Hillary Clinton Looks Like Tang

So... did you see Hillary Clinton yesterday at the unveiling of the new Sojourner Truth bust at the Capitol Visitor Center? Horrible. That's all I can say. Apparently she wore the same suit at the Dem convention last August.... Top pic is from yesterday and bottom is from the convention.

Random Stuff

I know its been a while - blah blah blah

I'm watching HBO. I love "Flight of the Concords." I don't know if other people dig this show or not but they are starting a new season on Sunday. The humor is just so funny. I just find it hilarious. The songs and the dream sequences are awesome.

After FOC is a Chris Rock special filmed in the fall of 2008. Very timely and relevant. He is sooo funny. His stuff about Barack Obama and McCain/Palin is priceless. If you have an opportunity to see this special i highly recommend it. It is called "Kill the Messanger"

Birthday: The Big 27 + 5

Yep. I'm 32. If he were alive it would be his birthday too. I used to love Jim Morrison....

It's funny when you get into your 30's and it's your birthday. No one really cares too much - including me. I think I got more emails from retailers wishing me a happy birthday (My Hair Salon, Gap, Corrigan Sports, Borders, etc.) than from people I actually know. I'm not complaining or anything - it's just funny.

When you are 32 all of your friends have kids so no one can go out to celebrate on a week night - AND being the holiday season getting folks together on the weekend is just as hard....

Hubby and I celebrated my birthday on Saturday by spending the afternoon in 2 different bars to watch VT beat Boston College in the ACC Championship Game. We went home, took a short nap and then went to Sotto Sopra for dinner. Food was great but a little overpriced. I think next time we will just go to Paza Luna...

I guess that's it for now.

Other than I feel the need to comment on some recent posts by Capitol Swell.... I love the B52's.

So Sorry

It has been a while since I've written. Sorry.
Hubby had foot surgery and then Thanksgiving came and went and now i'm back at work. Fun Times.
2 more weeks until Christmas break. I can't wait.
Let's see... what's new.... not much really. I need to do some more Christmas Shopping. That's about it. Oh, I need to send out my Christmas cards too. Maybe I'll get around to it this weekend.
I have a busy weekend coming up. Friday is my office Christmas Party. I guess we can call it Christmas again since the one Jewish person on staff will be leaving soon. ;-)
Saturday is the ACC Championship game with VT and Boston College at 1 and then Hubby and I are going out to dinner for my birthday Sat night. Woo Hoo! Sunday night the Ravens are playing the Redskins at home. We might go out for a bit to watch the game.
hmm..... work is kinda slow right now. Just focusing on constituent mail. yuck - but it must get done.
perhaps i'll write something a little more interesting later.
peace.

Hmmm.....

This Op-Ed got me thinking.... I think smoking is nasty and will kill you and those around you (eventually) and i am really concerned that President-elect Obama still smokes. I think it would be a great publicity event if he came out and said that he is quitting and ask others to quit with him. I think a President who smokes sends the wrong message to impressionable kids who might think it is OK to do b/c the President does it.... BUT - then I read this article. I was not inclined to change my position on this issue until the last 2 sentences.... If he needs a smoke once in a while, let him have it.

Let the Guy Smoke

Obama Is Probably Fibbing About Giving Up Cigarettes. That's Okay.

By Michael KinsleyThursday, November 20, 2008; A23

It is still okay to discriminate against one group of Americans. This discrimination is not only legal, it is encouraged. You see members of this oppressed minority huddled outside in rain and snow, forbidden to seek refuge. No one feels sorry for them. And yet we may have just elected one of these pariahs as president.

Smoking is a disgusting habit that can kill you and those around you. Barack Obama claims to have quit, but the evidence is ambiguous. And the media's lack of interest in this question supports the charge that Obama is enjoying a honeymoon with the press. Compare the attention given to John McCain's melanoma -- a health problem more likely than smoking to kill him in the next four years, but also a problem beyond his control. Smoking, by contrast, is behavior. It sets a deplorable example for young people, millions of whom Obama has inspired into active citizenship.

Obama has never denied that he was a smoker for much of his adult life. He said as early as February 2007 that he had promised his wife he would quit in order to run for president. He also admitted as recently as this June -- when his presidential campaign was about three-quarters over -- that he hadn't done so. In May the Obama campaign released a carefully worded letter from his doctor, who wrote that Obama's "own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success." Obama has declined to amplify.

The instructions on Nicorette say to stop smoking before starting with the gum and to stop using the gum after 12 weeks. We know, because he has said as much, that Obama was still smoking the month after his doctor said he was using the gum. And even if he smoked his last cigarette on May 28, the day before his doctor said he was on gum therapy, the 12 weeks would have elapsed Aug. 20. Wouldn't you think that some reporter since then would have asked Obama whether the gum had worked? Yet no one seems to have asked.

According to Nicorette's Web site, the gum "can more than double your chances of quitting versus just willpower alone." Those chances are less than one in 20. Double that is one in 10. Obama is a man of impressive determination and self-discipline, as we are learning. But it would be astonishing if he managed to beat these odds during the past high-stress summer.
Now, I have been enjoying Obama euphoria as much as anyone. Without it, the prospect would be depressing indeed. But where is the skepticism? If Obama actually has accomplished the miracle of giving up cigarettes at the apogee of a presidential race, he should be happy to let us know this and add to his superman image. And if he hasn't? Well, if he is straight with us about it, we should forgive him. So he's not a superman. Neither are we. In a democracy, that is a good thing for ruler and ruled to know they have in common. Furthermore, as presidential vices go, this one is not near the top. As for being a role model for youths, Obama's good habits outweigh this single bad one. He's great on hydration, apparently.

Obama is 47. A recent Journal of the National Cancer Institute study determined that 49 out of 1,000 American male former smokers age 45 (close enough) will die of all causes over the next decade, compared with 91 out of 1,000 who are still smoking. If he is still smoking, Obama is doubling his chance of an early death. Of course, he increases that risk by becoming president as well. But we allow candidates to take that second risk. Whether he takes the first one is his business, too.

Another question is what effect a president desperate for a cigarette and trying to quit might have on your life expectancy and mine. Obama's steely calm is now one of our country's major assets. If he needs an occasional cigarette to preserve it, let's hand him an ashtray, offer him a light and look the other way.

Michael Kinsley, a columnist for Time magazine, is an occasional contributor to The Post.

tomorrow is the big day

Probably the most significant election that will occur in my lifetime is tomorrow. I am really nervous - I just want Obama to win and for everyone to stay safe.
Will post again tomorrow night hopefully with good news.

The Next President Wears Blue Jeans

I want a President who wears blue jeans. Maybe SOMEDAY blue jeans will be an acceptable item to wear to my office....

live blogging from the train

To do list:
Download new songs to my ipod and remember to bring it with me to work so I don't have to hear the random conversations that people have on their cell phones while riding the train.

Case in point: lady sitting across from me on the phone with her husband just talking about her day - blah blah blah - and before she hangs up says " ok, well, I'll see you in an hour when I get home."

That whole 15 minute conversation didn't have to happen until she got home. That is what I call environmental noise pollution.

Acceptable phone conversations include:
Making dinner/going out plans
Determining grocery list
Plans for pick up at destination

These calls should not last for more that 2 minutes.

I was never a fan of text messaging - and still really not - but if a situation called for it - riding the train is the place for it.

That is all.

A recent pic of my baby....

Taken a few days ago... never looked cuter! ;-)

Worst Movies Ever: The List

I am only listing movies I have actually seen.
A quick brouse of Rotten Tomatoes' list of 100 worst movies ever has shown me that there are many really bad movies that I have not seen. Thank god.
You will notice that many movies on my list have "A list actors". Just because you won an Oscar doesn't mean that you can't make bad movies....

The Talented Mr. Ripley (Matt Damon, Jude Law)
Fallen (Denzel Washington)
The Happening (Mark Wahlberg)
Anything with Madonna (except Desperately Seeking Susan)
Catwoman (Halle Berry)
Spice World
The Beach (Leo DiCaprio)
Galaxy Quest (Sigourney Weaver)
Die Hard 3 (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson)
You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan) - yes, this movie is worse than "Joe Versus the Volcano" also starring these two actors....
Look Whose Talking and all sequels (John Travolta, Kirsty Ally)
Michael (John Travolta)
Phenomenon (John Travolta)
OK - i need to stop here... i am sure there are more that i can add to the list if I keep going further back in time. i am going to work on a new list. "Bad Movies I'm Willing To Watch Again."
Coming soon.

Movie Review: The Happening

One of my top 5 WORST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN. Don't spend any money to see this movie! Don't even bother spending 2 hours of your life watching this movie for free on HBO. It is 2 hours of your life you will never get back. You would be better off watching reruns of "Designed to Sell" on HGTV for 2 hours.
Seriously. D and I spent the entire two hours simultaneously laughing and cringing at the horrible dialogue and acting by John Leguizamo, Mark Wahlberg (no disrespect), and the chick that plays his wife. I think the only decent performance in the movie is by the little girl - and i HATE kid actors. Not sure what else I can say about it. Just stay away...
Maybe it is time for a "Worst Movies Ever" list... i'll get to work on this right now.

2:23:13

i made it! Yea! pretty tired right now and i need a nap.
my time is about 3 minutes longer than last year. oh well. my goal was to at least do the race in the amount of time as i did it in last year. this year the course was a bit different and the weather was about 10 degrees hotter. that might have been a factor. Like last year i ran the entire time only stopping for water. i felt pretty good most of the race until mile 10. My ankles were killing me for the last 3 miles - and they still kinda hurt right now.
ok - that's it for now. gotta take a nap.

a-holes aplenty

On the MARC train today. Every kind I've ever mentioned are on the train today. I got to my seat 15 min before our departure time and it began with a lady in a wheelchair and her entourage of 3 people arriving on the train at 602 - 3 min before departure. This group not only displaced me and the 3 people sitting in my area but the other 4 people sitting by the door so her fat entourage of 3 people could sit and take up seating for 4 people.
The second a-hole appears as I begin to look for a new seat with 2 min left befor the train leaves. Now I'm the a-hole thinking I can get a seat this late in the game.
So... I start looking and immediately I find 2! Seats "available". In quotes because one seat was holding this guy's newspapers and the other seat was holding another guy's briefcase and starbucks iced coffee. Wow! 2 a-holes at once! I said excuse me (kinda loud on purpose so the other people in the car knew these guys were a-holes for taking up 2 seats each) and the news paper guy moved his papers so I could sit. Starbucks guy - now across from me working on his laptop - gave newspaper guy a look like "ha ha you got screwed" then a few seconds after everyone has settled in a guy from my car who was also displaced by wheelchair lady walked over and said "excuse me" loudly to starbucks guy who proceeded to grudgingly move his crap. Dude has like 8 bags and a big piece of luggage in addition to the stupid laptop he is working on. Thanks asshole.

Is Nothing Sacred?

If you know me then you know one of my favorite bands is the Foo Fighters.... The McCain Campaign has been using the song "My Hero" without their permission. How dare they??!!

From USA TODAY: Add the Foo Fighters to the list of artists who want Republican presidential nominee John McCain to stop using one of their songs. Here's a statement the band just issued:
This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property.

The saddest thing about this is that My Hero was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song -- and start asking artists' permission in general!

My Hero is from the Foos' 1995 album The Colour and the Shape. If you're a fan, there's still a good chance you've heard it at a sports arena in recent years.

As E Online notes, other artists who have objected to the McCain-Palin campaign's use of their songs include Jackson Browne, Heart, John Mellencamp and Van Halen.

There ya go again Joe!

So during the debate last week between the VP nominees Sarah Palin kept accusing Joe Biden of pointing to the past when we need to be looking toward the future and what the candidates will do to help this country if elected. Well.... isn't the McCain/Palin campaign pointing to the past by bringing up this bullshit Obama connection with Ayres? What happened to looking to the future?
4 weeks to Election Day. Not sure if I will be able to make it till then.

Baltimore Half-Marathon: 5 days away

I haven't written much about the race this year. I feel pretty good that i will do OK. My goal really is just to finish and it would be nice if i knocked off a little time from what i did last year. we'll see. I ran 8 miles Saturday morning - kinda painful - in about 85 minutes. If i keep the same pace i'll finish with about the same time i had last year. I'll need to stock up on Aleve before the race. My knees and ankles still hurt from Sat.
Fun Times.

Random Thought: Jello

Why does Jello always have that little blob on the inside of the lid? There is no indentation in the Jello that would indicate that it was transferred from the cup onto the top...

I Heart (not) Grocery Shopping

I absolutely HATE going grocery shopping. My Shoppers Food Warehouse (also known as the Getro) is almost** the most ghetto grocery store ever. It is really hard to find a decent tomato or any produce really in that store. The deli counter workers must be on valium or something b/c they move sooo freaking slow. I've seen some really messed up people shopping in there. Often. I try to go to the Safeway across town when i can or to a store in the 'burbs if I am out that way already but it doesn't happen that often.
A new Harris Teeter is going to open but not until next year. *** I think because of the competition with HT, the Shoppers is "trying" to get better with their produce and general food selection but they have a long way to go - and honestly any changes they make will not be enough for me to continue to shop there once the HT opens.
The worse time in the world to go shopping is on Sundays. Only half the staff is working and everyone is stocking up on food for the week. Also - the worst time to go is between 6 - 8 pm on a weekday. I seriously ran in for one thing the other day and it took me 45 minutes.
Now - this morning I went shopping before work - got there at 7:15 am. It was awesome! I could walk the store at my own pace and there weren't screaming kids or people clogging the aisles. I got everything i needed - even hit the deli counter with no wait - and was out of there in 30 minutes with all the food i need for the week.
I am going to try to do this as often as i can.

More Thoughts on the Election: 5 weeks out

I am really excited about this election because for the second time in my life (the first being 1996 voting for Bill Clinton) I am actually voting for SOMEONE. All previous elections were more about party politics than the candidate themselves.
I was and still am really disappointed in John Edwards. He was my first choice during the primaries and I would have voted for him if he hadn’t dropped out by the time Maryland had our primary election. I am disappointed in this whole affair business – but I can’t even imagine how disappointed I would be if he actually became our nominee and THEN his affair was exposed. I have no idea how I would react but I am sure that it would include a lot of anger and hurt feelings because we trusted him to lead our country.
I hope that Obama doesn’t leave us with anger and hurt feelings. I am really scared b/c I am going to vote for HIM and I just feel that it is a huge commitment. I guess I shouldn’t take it too personally, but really, this is an immensely personal decision we all have to make.
I know I am rambling so I will go now… I just wanted to share….

from my new blackberry

I'm coming to you live from my MARC train on my way home from a very loooog week. Work was especially painful this week.
I just got a new blackberry for work. The keybord buttons are really close to each other and it makes typing kinda hard... That's all I wanted to say for now.