I needed that.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
It may surprise some to learn that today, on the last Outdoor- Market day, I ate my first L’Etoile croissant for the year (I had their pumpkin & chocolate one and it was fantastic!). If you work in a restaurant, you don’t really eat the food that is being prepared there. If you are cooking, you have to taste to adjust for flavors, but that’s all. Just about everyone I know practices this type of abstention. Oh sure, they, like me, will go to dine there now and then, but on days that they are working, there is a real separation of powers between labor and consumption.
While sipping my café au lait and munching on the croissant, I picked up a copy of yesterday’s paper. I found the front-page photo of the first post-election Cabinet Meeting quite entertaining in a sardonic sort of way. Take a look:
While sipping my café au lait and munching on the croissant, I picked up a copy of yesterday’s paper. I found the front-page photo of the first post-election Cabinet Meeting quite entertaining in a sardonic sort of way. Take a look:
Missing is the look of people hard at work. There is not a single rolled-up sleeve at the table, figuratively-speaking or otherwise. And note the guy in the circle because he is on his way out! I have heard rumors from very well-informed sources that if he goes, half the staff at the State Department is going to quit. That, of course, would be awkward or awesome, depending on your perspective. But Donald Rumsfeld seems to feel that we want him to continue to pound his fists at everyone and their shadow overseas. So two more years of him. Two years? Want kind of a commitment is that anyway? He’s already announcing that two more years of this Administration is about as much as he can take? How about the rest of us? We're stuck with four!And aren’t we all happy happy to see that Condoleezza Rice may well be the next Rumsfeld. Such disarming people, the both of them!
At the Market today, farmers were engaged in political speculations (I only buy from Democrats. Honestly. It’s not that I disdain food coming from Red-tainted soil, it’s just that I have yet to MEET a Market farmer who voted for Bush). What now, why, where to... One young guy over at Harmony Valley was explaining to a customer how the only way this country can survive is if we take on seriously the task of providing information to people who are simply not knowledgeable about the crisis facing this country. He is sending his Bush-voting in-laws a subscription to the New York Times. I told him they either wont read it or call it a lefty rag. “No,” he said, “because I am not just a random person out there. I married their daughter. They like me. I can make inroads because they trust me. I tell you, this should be our mssion for the next 4 years: to educate those without access to hard facts. Education is huge!”
There’s a reason why it’s always refreshing to talk to farmers at the Market. They see their crops fail, they deal with droughts and flooded fields. And, if they at all can, they come back to it next year anyway.
Just two photos from the Market today – the post is obscenely long as it is. The first focuses in on the essence of a great Market: stacks of carrots, in the glow of a beautiful, sunny day. The other is more suggestive of things to come. The peppers are still there, but they are strung with seasonal pine cones. Damn. The Market changes, seasons change, but the president and vice president stay the same. Damn.
At the Market today, farmers were engaged in political speculations (I only buy from Democrats. Honestly. It’s not that I disdain food coming from Red-tainted soil, it’s just that I have yet to MEET a Market farmer who voted for Bush). What now, why, where to... One young guy over at Harmony Valley was explaining to a customer how the only way this country can survive is if we take on seriously the task of providing information to people who are simply not knowledgeable about the crisis facing this country. He is sending his Bush-voting in-laws a subscription to the New York Times. I told him they either wont read it or call it a lefty rag. “No,” he said, “because I am not just a random person out there. I married their daughter. They like me. I can make inroads because they trust me. I tell you, this should be our mssion for the next 4 years: to educate those without access to hard facts. Education is huge!”
There’s a reason why it’s always refreshing to talk to farmers at the Market. They see their crops fail, they deal with droughts and flooded fields. And, if they at all can, they come back to it next year anyway.
Just two photos from the Market today – the post is obscenely long as it is. The first focuses in on the essence of a great Market: stacks of carrots, in the glow of a beautiful, sunny day. The other is more suggestive of things to come. The peppers are still there, but they are strung with seasonal pine cones. Damn. The Market changes, seasons change, but the president and vice president stay the same. Damn.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Alabama, I want to get to know you better…
A reader forwarded this story on the referendum that was on the ballot in Alabama. It appears that it failed (thus far, because they are demanding a recount) to eliminate segregationist provisions (to be fair – long-unenforced) from the Alabama Constitution. Close call though, 50% against, 50% in favor. [The problem? The referendum was tied to another provision, the removal of which threatened to raise school taxes.]
I was all ready to get on the Ocean blog and write – you wont get this blogger to venture to Alabama if my sun-deprived self depended on it!
And then I thought to myself: no, Ocean will rise above such sweeping, pernicious and defamatory condemnations. I have written earlier, after all, about the ability of honorable Europeans (even those who are in the Coalition of the Unwilling) to differentiate between Americans and their war-boy antihero. The Other Side of the Ocean should be at least as noble as those on the other side of the ocean.
And so I forced myself, here on Ocean, to make that gesutre. Reach out! Reach out to the heart of Dixie, I said, feeling magnimonious and resisting the temptation to pinch my nose. And what did I come up with? I don’t have county by county data on the Amendment, but take a look at these counties in terms of the Bush – Kerry election (source: CNN):
(overall state numbers: 37% Kerry, 63% Bush)
Macon – 83% Kerry, 17% Bush
Greene – 80% Kerry, 20% Bush
Lowndes – 70% Kerry, 30% Bush
By comparison, us smug Dane County (our little island of idealism in the vast sea of reality) voters have produced only this:
Kerry – 66%
Bush – 33%
Okay, I’m sorry Alabama. I will not make generalizations about the state and (all) its people again. Just get rid of that Amendment.
I was all ready to get on the Ocean blog and write – you wont get this blogger to venture to Alabama if my sun-deprived self depended on it!
And then I thought to myself: no, Ocean will rise above such sweeping, pernicious and defamatory condemnations. I have written earlier, after all, about the ability of honorable Europeans (even those who are in the Coalition of the Unwilling) to differentiate between Americans and their war-boy antihero. The Other Side of the Ocean should be at least as noble as those on the other side of the ocean.
And so I forced myself, here on Ocean, to make that gesutre. Reach out! Reach out to the heart of Dixie, I said, feeling magnimonious and resisting the temptation to pinch my nose. And what did I come up with? I don’t have county by county data on the Amendment, but take a look at these counties in terms of the Bush – Kerry election (source: CNN):
(overall state numbers: 37% Kerry, 63% Bush)
Macon – 83% Kerry, 17% Bush
Greene – 80% Kerry, 20% Bush
Lowndes – 70% Kerry, 30% Bush
By comparison, us smug Dane County (our little island of idealism in the vast sea of reality) voters have produced only this:
Kerry – 66%
Bush – 33%
Okay, I’m sorry Alabama. I will not make generalizations about the state and (all) its people again. Just get rid of that Amendment.
Be real, people!
My words to our neighbors across the Pacific: let’s not hope for the impossible and we will not be disappointed.
I read in the IHT today that the Asahi Shimbun (a Japanese paper) posted this:
The newspaper … appealed to Bush's humility, reminding him that there was still "persistent opposition" to his security policy and saying, "We want him to respect the criticism humbly."
Come, come, have you looked closely at the face of our victor? This is not a man who gulps down humility with his orange juice each morning. Look at these humble servants from the official GOP website:
Japan, you are so UNREAL. You! A member of the Coalition of the Willing! And what’s this with the other Asian countries? I see a reference to a paper from South Korea, another American ally:
Similar sentiments were echoed by newspapers in South Korea. … The JoongAng Ilbo said the United States had "suffered great damage from its unilateral diplomacy over the past four years" and urged it to be more considerate of its allies.
Are you stuck on the old Bush or are you asking this of the current George? Don’t hold your breath, pals.
Hong Kong, at least, steps cautiously:
In Hong Kong, The South China Morning Post characterized Bush's victory as a "victory for divisiveness."
"Great challenges lie ahead," The Post said. "But they will be confronted by a nation that is at odds with itself. History will judge the price his country will have to pay for this most divisive of victories."
But you have to hand it to India, a great beneficiary of American outsourcing. What a sense of humor that country has! (as it cheers – now isn’t that interesting – the November 2nd results):
The Times of India touched on a growing trade issue with the United States by asking, "Should the U.S. outsource its electoral process to India's remarkably efficient election commission?"
I read in the IHT today that the Asahi Shimbun (a Japanese paper) posted this:
The newspaper … appealed to Bush's humility, reminding him that there was still "persistent opposition" to his security policy and saying, "We want him to respect the criticism humbly."
Come, come, have you looked closely at the face of our victor? This is not a man who gulps down humility with his orange juice each morning. Look at these humble servants from the official GOP website:
Japan, you are so UNREAL. You! A member of the Coalition of the Willing! And what’s this with the other Asian countries? I see a reference to a paper from South Korea, another American ally:
Similar sentiments were echoed by newspapers in South Korea. … The JoongAng Ilbo said the United States had "suffered great damage from its unilateral diplomacy over the past four years" and urged it to be more considerate of its allies.
Are you stuck on the old Bush or are you asking this of the current George? Don’t hold your breath, pals.
Hong Kong, at least, steps cautiously:
In Hong Kong, The South China Morning Post characterized Bush's victory as a "victory for divisiveness."
"Great challenges lie ahead," The Post said. "But they will be confronted by a nation that is at odds with itself. History will judge the price his country will have to pay for this most divisive of victories."
But you have to hand it to India, a great beneficiary of American outsourcing. What a sense of humor that country has! (as it cheers – now isn’t that interesting – the November 2nd results):
The Times of India touched on a growing trade issue with the United States by asking, "Should the U.S. outsource its electoral process to India's remarkably efficient election commission?"
A review of day two
(Or: How I got through yesterday on virtually no sleep for two nights in a row)
Was 2 minutes late for first class (never happened before), forgot lecture notes, poured cold water over tea bag, forgot to record exams, locked myself out of my office just before second class and was, therefore, 2 minutes late for that (unbeleivable!), called student by wrong name, fell asleep (visibly) during faculty meeting, was late for coffee meeting, kept complaining about the freezing weather during evening walk (an objectively inaccurate assesmment of the meteorological conditions outside), talked politics at dinner with Ann and remember none of it today, got a parking ticket, dozed off in the middle of writing a blog post.
A special treat for Ocean readers: tomorrow you get to read a post under the heading: How I got through yesterday on virtually no sleep for three nights in a row. It’ll be a doozie.
Was 2 minutes late for first class (never happened before), forgot lecture notes, poured cold water over tea bag, forgot to record exams, locked myself out of my office just before second class and was, therefore, 2 minutes late for that (unbeleivable!), called student by wrong name, fell asleep (visibly) during faculty meeting, was late for coffee meeting, kept complaining about the freezing weather during evening walk (an objectively inaccurate assesmment of the meteorological conditions outside), talked politics at dinner with Ann and remember none of it today, got a parking ticket, dozed off in the middle of writing a blog post.
A special treat for Ocean readers: tomorrow you get to read a post under the heading: How I got through yesterday on virtually no sleep for three nights in a row. It’ll be a doozie.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
You forgot about Poland, redux (long post on building a new life elsewhere)
That one-of-a-kind Jeremy, over at JFW wonders why people are so psyched about moving to Canada now and not choosing to relocate to, say, Poland.
I have always felt myself to be at a cultural disadvantage here. At times (eg November 3rd, a.m.) I have thought – man, I just don’t GET this place! In those moments I have felt inferior, marginalized and confused. But I can take comfort in the fact that every now and then I can rise to the challenge and participate meaningfully in the debate. For instance now: I think I can help you decide -- Poland? Canada? the Caribbean maybe? Read on!
First, why Canada remains a cool choice: it’s because they are not yet ready to bash our brains in, that’s why. They still want to help us out, even though we mock their affected French ways in Quebec and poo poo their pandering to environmentally-correct mammals. Check out this website, which urges Canadians to take on an American bride at our time of great need. here's an excerpt:
Now that George W. Bush has been officially elected, single, sexy, American liberals - already a threatened species - will be desperate to escape.
These lonely, afraid (did we mention really hot?) progressives will need a safe haven.
You can help. Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American. Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism.
And why not Poland?
Here’s someone positing that very question on her (Madison-based) blog, just yesterday. She writes:
Accepting my brother’s offer to work in Poznan (Poland) where he lives with his Polish wife is also not an option. He’s right – I’d make more than the average Pole and the landscape (at least in selected areas) would be much better. But, let’s be honest…I just wouldn’t fit in. I don’t speak Polish, I do yoga (which the Catholic church in Poland seems to regard with some mystical suspicions), I like to run outside (which, judging by my visits to Poland, is not an acceptable outdoor activity and tends to cause alarm), I drink my vodka in cocktails, I like a large supermarket with an expansive and fresh produce section to be within walking distance, I love it that even in Wisconsin I have the opportunity to see live roller-derby, I love rodeos, and a Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre or White Stripes concert at least once per year is an absolute must. Oh, and I don’t speak Polish.
Now, I do think one shouldn't be quite this intimidated by the puzzled stares of my country-folk. Be bold! Kick the shi(ns) out of anyone who wont let you do yoga! The church is losing its grip on the Polish psyche anyway. Go! Relocate to Poland! (But do learn Polish first.)
In the alternative, a reader (thanks, Christina) brought the following Harper’s article to my attention:
A reader’s guide to expatriating on November 3
So the wrong candidate has won, and you want to leave the country. Let us consider your options.
Renouncing your citizenship
Given how much the United States as a nation professes to value freedom, your freedom to opt out of the nation itself is surprisingly limited. …
The most serious barrier to renouncing your citizenship is that the State Department, which oversees expatriation, is reluctant to allow citizens to go “stateless.” Before allowing expatriation, the department will want you to have obtained citizenship or legal asylum in another country…
Heading to Canada…
In your search for alternate citizenship, you might naturally think first of Canada and Mexico. But despite the generous terms of NAFTA, our neighbors to the north and south are, like us, far more interested in the flow of money than of persons. Canada, in particular, is no longer a paradise awaiting American dissidents... Today it takes an average of twenty-five months to be accepted as a permanent resident, and this is only the first step in what is likely to be a five-year process of becoming a citizen. At that point the gesture of expatriation may already be moot, particularly if a sympathetic political party has since resumed power.
France
… those who opposed the Iraq war might hope to find refuge in France, where a very select few are allowed to “assimilate” each year. Assimilation is reserved for persons of non-French descent who are able to prove that they are more French than American, having mastered the language as well as the philosophy of the French way of life…
The coalition of the willing
Should the other candidate win, war supporters might naturally look to join the coalition of the willing. But you may find a willing and developing nation as difficult to join as an unwilling and developed one. It takes at least five years to become a citizen of Pakistan, for instance, unless one marries into a family, and each applicant for residency in Pakistan is judged on a case-by-case basis. Uzbekistan imposes a five-year wait as well, with an additional twist: the nation does not recognize dual citizenship, and so you will be required to renounce your U.S. citizenship first. Given Uzbekistan’s standard of living (low), unemployment (high), and human-rights record (poor), this would be something of a leap of faith. …
The Caribbean
A more pleasant solution might be found in the Caribbean. Take, for example, the twin-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, which Frommer’s guide praises for its “average year-round temperature of 79°F (26°C), low humidity, white-sand beaches, and unspoiled natural beauty.” Citizenship in this paradise can be purchased outright. Prices start at around $125,000, which includes a $25,000 application fee and a minimum purchase of $100,000 in bonds. Processing time, which includes checks for criminal records and HIV, can take up to three months, but with luck you could be renouncing by Inauguration Day. ..
And, if all else fails, don’t forget about Poland. Start practicing: dziekuje and jak sie masz.
I have always felt myself to be at a cultural disadvantage here. At times (eg November 3rd, a.m.) I have thought – man, I just don’t GET this place! In those moments I have felt inferior, marginalized and confused. But I can take comfort in the fact that every now and then I can rise to the challenge and participate meaningfully in the debate. For instance now: I think I can help you decide -- Poland? Canada? the Caribbean maybe? Read on!
First, why Canada remains a cool choice: it’s because they are not yet ready to bash our brains in, that’s why. They still want to help us out, even though we mock their affected French ways in Quebec and poo poo their pandering to environmentally-correct mammals. Check out this website, which urges Canadians to take on an American bride at our time of great need. here's an excerpt:
Now that George W. Bush has been officially elected, single, sexy, American liberals - already a threatened species - will be desperate to escape.
These lonely, afraid (did we mention really hot?) progressives will need a safe haven.
You can help. Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American. Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism.
And why not Poland?
Here’s someone positing that very question on her (Madison-based) blog, just yesterday. She writes:
Accepting my brother’s offer to work in Poznan (Poland) where he lives with his Polish wife is also not an option. He’s right – I’d make more than the average Pole and the landscape (at least in selected areas) would be much better. But, let’s be honest…I just wouldn’t fit in. I don’t speak Polish, I do yoga (which the Catholic church in Poland seems to regard with some mystical suspicions), I like to run outside (which, judging by my visits to Poland, is not an acceptable outdoor activity and tends to cause alarm), I drink my vodka in cocktails, I like a large supermarket with an expansive and fresh produce section to be within walking distance, I love it that even in Wisconsin I have the opportunity to see live roller-derby, I love rodeos, and a Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre or White Stripes concert at least once per year is an absolute must. Oh, and I don’t speak Polish.
Now, I do think one shouldn't be quite this intimidated by the puzzled stares of my country-folk. Be bold! Kick the shi(ns) out of anyone who wont let you do yoga! The church is losing its grip on the Polish psyche anyway. Go! Relocate to Poland! (But do learn Polish first.)
In the alternative, a reader (thanks, Christina) brought the following Harper’s article to my attention:
A reader’s guide to expatriating on November 3
So the wrong candidate has won, and you want to leave the country. Let us consider your options.
Renouncing your citizenship
Given how much the United States as a nation professes to value freedom, your freedom to opt out of the nation itself is surprisingly limited. …
The most serious barrier to renouncing your citizenship is that the State Department, which oversees expatriation, is reluctant to allow citizens to go “stateless.” Before allowing expatriation, the department will want you to have obtained citizenship or legal asylum in another country…
Heading to Canada…
In your search for alternate citizenship, you might naturally think first of Canada and Mexico. But despite the generous terms of NAFTA, our neighbors to the north and south are, like us, far more interested in the flow of money than of persons. Canada, in particular, is no longer a paradise awaiting American dissidents... Today it takes an average of twenty-five months to be accepted as a permanent resident, and this is only the first step in what is likely to be a five-year process of becoming a citizen. At that point the gesture of expatriation may already be moot, particularly if a sympathetic political party has since resumed power.
France
… those who opposed the Iraq war might hope to find refuge in France, where a very select few are allowed to “assimilate” each year. Assimilation is reserved for persons of non-French descent who are able to prove that they are more French than American, having mastered the language as well as the philosophy of the French way of life…
The coalition of the willing
Should the other candidate win, war supporters might naturally look to join the coalition of the willing. But you may find a willing and developing nation as difficult to join as an unwilling and developed one. It takes at least five years to become a citizen of Pakistan, for instance, unless one marries into a family, and each applicant for residency in Pakistan is judged on a case-by-case basis. Uzbekistan imposes a five-year wait as well, with an additional twist: the nation does not recognize dual citizenship, and so you will be required to renounce your U.S. citizenship first. Given Uzbekistan’s standard of living (low), unemployment (high), and human-rights record (poor), this would be something of a leap of faith. …
The Caribbean
A more pleasant solution might be found in the Caribbean. Take, for example, the twin-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, which Frommer’s guide praises for its “average year-round temperature of 79°F (26°C), low humidity, white-sand beaches, and unspoiled natural beauty.” Citizenship in this paradise can be purchased outright. Prices start at around $125,000, which includes a $25,000 application fee and a minimum purchase of $100,000 in bonds. Processing time, which includes checks for criminal records and HIV, can take up to three months, but with luck you could be renouncing by Inauguration Day. ..
And, if all else fails, don’t forget about Poland. Start practicing: dziekuje and jak sie masz.
Second Postcript to post below
The European press reacts to the election results (thanks A., via yahoo.com):
The Independent bore the front-page headline "Four more years" on a black page with grim pictures including a hooded Iraqi prisoner and an orange-clad detainee at Guantanamo Bay.
The left-leaning Guardian led its features section with a black page bearing the tiny words, "Oh, God." Inside a story described how Bush's victory "catapaulted liberal Britain into collective depression."
Across Europe, many newspapers expressed dismay at the prospect of another term for Bush, a president often regarded as inflexible and unilateralist.
"Oops — they did it again," Germany's left-leaning Tageszeitung newspaper said in a front-page English headlinectory. The cover of the Swiss newsmagazine Facts called Bush's re-election "Europe's Nightmare." "Victory for the hothead: how far will he go?" asked another Swiss weekly, L'Hebdo.
A few British papers welcomed the U.S. election result. "The world is a safer place with George W. Bush back in the Oval Office," the tabloid Sun said in an editorial.
All agreed the result reflected a sea-change in U.S. politics, a victory for neo-conservatives and the religious right.
"March of the Moral Majority" said the conservative Daily Mail, above a photo of Bush with his wife and daughters. "America's moral majority sweeps Bush back into the White House," The Daily Telegraph said.
The Times said Europe "must come to terms, not only with Mr. Bush, but with the nation that has elected him. This is a president who really can speak for America."
[Oh dear, how embarassing.]
The Independent bore the front-page headline "Four more years" on a black page with grim pictures including a hooded Iraqi prisoner and an orange-clad detainee at Guantanamo Bay.
The left-leaning Guardian led its features section with a black page bearing the tiny words, "Oh, God." Inside a story described how Bush's victory "catapaulted liberal Britain into collective depression."
Across Europe, many newspapers expressed dismay at the prospect of another term for Bush, a president often regarded as inflexible and unilateralist.
"Oops — they did it again," Germany's left-leaning Tageszeitung newspaper said in a front-page English headlinectory. The cover of the Swiss newsmagazine Facts called Bush's re-election "Europe's Nightmare." "Victory for the hothead: how far will he go?" asked another Swiss weekly, L'Hebdo.
A few British papers welcomed the U.S. election result. "The world is a safer place with George W. Bush back in the Oval Office," the tabloid Sun said in an editorial.
All agreed the result reflected a sea-change in U.S. politics, a victory for neo-conservatives and the religious right.
"March of the Moral Majority" said the conservative Daily Mail, above a photo of Bush with his wife and daughters. "America's moral majority sweeps Bush back into the White House," The Daily Telegraph said.
The Times said Europe "must come to terms, not only with Mr. Bush, but with the nation that has elected him. This is a president who really can speak for America."
[Oh dear, how embarassing.]
Postscript to post below
Thanks to C, D, D & J for the stream of pick-me-ups, and especially for the sketch below, which speaks directly to my morning rage at news analyses of what was neglected by the Democrats in the course of the campaign.
Beginning of day two
Oh shut up (my sophisticated response to this morning’s news commentaries on the presidential race).
Democrats, we have to wake up (I hear this yesterday and today). It was all about family values and you, Mr. Kerry missed the boat. No, no, not affordable health care and social security and minimum wage and the right to make reproductive decisions and sending sons and daughters to war. Family VALUES. You know, like faith and gays taking over the institution of marriage (11 states? Are we insane?). Values. Loving Laura -- that guy had it figured out. Brilliant language of immagery! And, btw, Mr. Kerry, why couldn’t you have cried for larger audiences prior to the election? Why did you save that for your concession speech? Half a million votes would have been yours right there (we’re consistent – we told Gore the same thing – what a schelp to save emotion for concession!).
Did I imagine that as recently as a week ago it was All About Keeping Us Safe?
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
The end of day one.
I want to know what kind of sorry state I was in last night to generate such a stream of sympathetic calls and emails today?
Here’s the thing. As I told my walking buddy tonight, I’ve got something that all of you don’t have: I can set in place my hidden PRM (Polish Recovery Mechanism). PRM works really well for brooding Slavs who basically can’t believe there is a tomorrow, because when they actually do wake up to a new day they are pleasantly surprised.
And so then we work work work to put aside whatever was troubling us the night before. If that doesn’t help, by evening we consider downing gallons of vodka. I am happy to report that I am in control and not reaching into the liqour cabinet. Just a little low on leftover Halloween candy and Organic Angel Fluffs.
P.S. Today’s Daily Show is better than vodka. If you missed it, pick it up tomorrow at 6. Unless you’re not ready to laugh yet. I can understand that. I guess.
Here’s the thing. As I told my walking buddy tonight, I’ve got something that all of you don’t have: I can set in place my hidden PRM (Polish Recovery Mechanism). PRM works really well for brooding Slavs who basically can’t believe there is a tomorrow, because when they actually do wake up to a new day they are pleasantly surprised.
And so then we work work work to put aside whatever was troubling us the night before. If that doesn’t help, by evening we consider downing gallons of vodka. I am happy to report that I am in control and not reaching into the liqour cabinet. Just a little low on leftover Halloween candy and Organic Angel Fluffs.
P.S. Today’s Daily Show is better than vodka. If you missed it, pick it up tomorrow at 6. Unless you’re not ready to laugh yet. I can understand that. I guess.
Musing, though not terribly amused, part 2:
Listening to the acceptance speeches:
It’s hard to be gracious while listening to Cheney gloat about the success of the Republican Party. I'll be gracious later, I just can't warm up to this man. Each time he appears on the TV I want to say "remind me again how many times you dropped out of college and grad school? Three? Four was it"
Okay, okay, come on, it’s been a long night -- let this post be just one last lapse into cattiness:
Ha ha, the microphone isn’t working properly, ha ha..
Hmmmm… Bush WANTS to say *thank you for letting me keep my job; I’m not so good at finding new employment. Man, I love my wife, I love my life, I love my routines and hey, I did again something that my dad failed to do!*
Bush’s one nod toward Democrats seems to be that he’s wearing a blue tie.
Prayer has been mentioned many times.
I’m sleepy. It’s like attending a boring lecture. I look at the computer screen and notice that my finger has been slumbering on the “r” key. All those “r”s look menacing!
I must have dozed off… Oh! It’s over! What exactly did he say? I'd make a terrible simul-blogger, I failed. Let me listen to the CNN commentaters and pick up the highlights. Whaaat? They keep going back to Kerry’s speech and his beautiful, emotional acknowledgement of the workers in his campaign! Wait, aren’t we supposed to be talking about the Bush acceptance speech? There we go again, the shot is of Kerry and Edwards on stage.
Oh, now I get to listen to live coverage of the speech made by a disappointed Tony Blair. *Damn,* he’s thinking, *my goose is cooked; now I have to stick by this gent and watch my butt get kicked around back home.* Wow, he appears unenthusiastic! Oh, Blair is slipping away from Bush – he is rejecting ‘military might alone’… he is talking about ‘poverty’ and making the 'Middle East peace process' a priority. 'Europe and America must built an alliance'… Am I hearing him right??? Bush will have none of it, I’m sure. *With us or against us* – those are George words. IS BLAIR EVER SO SUBTLY INCHING AWAY FROM BUSH? The international saga continues...
The speeches are over. Back to work.
It’s hard to be gracious while listening to Cheney gloat about the success of the Republican Party. I'll be gracious later, I just can't warm up to this man. Each time he appears on the TV I want to say "remind me again how many times you dropped out of college and grad school? Three? Four was it"
Okay, okay, come on, it’s been a long night -- let this post be just one last lapse into cattiness:
Ha ha, the microphone isn’t working properly, ha ha..
Hmmmm… Bush WANTS to say *thank you for letting me keep my job; I’m not so good at finding new employment. Man, I love my wife, I love my life, I love my routines and hey, I did again something that my dad failed to do!*
Bush’s one nod toward Democrats seems to be that he’s wearing a blue tie.
Prayer has been mentioned many times.
I’m sleepy. It’s like attending a boring lecture. I look at the computer screen and notice that my finger has been slumbering on the “r” key. All those “r”s look menacing!
I must have dozed off… Oh! It’s over! What exactly did he say? I'd make a terrible simul-blogger, I failed. Let me listen to the CNN commentaters and pick up the highlights. Whaaat? They keep going back to Kerry’s speech and his beautiful, emotional acknowledgement of the workers in his campaign! Wait, aren’t we supposed to be talking about the Bush acceptance speech? There we go again, the shot is of Kerry and Edwards on stage.
Oh, now I get to listen to live coverage of the speech made by a disappointed Tony Blair. *Damn,* he’s thinking, *my goose is cooked; now I have to stick by this gent and watch my butt get kicked around back home.* Wow, he appears unenthusiastic! Oh, Blair is slipping away from Bush – he is rejecting ‘military might alone’… he is talking about ‘poverty’ and making the 'Middle East peace process' a priority. 'Europe and America must built an alliance'… Am I hearing him right??? Bush will have none of it, I’m sure. *With us or against us* – those are George words. IS BLAIR EVER SO SUBTLY INCHING AWAY FROM BUSH? The international saga continues...
The speeches are over. Back to work.
Musing, though not terribly amused:
We have never thrown out a sitting president at wartime.
Do you suppose Hillary is suddenly hopeful?
You are not allowed to tell me what Kerry should have done differently.
The election results immediately translate into corporate profit and the impoverishment of the middle class: I have decided to keep cable so that I can laugh, at the close of each day, with Jon Stewart. Charter – thank George for my business.
I am scheduled to soon travel to France. I know I will be regarded separately from an administration that squeaked its way into office by the slimmest of margins. I hear people fretting about how “they hate us” and I know how inaccurate that is. They hate the Bush administration. There’s a difference. However, I wish they’d start making pins that say “I never voted for him.”
Tom reminds us of the magnificence of our Constitution. Especially the 22nd Amendment, Section 1: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.
Do you suppose Hillary is suddenly hopeful?
You are not allowed to tell me what Kerry should have done differently.
The election results immediately translate into corporate profit and the impoverishment of the middle class: I have decided to keep cable so that I can laugh, at the close of each day, with Jon Stewart. Charter – thank George for my business.
I am scheduled to soon travel to France. I know I will be regarded separately from an administration that squeaked its way into office by the slimmest of margins. I hear people fretting about how “they hate us” and I know how inaccurate that is. They hate the Bush administration. There’s a difference. However, I wish they’d start making pins that say “I never voted for him.”
Tom reminds us of the magnificence of our Constitution. Especially the 22nd Amendment, Section 1: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.
Concession speech
I want to thank all Ocean readers who also cared deeply about the elections.
So how to deal with failure? Well, it places a burden on us, doesn’t it? A burden to be even better at life: even kinder, more empathetic to those who are immediately affected, less self-centered in our unhappiness, more outwardly-focused in our lives.
As bloggers, we, too, have a responsibility: to be even more skillful at story-telling, more rigorous and precise in our writing, sharper, more intelligent, funnier, honing in on the topics that interest and inspire us.
It would have been deeply satisfying to wake up to a different result. It was not to be.
So how to deal with failure? Well, it places a burden on us, doesn’t it? A burden to be even better at life: even kinder, more empathetic to those who are immediately affected, less self-centered in our unhappiness, more outwardly-focused in our lives.
As bloggers, we, too, have a responsibility: to be even more skillful at story-telling, more rigorous and precise in our writing, sharper, more intelligent, funnier, honing in on the topics that interest and inspire us.
It would have been deeply satisfying to wake up to a different result. It was not to be.
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