William Isaac Woodlief has finally arrived and shares a birthday with The Girl. I hope he doesn't share her predilection for climbing, bopping big brothers, or loudness, but that remains to be seen.
The Girl turned two yesterday. We celebrated with cupcakes and presents, which is really all one needs, right? I hope so anyway, because my plans to actually have a little party with the other two year old from church just aren't going to pan out.
Now I present, four generations of two year old girls in my family -- from 1916, 1944, 1977 and 2004.
The Girl looks a lot like you. From these pictures, you look like your mother and your mother looks like her mother, but The Girl does not look like her great grandmother. It's interesting the subtle changes over generations.
I wonder, were you a terror when you were her age?
The best thing for me to say would be that...at least it's cooler, eh? Won't be long til you hold that little cutie...but it can never pass soon enough, can it?
It's all about autumn today in the Thursday Three. A time that I used to dislike as the herald of winter, but I have come around and I love it when the days get crisper and there is that certain smell in the air. But I get ahead of myself.
1) What are three things you love about the South in the autumn? To make this extra-special hard (in order to promote deep thought and insight) your answers CANNOT be a) football, b) hog-killing time, or c) perky, rosy-cheeked cheerleaders in clingy white sweaters. Sorry.
Oddly enough none of those would ever be included in my thoughts of fall. I'm not a big sports fan, but everyone knows that football is really secondary and that the true beauty of fall sports lies in the pennant races and World Series -- well, not in the South where we are much underrepresented in baseball and I don't even like the team we have. So it is a good thing sports aren't really on my list, huh?
Anyway, my real favorite things about fall in the South are the colors on the trees, which even in a bad year are spectacular. I like getting out warm clothes and I especially like that all the half-naked people out there finally decide to cover up a bit. And finally, I love the foods of fall. I love Thanksgiving foods, anything involving cranberries, and all the soups and other warm, hearty things that the weather makes me feel like making. I do love summer foods too, but by the time fall rolls in, I am ready for a change.
2) What are three of your favorite places in the South in the autumn?
I don't know if I have three favorites really, but my top, all-time favorite is defnitely Sewanee. The leaves and the crisp air on top of the Mountain are incredible and there are more stars visible on a clear night than almost anywhere else I've ever been. The fog that rolls in from time to time and all the rain feel perfect for Fall and fires in the fireplace.
3) And finally, what is one thing you dislike about Fall in the South?
It is hot and summery for too much of the season. I wouldn't really want to go back to Fairbanks where winter will be starting about next week if it hasn't rolled in already, but when autumn arrives on the calendar I also wouldn't mind a place where the coolth came before November.
In one of the boxes of cereal at the TaterBed we found a sample of Craisins. Have you tried them, are they worth eating? I think Ocean Spray makes them ... yes they do.
I like Craisins. I suppose it depends upon how you feel about cranberries in general, as to whether you'd like them or not. We eat them as snacks and also use them as a raisin substitute sometimes in Middle Eastern type recipes.
I signed up for the parent listserv for The Boy's school the other day. When I signed up, it was specifically stated that there will be no political or religious discussion on the list whatsoever. Here's the text of the second message I got from the group:
THE DRAFT IS BACK
Get this everybody. This is for real.
Right now, there is a bill in congress, in June of 2005, every boy and girl 18-26 will be drafted for a mandatory 2 years of service in the armed forces.
Bush is trying to sneak this through while everybody is distracted with the election.
If you have children, or know of any, now is the time to wake up.
I'm tempted to complain. I wonder if anything would be done or if this is classified as merely informational rather than political.
I'd love to know, as well, how Bush got Charles Rangel and some of the other far leftists to push through his evil plan to draft all of our children. Last time I checked Mssrs. Rangel, McDermott, Conyers, Lewis, Stark, and Abercrombie could hardly be described as sitting in the President's pocket.
Also, would someone decide and write a memo -- is Bush a bumbling idiot who can't string two words together on his own or an evil genius bent on world domination and the destruction of all things liberal? It gets almost as confusing trying to keep track of what people are claiming for him today as it does keeping track of where Kerry stands on any particular issue.
"is Bush a bumbling idiot who can't string two words together on his own or an evil genius bent on world domination and the destruction of all things liberal?"
It would appear that since Chuck Rangel's name is prominently missing from the note, and Bush's is inserted at the evil person behind this dastardly act, that it swung from being informational to blatantly political. And, of course, Rangel's intent in introducting the bill was a blatantly political scare tactic in the first place.
Second, upon reading the bill, the intent is that they would perform national service, not necessarily in the armed forces. But, I suppose you actually have to READ it before you understand that.
Third, this is not something that Bush's puppet Rangel pushed through in an election year--it was introduced in January of 2003.
Also interesting is the loaded language used implying that 18-26 year olds somehow qualify as being boys and girls.
I would ask for clarification from the list moderator upon what constitutes political or religious discussion on the list before complaining. If this constitutes acceptable usage, then I see nothing wrong in answering it factually. Which I know will get everyone in an uproar.
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 22, 2004 12:45 PM
"Introducing," not "introducting." Although "introducting" is an interesting new word that I might use intentionally from now on.
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 22, 2004 12:48 PM
Oh Terry, you're always introducting words!
I would put out a similar little memo on how Rangel and company have tried to get this through since Jan. 2003 and now they are using Bill Clinton's health scare and the Danron scandal as cover to get it passed. If you get any "feedback" just point them to the original memo.
You know you'll eventually do something someday and confront them, 'cause it's probably going to get worse before it gets better.
[especially as they get more desperate and see the election numbers turning against them]
Hey, waitaminute! What happened to us folks in the International Jewish Conspiracy? I thought we were in charge? (see here for more information: http://www.internationaljewishconspiracy.com/ )
Also, Mr. Possum beat me to the Snopes reference - always a good place to check these things out. And anytime someone sends something along that says "Check this out - this is for real" it is, by definition, not real. Maybe Memo Dan got that MS Word Doc in an email with "Check this out" in the subject line.
posted by skinnydan at September 23, 2004 08:04 AM
Maybe forward this on the parent listserv for accurate info. The email's writer had an "agenda"...
That's my energy level this morning. I want to go out and run a few errands, but after making breakfast, watering the plants, throwing a couple of loads of laundry in and dusting, the best I could do was to take a shower and get out of my pjs. I want to crawl back into bed, but I have to wait until The Girl naps this afternoon -- plus I have to put sheets on the bed. Ugh.
The Girl picked out her own outfit this morning, accessories and all. She's my little tiger fairy today and has worn both wings and ears out and about all morning.
She's sitting next to a pumpkin that grew in our backyard. We hadn't intended to grow pumpkins in the garden, but several gourd-like vines started volunteering last Spring and I let one live to see what it was. The pumpkin was really a few days away from being ready for picking, but our dog decided it was a ball this morning and "picked" it all by himself. I removed it to the front of the house for safe keeping, before he started gnawing on it.
That is just about the sweetest picture I have ever seen. Give her a big hug from me--although it would probably be best if you didn't say it came from a possum.
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 21, 2004 12:00 PM
Cute kid. You'll never be able to deny that face. Lady looks just like her mama.
BB
posted by Bob Baird at September 21, 2004 08:59 PM
She is a sweetie. I am surprised that she lit in one place long enough for you to get a picture, though. I know those tiger fairy's have a high metabolism and flit around like hummingbirds...
By the way, what does she think about having a little brother or sister?
We had a great weekend all told, but I'm tired. We decided to go up to Kentucky to visit Justin's grandparents and his parents, who are evacuated from Pensacola for a while. We left Friday night and came back Saturday night. The kids had fun picking muscadines that Justin's granddad grows -- even though neither one likes them. The Girl kept sticking them in her mouth, chewing for a second and then spitting it out with a loud "Yuck" and handing the nearest grownup the remains. We brought some home and made juice though and that's a hit though. Some lemon juice and sugar improved the flavor immensely.
Sunday morning I was really dragging and a mom, who teaches The Girl's Sunday School class, offered to take both kids for the whole afternoon. I fell guilty taking such offers, but Justin had no such qualms. So we sent them off, came home, ate lunch, went to Supercuts and got haircuts -- Justin hates the actual getting of a haircut, so he has to be strongarmed into doing it -- and then I took a nap and he vacuumed out the car.
By the time that and a few loads of laundry were done, it was time for evening church. The Girl was glad to see us for a few minutes and then wanted Ms. 'nise again. The Boy asked to sit with them for worship, but showed up and cuddled with me halfway through.
The Boy had school yesterday and again today. So The Girl and I did grocery shopping yesterday -- a task that isn't nearly as bad as the meal planning and grocery list making -- and then came home and folded laundry, put away laundry, sorted through the clothes in The Boy's dresser. He's shooting up now, unlike his sister who can still wear almost everything she was wearing a year ago.
Yesterday when The Boy came home from school, he was being so whiny about one thing and another at lunch that I finally (after warning him) told him he couldn't watch a video today (a normal weekday after lunch tradition) which produced stormy tears, promises to try again and pronouncements that he didn't love me any more. After The Girl finally fell asleep for her nap -- she keeps pushing it later and later -- I read him a book, which put him in a better mood.
The Boy's school had a parent alliance meeting tonight, I went and Justin stayed home with the kids. It was interesting. They were describing what the various grades were doing and it sounds so cool -- in various classes they are knitting, carving wood, learning to write, botany, mythology, studying Roman law and a number of other things. When I hear what the kids are doing, in general, I always think that this is exactly where I want my children to go to school. But I do wonder if a place where I don't feel like I have much in common with other parents is so great.
Anyway -- then I came home, it was time to put the kids to bed -- Justin and I normally alternate nights reading, but he was worn out, so I said I'd read. The Boy wants his dad to read all the time and so he told me if I didn't "let" Justin read, he wouldn't love me any more (it seemed to have been the theme for the day) and so we took away the priviledge of bedtime stories at all. More weeping and crying ensued and he told us that we'd made him say those mean things, because he just doesn't like it when I read. So really it was our fault. He can be so sweet, but he sure has a mean tongue at times -- as we all do.
After the kids went to bed, we finally finished sorting through outgrown and out-of-season clothes, something we'd started doing about two months ago. I think that was the last big thing I needed to do before the baby arrives. Now I should be able to just pull out baby clothes, unfold the bassinet sidecar thingie and be done with it, when the time comes. It seems like there should be more to this, but I guess there really isn't. I'll pack a hospital bag in a couple of weeks and a bag for the kids, but things seem less stressful this time around than in the past, which is nice.
Today, The Girl and I dropped some stuff off at Goodwill and I decided to go in and look around for a few minutes. As it turned out, they had a double jogging stroller in almost perfect condition (though a bit sun faded) for less than half the price of a new one -- plus I had a $20 off coupon. So I snapped that up and am very pleased. Not that I jog, but I have wanted one for some of the longer walks we take and this one fits the bill and the price was right.
It will be time to get The Boy in a bit and I'm hoping he will have a less grouchy day today. I'm not trying to win any popularity contests with him, but I'd like a little less whining and "I don't love you" talk.
Have you tried giving the Boy some cheese with his "whine"? I remember we had a hard time with the whining for Li'l Tater awhile back. Now it's the faces and eye-rolling. Who knows what we'll get in the future (hopefully nothing violent).
Sounds like you're getting the hang of the baby arrival process. It would almost be a shame to stop at 3.
It's funny how we teach our children about love, and when they first start to get it they think it is something they can give and take away on a whim. Teaching them about the unconditional aspect is the difficult part.
Just tell him that you do love him, but that you're still going to have to cook him in a big pan with gravy for supper. This will have two effects--first, he will be taken off-guard by your silliness and might lighten up a little bit, and then when he goes to school and says his mommy was going to cook and eat him, it will confirm all of his teachers' suspicions about you conservatives. Win-win, eh?
(In case someone misses the humor, I do not actually advocate cooking children in gravy. They are much better with a black bean and chipotle salsa.)
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 21, 2004 12:08 PM
Remember when they were tiny and loved you unconditionally?
Because Daughter is an adopted child, I not only get "I don't love you" I also get "I hate you and you're not my real mom anyway!" There was a time when that remark, delivered with just the right amount of hatred and vitriol, would reduce me to tears. Unfortunately, I've now heard it so many times that I'm immune to it. Mostly.
::sigh::
I am told that at the age of about 23, girl children turn back into human beings. I can't wait!
Hmmm. Our daughter is about to turn 23. I'll keep you posted ;-)
Jordana, about being in a place where you do not feel like you have much in common with other parents, I'm sorry to tell you that such was my experience throughout Daughter's 19 years of formal education (so far!). It may be that you usually feel "in place" more easily than I did, or it may be that there really are not a lot of kindred spirits with kids your age.
We actually had our daughter (whom I wanted to home school, but she had a FIT and we had some intervening family circumstances; please do not get the idea that the kid ran the show at our house *grin*) enrolled in Catholic school before Catholic schools got kewl again. Even there, I frankly did not find many people who shared our values and our ideas about faith being something lived out day in and day out. (And boy, do I have my "days out"!) There were a few people, but really not more than five or so for all those years Miss Priss was in school.
Perhaps your experience will be different. But I am _very_ grateful for the Internet because it has, in a sense, helped me find a community of women whose values I share and whose senses of humor are a little whacked, like mine. I would have liked more sense of community and, being in a Catholic school, I had certainly expected more.
I have come to think that if a school is a reasonably good place for children, that's probably about as good as it gets. This might be in part because children are usually less snotty than adults. But maybe not ;-)
(1) I told my son this afternoon that stool was another word for poop. Shortly thereafter he yelled from the bathroom, "I'm stooling right now, Mom!"
(2) My two year old hasn't got these manners things down yet. She says "Thank you" and "No thanks" very sweetly and usually without prompting. Unfortunately, she also screams, "I WANT ____ (fill in the blank) RIGHT NOW!" I've starting teaching her, "May I have ____ please?" but it hasn't taken well yet.
(3) The other night when we were driving home from Bible class The Girl said something while Justin and I were chatting. The next thing we heard from the backseat was, "Be quiet, Mom!" Need to work on that one too.
Hearing them say their full name for the first time is a blessing beyond belief.
Hearing them say "I love you" without being prompted causes your legs to turn to jelly.
Besides, who else are you going to talk to on a long vacation drive, Mr. Adams? I know some moms occasionally want to change their names to something other than "Mom", especially after the 187th request from a youngster on a frustrating day. At least yours are still in the "cute" phase.
I mentioned a while back that I'd never seen any of the Rocky movies and Captain Frank Myers questioned my patriotism. Not wanting to be considered un-American, I surfed on over to my library's website and put a hold on Rocky, so that I could check it out when it came in next.
Other than the fact that since we watched it last night, my husband thinks "Yo Jordana!" is a good way to get my attention and saying, "Eh" should be a perfectly good way to get me to come over and give him a kiss, I actually enjoyed the movie. I can't say that I was really expecting too and so it was a nice surprise.
I was surprised as well by how much Rocky seemed to be not just another sports film, but actually more of an art film. Not a Euro art film about some failed painter with TB trying to complete his masterpiece, but being dragged down by his lover, his alcoholism and finally when he finishes the painting committing suicide -- not that kind -- but still there were the harsh portraits of difficult lives filmed in gorgeous colors with really superb cinematography, more character development than one might expect, lots of foreshadowing, and, of course, instead of the underdog without a chance winning inspite of all odds like most sports films, Rocky doesn't exactly win in the end. He "goes the distance," but he doesn't win the match, although what he wins is worth more than the heavy weight title.
I can't say that I'm going to watch the movie again and again -- nor even that I have a burning desire to see the next four Rocky flicks -- and it sure made me glad I didn't live in the 70s and especially that I didn't live in Philadelphia in the 70s, but I am glad I finally saw Rocky. It was well done and interesting. So thanks to Captain Myers for forcing me to see it.
My favorite line from the whole movie is at the ice rink when Rocky says, "Hey! Are you closed to the general public, or are you closed to everybody?"
Bill Conti's score is perfect for this film. Though the main theme has become somewhat cheesy from overuse since 1976, it still works well within the context of the film.
Jordana!!!! Welcome to America. Consider this your official Captain Frank Green Card. You can convert the green card to full US citizenship by watching:
Patton
Citizen Kane
Casablanca
posted by Frank Myers at September 18, 2004 10:55 AM
I've seen Casablanca several times -- during my Humphrey Bogart stage (before I fell hard for Cary Grant), and I've thought about checking out Citizen Kane a lot of times, but never done it. I might get around to seeing it and Patton eventually.
Prochein Amy has the fifth Carnival of the Recipes up. There are several things that look delicious.
And now for my Friday recipe, which will be a good summery one. Summer isn't over yet down here in the South and I have plenty of tomatoes around and if our zucchini plants had grown instead of deciding to look perfectly healthy but never get more than five inches tall, I imagine I'd have a lot of zucchini to use up too. The sausage and noodles make this a dish my kids would eat any time, and it cooks fast. What's not to like? This recipe originally came from Better Homes and Gardens One Dish Dinners. I thought the original needed more salt and a few slight changes, but I haven't altered it all that much.
Rotini-Kielbasa Skillet
serves 6
2 cups dried tri-color rotini pasta (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound cooked turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally
1 small zucchini, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into small strips
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
8 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 1 pound) -- because we have cherry tomatoes from our garden, I often use those instead, quartered but not cored.
Cook pasta according to package directions with salt added to the water; drain. Meanwhile, in a very large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add kielbasa; cook until onion is tender, stirring frequently.
Add zucchini, sweet pepper, Italian seasoning, salt, and ground red pepper; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cooked pasta. Heat through, stirring occasionally.
The title pretty much sums up my current mood. Nothing much is happening here weather-wise, except a light drizzle which they tell us will become real rain tonight. All these hurricanes remind me again why I am so happy living far in-land. Living at the beach may be just the thing for many, many people, but I'll be happy to let them keep it.
I finally wasn't a total insomniac last night, but since I was a weepy hormonal mess until midnight -- not for any particular reasons I wish to discuss, but needless to say mostly just because I'm sleepy and uncomfortable --I'm still exhausted. I did manage to get the cars registration taken care of for another year and with that I am considering myself officially done with errand running for the day.
Cross your fingers that The Girl takes a real nap today. I really need one.
I mentioned I had a doctor's appointment today -- thirty-two weeks and counting. Other than seeing one of my doctor's partners who has all the personality of an artichoke, it went fine. If I gain more than another 10 pounds though, which is almost certainly going to happen, this will be my heaviest pregnancy yet. Bah humbug. But I'm fine.
Lenise, however, is almost done, but on bedrest for the duration. Go over to her site and wish her well.
I actually had to self-censor my last comment. Originally it said, "Did we start a pool for sex and date and time and weight?" but then I realized that didn't quite sound right.
How about: Did we start a pool for guesses on the sex and weight of the baby and the date and time of the birth?
Why is it that the one night I don't go to bed until after 11, I wake up at 3 and can't fall back to sleep until 6, but I have to get up by 7 to make sure The Boy gets to preschool and I get to my doctor's appointment? And why is it that, when all morning I think longingly of the nap I'll get when The Girl falls asleep, she falls asleep in the car and wakes up when I try to transfer her to her bed -- not to nap any more for that day.
These, dear one, are known as the Mama Fates. Sometimes it seems that they come around more often than the Mama Graces or the Mama Muses (whom I particularly liked), but that is an illusion. It does not persist beyond six or seven uninterrupted hours of sleep.
My son has a thing for pretty women, especially pretty blondes. He went off the deep-end over his pediatrician's partner, who is a pretty blonde. When we take the kids out, he gravitates towards the prettiest woman in the room -- particularly if she's blonde. We certainly didn't teach this to him and I'm not blonde -- he comes by his preference on his own -- though it isn't absolute. First, he just seems to look for a pretty face.
Before preschool started we took the kids with us and helped get the school ready. Since bending, lifting and painting aren't exactly things I can do easily these days, I stayed on the playground and helped watch all the children. The Boy played some with the other boys making traps in the sand and waving sticks at each other, but the best friend he made was Mia -- a cute little five year old, she's not blonde, but her mom is a gorgeous blonde. Since then the quality of the school day seems to rest on whether The Boy got to sit by Mia at snack time. The other day at breakfast, he announced that seeing Mia "made [his] heart sing." Unfortunately, she goes to school five days per week though and The Boy only three, so I fear she might be making other friends without him -- the shameless hussy.
But The Boy has other loves besides Mia and the pediatrician. Last week we had a visiting mom and her little two year old daughter at Bible class on Wednesday. The little girl was about the same age as The Girl, but needless to say a sister does not inspire longing gazes and the proclamation, "Isn't she beautiful, Mom? I think I love her." He then went up and introduced himself and had a little chat with them.
If he keeps this attitude along with his huge coffee colored eyes and the worldest longest lashes, it might not be my daughter that needs locking up when the teenage years approach.
I was about to suggest Catherine--tons of curly blonde locks, with a hot mom who occasionally has blonde hair, and at seven years, only a bit older (after all, Reba is 2 1/2 years older than I am)--but then I got to thinking about it, and with her robust nature, she might physically hurt him. Or scare him. I know she has both effects on me.
Has your Boy expressed a preference for emotional type? Shy and quiet versus brassy and loud?
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 14, 2004 11:16 AM
He hasn't expressed a specific opinion, but I suspect given the nature of his sister that he may look for the shy, quiet type as a change of pace. Right now he tends to either want things quiet or think he should be the only one allowed to make noise.
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 14, 2004 11:55 AM
This whole line of discussion is OUTRAGEOUS. How can you talk this way about a little boy and his heart? Is he being raised by 1960s hippies???? You should all be ashamed, very ashamed...
on an unrelated note, my daughter Reagan has beautiful blonde hair is extremely outgoing and, wheras she is only two, she seems attracted to older boys....
posted by Frank Myers at September 14, 2004 06:20 PM
Frank, we'll add her to the list. :)
We're not hippies, but we do send The Boy to hippie preschool.
Yesterday I got a Google hit for the search list of things Democrats tend to be. I took me a long time to get past the extremely partisan and not so nice thoughts, but I want to provide a useful service, so here's my list of this democrats tend to be, in no particular order.
pro-abortion
pro-tax increase
pro-union
pro-welfare
pro-UN
pro-Castro
pro-Palestinian
anti-gun
anti-military
I think that about covers it, but let me know if I've forgotten anything.
Speaking as neither Republican or Democrat (ie, none of anyone's business) here is where I stand on the various issues you have mentioned.
# pro-abortion
I'm neither pro-abortion or anti-choice. I'm somewhere in the middle. I want abortion ended, but I don't think it will end by making it illegal or restricting it to the point of impossiblity. I wouldn't mind seeing some restrictions on non-theraputic abortions, but these would mainly be in terms of information and a requirement to provide information on alternatives.
# pro-tax increase
I'm pro using income tax to make the country as a whole a better place, not only for those who are living now, but for all the future generations. I would gladly increase taxes if it meant a decrease in deaths/severe healthe deterioration due to health causes, if it could eliminate or decrease abortion, if it could lower the poverty rate.
# pro-union Maybe rein them in a bit, but unions have provided protection to workers.
# pro-welfare See above regarding taxes. Poverty effects everyone.
# pro-UN Nope. Get out. Now. The whole free world should abandon the UN. They are idiots. Big idiots. I'm tired of having them here in my country (Israel). I want them out, out, out!
# pro-Castro huh? I don't think so. I don't know anyone, Democratic or Republican, who favors Castro. I mean personally, I know such exist.
# pro-Palestinian No; there are a lot of Democrats who would also say no (Kerry, btw, has always voted pro-Israel btw) There is a segment of the Republican party which is anti-Jewish. Shoot, there are a lot of people who hate Jews or are only nice to us so they can convert us. Anyway, back to me; Palestians? Oh, you mean Arabs who were living in Palestine; they aren't a people.
# anti-gun Again, no. I'm for the assault weapon ban; I really don't think of the assault weapon as a defensive measure homes or to carry around. I do think people should be licensed to carry or own a gun. Sometime this year my dh will probably get training on using a gun.
# anti-military Nope. Pro desert Storm, pro the war in Iraq, I thought we should have gone in earlier.I don't like war; but I think we should try and avoid it when we can but go forward when it is necessary without delay.
So where does that put me?
posted by Rachel Ann at September 14, 2004 05:49 AM
Just curious, what would your list for Republicans be?
posted by Rachel Ann at September 14, 2004 06:19 AM
Interesting summation - thanks.
It's also interesting how Kerry waffles on the first and last two points, while I'm not so sure how he feels about the middle four. He leaves abortion up to the mother while being "personally" against it. He only wants to raise (or does he say repeal?) taxes for "Bush's rich friends" while proposing trillion+ in new gov't. programs - WITHOUT RAISING TAXES ON THE WORKING MAN(!). Yet he has consistently voted for raising taxes throughout his Senate career.
As a Dem he is naturally anti-NRA and has tried to make a big deal about the recent automatic weapons ban lapse, yet he loves to be pictured firing a rifle and looking all "outdoorsy". You can fill in the spaces on his two-faced military approach.
In the attempt at getting someone to cover a broad base, the Dems put up a candidate who many people have to scratch their head and wonder what he really stands for.
Rachel, notice that I was responding to the question "tend to be". I wouldn't say anybody necessarily embodied all those things and that was what made them a Democrat.
At this point in the morning, I'd probably say my Republican list would be just the opposite -- but as one can see from when my entry was posted and even now -- I'm having a bad case of pregnancy induced insomnia and brain fog. I may wake up later today to discover that posting this entry at all was a really bad idea.
First: I had insomnia problems when I as pregnant also; can I give you btdt advice? My midwife told me warm milk and honey and she was quite right. It worked. There is something sleep inducing in milk and I am not sure of the point of the honey but it also helps. If you decide to go herbal just be careful as some herbs can cause a miscarriage; but someone with good knowledge in that area could help you find something that was safe and effective.
Secondly, I don't necessarily think it was a bad idea, it is an interesting discussion; but I think it tends to divide people unnaturally. On some issues, as you can see just using me as an example, well, I'm obviously not right down the line now am I? And I think really that is the way of most people. Maybe I am wrong, but I just think if we had "most democrats" or republicans for that matter, in a room and asked them to vote the issues (rather than a party line) that none of us would be straight down the middle. There are republicans who are pro-choice, and who are against the war. Republican's who like the UN etc. et.And I also think a lot of it depends on numerous qualifiers. It would be interesting to see how other's would decide and under what conditions. I
Pinnochio scared me when I was liitle. The scene where Monstro chases Pinnochio really freaked me out, but my parents covered my eyes, cuddled me close and sang "The Bear Went Over The
Mountain" and I was ok. That was my comfort song. It always helped.
The Boy never had a comfort song as a baby, but being the patriotic baby that he was, he always calmed down the instant we popped in the Wee Sing America tape. The Wee Sing series makes the mistake of thinking that parents want to hear other people's kids singing, but their musical selections aren't bad. We listened to that tape approximately a million times when The Boy was a baby. Later on his favorite song was "Jingle Bells" which he would request at all times of the year and in all weathers, I can't remember though whether he merely liked it or if he needed it for comfort as well. Currently he requests bluegrass or Johnny Cash when we're in the car. I've been trying to teach him to like Frank Sinatra.
The Girl, of course, did not happen to think that a rousing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner was soothing nor did she care much for any of the other things her brother liked. Grumble, grumble...own person...hmph. Recently though, she's been finding her own music that she wants us to sing. I think the thing she finds the most comfort in is "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" which she requested over and over again the other day until she fell into a cuddly nap on my lap. She does have some patriotism in her though -- in the car this morning she wanted "Yankee Doodle" all the way home. I need to learn more than the first three verses if I am going to have to sing it for very long, but nothing like a chorus of Yankee Doodle to get the blood flowing in the morning -- or something.
I don't know why I liked "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" any more than I know why I like the music I like now, but something within certain songs soothes us, comforts us and all of us seem to seek that out.
Courtesy of my husband, my girls are all about bluegrass music (some of which falls into the "hillbilly" category, but I digress). They also really like a new song by Fernando Ortega called "The Dragonfly", kinda hip, kinda hop, you know the kind.... (His whole new self-titled album is really good)
I remember not too long ago that they both would request "Happy Birthday" on our 20 minute drive home from church. We must've sang "Happy Birthday" to everyone we knew by the time we got home.
Our puppy -- almost a year old now and still definitely a puppy -- is adorably cute, cuddly and incredibly gentle with children. Because he's almost 60 pounds, I'm sure he is at least a small deterrent to thieves, even if he isn't all that intimidating to look at. However, it is because of the dog that we had to replace our back door in a relative hurry (holes being less ignorable than a little rot and a cracked pane -- yes we are that pathetic that we could ignore those). Going away from home adds more complications than ever. We have to chase The Girl away from the dog food daily and he likes to use the area near our raspberries as his private poo-poo zone.
This morning when I got home from taking the boy to school, he'd peed in the kennel. All over the walls, floor, and himself. I have a very clean dog now -- he got his second bath in two days, which is a lot considering we normally only get around to bathing him every month and a half or so and I have a very clean floor in the dining room. I would have been happy not to have either though.
Now, I'm just trying to remind myself why I thought a dog was such a good idea. Oh right -- cute.
At least he doesn't do it several times a day, like your kids did for the first couple years of their lives. Besides that, he apparently is a necessary member of the family, so the Girl has someone to blame for her questionable behavior.
When I held down a "real", outside of the house, job as a reference librarian, I had a wonderful office mate, even if he did think Bob Dylan was life's musical end-all and be-all. However, he also had a hang up about meatloaf. Many people do, I know. In fact, I don't think I ever ate meatloaf as a child. My parents certainly never cooked it anyway. I do like to try new things though and when I got this cookbook as a wedding present it had an interesting recipe in it for Confetti Meatloaf. Over time, I've made a few changes and I make the meatloaf entirely with beef, because I don't like ground turkey and I don't eat pork, but it is still a family favorite and a guaranteed way to get my kids to eat their vegetables, because vegetables baked in meat taste really good. I've never had this recipe turn out dry, by the way.
Confetti Meat Loaf
serves 8
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
1¾ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 large egg
1½ pounds ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
¾ cup oatmeal or plain dried bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350°. in 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, salt, fennel seeds, and pepper; cook, stirring often, about 15 minutes, until tender.
Transfer to large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and ½ cup water; mix well. In 13x9-inch roasting pan, shape meat mixture into 9x6-inch loaf, pressing firmly (this will allow extra fat to drain out and not remain in the loaf). Bake meat loaf 1 hour and 15 minutes. To serve, with 2 pancake turners, place meat on warm platter.
Who couldn't help but like meatloaf? So basic ... so hearty ... so American.
I have a request for your Friday recipe. Do you have anything innovative involving zucchini? My friend's garden has been growing it like crazy, but beyond frying it or making zucchini bread, there isn't much else I know to do with it. I did have some wonderful creamed zucchini soup that someone else made, but I did not ask how to make it.
I voted for Theodora for a few reasons. One of my work buddies, who goes by Teddie, is also a Theodora. Second, as a historian, there's something correct about Justin and Theodora (see here for more details: http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/justinian/).
Naturally, feel free to make up your own mind.:)
posted by skinnydan at September 10, 2004 01:01 PM
And, just to put the icing on the cake, the Catholic Encyclopedia reports Justinian's mother's name as "Vigilantia"
Doesn't get much better than that for me.
posted by skinnydan at September 10, 2004 01:06 PM
I voted for Meredith, because it and Gillian were the only ones I could accept as viable. Justin and yourself obviously have a penchant for antique and obsolete names. This is fine, as there are wonderful names of the past that have long ago fell out of favor, but should not have fallen so. However, the other girl names don't make that cut, sorry to say.
No wonder Theodore and Samuel seem to be high on the list so far; they have ready and acceptable nicknames built in: Teddy and Sam.
Since you desire a name of old, try these on for size. As you will see, they are kid-tested and mother-approved (as the cereal commercial used to say):
Caroline (one of my nieces);
Elise (middle name of two other nieces, though one is spelled Alyse);
Jacqueline (Another niece is named Jaclyn, but the other spelling is more antique);
Gregory (a nephew with the regal full name of "Gregory Frederick");
Richard (my brother, and a name that may not be all that uncommon, but it's not used for boy babies anymore);
Phillip (my confirmation name, and another name that, though common, is not given to babies anymore).
Of course, you can always use "Bertram" if it's a boy. Then you can call him "Bertie", as in Bertie Wooster of the Jeeves and Wooster stories by Wodehouse (just joking). BTW, even Wodehouse had an interesting antique name: Pelham.
Um, no. Not really. But the name Jordana does make the list, along with such gems as Dwendle, Dwodger, Hummingbird, CheriLuv, Confederate America, Placentia, and many, many others. I don't think my parents spent much time in Utah before I was born -- and of course my name is actually a real name, even if it isn't very common.
Let's not forget this doozie: "Aquanetta"!! (I was looking for my name and stumbled upon it) I laughed. My name did not make the list! Too plain, I guess!
I found this at Thinklings. Their list was originally in alphabetical order -- I have ranked the choices in order from my favorites to least favorites.
1. Reagan, Bush II, Bush I, Clinton,
2. Elaine, Jerry, George, Kramer
3. Coke, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi (I don't really care much for cola. I much prefer a Dr. Pepper or Root Beer.)
4. Paul, George, Ringo, John,
5. Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz, Mike Nesmith
6. Fonzie, Richie, Potsy, Ralph
7. NASB, NKJV, NRSV, NIV (and I'll note that my favorite is really the NEB)
8. Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose
9. Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (no opinion -- I've only seen the first one)
10. Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V (no opinion -- I've seen none of them)
11. Luke, John, Mark, Matthew
12. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
13. Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Numbers
14. Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman
15. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel
16. Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Rachel, Ross
17. Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty
18. Baseball, Soccer, Football, Basketball
19. Burger King, McDonald’s, Hardees, Jack in the Box
20. Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A ROCKY MOVIE? [much shouting and gnaing of teeth.]
Ok I want to see a birth certificate. Post it now, please. A Scanned one, or a PDF file, whatever.
My life is like Rocky's, just without winning anything.
On my cd I call my "Pump" compiliation I have Tubthumper, as one of my central theme songs. A clear Rocky like song!
Oh the Shame.
:>
posted by Frank Myers at September 9, 2004 04:09 PM
Well, thanks to my husband I can quote Rocky movies, but can't I just fall back on the "I'm just a girl" excuse? Boxing is even less my thing than football.
You won't be disappointed with Rocky. Remember, it did win Best Picture in 1976, so it's not just a popular hit with no substance. It's about a lot more than boxing, just like Hemingway novels are more than just WWI combat and bullfighting.
I do have a small bone to pick with your selections, or perhaps I should say "beef". You ranked Jack in the Box last among the fast-food burger restaurants listed. Have you ever tried the Ultimate Cheeseburger there? It is probably the inspiration for Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise."
I developed a penchant for them when I lived in Southern California. I subsequently moved back to Philly, a great city but, alas, bereft of JitB outlets. When I visited my sister in Charlotte for the first time since she moved there, I noticed a JitB as we were driving around. The next afternoon for lunch, I had my first Ultimate Chesseburger in ten years.
*** pause for memories of nirvana ***
That lunch would have made the trip worthwhile, if my sister and her family had not already made it so.
Bob, I'm not much of a cheeseburger eater. The cheese gets in the way of the nice red meat flavor. And my favorite fast food restaurant -- Sonic -- didn't make the list.
A shame that you don't like cheeseburgers. I find them one of the blessings of this earthly life.
I checked with the JitB website, and I found out that the chain does not have an outlet north of North Carolina. They are primarily in CA, AZ, and TX. If they have not expanded even to the DC market, the chances are slim for expansion to the Land of the Yankees (sniff, sniff).
Another note regarding Rocky: it is, of course, set in the City of Brotherly Love, my humble home, albeit circa mid-seventies. Tourists still love to charge up the Art Museum steps just like Stallone does, but that's all they want to do there. Apparently few then go inside to see the sculpture and paintings (or so says a news article I read recently).
I would probably rank, NASB, NIV, NRSV/NKJV (tie). I've not tried the NEB but I've heard very good things about it. I'm half afraid to as I've used the NASB pretty much my entire preaching career (now I sound like one of those KJV guys!).
Toys. We have a lot of them around the house, but not too many of them were once mine. The Axis of Weevil Commander and Chief desires the following information about those childhood playthings of yesteryear.
1. Do YOU still have any of the toys you had from when you were a child?
My mother's habit of never getting rid of anything means that there are many of my toys still around the parental compound, but down here with me I have but two. And those are two teddy bears that went to college with me and have been everywhere since. I got Murphy and Pooh probably about the same time in my life at around three or four. A family friend bought me Murphy after I became enchanted with him in a store window and Pooh came from a family trip to Disneyland when we lived out in Pasadena. And here they are:
2. What was your very single most favorite toy of all time?
Oddly enough, I doubt it was either of those two bears. I love them, but I don't remember playing with them all the time or anything. In fact, I don't remember any toys being head and shoulders above the rest. I went through phases with assorted dolls, Star Wars figures, and many other things. My husband loved his Legos and GI Joes more than anything, but I don't remember having one toy or kind of toy that was the best thing ever. I probably spent more time reading and drawing than with any on toy.
3. What was the one toy you always craved but never received?
Only one? I always wanted an EZ Bake Oven and a toy sewing machine. I also wanted dolls for my dollhouse and went through a phase where I would have really liked to get a My Little Pony. But all those wishes went unfullfilled and hence I'm depraved on account of how deprived I was as a child. Or not.
posted by Terry Oglesby at September 9, 2004 12:12 PM
You're young enough to have wanted a My Little Pony? Daughter OotFP _lived_ for those things when she was 3 to 6 or 7.
Funny story (to me, at least): My dad died a couple of months before Alys's fifth birthday. (All who think kids don't "really get it" about death, please see me. The first question out of the kid's mouth after being notified of her Papa's death was, "Who will take care of Nana?", Nana having been very ill that summer.)
At Thanksgiving, Mr OotFP's parents came out to see us. Daughter's birthday was a day after. Gramma presented a lovely, handknit sweater with OWLS in it. Grampa shyly gave a Black Hills gold bracelet.
Then, Nana drives up in her pickup. Hobbling from leg bypass surgery and a large, unhealed diabetic ulcer, she still manages to pull something out of the truck and is grinning her face off as she makes her way up the front walk. Mr OotFP intercepts her to take the burden (well, the package, anyway) and a look of shock instantly overtakes his usually unclouded visage.
Nana hobbles into the house, laughing and rubbing her hands together as Daughter OotFP races over to hug her. Mr OotFP struggles past the storm door, over the threshhold with a large box -- too large to wrap -- in his arms. We all move to the periphery of our small "starter home" living room to make way. He is trying not to drop the thing and finally someone steps forward to help him lower the box to the floor.
It is a Pony Palace, complete with Pony Swimming Pool (which is complete with Pony Diving Board). The looks on the adults faces ranged from utter joy (my mother's) to complete bewilderment (my father-in-law's). On Daughter OotFP's face: rapture.
Oddly, Angie, they don't seem to have made the connection between the two.
And certain segments of Orthodox Jewry fit the fertility curve as well. Between my four married cousins (all to the right of me on the religious scale) they have 20 kids. And if you head back to my hometown of Brooklyn, NY, it's relatively easy to find families with 8 and more kids.
Proud to do my part also with bringing up these 8 or ours too. Hey, forget the birth control...maybe conservatives are just more, uh, appealing to one another?!??!
Melissa, shaving and bathing do tend to be appealling qualities that some on the Left eschew, but of course, I know plenty on that side who do still know how to bathe -- and I have a liberal friend with four kids, so it doesn't always work.
Which had absolutely no relevance or anything, but did involve Terry, LittleA and I starting an auto repair and paper products business -- and I was the auto specialist. As far as I know, business was going well, but Terry began to want to branch out into soup and home improvement. LittleA looked on this rather skeptically, since Terry's big product was anteater soup. I woke up about this time with the phrase lingering in my head, "Beware your inner monkey."
I don't know what it all means, but everyone be sure to, "Beware your inner monkey."
I agree, GOYL. I've got my outer monkeys off my back so I'd better turn my attention to the inner ones. Pick up some printer paper while the brakes are being fixed? Why not add supper and a new room to the mix?
posted by Earth Girl at September 8, 2004 08:55 PM
While I'm stuck here, alone, in Baghdad, I might as well adress the alarming situation of my inner monkey.
posted by Frank Myers at September 8, 2004 10:36 PM
When we get the business off the ground, we'll let you all know. :)
And welcome Frank! I appreciate what you are doing for us all more than I can ever say.
If you take care of the auto repair, I can handle the office supplies/paper goods.
(I happen to be a sucker for office supplies, especially if they're gimme's. So what if I never use them and they sit in my desk drawer forever? They're there if I need 'em.)
I wonder how Terry would feel about my new idea for Marsupial Meatloaf on a Stick?
PS. Thanks for the tip on that monkey business. Let's hope it's not too little too late.
Did any of you know that there is a website called Actuary.net? I started getting hits from them and discovered that someone had linked to my post about The Boy being an actuary-in-training. You really never know who is out there reading this blather.
Seems to have been a weekendofinjuries out there. I hope Francesca, Martha and Terry don't share the pain -- and I hope you all get to feeling better soon.
I have enough aches and pains -- though I promise not to delve too deeply into where -- without getting injured. So I'll try to stay healthy. However, I am pretty clumsy, so injury is always a possibilty.
If one recipe isn't enough for you head on over to She Who Will Be Obeyed and view The Carnival of Recipes. Last week's recipe from Curmudgeonry -- the Black Bean Chili -- is on the list.
Every once in a while LittleA asks everyone what are their favorite blogs that aren't on his blogroll. Now I want to know what everyone's favorites are that aren't on mine. There are so many good ones out there and I'd love to find some good ones that I'm missing out on. So leave a comment and let me know what I need to look at more often.
Ours, of course.:) marriages.typepad.com Read the category, my story, to know more of how we ended up where we are. wesroberts.typepad.com is good if one enjoys reading about the missional church movement,
and bestandworst.typepad.com is angie sharing honestly and fearlessly from her heart. Today she had this to say:
'I want to partner with others as they move from religious masturbation to spiritual connection as we bring what could, and will, be shameful into His Light and grace.'
She shares honestly her dignity and depravity and encounters with God.
I found a lot of my favorite sites through your blogroll, but for some reason, your blogroll is not showing right now. I know you have Little A, Tony Woodlief. So some of these may be duplicate as I can't check.
Diary of the Food Whore http://www.thefoodwhore.com/ - great writing and insight into the life of a caterer. Watch the language
Lucy's Island (http://www.lucysisland.com/#000496)
http://www.tulipgirl.com/ - A homeschooling mother in the Ukraine mission field.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/althaea/ - It's hard to believe her life sometime, but I've been reading her for some time.
http://www.michaelmain.com/blog.htm - I just started reading this blog. He attends Real Live Preacher's church.
I have an interest in healthcare and several of my favorite writers contribute to http://www.lingualnerve.com/
Here's another medical blog. Kill as few patients as possible reflects his views on abortion and euthanasia - http://www.drbradley.com/blog/
I just discovered this site and so far have enjoyed his pictures and botany thoughts - http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/
And do you visit http://www.tonguetied.us/
Sorry about all these urls instead of links. My reason is my utter lack of html coding skills. Now if I can figure out trackback I'm posting my thoughts on your last recipe!
It will soon be Fall. If I were still in Fairbanks, it might already be. And so it is time to start digging out the warm, spicy, cozy recipes perfect for the cooler months. This is a favorite Saturday morning recipe of our family. I'm not sure where I found it, but it makes a very tasty way to start off the morning. It lends itself well to slight variations too. I've made these with gluten-free flour and made them substituting one quarter of the regular flour with whole wheat. Both times, the changes tasted fine. I think I might just make these for breakfast tomorrow.
Gingerbread Pancakes
makes 10
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk – 1 tablespoon vinegar and milk to make the rest of a cup’s worth)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon molasses
Combine the first 9 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.
Combine egg and next 3 ingredients; add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Repeat procedure with remaining pancake batter.
Cook until tops are cooked with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook the other side. Serve with syrup.
This was a HUGE hit at our house tonight, even with the son who asked me to make blueberry pancakes because he thought he wouldn't like gingerbread pancakes.
I think this is one of the most interesting Google hits I've gotten in a long time. It leads to so many questions. Does the searcher want to put a Kerry sign in his yard for Halloween? Or do they think a Kerry sign would be effective at scaring off the neighborhood children? Or are they looking for a Kerry as Lurch sort of sign for decorating the yard? Or is there going to be a special black and orange Halloween sign made by the Kerry campain? Who knows?
These questions sound kind of familiar, don't they?
1. Name three good things about Republicans (if possible consider this from a Democrat's perspective).
I don't know that I've heard many nice things said about Republicans by my Democratic friends (though none of them have gone this far either), but I think my friends -- if not the feminists in the linked article -- would give conservatives these points.
(a) Republicans tend to be good neighbors. I think most people want someone next door who respects property rights and individual freedoms.
(b) And on individual freedoms, many liberals might think the rhetoric of Republicans is "evil and fascist" but an honest one should grant that most of us are pretty live and let live in the way we conduct ourselves. A Republican may not approve of homosexuality, but most of them are not out picketing their gay neighbors, and those who are, are generally as roundly condemned by the Right as the Left.
(c) Republicans may not be very smart or anything, but they might let you borrow their pickup to haul stuff, if you need it.
2. Name three bad things about Republicans (if possible consider this from a Republican's perspective).
This is perhaps the hardest question of the three for me to answer. I am not a registered Republican, but I do give them money and I think I've always voted for Republicans. I find many things about the party frustrating, but I also find my thoughts difficult to articulate. The party is often too quick, in my view, to embrace fairly liberal social causes, requiring lots of government spending, when they seem compassionate -- a word I am growing to dislike -- instead of making tough and seemingly unpopular choices that would be better in the long run. It is a party of politicians and politicians want to stay in office more than they want to do the right thing most of the time. Also, many conservatives, myself included, may do okay at being partisan when everyone around us believes the same things -- or when we're writing on a blog -- but in real life it is hard for many of us to actually speak up. I worry about putting little sign in my yard. Why am I and so many Republicans/conservatives so easily intimidated? I blame it on too much time with the liberal media and too many years in academia. I tend to forget that almost 50% of the population votes the way I do and that I am not alone out there. There are many other problems and complaints I could make, but they are hard for me to pin down. So I'll stop and revisit this if I ever get a chance.
3. In a fairly contested, bare-knuckle fight who would win, Bush or Kerry?
Bush. Kerry and Bush are both in good shape, but I think someone who can do a little manual labor clearing brush at a ranch and get out riding horses and such, is going to beat the skier and windsurfer. But really, if you want the ulitmate description of the fight -- see Terry's answer.
I've been wondering for the past few days why Zell Miller was speaking at the Republican Convention. I was wondering if we were just trying to be all touchy-feely and non-partisan, but no. What a powerful speech. There were so many great lines that it would be hard to even get them all down. The spitball comment rises to the top of my list though, and I liked the slightly Southern expression about G.W. being the same man on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I wonder how many of the Godless Left took a minute to figure that one out. I can't think when I've heard a better speech. How long can Miller remain a Democrat though? It boggles my mind that he could stick with them after making that speech, but then again, he's had plenty of opportunities to split and hasn't done it.
One way or another, although speeches probably don't ulitimately make that big a difference, this one sure made a difference for me. Sure, I'm a right-wing partisan, but some things push me on more than others and this was one of them.
Patricia, I've never listened to Billy Graham, so I can't compare. I suppose he did sound a bit preacher-like, although the ones we have never get so fired up.
Anne, I know we disagree on almost everything politically and we can argue over e-mail if you really want to, but please note that I did not say the entire Left was Godless. I could have said Godless left and right, I suppose, because obviously there are a lot on both sides. But how was Zell un-Christian?
Anne,
I don't recall seeing any "God loves you even though you're wrong" signs in the hands of leftists protesting the Republican convention. There's plenty of hatred and anger being doled out by both sides, don't you think? And if we were to use simply this thread as a sample, whose comment do you think most stands out for its vitriol?
Anne, precisely what is hateful or un-Christian about detailing Kerry's record in Congress and holding him accountable for it?
Zell Miller had the courage to stand by his principles rather than march in mindless lockstep with his party, which is more than I can say for many professional politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Zell Miller has already said that he will die a Democrat. He came to age as a "Scoop Jackson" Democrat, and he's doing what he can to swing the party back that way. The special interests groups won't give an inch, yet he is trying to be an agent of change within the party (if they'll ever let him back in the room!).
Some of the talking heads on the morning radio said that Miller sounded like Mr. Haney from "Green Acres". Not quite Billy Graham ...
HAVE NEVER HEARD BILLY GRAHAM?! *shrug* It must be a generational thing.
Anyway, if you're interested, there's some audio (Hour of Decision -- well, heck, you don't know what THAT is, either *grin*) here. It is from 1980; the homily still stirs me.
My dad, whose 18th Heaven's Birthday, was a Baptist minister who helped to organize the Billy Graham crusade in Portland, Oregon around 1962. My mother counted his 1948 crusade in Portland as a turning point her life. Yes, it did turn out that I am Roman Catholic; our parish sent a big bus (on which I happily took a ride) to the 1992 Portland crusade.
Billy Graham, BTW, is an astonishingly good man. He has NEVER lived lavishly. His marriage endures. His kids have actually turned out well, maybe the best testimony. Yeah, I'm a fan.
I thought it was an absolutely fantastic speech--one of the best political speeches I have ever heard. I was really fired up afterwards, and then was somewhat disappointed by Cheney.
posted by David Kern at September 2, 2004 12:57 PM
Patricia, it isn't just a generational thing. I've never been in Baptist sorts of circles where he would be listened to. I was raised in The Worldwide Church of God -- and we had plenty of our own wackos to listen to -- my parents never played their shows let alone anyone elses. And now I'm a member of the Church of Christ and not spending a lot of time listening to anyone's religious shows or speeches.
>>Anne, precisely what is hateful or un-Christian about detailing Kerry's record in Congress and holding him accountable for it?>Zell Miller had the courage to stand by his principles rather than march in mindless lockstep with his party, which is more than I can say for many professional politicians on both sides of the aisle.
I am afraid I disagree with you, Anne. The websites you pointed out have not proven that anyone lied. Perhaps exaggerated, but not lied.
I snicker when I read in the pages you sight that Kerry proposed cutting spending on the military within a broad-sweeping measure to reduce the deficit (admittedly a great bipartisan concern of the early nineties) and somehow that gets him off the hook. But does it really matter within what group of cuts the military cuts are packaged? I really don't think so.
If the Congress is going to cut spending, then priorities have to be made. Senator Kerry obviously felt that the DOD could be cut in the measure he proposed. Otherwise he would have proposed cutting something else, such as in Commerce or State or Agriculture. Even if the military cuts were only, say, 10% of the total package, they were still part of the package. He prioritized other federal programs outside Defense in order to get that extra 10%. The GOP disagrees with those priorities. There is no lying going on.
And another important point. The Fact Check site says that one year Kerry voted against the DOD appropriations bill and proposed to have a smaller defense budget so that an additional 100K policemen could be obtained for American cities (on top of the 100K cops already approved that year). The fact is asserted as if every person with a brain would agree that Kerry was making a brilliant counter-proposal. Again this is a legitimate argument over priorities. The GOP, or at least some of the Congressmen of the party, disagreed with the Clinton police proposal. They did not believe that federal money should go to local police forces. They didn't like the money allocated for the first 100K police; why would they like Kerry's proposed additional 100K?
Again, it's a legitimate argument over priorities, not a smear job.
That sounds like I'm moving again or something, but no really -- we have a new back door. Some times the little things (or in this case six-foot long things) make a big difference.
Update: LittleA wants a photo, so here's a picture. As you can tell, it looks like a door -- with a very handsome boy in front of it.
Nice door, I have a pair of similar doors (4 doors) opening to my front yard and the pond, but what do I see behind your doors? A container of plants, yellow blooms (rudbeckia?), and some type of evergreen hedge?
posted by Earth Girl at September 1, 2004 06:59 PM
The container has basil, thyme and marigolds in it.
Maybe I'll take a picture of the back garden next, although it is looking kind of sad. In the front, we have a baby magnolia with marigolds around it, along with some miniature zinnias, some day lilies, lambs ear and carrots that I need to pull up. Running along the fence are mostly some really tall (almost 6 foot) zinnias and rudbeckia, with a few other things in there. At the back fence we have a hackberry tree, under which used to be the coal dump. The soil is poor, it is partly shady and the dog runs through it all the time. Everything looks pathetic back there and I haven't really figured out a good solution for what to plant or do with that space. I'm not putting much in, until we put in some more good layers of dirt and compost.
I actually don't care that much more about watching the RNC than I did about watching the DNC, but I can at least turn on the television and not start gagging -- well except that I turned it on the other night in the middle of McCain's speak and they happened to be showing Michael Moore, and that's enough to turn even the strongest stomach.
We watched a little bit more last night, but not too much. My fine Tennessee Senator is an absolutely horrible public speaker, and I don't care that much about health care. In fact, we didn't watch much of his speech or Rod Paige's because really they were devoted to highlighting the moderate to liberal initiatives the President has taken that increase spending and of which I cannot approve. Yes, I realize I'm not compassionate enough.
We did watch Arnold though, and what a performance! I've said many times that I wish actors would shut up and not go on and on about their political opinions, because I don't care. I make an exception to that rule though -- and despite what you may think -- I don't care any more about Republican actors blathering on that the liberal ones. My exception is that if the actor wants to use his or her fame to actually enter politics and move into that realm instead of believing we care about their opinions simply because they are famous for reading scripts and getting divorced a lot, I might consider listening to them. Then again, I don't want to listen to a lot of politicians either.
But back to Arnold. "Economic girlie-men!" I predict that will be heard around the Adams' household for years to come. His speech was excellent and I was impressed that he spoke kindly of Nixon, whom history has practically decided to lump in with the greatest evil leaders of our time. His speech should have been the last of the night.
Instead we saw the poor, pathetic performance of Barbara and Jenna. Why did we need to hear a "Sex in the City" joke with the innuendo that everyone is doing it and isn't funny that Gran'ma thinks that's only for married people? It pained me to watch the train wreck, and as my husband said, "That was the ultimate refutation of Karl Rove as evil genius."
We watched Laura for a few minutes, but didn't want to kill the Arnold high, although the twins had pretty much done their part already, so we turned off the tv and went to sleep. I'm sure she did fine, and she is a classy lady, whom I find most admirable, but that doesn't mean she gives good speeches.
Hmmm.. I'm glad I missed the twins disparaging their upbringing. Not having any TV reception has definite advantages!
I was impressed with my liberal boss today- she may be an actual liberal! She was telling my big-l liberal co-workers that Arnold gave a good speech and that Kerry should dop the whole Vietnam charade- she would like to know what he's been doing LATELY. Not that she's likely to vote for anyone else, but at least she is not one of those led-by-the-nose types.
You're right on target with your comments here. I totally agree. The twins needed to introduce their mom and let it alone. It was embarrassing to be sitting, watching them talk with my kids in the room. I got to squirming and wished for a commercial. And about Laura...she looks good, and gets a high rating but I'd rather not hear her speak either. Arnold's my man...he might be a moderate on social issues but boy, can he give a speech. And American dream-come-true. He's something else!
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Jordana Adams, Chief Pontificator