Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I like to kick, stretch and KICK
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| Marriott Champs-Elysees Breakfast Buffet |
Four days and nights in Paris for my 100th birthday is good for the soul. Okay 50, but it feels like 100.
On the right is the heart attack on a plate I consumed for breakfast. Every morning we embraced the buffet saving thousands on meals. When you turn a 1/2-century old, you are allowed to exaggerate freely by the way. Other than this, it was mostly chocolate, wine, crepes or all three the rest of the day.
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| Eiffel Tower, February 7, 2011 |
When you spend a lot of time somewhere, you tend to take for granted the major landmarks and monuments a city is known for. I had never been up the Eiffel Tower until last Monday. It was staggering.
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| Santal, miel, figue and lavendar french soap |
I couldn't get enough of the charming boutiques on every corner of neighborhoods like La Marais, Rue du Rivoli... It woke up my mind for the four days we were there.
We spent hours at Montmartre, La Marais, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, the Louvre, the Marmottan, shopping and getting lost in the Metro. We even got a Jules fix the last night of our stay complete with iFart.
I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than in Paris last week. Thank you M!
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| One of the hundreds of flower shops in Paris |
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| Catacombs, left bank - I can still smell it |
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| The Marmottan. Monet - Impression, Sunrise. One of my favorite paintings |
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| Bon Marche windows |
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| Foreplay to the Louvre |
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| Four+ hours at the Louvre |
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| Jules skipping the toll booth |
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Amazing
I am blown away by the cost of dog food. The high-quality stuff could cost $150 per month easily on if Stella & Chewy's had its way. I'm going to try it my way and maybe I can be the next Marie Moody.
2011 are you kidding me?
Crazy. I'm flying to New York. New Year's is 47 minutes behind me. It's been months since I've slowed down long enough to record anything so I'm going to make a concerted effort to do this more often. Not a resolution, just an effort.
Speaking of resolutions they are as follows:
1) no chips, ice cream or cookies on the plane
2) save the F word for special occasions
3) focus on my business without distraction
4) waste less time on the Internet and more time with what's important
5) ...
Speaking of resolutions they are as follows:
1) no chips, ice cream or cookies on the plane
2) save the F word for special occasions
3) focus on my business without distraction
4) waste less time on the Internet and more time with what's important
5) ...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Fun with dried fruit
After serving some weird looking food in first class, I committed to enhancing one item in particular - the dried pear. Rather than just wear it around my neck week after week, I decided to place it in different situations on the airplane. Whipped up that bikini in about 5 minutes with a D hook and some leftover yarn from who knows where.
Aside from some help from Lisabeth during the staging of the beach scene, and Allison for setting up the lines, it was pretty much my dream-turned-reality to realize the diversity of a dried pear that doubles as a weej.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The dog of my life
I've wanted a dog since the day I left for college but I had no idea how much one would change my life. I would do anything for Percy and while it seems as though he compensates for a couple milestones I missed (kids, husband, that kind of thing), I can't imagine feeling any differently about him even if I were married with kids. He is perfect. He's my little tiny husband and I'm in love.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Elwood, then Percy
Dad in and out of the hospital following a quintuple bypass and pig valve insertion, vacation went off without a hitch (or fun), and Elwood died.
The following is an email I sent to those who knew him. By the way, the following day I adopted a dog. Nothing could ever replace that cat, but Percy, the 6 1/2 year old Shih Tzu is a strong second.
Sad news -
Yesterday, I came home after running some errands and Elwood, my 14.5-year old orange Maine Coon who weighed more than 20 pounds until just recently, was lying on the floor in my bedroom crying. He couldn't get up. He had thrown up and pooped all over the carpet and there was a good amount of blood as well. At first I thought maybe a cat had somehow gotten in and fought with him because a book I'd just bought ended up on the floor and was completely torn apart with paper everywhere. But he didn't have marks on his body. I wrapped him in a towel and drove him to the Vet's.
They told me he had suffered an arterial thromboembolism. It's a blood clot that breaks off from the heart and travels through the artery. In his case, it blocked the blood flow to his back two legs and his tail. His back half was actually cold to the touch and he couldn't feel anything. His temperature was 91 which is about 10 degrees below a cat's normal temp. The blood flow was cut off, which results in killing live tissue . It happened so fast. Prognosis is with 90% certainty that another blood clot will likely recur within the next 6 months. And that is if the surgery to restore blood flow to the remaining areas of his lower half that hadn't yet died off was successful. The vet told me that it looked grave which was the worst level there was he said. The parts of Elwood that had already been killed off would probably have to have been amputated and he would have had to pull himself around with his front two paws or become skateboard kitty. He could barely get around on 4 legs with that belly of his as most of you know. The likelihood of his not making it through the surgery was 90%. Apparently, he had heart disease and I never knew it. There was no choice at that point but to make sure he wasn't in pain. They gave him some pain medicine and I held him in my lap for hours before during and after they finally put him to sleep. There was no way I wanted him to do that without having his mom there - he loved me a ridiculous amount... despite all the times I bailed on him for work and travel.
I'm picking up his ashes next week and putting them near the window he monitored his little world from all day long.
My mom was amazing - came all the way up in rush hour traffic and sat with me for hours at the Vet's, followed me home to my house to clean up, then drove me to her house to stay the night. This morning she went and exercised with her friend Dee at 7:30 a.m., came home with Starbucks coffee for me, made me breakfast then drove me around all day to animal shelters to visit the puppies and kitties because that's what I really wanted to do.
Last thing I thought I would do was not come home alone today, but I am the anti-norm. So around 5 pm after visiting 2 shelters hoping my mom would meet a dog she liked so I could live vicariously through her, we went to the Helen Woodward Center - the same place I found Elwood 13 years ago. After saying hi to every kitty there, I went to see the dogs and there stood Percy. Percy is a grey and white bowl-legged Shih-Tzu who had been at Helen Woodward for just over a month. He is 5 years old - the same exact age as Darby (my niece) to the month, and is the single most mellow dog I've ever met - he just wants to lay on his back in your arms while you pet his tummy. He has yet to bark, pull on the leash or do anything destructive. He is asleep next to me right now snoring like someone I know. He loves the car and hopefully the airplane too. While I can't take him to work with me, I hope to take him with me on the plane when I'm non-reving as much as he's allowed by those I'm visiting. HINT HINT. So far, Percy has gotten me to spend more time outdoors in San Diego than I have the entire summer.
Elwood was the fur equivalent of the love of my life and every time I had to leave him behind to fly I missed him so much and felt horribly guilty. Now Elwood has left me behind and is up in fluffy heaven with Fatty, BK, and Pussy Willow taking up more space per square foot than the other three combined. He adored every one of my friends and family he met (a few in particular - you know who you are). Just wanted to say thanks for caring about my kitty.
Love,
Leslie
The following is an email I sent to those who knew him. By the way, the following day I adopted a dog. Nothing could ever replace that cat, but Percy, the 6 1/2 year old Shih Tzu is a strong second.
Sad news -
Yesterday, I came home after running some errands and Elwood, my 14.5-year old orange Maine Coon who weighed more than 20 pounds until just recently, was lying on the floor in my bedroom crying. He couldn't get up. He had thrown up and pooped all over the carpet and there was a good amount of blood as well. At first I thought maybe a cat had somehow gotten in and fought with him because a book I'd just bought ended up on the floor and was completely torn apart with paper everywhere. But he didn't have marks on his body. I wrapped him in a towel and drove him to the Vet's.
They told me he had suffered an arterial thromboembolism. It's a blood clot that breaks off from the heart and travels through the artery. In his case, it blocked the blood flow to his back two legs and his tail. His back half was actually cold to the touch and he couldn't feel anything. His temperature was 91 which is about 10 degrees below a cat's normal temp. The blood flow was cut off, which results in killing live tissue . It happened so fast. Prognosis is with 90% certainty that another blood clot will likely recur within the next 6 months. And that is if the surgery to restore blood flow to the remaining areas of his lower half that hadn't yet died off was successful. The vet told me that it looked grave which was the worst level there was he said. The parts of Elwood that had already been killed off would probably have to have been amputated and he would have had to pull himself around with his front two paws or become skateboard kitty. He could barely get around on 4 legs with that belly of his as most of you know. The likelihood of his not making it through the surgery was 90%. Apparently, he had heart disease and I never knew it. There was no choice at that point but to make sure he wasn't in pain. They gave him some pain medicine and I held him in my lap for hours before during and after they finally put him to sleep. There was no way I wanted him to do that without having his mom there - he loved me a ridiculous amount... despite all the times I bailed on him for work and travel.
I'm picking up his ashes next week and putting them near the window he monitored his little world from all day long.
My mom was amazing - came all the way up in rush hour traffic and sat with me for hours at the Vet's, followed me home to my house to clean up, then drove me to her house to stay the night. This morning she went and exercised with her friend Dee at 7:30 a.m., came home with Starbucks coffee for me, made me breakfast then drove me around all day to animal shelters to visit the puppies and kitties because that's what I really wanted to do.
Last thing I thought I would do was not come home alone today, but I am the anti-norm. So around 5 pm after visiting 2 shelters hoping my mom would meet a dog she liked so I could live vicariously through her, we went to the Helen Woodward Center - the same place I found Elwood 13 years ago. After saying hi to every kitty there, I went to see the dogs and there stood Percy. Percy is a grey and white bowl-legged Shih-Tzu who had been at Helen Woodward for just over a month. He is 5 years old - the same exact age as Darby (my niece) to the month, and is the single most mellow dog I've ever met - he just wants to lay on his back in your arms while you pet his tummy. He has yet to bark, pull on the leash or do anything destructive. He is asleep next to me right now snoring like someone I know. He loves the car and hopefully the airplane too. While I can't take him to work with me, I hope to take him with me on the plane when I'm non-reving as much as he's allowed by those I'm visiting. HINT HINT. So far, Percy has gotten me to spend more time outdoors in San Diego than I have the entire summer.
Elwood was the fur equivalent of the love of my life and every time I had to leave him behind to fly I missed him so much and felt horribly guilty. Now Elwood has left me behind and is up in fluffy heaven with Fatty, BK, and Pussy Willow taking up more space per square foot than the other three combined. He adored every one of my friends and family he met (a few in particular - you know who you are). Just wanted to say thanks for caring about my kitty.
Love,
Leslie
Thursday, August 6, 2009
23 Phrases
I read this on the Huffington Post today. This doesn't only apply to couples. It can also apply to sisters! You heard me. But it's good for couples to remember as well. Especially when they haven't had a fight yet but there's a first time for everything. And stuff.
23 Phrases to help couples fight right:
"Almost all couples fight; the secret is to fight right. I've posted about what not to say during a fight. Here are some phrases that actually help.
I review this list from time to time, so that when I'm arguing with my husband, I remember the phrases that help me fight right. Recently, for instance, I was angry at my husband for showing - I thought - a lack of respect for my priorities. So I waited until a good moment (this itself is tough for me), and said, "I need you to listen. This is important to me." From his startled expression, he clearly thought I was starting a fight; but by warning him that I needed him to respond carefully, we managed to avoid a fight altogether.
When my husband and I do argue, I find that the single best technique to apply is humor. If one of us can laugh and joke around, the angry mood lifts instantly. But during an argument, my sense of humor is the first thing to go.
Failing that strategy, here are twenty-three phrases that help turn down the heat of anger:
Please try to understand my point of view.
Wait, can I take that back?
You don't have to solve this--it helps me just to talk to you.
This is important to me. Please listen.
I overreacted.
I see you're in a tough position.
I can see my part in this.
I hadn't thought of it that way before.
I could be wrong.
Let's agree to disagree on that.
This isn't just your problem, it's our problem.
I'm feeling unappreciated. [Always, my craving for gold stars!]
We're getting off the subject.
You've convinced me.
Let's take a break for a few minutes. [If you can remember to do this, it's extremely effective - especially if you're having a big fight. After a break, it's almost impossible to go back to yelling.]
Please keep talking to me.
I realize it's not your fault.
That came out all wrong.
I see how I contributed to the problem.
What are we really fighting about?
How can I make things better?
I'm sorry.
I love you.
I actually get tears in my eyes when I read this list. Such is the uplifting power of fighting right.
Also, to fight right, it's very important to respond well if your sweetheart makes a repair attempt - the technical term for a gesture of reconciliation and love. Don't rebuff a repair attempt"
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Drive, Fly, Sleep, Eat
I've been flying more than usual, spending time in New Hampshire and sleeping as much as I can.
Spent the fourth of July in New Hampshire. Beautiful place on the lake with a dock and boats, jet skis, and lots of food. We floated around and watched fireworks from the dock. It was loads of fun.
Wednesday I join my girls at Gina's for pre-Del Mar beverages and sushi. Then another year at the track.
Chocolate martinis are my new passion. Picture creamy chocolate milk with ice chips and vanilla vodka. It works its magic quickly, too.
Spent the fourth of July in New Hampshire. Beautiful place on the lake with a dock and boats, jet skis, and lots of food. We floated around and watched fireworks from the dock. It was loads of fun.
Wednesday I join my girls at Gina's for pre-Del Mar beverages and sushi. Then another year at the track.
Chocolate martinis are my new passion. Picture creamy chocolate milk with ice chips and vanilla vodka. It works its magic quickly, too.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
T + 1
The amount of time I spent on my Union is mind numbing. I look at all the mornings in which I can now sleep, workout or talk on the phone just for fun if I want, and all the days I can spend writing for myself, playing or picking up a trip and I can't believe it took me so long to realize that the old theory "the back of one is the front of another" rings true for more than just old boyfriends.
I am beyond a slow learner. Relationship-retarded is a pretty good definition for my choices over the past 25 years or so. This last one served me especially well. What I learned is that I can't change anyone, I can't make anyone else magically happy and I had to quit that addicting habit when the bad consistently outweighed the good.
It's all good.
I am beyond a slow learner. Relationship-retarded is a pretty good definition for my choices over the past 25 years or so. This last one served me especially well. What I learned is that I can't change anyone, I can't make anyone else magically happy and I had to quit that addicting habit when the bad consistently outweighed the good.
It's all good.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Fanny Packs and Moms
I won't name names or anything but why do moms insist on wearing the goober-iest clothing items in the name of comfort around their children. Seriously, I was quite comfortable in my sun dress and sandals. Why did my mom have to wear a fanny pack and a jacket tied around her waist? Or maybe it wasn't my mom, but I'm just saying.
Okay, there was a mom today wearing her fanny pack and no matter how much I protested, the mom wouldn't relent.
Either way, better to have a mom with a fanny pack than no mom at all so I'll let it go for now.
(Love you Mom)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Vampire-ess (or however you spell that)
Not so sure about joining the bat lady crowd. It's this subculture at LA with a bunch of self-entitled junior steward-i and the rest of us; people my age but with kids who want to be home. Not that I don't want to be home, but it would be nice to be awake during the day for a change.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Dallas for 3.5 hours. yuck
I was in the midst of loving the ease and stress-free activities with my job. Today was different - Dallas turn with a 3.5 hour sit. I was #1. That wasn't fun. Debating my bids for next month - I guess I need to do what's best for me and bid what works - what I want. I'm going to stay focused. That'll be a first.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I don't get St. Patty's Day
There are a few holidays I have no appreciation for whatsoever.
First: Halloween. Hate it as an adult. LOVED it as a kid. My sister and I would leave the house as early as we were allowed to with costumes on and a pillow case to hold all the candy. I have loved candy forever so the competition factor w/ my sister coupled with the sugar buzz I was assured of enjoying through Christmas motivated me well into my late teens. But for some reason I hate dressing up and have since I can remember so I will turn down any Halloween party I'm invited to. I'm usually a lot of fun, I swear.
Second most hated holiday: Valentines Day. It's a day shoved at you whether you are in love, with no one, or worst of all: in love but separated for whatever reason. Annoying as hell.
Third: New Years Eve. Amateur night. Rarely ends up like anyone wants it to. This past one spent in Milan with my old boyfriend was probably the best and I can count on one hand the number of others in my 48 years on this planet.
Fourth: today, St. Patty's Day. I just don't get it. I love the Irish - they know how to party, that's for sure. But why is everything green? And if you don't go out that night you're considered no fun.
That's all the holidays I'll take down for now. I'm sure I'll have more later... I always do!
First: Halloween. Hate it as an adult. LOVED it as a kid. My sister and I would leave the house as early as we were allowed to with costumes on and a pillow case to hold all the candy. I have loved candy forever so the competition factor w/ my sister coupled with the sugar buzz I was assured of enjoying through Christmas motivated me well into my late teens. But for some reason I hate dressing up and have since I can remember so I will turn down any Halloween party I'm invited to. I'm usually a lot of fun, I swear.
Second most hated holiday: Valentines Day. It's a day shoved at you whether you are in love, with no one, or worst of all: in love but separated for whatever reason. Annoying as hell.
Third: New Years Eve. Amateur night. Rarely ends up like anyone wants it to. This past one spent in Milan with my old boyfriend was probably the best and I can count on one hand the number of others in my 48 years on this planet.
Fourth: today, St. Patty's Day. I just don't get it. I love the Irish - they know how to party, that's for sure. But why is everything green? And if you don't go out that night you're considered no fun.
That's all the holidays I'll take down for now. I'm sure I'll have more later... I always do!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Stag Nation is wearing me out
I've been off work for nearly a month and it's killing me. I'm trying to be productive during this final week of recouping from surgery but Oh My God it's painful.
I've pulled out my scrapbook stuff (never thought I'd do that again) and even got my taxes ready to send off tomorrow.
During this past month I've:
I've pulled out my scrapbook stuff (never thought I'd do that again) and even got my taxes ready to send off tomorrow.
During this past month I've:
- Had my knee operated on
- Attended a funeral for a friend who committed suicide
- Crashed my car
- Found my old friend Kerry from 20 years ago
- Bought tickets for Lenny Kravitz in Paris this May
- Shopped too much
- Transferred from New York to LA to Domestic
- ...And broke up with my boyfriend of several years
Monday, March 9, 2009
I feel like I lost my best friend
Just slammed my car into the side railing on my way home from my sister's. When is this crap going to get better?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
hanging up the politics for now
It has been way too long since I updated this thing. Four months actually since the presidential election ended and it seems like a lifetime ago.
I've been spending ridiculous amounts of time on Facebook while my knee lags behind trying to recover from arthroscopy earlier this month. I'm hoping to get back on the plane in ten or so days even though I'm now flying domestic out of LA instead of international out of NYC. Being grounded doesn't work for me. I don't know how the union work kept me from leaving much sooner than following a nine-year stint. In any event, domestic is going to take some adjusting to. We'll see how it all goes.
With nothing keeping me tied down anymore - it's just Elwood and me - I'm up for just about anything. I feel change brewing.
I've been spending ridiculous amounts of time on Facebook while my knee lags behind trying to recover from arthroscopy earlier this month. I'm hoping to get back on the plane in ten or so days even though I'm now flying domestic out of LA instead of international out of NYC. Being grounded doesn't work for me. I don't know how the union work kept me from leaving much sooner than following a nine-year stint. In any event, domestic is going to take some adjusting to. We'll see how it all goes.
With nothing keeping me tied down anymore - it's just Elwood and me - I'm up for just about anything. I feel change brewing.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Body Language of Election Day
The article, taken from The Hunffington Post.com was written by Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks of Ojai, California. They have authored several books about relationships and body language. It is a spot-on tribute to the realness of Barack Obama and the lack of direction by McCain.
5. The Exploding Veep
The first big dose of revelatory body language came for us the morning of Election Day, when we finally saw the tape of Dick Cheney endorsing John McCain. If you missed it, here's the key moment: At the peak of the speech, Cheney belted out the punchline, "I believe the right leader for this moment in history is John McCain."
A split-second after these words left his mouth, he exploded into a coughing fit of epic proportions. It was as if his body, after a lifetime of concealment and control, could no longer keep from erupting when forced to utter another lie.
4. All The Way Hume
We switched over to Fox News from time to time, in order to get the far-right spin on the events of the evening. We were particularly interested to see what some of their cocky bombasts would look like eating large helpings of crow.
In body language terms, voice-flags are those vocal tones and tremors that communicate hidden emotions. Brit Hume's voice-flag was the one that stood out like a sore tongue. Throughout the evening, each time he was forced to announce one more McCain loss, he unconsciously lowered his voice to a sepulchral depth usually reserved for state funerals.
It was as if he was grieving more than the loss of his favorite candidate--he was mourning the declining fortunes of his employer and the movement it has trumpeted.
3. Taking The Tics Out Of Politics
In an earlier post we commented on the stunning array of tics, twitches and jaw-clenches that played across John McCain's face during the campaign.
If you study the tape of his concession speech on election night, though, you'll see very little of that kind of body language. Why? Where did it go? The answer is simple but has profound consequences for health and happiness.
The reason McCain's facial flickers were so quiet is that he wasn't trying to be two people at once. It requires body tension to feel anger but pretend it isn't there. It takes effort to seal off fear, and even more effort to whistle along pretending it was never there. "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways," says the Book of James, and during the campaign, McCain's instability played across his face incessantly.
Now, though, John McCain does not have to pretend to be anything he isn't. He doesn't have to be an honorable man trying to live inside his skin with a fear-mongering alien bent on winning by sowing seeds of hate. He's the better for it, and so are we.
2. The Crowd At Grant Park
We watched Obama's victory speech in a room with people ranging in age from 10 to 63, and all of us had tears in our eyes. Looking around the room, we saw the same emotions on our faces as we saw in the crowd at Grant Park. Some of them were crying tears of relief, others tears of pride, others pure elation.
Beyond emotion, though, the amazing phenomenon was the size of the crowd. We wondered what other event and what other person could inspire a couple hundred thousand people to stand out in the admittedly not-so-cold at midnight. They were there to celebrate Obama and to see history being made, but the looks on their faces told a deeper story: They were there to celebrate the triumph of love and hope over fear and divisiveness.
1. Power, Joy, Grief And Fatigue = One Whole Person
When Obama took the stage, we saw a man embodying a complex array of feeling. He looked tired, of course, and who wouldn't be?
A ten-year-old in the room, who hadn't heard of the death of Barack's grandmother, said "He looks sad." It takes a deeply integrated person to let his grief be visible on a night of overwhelming victory. This is a key to his personality, and bodes well for the future of his presidency. It takes enormous strength to let your vulnerabilities rest so comfortably in yourself that they can be readily seen.
There was one emotion we're glad was missing from Obama and the crowd in Grant Park: any sense of triumphant glee. We couldn't help wondering if it would have been present in McCain's supporters had the tables been turned. John McCain had to silence a few boos and jeers from his audience, but by and large they just looked sad, tired and meek.
Finally, we were deeply moved by Obama's body language at the end, in the easy way he brought forth the other members of his and Biden's family to share the stage. He seemed to melt into them, as if he knows deep in his bones that none of this is really about him as an individual ego.
There's a huge difference between needing to be the center of things and simply being in the middle of things. Somehow, despite all the adulation and glory (as well as the relentless attacks mounted by the other side) Obama still knows what he's known all along: he's one of us.
5. The Exploding Veep
The first big dose of revelatory body language came for us the morning of Election Day, when we finally saw the tape of Dick Cheney endorsing John McCain. If you missed it, here's the key moment: At the peak of the speech, Cheney belted out the punchline, "I believe the right leader for this moment in history is John McCain."
A split-second after these words left his mouth, he exploded into a coughing fit of epic proportions. It was as if his body, after a lifetime of concealment and control, could no longer keep from erupting when forced to utter another lie.
4. All The Way Hume
We switched over to Fox News from time to time, in order to get the far-right spin on the events of the evening. We were particularly interested to see what some of their cocky bombasts would look like eating large helpings of crow.
In body language terms, voice-flags are those vocal tones and tremors that communicate hidden emotions. Brit Hume's voice-flag was the one that stood out like a sore tongue. Throughout the evening, each time he was forced to announce one more McCain loss, he unconsciously lowered his voice to a sepulchral depth usually reserved for state funerals.
It was as if he was grieving more than the loss of his favorite candidate--he was mourning the declining fortunes of his employer and the movement it has trumpeted.
3. Taking The Tics Out Of Politics
In an earlier post we commented on the stunning array of tics, twitches and jaw-clenches that played across John McCain's face during the campaign.
If you study the tape of his concession speech on election night, though, you'll see very little of that kind of body language. Why? Where did it go? The answer is simple but has profound consequences for health and happiness.
The reason McCain's facial flickers were so quiet is that he wasn't trying to be two people at once. It requires body tension to feel anger but pretend it isn't there. It takes effort to seal off fear, and even more effort to whistle along pretending it was never there. "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways," says the Book of James, and during the campaign, McCain's instability played across his face incessantly.
Now, though, John McCain does not have to pretend to be anything he isn't. He doesn't have to be an honorable man trying to live inside his skin with a fear-mongering alien bent on winning by sowing seeds of hate. He's the better for it, and so are we.
2. The Crowd At Grant Park
We watched Obama's victory speech in a room with people ranging in age from 10 to 63, and all of us had tears in our eyes. Looking around the room, we saw the same emotions on our faces as we saw in the crowd at Grant Park. Some of them were crying tears of relief, others tears of pride, others pure elation.
Beyond emotion, though, the amazing phenomenon was the size of the crowd. We wondered what other event and what other person could inspire a couple hundred thousand people to stand out in the admittedly not-so-cold at midnight. They were there to celebrate Obama and to see history being made, but the looks on their faces told a deeper story: They were there to celebrate the triumph of love and hope over fear and divisiveness.
1. Power, Joy, Grief And Fatigue = One Whole Person
When Obama took the stage, we saw a man embodying a complex array of feeling. He looked tired, of course, and who wouldn't be?
A ten-year-old in the room, who hadn't heard of the death of Barack's grandmother, said "He looks sad." It takes a deeply integrated person to let his grief be visible on a night of overwhelming victory. This is a key to his personality, and bodes well for the future of his presidency. It takes enormous strength to let your vulnerabilities rest so comfortably in yourself that they can be readily seen.
There was one emotion we're glad was missing from Obama and the crowd in Grant Park: any sense of triumphant glee. We couldn't help wondering if it would have been present in McCain's supporters had the tables been turned. John McCain had to silence a few boos and jeers from his audience, but by and large they just looked sad, tired and meek.
Finally, we were deeply moved by Obama's body language at the end, in the easy way he brought forth the other members of his and Biden's family to share the stage. He seemed to melt into them, as if he knows deep in his bones that none of this is really about him as an individual ego.
There's a huge difference between needing to be the center of things and simply being in the middle of things. Somehow, despite all the adulation and glory (as well as the relentless attacks mounted by the other side) Obama still knows what he's known all along: he's one of us.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Obama's Victory Speech - November 4, 2008
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Night Before
I can't remember this level of excitement over an election (other than the many union elections I was far too involved with for too many years) that could compare to the Presidential race of '08. Although my best friend, boyfriend, sister, mom and dad will all be voting for McCain, I still have faith that Obama is going to pull this one off.
Once the campaign is over, the nation can get back to focusing on fixing what's wrong, and I can get back to blogging about whatever I want.
Thanks for reading whoever you are...
Once the campaign is over, the nation can get back to focusing on fixing what's wrong, and I can get back to blogging about whatever I want.
Thanks for reading whoever you are...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Boris Karloff aka McPain
I raced home from the airport last night to watch the debate. When it was over I was left wondering why anyone would support John McCain. His nasty demeanor and obvious disdain for Sen. Obama among his other shortcomings just turned me off. Rather than attempt my own version of what took place, read on; this says it all...
October 16, 2008The Great Republican Crack-up of 2008
Brent Budowsky
I am pretty partial to Hemingway, but this campaign is very F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is the great Republican crack-up of 2008, and in this drama, the great truth is this: McCain is Boris Karloff, from the horror movies of old, Obama is Tony Bennett, the wonderful crooner of smooth, with one of the great presidential temperaments of our times. This election will be won by a man of great presidential temperament, against a man of great and uncontrollable temper he cannot even attempt to hide.
With markets crashing and the economy sinking, McCain shows up at another debate looking angry and nasty, his face tense with some inner contempt that dominates his presence, throwing tiresome slops of mud to voters who hunger for reassurance and substance, his face twisted and eyeballs rolling like Karloff in the horror movies. Obama by contrast is Frank Sinatra during his mellower moments, or even better, Tony Bennett by starlight, looking cool in a crisis, calm in a storm, the serious man for serious times, calmly unflappable. Obama talks about healthcare while McCain talks about Ayers. Obama talks about education while McCain talks about ACORN. Obama talks about jobs while McCain grunts and snarls and sighs in ways that are devastating to him on split-screen television.
It is the great Republican crack-up of 2008. Republican economics brings the nation to the brink. Republican fearmongering erodes the very confidence essential to the markets while turning off whole swaths of independent voters. A Republican president, whom McCain supported 90 percent of the time, disappears during an economic crisis, sneaking into fundraisers through the back door to hide his support of his anointed heir from voters who demand powerful change.
The House Republican campaign committee is virtually bankrupt, while Senate Republicans desperately try to hide from the truth of their overwhelming support for their disappearing president and their unwavering obstruction and filibusters against any hope for change.
While McCain looks like Boris Karloff in the movies, dishing sludge in all directions, we now see endangered Republicans trying to distance from the disaster, even saying friendly words about Obama while the sludge dump continues from the top of the ticket, and the ridiculously unqualified power abuser from Alaska, having finally ended her lie to nowhere about the Bridge to Nowhere, continues to inflame the angry rightist base of the Republican Party that is so radically out of touch with the heart and soul of Middle America.
McCain even uses the debate to attack and demean the concerns of women for their very health on the matter of abortion. What kind of angry, out-of-touch, strange kind of attack is this? Trivializing, demeaning, ridiculing and insulting women concerned about their health on the most important decision of their lives?
It is conservative Chris Buckley who gets to the heart of the matter: Obama has a truly presidential temperament, while McCain has a truly extreme temper, and after eight years of Bush, the nation prefers the smooth and urbane crooner who talks of serious things in serious ways, to the angry face that is all that remains of Republican rule in a nation that yearns to turn the page and leave this past behind.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Fact Checking the 1st Presidential Debate
Both candidates misspoke on occasion. But McCain's blunders made Obama's look like a hiccup.
Fact Checking the VP Debate
The website: factcheck.org is a substantial resource for this campaign. Here, I have linked the site's fact checking on Joe Biden and Sarah Palin's misstatements throughout their one and only debate on October 2, 2008.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fact. Spin. Rumor. Opinion. What Really Matters
Today is the first day of the rest of this presidential election. Pay close attention. Do not get sidetracked. This is a message to myself. I, too, got snookered by small-bore bickering and secondary ephemera. I sat in front of the television and listened as so-called surrogates for the candidates played gotcha with obfuscation, misdirection and outright lies. A presidential election is a game now, and we're not playing, we're getting played. With very few exceptions—hats off to you, David Gergen—nothing being said has much to do with the future of this country or the well-being of its citizens. As a wise woman said to me the other day, talking points and talking are two very different things.
Once again we find ourselves planting our flag amid rubble. Now it is the rubble of the American economy, with great financial institutions faltering and failing and the stock market every which way. Rubble has become the symbol of this country over the past eight years: the still-unaddressed rubble of a decimated New Orleans, the growing rubble on the streets of Iraq.
At such a time, considering whether a tanning bed was installed in the governor's mansion in Alaska amounts to holding a barbecue on the lip of the volcano. For months I have been wondering how anyone could believe that Barack Obama, who has worshiped at a Christian church in Chicago for many years, was a Muslim. Then in the space of a few hours I received dozens of copies of a bogus list of books the Republican vice presidential candidate had allegedly banned from a local library while serving as mayor. The right no longer holds the patent on cyberbull. It is everywhere.
Maybe this campaign, which looked so promising, so dedicated to real issues and real change a year ago, can now get back on course. The debates are nigh, and they are crucial. The country is in a mess. And in November its citizens must decide who has the integrity, the intellect, the principles to steer us out of it.
Voters must become educated consumers to make that decision. They must draw on multiple sources, not just one. They must be conscious of what is fact, what is spin and what is opinion in a media world in which pundits seem to outnumber reporters. For example, here's my opinion: the only good news in last week's economic earthquake was that the political dialogue took a turn toward the substantive. But John McCain took a sad turn—a U-turn—for the worse. For most of the past 20 years McCain was a senator who was sure and stubborn and stood for certain things, many of them things with which I disagree. But disagreement is honorable; shape-shifting is not. In the space of a single news cycle Senator McCain went from being a longtime supporter of deregulation to a man inveighing against the lack of government oversight in the financial markets. He railed against the greed of Wall Street when Wall Street has been the ancestral home of his party.
In a speech after the 2000 race, Senator McCain had this to say about shifting his stance on the flying of the Confederate flag: "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles." Surrounded by the acolytes of Karl Rove, the carnivorous political operative who once savaged him, with a running mate he seems to have chosen out of calculation rather than the best interests of the country, Senator McCain last week was once again hedging principle in favor of victory. His party has been in power as the country has run aground, yet he and his people try to suggest that the same party with the same people and the same policies will somehow produce different results.
Anna Quindlen
Newsweek
September 29, 2008
Once again we find ourselves planting our flag amid rubble. Now it is the rubble of the American economy, with great financial institutions faltering and failing and the stock market every which way. Rubble has become the symbol of this country over the past eight years: the still-unaddressed rubble of a decimated New Orleans, the growing rubble on the streets of Iraq.
At such a time, considering whether a tanning bed was installed in the governor's mansion in Alaska amounts to holding a barbecue on the lip of the volcano. For months I have been wondering how anyone could believe that Barack Obama, who has worshiped at a Christian church in Chicago for many years, was a Muslim. Then in the space of a few hours I received dozens of copies of a bogus list of books the Republican vice presidential candidate had allegedly banned from a local library while serving as mayor. The right no longer holds the patent on cyberbull. It is everywhere.
Maybe this campaign, which looked so promising, so dedicated to real issues and real change a year ago, can now get back on course. The debates are nigh, and they are crucial. The country is in a mess. And in November its citizens must decide who has the integrity, the intellect, the principles to steer us out of it.
Voters must become educated consumers to make that decision. They must draw on multiple sources, not just one. They must be conscious of what is fact, what is spin and what is opinion in a media world in which pundits seem to outnumber reporters. For example, here's my opinion: the only good news in last week's economic earthquake was that the political dialogue took a turn toward the substantive. But John McCain took a sad turn—a U-turn—for the worse. For most of the past 20 years McCain was a senator who was sure and stubborn and stood for certain things, many of them things with which I disagree. But disagreement is honorable; shape-shifting is not. In the space of a single news cycle Senator McCain went from being a longtime supporter of deregulation to a man inveighing against the lack of government oversight in the financial markets. He railed against the greed of Wall Street when Wall Street has been the ancestral home of his party.
In a speech after the 2000 race, Senator McCain had this to say about shifting his stance on the flying of the Confederate flag: "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles." Surrounded by the acolytes of Karl Rove, the carnivorous political operative who once savaged him, with a running mate he seems to have chosen out of calculation rather than the best interests of the country, Senator McCain last week was once again hedging principle in favor of victory. His party has been in power as the country has run aground, yet he and his people try to suggest that the same party with the same people and the same policies will somehow produce different results.
Anna Quindlen
Newsweek
September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sarah Palin and South Park
The GOP is awfully quiet lately
Looks like they're hiding Sarah P. to avoid anymore bad press from her incessant parroting of all things Karl Rove.
John McCain took center stage this week following the 500 point drop in the Dow with his comment that our economy is strong. Sure it is, John. We are watching banks fail at an astounding rate and refusing to even lend to each other because there's no more trust. The housing market is at an all time low in this century. But damn if our economy isn't strong.
I liked it better about 8 years ago when it was apparently nice and weak and I was making 30 percent more at work, my houses had doubled in value and my 401(k) was worth the same as it is today.
So keep it up John. You have a great handle on all things America.
John McCain took center stage this week following the 500 point drop in the Dow with his comment that our economy is strong. Sure it is, John. We are watching banks fail at an astounding rate and refusing to even lend to each other because there's no more trust. The housing market is at an all time low in this century. But damn if our economy isn't strong.
I liked it better about 8 years ago when it was apparently nice and weak and I was making 30 percent more at work, my houses had doubled in value and my 401(k) was worth the same as it is today.
So keep it up John. You have a great handle on all things America.
Let me see if I have this straight:
* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard Law School, you're unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local sportscaster, beauty queen runner-up, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. * If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* Graduate from Harvard Law School, you're unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local sportscaster, beauty queen runner-up, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. * If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
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