a little love for b.o.

As in Barack Obama...because, really, what else have I been talking about lately?

I ran across this at This Week with Barack Obama:

Hillary Clinton said the following at the Wisconsin Democratic Party dinner:

It will take more than just speeches to fulfill our dreams. It will take a lot of hard work.

Barack Obama said the following in a speech following Clinton's:

Don't tell me words don't matter. If we don't inspire the country to believe again, then it doesn't matter how many policies and plans we have.

While I can't argue with Clinton's assertion that it will, in fact, take a lot of hard work to get this country where it needs to be, I also wholeheartedly believe what Senator Obama said. Words do matter. Some examples of words that have mattered: "I have a dream," "Ask not what your country can do for you," "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." You know, little words like that. Hope and inspiration are essential. Without them, where are we? What's the point? There was a time when America was just wilderness. It became what it is today because people who had hope were inspired to come here to make their lives better. This country was built on hope and inspiration. How can Hillary Clinton so easily dismiss the power and the importance of them? I think that, especially now, when this nation and this world are in such horrible shape, we need hope more than ever.

I hope that people believe in that message. I hope that America can come together and start getting some things right. I hope that we can create a better world for my daughter because she deserves it, as do all the other children of this country. They deserve better than polluted water and air. They deserve better healthcare. They deserve a good education no matter where they live or how much money their daddies make. They deserve good quality food and toys. They deserve access to music and art and the outdoors. They deserve to be safe from guns and drugs. They deserve it. I want to give it to all of them.

I'm out, peeps. I've got to pack. S and I are headed to Tennessee tomorrow to see Feathernester and family.

more than a feeling

"Classic rock is both classic and it rocks."

That's one of M's favorite lines from any sitcom. Ever. Roz said it on Frasier, and M always takes the opportunity to remind me of it when we battle over adult rock on NPR and his favorite classic rock stations. I always championed the "driver rules" end of things (when I was driving) until we recently started relying on our iPods for road trips, and I just don't think it's safe to play digital DJ while tooling down the interstate at 80mph. What's a girl to do when she wants to listen to Ray LaMontagne and her husband wants to listen to Journey? Listen to Bel Biv Devoe instead. Try it. Works for us. Besides, who can argue about music when you're being reminded to never trust a big butt and a smile?

How do I get off on these tangents? Anyway...

Did anyone else hear that Tom Scholz from the totally awesome 70's supergroup Boston has requested that Mike Huckabee stop using the band's song More than a Feeling? Is that hysterical, or is it just me? He claims that he doesn't support the ideas of Huckabee's campaign and doesn't want him ripping off his hard work to get elected. Besides, he's an Obama man, which makes me love Boston that much more.

The funny thing about it is that I was wondering about something along these lines just the other day. I was wondering whether bands have to approve the use of their music by campaigns. I guess not. Clearly, musicians tend to endorse candidates at some point (think Springsteen for John Kerry), but until that time comes around, is it a free-for-all? Because, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but certain songs always pop up, and I've noticed a recent barrage of U2. I have to wonder how Bono feels about it. And, shouldn't the candidates for president of the United States use a more local band?? Isn't that kind of like making your campaign vehicle a Saab? How unAmerican!! Ha. Anyway, I think that it's funny how music becomes such a huge part of the message.

Okay, since I was apparently berated by the men of Stantec for ignoring "Five Senses Friday" like it didn't exist last week, here you go...

FIVE SENSES FRIDAY
Sight: S walking around with her Valentine's Day balloon

Sound: "Auf Wiedersehen" to Sweet P on this week's Project Runway, the Curious George theme song on PBS

Smell: cheese toast in the oven, chocolate

Touch: S's clean hair...and her warm tummy

Taste: Cranberry Cinnamon Spelt Pancakes, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup, Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

I'm out peeps, the chimney sweep should be here any minute.

party like a rock star

I just finished watching Barack Obama speak in Madison. You know, that little speech he gave after another clean sweep? Lovely. Anyway, he was speaking to a revved up crowd of about 18,000 who were kept later than expected, but all of whom were still apparently pleased as punch to be there to see the man. 18,000 screaming fans, people. Barack Obama is a rock star. People were chanting.

When Obama was finished, MSNBC switched over to McCain, who was giving his speech after his wins this evening. Talk about a change. Obama spoke to a screaming mob of fans that were packed like sardines into a stadium. There were loads of excited people, young to not-so-young, crowded behind him. Then there was John McCain. One: he was in a hotel ballroom that I assure you did not hold 18,000 people. Two: there wasn't even a twinge of excitement in his voice. Three: the people surrounding him were so old that I think they were probably George Washington's campaign guys. Four: I was so completely bored that I got off the couch and decided to blog about how bored I was with John McCain.

The difference between the two candidates was and is so alarmingly apparent. Alarmingly. Apparent. When faced with a choice between the old curmudgeon and the rock star, who would vote for the old curmudgeon? And why??? Seriously, why? It's old versus new, and I'm not talking about age. I'm talking about ideas. And ideals.

It makes me believe in politics and government again, and I haven't even had a glimmer of that belief since W managed to get into the White House without actually winning the election in any fair sense. I believe in this guy. He makes me want to believe and care again, and it's such a refreshing feeling that I want to tell total strangers about Barack Obama...or just inundate you all with my constant gushing about him.

I'm out, peeps. The pillows are calling my name.

wii're bummed out.

I've had a little cold for a few days. Sore throat, runny nose, achiness. You know the drill. Of course, all of you mamas out there know that a cold isn't a valid excuse for doing nothing, so Friday and Saturday were pretty typical days around here...with a hefty portion of Saturday dedicated to errands and packing up the house for the big move. I was spent on Sunday, and M was nice enough to let me spend most of the day in bed. I'm feeling much better today, but I'm trying to take it easy for the next couple of days in an attempt to let this thing run its course. Good luck, right?

Anyway, some updates...

1. M taught S to say apple yesterday. It's completely hysterical. The puts major emphasis on the "aaaaaa", then there is a little "puhl" that she basically spits out at the end. It's the best.

2. We've eliminated nursing before naps. I went ahead and did both naps last week as I wanted to eliminate confusion ("why did I get mama-milk before my morning nap, but not now?"). It's worked pretty well. We're down to before bed and when she wakes up, and I'm suddenly realizing that nursing really is almost over for me and the munchkin. I'm kind of sad. Liberated, but sad.

3. Despite my cold, I hauled myself out of bed yesterday morning to go to Toys R Us as they were getting Wiis in. As I drove into the parking lot around 9:15 (they were opening at 10), I saw about 100 adults packed like sardines into the vestibule at the front of the store. I turned around and went to Starbucks instead. Then I went home and went back to bed. I've made it a point over the last month to ask every single store that I'm in if they have any in stock. No luck so far, but we're dying to get one. How am I supposed to host "Wii're for Obama" parties without a Wii?

4. Speaking of Obama, it's becoming a mild obsession around here. I keep catching M watching CNN to check out the latest on the campaign, and I'm online pretty much all the time. I actually think I'll try to attend a little Lexington for Obama event this Sunday. I swear I'll write a great post soon to convince all of you to vote for Obama. Just as soon as I get the time...

5. The latest green news around here is pretty exciting, too. We're actually getting ready to make one of our biggest green investments to date (the Hybrid being the largest, clearly). We're going to sell our gas-powered mower and trimmer and get an electric one. We're going to be taking the grass out of our front yard at the new house and planting a native ground cover that won't have to be mowed, and our new backyard is smaller than our yard here, and since I'm planning to make a larger portion of the lawn into my garden, the electric set-up will definitely be able to handle the job. Plus, we won't have to worry about storing gas and oil for the machines, either, which makes us very happy. You can jump on the bandwagon over here.

That's about it around here. I just heard the dryer do off, which means shirts need to be hung up, which also means, "M, you have clean shirts now."

I'm out, peeps. Happy Monday-ing.

ashes, ashes, we all fall down

So it's Ash Wednesday and no one in the P family is going to get drawn on at church. Oh, well. Church is a weird situation right now anyway. Neither of the services at church fits into S's schedule, and M and I aren't really pressing the issue as we are about to move, and there is no priest at the church right now, either, which somehow makes it easier to miss. We're heathens.

For the record, we'll be giving up our second home for Lent. Not really. We're not giving it up until the end of Lent, but that's all I've got. I'm already trying to eliminate everything frivolous from our lives for the environment and our health. There isn't much left to cut out. So, I'm giving up a house for Jesus. Surely that's enough. (How blasphemous is this post? I'm probably going straight to H-E-double hockey sticks for being sarcastic about Lent.)

Okay, I'm off to do something productive. Like continue my internet search for the perfect Barack Obama tee shirt. There are some great ones out there like "Barack, Paper, Scissors," "Barack the Vote," or "Have you had your Barack-oli today?", but I haven't found the one that screams, "OUISER!" just yet. And I can't find the really good "My Mama's for Obama" onesie that I found months ago. I'll just have to keep looking. This one may have to do.Happy Hump Day, peeps.

keeping track

thanks, g.
i have no idea if this will work properly.

a little politick'n

I'm not entirely sure I'm going to be able to create a coherent post with all the ramblings in my brain today, but I'll give it a shot. It all started with Newsweek. I was reading last week's edition, and they were following Barack Obama around after the Iowa win. I remember when he got a secret service detail because he was getting race-based threats early in the campaign, but I'd honestly forgotten about it because I can't imagine it being an actual issue (anymore than I see Hillary Clinton's gender as an issue). So, when the article mentioned his wife being unable to talk about personal safety concerns for fear that she'll basically lose it, I was floored. I just can't wrap my brain around that kind of intense hatred. What's the point? Who benefits from that? No one. It makes me sick and sad all at the same time. That was where the politics started for me yesterday.

Then, I actually stayed awake to watch the democratic candidates debate last night. I really like watching debates, and it was nice to watch this one with the three front runners. Not that I wanted to write off early candidates, but no one asked them questions in the debates anyway, and it was almost painful to watch them standing there...waiting. I will admit, however, that I missed Joe Biden's ability to answer a question in a sentence. I think that you could ask Obama, Clinton, and Edwards their favorite ice cream flavors and they'd spout off very PC answers cataloging the virtues of every flavor they could think of. (These days...mine's Chocolate Raspberry Truffle from Brewster's if anyone cares.) Anyway...

I'm a big fan of John Edwards. It's hard not to like a guy with such a great southern accent. But great southern accents don't necessarily make you the best presidential candidate out there. Or do they?? Anyway, I'm a big believer in his message. Big. Huge. However, in Tuesday night's debate (as 24 hours have elapsed since I started this post...damned stomach bug) the whole "son of a mill worker" routine had gotten a little old. He almost seemed desperate. I didn't like it. I thought Hillary came off well, though, and Barack Obama was Barack Obama: cool as a cucumber and sharp as a tack. Either way, it's going to be an interesting couple of months...

I'm out, peeps. I have no real train of thought anymore as these thoughts are too old now. Have a great Thursday.

"i see dead people"

Oh, Dennis Kucinich, you make me laugh. They actually asked him if he's seen a UFO during a presidential debate. Then he actually said, "yes." Of course, he tried to explain that he couldn't identify what he saw, which made it technically an unidentified flying object. At that point, the laughter coming from the Philly crowd was deafening, so I may be the only person in America who saw on his face that he was trying to be funny and cerebral and a good sport about being asked such an insanely irrelevant question. The whole situation prompted Chris Matthews to ask why Kucinich wants to ruin his chances of ever becoming president, declaring that he may as well have said he sees dead people. So, I'm not sure if it's more that Kucinich wants to shoot himself in the foot or that he's just such an easy target. Then again, the man made Shirley Maclaine his daughter's godmother, so it's really a toss up. Moving right along...

The way this day is going, if I don't have a massive panic attack before bed, I'll be surprised. S refused to take her morning nap. Blatantly refused. After an hour, she finally started to settle down, so I jumped in the shower. Then, someone came to the door, ringing the doorbell like a fifth grade moron, prompting Otis to go absolutely ape. So, Otis was howling and barking, S started screaming for all she was worth, and I was standing in the shower with shampoo running into my eyes, wondering what I ever did to deserve such chaos. I finished rinsing my hair, jumped out of the shower, and ran downstairs in a robe. Whoever was there was gone, but Otis was still all fired up. I didn't bother getting back in the shower as I couldn't stand to hear S scream any longer. She's been a grumpus ever since, and she has just fallen asleep. Thank God for small favors, right? So, now I'm trying to start digging out all of the stuff we need for the weekend and get the house cleaned and get the laundry done and not have a breakdown, and I'm sure I'm wasting precious minutes by blogging. I don't care.

Oh, now I remember the other thing I wanted to rant about. Halloween costumes. M and I were driving past a Halloween store the other day and there was a girl standing on the corner with a sign for the store. She was dressed as a devil. Not a regular devil, though. A sexy devil. This girl, who didn't look a day over 18, was standing on a busy street corner in broad daylight in a red garter belt and boots and not much else. I nearly choked. Can you imagine some day down the road if that was your daughter? Oh. Snap. I'd drag her into the car by her hair. It's one thing to be dressed up on Halloween or for a party, but this was too much. What else is too much? I'm so sick of all this sexy costuming. Why does every single women's costume have to make you look slutty? Slutty nun. Slutty nurse. Slutty slut. It's too much. People, put on some clothes. It's October. You'll catch pneumonia. I am such an old lady...just put me in my zip-up flannel nightgown and slippers now. I cannot deal today...

I have to go. Happy Halloween, my ghouls. I promise a pic of S all dressed up tomorrow.

a wocket in your pocket?

I just watched a clip online of Dennis Kucinich on "The Colbert Report." It was hysterical. Colbert apparently challenged Kucinich to come on air and empty his pockets in response to Kucinich's habit of pulling all manner of crap out of his pockets during debates. Here's a link, so you can watch it, too.

So, what's in your pockets? I don't have pockets in the pants I'm wearing today, but when I cleaned out my pockets last night, there were three mini candy bar wrappers that I'd been accumulating all day as I continue to wage war against the Halloween candy in my house. (Seriously, M, this is why I don't buy the candy early, so don't ask me to next year. You're making me fat.) Usually, there are also some Cheerios as I think S drops a trail of them Hansel and Gretel style everywhere she goes. You know, in case she gets lost. In the woods. On the way to a gingerbread house where a witch might try to bake her for a tasty snack.

Anyway, we're just trying to stay dry and warm and keep from being blown away by the gale-force winds howling around the house. Oh, and we're telepathically trying to send both MoWask and Feathernester into labor. Good luck, girls.

Happy Thursday. I'm off to do sheets and towels. Did you know that Thursdays are "Sheets and Towels Day?" I am that huge of an anal-retentive nerd.