This is how nervous I am about the election: when Obama dropped in projected Win Percentage (at www.fivethirtyeight.com) from 95.1% yesterday to 94.7% today, I actually gasped out loud and immediately jumped over to cnn to see if anything major had happened to cause the .4% point drop.
By the time November 4th rolls around, I'll probably just be a shaking pile of bitten nails and concerned eyebrows.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Debate #3
I like this moderator guy. He's, you know, engaging in the debate and calling both candidates on things that aren't clear or might be contradictory. Excellent.
6:04pm: multiple other bloggers note that the catalyst for the economic crisis was NOT actually Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as John McCain claimed. Yours truly is not well-versed enough in the economy to know that this is a lie, which is what scares me about America. In such respects, I am just as stupid as the rest of America- if I hadn't been told differently by people smarter than myself, I would have probably believed that. Ack. Shame!
6:33pm: So you're proud of the people who come to your rallies, are you McCain? Really? Even these people? You sick fuck. Maybe you should pick up a computer and get acquainted with YouTube.
6:37pm: BARACK OBAMA MENTIONS NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY! Sure, it was in the context of its Republican president, but he still said it! GO 'CATS!
6:43pm: I don't understand what exactly about a natural gas pipeline and continuing the devastation of our environment makes Sarah Palin "a reformer through and through." Also, when John McCain smiles it looks like a teleprompter is telling him to do so, a fact that would not creep me out so much if I didn't know it weren't true.
6:46pm: "Every president since Nixon has said we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil." I didn't know this, and it makes me sad, because obviously nothing has actually been done by it.
6:51pm: McCain: "You really have to pay attention to words." Yes, you do. Maybe you should tell that to your VP.
6:55pm: the squiggly lines were scaring me for awhile there, going down when Obama talked and up when McCain talked. Now they're pretty much reversed. Let's hope they stay that way. And yay! They are going WAY up as Obama is talking about his healthcare plan. And just dipped way down when McCain started talking. YAY LOVE THE SQUIGGLY LINES.
7pm: It's interesting that when googling John McCain's 2005 commencement speech at Northwestern, I can't for the life of me find a transcript of the damn thing. I found a video, but trust me, I had to sit though it once, and it's not an interesting speech. At the time it seemed to me like it was just some backup speech they had sitting around somewhere, not about anything in particular except how we had to work together to make the future great blah blah blah.
On the other hand, when I google Barack Obama's 2006 commencement speech at Northwestern, I not only find a video, but also the complete text. Read it. It's a great speech, and this is before any of the crazy campaigning started.
You can tell the difference between the candidates just by watching these two speeches. My class, as Kevin likes to remind me, really go the short end of the stick in this deal. I should have waited a quarter to graduate so I could be proud of my commencment speaker, rather than ashamed. My main memories of that commencement ceremony involve trying to find my family in the stands, and Eric Hoyt's hat repeatedly falling off his head.
7:07pm: WHOA AWESOME QUESTION RE: ROE V. WADE! McCain is pussyfooting around it, of course, "the decision should rest in the hands of the states," read: "I don't really want to answer this question." It will be interesting to see what Obama says.
Obama: "I am somebody who believes that Roe v. Wade was rightly decided. I think that Roe vs. Wade is a very difficult issue, and it's a moral issue.... women, in consultation with their families and their doctors are in the best position to make this decision." OH MY GOD PLEASE EXCUSE ME WHILE I SWOON. I love this guy. Way to take a STAND on an issue that no one has actually addressed in AGES. I forgot to watch the squiggly lines while he actually said that, but at the moment they're up pretty high. This is amazing. "If a woman is out there trying to raise a family unfairly, the court has to stand up."
7:12pm: All McCain can seem to do is spout out Obama's voting history. Why don't you tell us what you actually think, dbag?
7:14pm: "Sexuality is sacred." Helping single mothers and preventing unwanted pregnancies... AWESOME. I LOVE YOU OBAMA.
7:15pm: Oh, McCain is tugging on the "Cindy and I are adoptive parents" heartstring. And yet, I have never seen a picture of Bridget McCain. Has she ever been with her family at one of these debates?
7:18pm: WOW LOOK AT THE SQIGGLY LINES NOW when Obama is talking about schools. And parental responsibility! YES! Turning off the tv sets and putting away the video games. So true.
7:20pm: John McCain is talking about how people who serve in the military ought to be able to straight to teaching when they get out of the service, and not have to take the examinations and get the credentials that they would normally have to get. WHAT? How is that going to improve the school system? That makes zero sense. No offense to the military or anything, but not everyone in there is qualified to teach just because they want to. I could argue quite the opposite- a decent chunk of them went straight into the military after high school. Does anyone really want their children being taught by someone without a college education?
7:23pm: McCain just sounds condescending. Like, all the time. What a crackhead. Also, he just said that Sarah Palin knows about Autism "more than most." Uh... Sarah Palin's son has Down's Syndrome, not Autism.
7:27pm: McCain's closing remarks. I still don't understand exactly how McCain, old decrepit McCain, represents the "new direction" America needs. Ugh, the little lines are going up. And he used the "serving has been the great honor of my life" bullshit again.
7:29pm: Obama's closing remarks. "We're going to have to invest in the American people again." Middle class, higher wages, more jobs, LINES GO WAY UP. "It's going to require all of us, Democrats, Republicans, to come together." He's so good.
7:31pm: Bob Schaeffer "I will leave you with what my mother always said- 'Go vote now, it will make you feel big and strong.'" Hahaha I love it. "Mama always said..."
7:32pm: Michelle Obama is wearing weird flowers on her necklace. Not sure I approve, but hey, maybe it's the next big fashion trend. I'd sooner dress like Michelle Obama than Cindy McCain, Barbie Vampire any day.
This was totally the best debate... I think McCain did better than he has in the past, which makes me mad, but I still don't think he outshone Obama. How could you? He's all "heh heh heh" evilly laughing on the side of the screen over there. Does anyone else think it's funny how McCain is always on the right of the screen in these things and Obama is always on the left? Let's see how blatantly we can illustrate what side of the political spectrum these guys are on!
Ok, done with the random spewing of thoughts. If you want real, politically informed commentary, go here or here.
6:04pm: multiple other bloggers note that the catalyst for the economic crisis was NOT actually Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as John McCain claimed. Yours truly is not well-versed enough in the economy to know that this is a lie, which is what scares me about America. In such respects, I am just as stupid as the rest of America- if I hadn't been told differently by people smarter than myself, I would have probably believed that. Ack. Shame!
6:33pm: So you're proud of the people who come to your rallies, are you McCain? Really? Even these people? You sick fuck. Maybe you should pick up a computer and get acquainted with YouTube.
6:37pm: BARACK OBAMA MENTIONS NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY! Sure, it was in the context of its Republican president, but he still said it! GO 'CATS!
6:43pm: I don't understand what exactly about a natural gas pipeline and continuing the devastation of our environment makes Sarah Palin "a reformer through and through." Also, when John McCain smiles it looks like a teleprompter is telling him to do so, a fact that would not creep me out so much if I didn't know it weren't true.
6:46pm: "Every president since Nixon has said we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil." I didn't know this, and it makes me sad, because obviously nothing has actually been done by it.
6:51pm: McCain: "You really have to pay attention to words." Yes, you do. Maybe you should tell that to your VP.
6:55pm: the squiggly lines were scaring me for awhile there, going down when Obama talked and up when McCain talked. Now they're pretty much reversed. Let's hope they stay that way. And yay! They are going WAY up as Obama is talking about his healthcare plan. And just dipped way down when McCain started talking. YAY LOVE THE SQUIGGLY LINES.
7pm: It's interesting that when googling John McCain's 2005 commencement speech at Northwestern, I can't for the life of me find a transcript of the damn thing. I found a video, but trust me, I had to sit though it once, and it's not an interesting speech. At the time it seemed to me like it was just some backup speech they had sitting around somewhere, not about anything in particular except how we had to work together to make the future great blah blah blah.
On the other hand, when I google Barack Obama's 2006 commencement speech at Northwestern, I not only find a video, but also the complete text. Read it. It's a great speech, and this is before any of the crazy campaigning started.
You can tell the difference between the candidates just by watching these two speeches. My class, as Kevin likes to remind me, really go the short end of the stick in this deal. I should have waited a quarter to graduate so I could be proud of my commencment speaker, rather than ashamed. My main memories of that commencement ceremony involve trying to find my family in the stands, and Eric Hoyt's hat repeatedly falling off his head.
7:07pm: WHOA AWESOME QUESTION RE: ROE V. WADE! McCain is pussyfooting around it, of course, "the decision should rest in the hands of the states," read: "I don't really want to answer this question." It will be interesting to see what Obama says.
Obama: "I am somebody who believes that Roe v. Wade was rightly decided. I think that Roe vs. Wade is a very difficult issue, and it's a moral issue.... women, in consultation with their families and their doctors are in the best position to make this decision." OH MY GOD PLEASE EXCUSE ME WHILE I SWOON. I love this guy. Way to take a STAND on an issue that no one has actually addressed in AGES. I forgot to watch the squiggly lines while he actually said that, but at the moment they're up pretty high. This is amazing. "If a woman is out there trying to raise a family unfairly, the court has to stand up."
7:12pm: All McCain can seem to do is spout out Obama's voting history. Why don't you tell us what you actually think, dbag?
7:14pm: "Sexuality is sacred." Helping single mothers and preventing unwanted pregnancies... AWESOME. I LOVE YOU OBAMA.
7:15pm: Oh, McCain is tugging on the "Cindy and I are adoptive parents" heartstring. And yet, I have never seen a picture of Bridget McCain. Has she ever been with her family at one of these debates?
7:18pm: WOW LOOK AT THE SQIGGLY LINES NOW when Obama is talking about schools. And parental responsibility! YES! Turning off the tv sets and putting away the video games. So true.
7:20pm: John McCain is talking about how people who serve in the military ought to be able to straight to teaching when they get out of the service, and not have to take the examinations and get the credentials that they would normally have to get. WHAT? How is that going to improve the school system? That makes zero sense. No offense to the military or anything, but not everyone in there is qualified to teach just because they want to. I could argue quite the opposite- a decent chunk of them went straight into the military after high school. Does anyone really want their children being taught by someone without a college education?
7:23pm: McCain just sounds condescending. Like, all the time. What a crackhead. Also, he just said that Sarah Palin knows about Autism "more than most." Uh... Sarah Palin's son has Down's Syndrome, not Autism.
7:27pm: McCain's closing remarks. I still don't understand exactly how McCain, old decrepit McCain, represents the "new direction" America needs. Ugh, the little lines are going up. And he used the "serving has been the great honor of my life" bullshit again.
7:29pm: Obama's closing remarks. "We're going to have to invest in the American people again." Middle class, higher wages, more jobs, LINES GO WAY UP. "It's going to require all of us, Democrats, Republicans, to come together." He's so good.
7:31pm: Bob Schaeffer "I will leave you with what my mother always said- 'Go vote now, it will make you feel big and strong.'" Hahaha I love it. "Mama always said..."
7:32pm: Michelle Obama is wearing weird flowers on her necklace. Not sure I approve, but hey, maybe it's the next big fashion trend. I'd sooner dress like Michelle Obama than Cindy McCain, Barbie Vampire any day.
This was totally the best debate... I think McCain did better than he has in the past, which makes me mad, but I still don't think he outshone Obama. How could you? He's all "heh heh heh" evilly laughing on the side of the screen over there. Does anyone else think it's funny how McCain is always on the right of the screen in these things and Obama is always on the left? Let's see how blatantly we can illustrate what side of the political spectrum these guys are on!
Ok, done with the random spewing of thoughts. If you want real, politically informed commentary, go here or here.
drat
The Nobel Prizes were awarded this week, a harsh reminder that another year has come and gone without my making any progress towards winning said prize, being seated next to Prince Carl Philip at the banquet, dazzling him with my wit and charm, and becoming Princess of Sweden.
Sigh. I suppose there's always next year.
Sigh. I suppose there's always next year.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
finding fall
On Saturday we drove almost two hours east of LA in a daring attempt find that elusive season known as "fall." IT WAS AMAZING. There's a little town with ugly suburban houses called Yucaipa, and if you drive up in the hills beyond it you find a little town called Oak Glen with... APPLE ORCHARDS GALORE. Bre and Jake and I met Matt and Letia at the top of a hill at Los Rios Rancho Apple Farm, and we bought bags for picking, and went wild. It was an absolutely perfect fall day- 55 degrees and sunny. There were even some leaves that had started changing.
The last time I went apple picking was with David and Jessica in the fall of my freshman year at Northwestern-- we drove into Indiana and found a good old fashioned midwestern farm. Then they dropped me and my backpack full of apples at the Landmark Theater in Chicago and I met just about half of CRC for a double feature of Waking Life and Mulholland Drive at the Chicago International Film Festival, and on the way home Marc Lummis declared he knew a "shortcut" back to the El and I ended up walking like two miles to the Red Line with an extremely heavy backpack of apples on my back. That part sucked.
Anyway.
Pictures!
Bre in a tree!
Letia and Bre and me
Jake and Matt-- I'm not quite sure why they took their shirts off
Jake got something stuck in his foot... and I think this picture is funny
I don't know who those people are, but that's the view out over the valley. Isn't it pretty?
Letia directed a "movie" about me picking apples...
...and then Letia and Bre pretended they were in Children of the Corn
After picking apples we drove down the hill a bit to a fair sort of thing near a restaurant and candy store. It was one of those awesome general stores that sells canned things and caramel apples and maple candy and all sorts of autumnal goodness-- like Quig's near the Illinois/Wisconsin border.
The fair part was fun. There were pony rides (we were too old) and strange goods for sale and goats and llamas being led around. We got cider and I accidentally snuck into the petting zoo. There were ostriches! Not to pet, really, but to ogle!
THEN we drove even farther down the hill, back near the freeway exit, and went to a giant pick-your-own-pumpkin patch. It was way fun... I would have picked a million but I have no money, so I only got one. They had wheelbarrows for loading with pumpkins and sunflowers going to seed and the whole thing was just very lovely and... fall.
Faster, woman!
Bottom line: I need to go again next year... if not again this year. I wonder what happens in Oak Glen at Christmas?? Might be worth another trip...
HALLOWEEN IS SO SOON YAY!
The last time I went apple picking was with David and Jessica in the fall of my freshman year at Northwestern-- we drove into Indiana and found a good old fashioned midwestern farm. Then they dropped me and my backpack full of apples at the Landmark Theater in Chicago and I met just about half of CRC for a double feature of Waking Life and Mulholland Drive at the Chicago International Film Festival, and on the way home Marc Lummis declared he knew a "shortcut" back to the El and I ended up walking like two miles to the Red Line with an extremely heavy backpack of apples on my back. That part sucked.
Anyway.
Pictures!
Bre in a tree!
Letia and Bre and me
Jake and Matt-- I'm not quite sure why they took their shirts off
Jake got something stuck in his foot... and I think this picture is funny
I don't know who those people are, but that's the view out over the valley. Isn't it pretty?
Letia directed a "movie" about me picking apples...
...and then Letia and Bre pretended they were in Children of the Corn
After picking apples we drove down the hill a bit to a fair sort of thing near a restaurant and candy store. It was one of those awesome general stores that sells canned things and caramel apples and maple candy and all sorts of autumnal goodness-- like Quig's near the Illinois/Wisconsin border.
The fair part was fun. There were pony rides (we were too old) and strange goods for sale and goats and llamas being led around. We got cider and I accidentally snuck into the petting zoo. There were ostriches! Not to pet, really, but to ogle!
THEN we drove even farther down the hill, back near the freeway exit, and went to a giant pick-your-own-pumpkin patch. It was way fun... I would have picked a million but I have no money, so I only got one. They had wheelbarrows for loading with pumpkins and sunflowers going to seed and the whole thing was just very lovely and... fall.
Faster, woman!
Bottom line: I need to go again next year... if not again this year. I wonder what happens in Oak Glen at Christmas?? Might be worth another trip...
HALLOWEEN IS SO SOON YAY!
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