelosi's smuggly over-Botoxed mug one more time, I'm gonna kick a boot through my flat screen.
Found it:
"Now, I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities."
So they saved them all up for the budget bill?? Who's duping whom?
Well if health care is an earmark, i'm all for it.
I exclaimed out loud "Obama's been watching West Wing reruns just like i am!" when he mentioned curing cancer.
Remember the episode with Sam Seaborn had added something similar about curing cancer in one of Bartlet's speeches and then took it out at the last minute?
Anyway, i agree about Pelosi, both Brian and i commented on how we can't stand looking at her.
But all in all, i loved his speech. I feel like he really cares about the people, the poor, the middle class. All of us.
Furline! you DO have powers. I had three emails yesterday about my blog but YOU got in! LOL.Dick Cheney must have helped!
OH shoot, my dinner company just arrived, i'll get back to y'all's comments soon. I'm just glad we're up!
Jo, I've been trying to delete my rant. Blogger is being as cranky as I am.
Of course healthcare is not an earmark, but these things are just a few of the thousands of things we simply do not need in the current environment:
$951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors.
$24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor.
$300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor.
$950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor.
$190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor
$143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid
$238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor.
$381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor.
I put them all in the category of buying a new handbag when you don't have the money to pay the rent.
pearl, what rant are you trying to delete? And why would you want to delete it anyway?
i really do not understand politics. (If it's anything at all like West Wing shows, i am realizing it's far beyond my comprehension what is involved, what games are played, the tit for tat shit etc.
I love presidential elections and so i think that makes me believe i love politics. but the truth is i don't get what is involved whatsoever. So i should say i just like "ELECTIONS" and leave it at that.
And i would have to believe that earmarks that you mention above must exist in every budget, both Democrat and Republican and if we really really knew specifically what we are all paying for we would scream.
Some of these you mention are pretty small potatoes compared to the big picture, but maybe these issues are BIG potatoes for reasons we are not seeing because we come from somewhere else? We're not talking a million dollars in earmarks here.
$24,000 is not a lot when you look at the big picture, but what are we talking about exactly Abstinence? are we just giving some consultant a job to speak about how kids shouldn't have sex? I have no idea. So it does give me pause.
Having said that, some of the others don't sound bad to me at all when you consider what we are spending on the Iraq war. The thing is i don't understand why Montana isn't responsible for it's own World Trade Center out of it's state budget. That's the stuff i don't get.
But i know from working with our budget and trying to keep things afloat that the little things are what add up.
How does one find out about these things specifically?
equeyaya. you ARE a bits and pieces person. Cause you've said that before how you only see part of something. LOL. But both the Oscars (and Obama's speech) were pretty long. So i get it. One day you WILL watch West Wing and you will email me about how glad you were you did. I predict it now. I don't want it to end because it will be like losing friends.
There's a website called Taxpayers for Common Sense ( a natural for me!) www.taxpayer.net
It's non-partisan and they monitor spending like this.
Of course earmarks are always there -- that's the point. Obama and McCain both campaigned on getting rid of this 'business as usual'. And it's not happening.
The individual items don't seem 'major' (which in it's self scary -- when anything less than a billion seems 'minor' we're in very bad trouble) -- but the thing is, should they even be there at all. I poured over lists of them toniht and the question that keeps coming back again and again is "why?" The only answer is "It gets them re-elected.
And I am sure that most of these things are barely vetted, if at all.
Just as I'm sure that no one on the Hill has any real idea of what kind of useless crap was in that stimulus bill either.
And at the rate the curretn administration is going, the cost of the war(s) is going to rapidly pale in comparison.
All very worrisome.
The other excellent resource is my old favorite: www.factcheck.org -- it's not just for bird dogging campaigns any more.
well, the specter thing was probably to get his vote, being has he was one of only three republicans that voted for it.
and my understanding was the bill was to include "shovel ready" projects that create jobs and/or otherwise help to meet the larger goals of the stimulus.
and the states are broke and need help.
i don't know if it's the right thing (i don't think anyone does), but i think the intentions are correct and if it is implemented in good faith it will help to move us forward. call me hopelessly optimistic, but i think pessimism will just dig us deeper into this morass, so i choose to believe.
equeyaya says: "call me hopelessly optimistic, but i think pessimism will just dig us deeper into this morass, so i choose to believe."
Amen.
Those cited are earmarks for the 09 budget package, not the stimulus.
I've only skimmed through a couple hundred pages of the 1000 page stimulus package so far and can only hope that "shovel ready" means exactly that, but if it means starting from go, then there are many bureaucratic hurdles to clear before the first job is filled...like EPA impact studies for instance.
Call me pessimistic -- I prefer pragmatic. And I'm just cautious because I remember what is paved with good intentions.
As John Locke seems to keep finding out. Wonder how many followers Ben lost last night? And whether the fact that the '6' appear to have time foomed onto the Island in that flash, while Ben (and Locke) appear to have crashed with the rest of the plane is as meaningful as it appears. And what 'war'? It just gets better and better, doesn't it!!?
pragmatic pearl, ya know i love ya! time will tell...
i'm not sure that locke didn't foom. he doesn't remember how he got there, having been dead and embalmed and all that (talk about miraculous!) same kind of deal as christian/jacob, i guess.
after last night's episode i'm inclined to think that widmore and ben both have bad intentions and it's all about power and control for them. but i think the island wants the six back and the fact that they got there before the plane crashed seemed to confirm that. wonder if locke figured that out when he heard about the fooming and saw that ben crashed with the regular passengers.
i just love this show! but i have to say i'm missing sayid and sawyer!
OK...the stimulus package includes a project down the street from me..it will open an exit for the interstate just ways from me. Which will mean I can get places faster..yea me!
Hey susieatl!
i think we might get a new viaduct in Seattle. I know i don't want to be on it when the next earthquake hits. i am not sure if volcano monitoring is considered an earmark but it's pretty important to those of us who live in the area of Mt. St. Helens. I can't believe Jindahl of all politicians would think that the government spending money to prevent a natural disaster is a terrible thing.
OK, i gotta change this blog soon. I just can't think of anything lately. My mojo is off. I hope that doesn't mean i will bowl terrible tomorrow.
I just wanted to get this up to 25 posts! LOL.
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