Obama--I Rise

Maya Angelou recited this on the Early Show this morning and it was powerful.

Maya Angelou--Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

....

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Shout-out-to-Molly

My friend Molly...a recovering Republican. Helped put this video together and is one of the people in the video. I thought it was pretty cool. There are several celebrities in it as well. It's short, check it out, and show a friend. Don't forget to vote, even if you live in a very liberal state...I don't want this one to be close.
If you are still undecided, well wake up. Ask yourself which candidate has offered positive solutions and stuck to the issues and which candidate has spent all his money and all his speeches bashing his opponent with ridiculous, dishonorable attacks? What type of person would you want in the White House? And if you need one more reason to vote it is racism. I am not one who believes we are still a racist country at heart. However, I was reminded today that racism is still very prevalent. I was in a gas station, getting my car fixed, and a black man walked in to ask if they could help him open his car because he locked the keys in it. The attendant asked him, "You mean you can't open it yourself? I thought all black people knew how to break into cars?" I was stunned, and shamefully didn't say anything, if this is the voting public I think we can't take anything for granted at this stage. VOTE!

Return of the Culture Wars

I have been getting so revved up about the election I haven't taken the time to write about it much. I have been trying to stay positive as the economy tanks and McCain goes increasingly negative and dirty, but it's hard work. I will assume that if you are reading this blog you are probably supporting Obama, but let me preach to the choir just a little bit. What bothers me about this campaign from the Republican side is the blatant, slap you in the face, spit in your eye, hypocrisy of their campaign (and I include Fox news as an extension of the campaign). Let me just point out a few things.
McCain/Palin's big campaign push is that they are mavericks and can reach across the isle to work with democrats. But if you are such a bipartisan guy how come you keep calling the other candidate a terrorist and using racially coded language against him and his "democratic liberal cronies"? That doesn't seem very mavericky or bipartisan. Or what about McCain's choice of Palin, a governor whose positions are far right of the mainstream and revels in Cheneyesque insults to liberals, is that mavericky or just plain old Republican play-to-the-base politics? Or how does a candidate who paints experience as the biggest credential for office pick an inexperienced two year governor who obviously doesn't have a strong grasp of how the federal government works as his running mate?
What about the "Straight Talk Express"? McCain and Palin have pretty much boycoted the main stream media ever since the Katie Couric interviews. Substituting instead repeated interviews on Sean Hannity's shows, which remind me of an old SNL sketch with Chris Farley. ("So governor Palin you reformed government in Alaska, were bipartisan, saved money, and parted the seas. That was awesome." Way to go after them Sean!) Nor do I consider it "Straight Talk" to base your campaign on innuendo about who Obama might be friends with. I once respected McCain for denouncing these types of attacks and railing against the "Merchants of Intolerance", so it is distressing to see him become one of them.
Not to mention Fox News. I know I shouldn't bother getting upset when it is well established fact that Fox news is the most biased "news" organization out there, but their slogan "Fair and Balanced" never stops getting under my skin. When the face of their network, Hannity, has an hour long show whose main expert on Obama is a notorious anti-Semite, and who argues that Ayers isn't just a friend but is secretly running Obama's campaign and again that Obama is a Muslim bent on destroying America, none of which Hannity even questioned, it pisses me off. As the Obama camp pointed out, does the fact that Hannity is associated with this unrepentant anti-Semite mean that he is in fact an anti-Semite himself? If you still think Fox is balanced check out the post debate poll they did this week: A laughable 80% of their viewers thought McCain won the debate! I wouldn't have a problem with Fox if they just named themselves Republican TV and eliminated the hypocrisy.
Are Obama's hands clean? Perhaps not completely. He has run a few somewhat misleading ads. But in the main he has run one of the most positive clean campaigns on record. Consider this, in the last few weeks McCain has taken all of his positive ads off of the air and is now running strictly attack ads. Obama on the other hand is running somewhere in the neighborhood of 30% attack and 70% positive. During the debates it was even more clear who wanted to run a clean campaign and who wanted to run dirty.
One more piece of evidence about the McCain camps tenor, listen to what the crowds at his debates are yelling about Obama: "Off with his head!" "Terrorist!", etc. Do you want a president that whips up hate and division among his own constituents or one that has stuck to the issues and remained positive in the midst of some of the dirtiest attacks on record?
I could go on and on. It feels good to vent.

Election, what else...

Well I think the blog is finally living up to its name and writing about politics. Just to take a side detour, the election has me thinking a lot more about our democracy/republic in general. I was talking with a friend recently about the federalist papers, and their vision for our country, but I have also been thinking about the way the constitution set up our government vs. the way it is set up now. The main difference is that our country has become more democratic over time in two ways. First, the requirements for voting have become increasingly liberal: from property requirements to universal white male suffrage, to black male suffrage, to womens suffrage, to protection of voting rights at the polls themselves. (Despite Republican efforts at disenfranchisement every cycle...) Secondly, by tying the electoral votes to the popular vote in each state either proportionately, or more commonly as a winner takes all system. (How electoral votes are cast remains the decision of the state legislatures.)
Originally, the electors were chosen by the state legislatures themselves, with the idea that they would choose wise representatives who at least closely mirror the political feelings of the people, after all the legislatures were largely chosen by the people. While the first instance of allowing more and more people to vote was of course overdue and made our country a stronger better place, increasingly I wonder if the second instance of tying the electoral college directly to popular votes was such a wise decision.
I have been telling friends that increasingly our presidential elections resemble a middle school that has decided to choose its next principle by a vote of the students. Removing the presidential election from a direct vote of the people would not make it less political, but perhaps it would at the very least raise the level of discourse from blatent pandering on both sides to real discussion of the issues, and could perhaps take some of the money out of the process. It may be that I am overly optimistic of the changes that this would create, but at least it would open up the possibility that the candidates could engage in a higher discourse and discourage such hail mary histarics as choosing a crazy lady from Alaska as your running mate. (Sorry, couldn't quite keep my own feelings out of this). But ultimately it is not a partison issue, I think both parties would benefit from this change and it very well could improve people's faith in our leaders as they could tone down the double talk, lies, and exageration during the campaign and thus maintain just a little bit of their dignity. (While John McCain has certainly been the worse of the two in this regard, even my beloved Obama has not been completely above the fray.)
I know that this opinion sets me up as some what of an eletist but I think one only needs to look at some of the political ads that are running, some of the polls that indicate how little the public knows about the candidates (they still think Obama is a Muslim), and it becomes clear that the system we have now is not necessaraly the best way of doing things. I do not believe that we have to follow original intent of the Constitution, but in this case I think the founders had it right (despite being racist, sexist, elitists, they were pretty smart dudes.)
One final thought, for those who fear that this is undemocratic, you could conceivably keep the primary process as is, while changing the the general election to this system. Therefor the people of both parties could still choose their leaders while the electors could decide the election. Extra point for whoever figures out based on the composition of the state legislatures who would win the election were these changes enacted.

Palin Friends with Witch Hunter

And this isn't from some wacky liberal blog (like mine), I found it through a link at the Wall Street Journal. Apparently Palin has been blessed by this wacky witch hunting Kenyan evangelical. This is just what we need as a vice president. Check out the article.

Is God running for President?

There is a great chart at NYtimes.com showing how many times different words were used at the two conventions. Number one word on the Republican side...God. I mean I am a spiritual person, and God is great, but I don't think he is running for office, nor will he fix our political problems. Plus when Repubicans talk about religion they conveniently forget Jesus' caution that rich people aren't cool and won't be entering the pearly gates.
(photo from scrutinyhooligans.us)

Election

This is why the Daily Show is a better news source than all the networks combined. No joke, while this is hilarious, it is also deeply depressing and why I find it so incredible that people actually watch Fox news. Isn't it at least a little depressing that so many people would rely on this network for information?

Election

I have been a little distracted lately with a lot of vacationing and relaxing. Watching the DNC got me fired up about the election though. I am not a big follower of polls, in fact I think we would all be a lot better off if news organizations stopped taking polls all together. I think they influence people too much and they are often inaccurate. Having said that, there is a cool feature at Slate.com that sums up all the polls in different states and nationally and sums up the electoral votes for each state based on their polls. You can check it out here. The New York Times has a similar feature, but I like the one at slate better, it's fun to play around with.

Photos of Phlorida are phun.

Biking through the Everglades. Alligators seen: 1. Pumas seen: 0. Mosquito seen: countless.

At the Marlins game. (Stadiums visited count: 5)

Rest of the crew.
On the deck

At the club.

Sarah on the boat. (Must protect face from sun.)

Back from Florida, trains are fun.

Big Cat at College Park

Originally thought to be a cougar, there is apparently some sort of African Cat on the campus of the University of Maryland. I wish it was a mountain lion. See video here.

Poetry

I have been teaching poetry this summer and enjoying it very much. Growing up my grandfather and father always shared poetry, memorized and read, regularly with us. At the time I didn't fully appreciate it. In school I never really took to poetry. But during my first masters I took a class on poetry which I really enjoyed and teaching it this sumer to seventh graders has been a lot of fun. All of this is a long way of explaining why I am posting on poetry. Here is a poem I came across tonight that I find of interest in regards to the current state of our country/world. I took this from Poets.org. A great website for exploring random poems.

A Nation's Strength
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
What makes a nation's pillars high And it's foundations strong? What makes it mighty to defy The foes that round it throng? It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand Go down in battle shock; Its shafts are laid on sinking sand, Not on abiding rock. Is it the sword? Ask the red dust Of empires passed away; The blood has turned their stones to rust, Their glory to decay. And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown Has seemed to nations sweet; But God has struck its luster down In ashes at his feet. Not gold but only men can make A people great and strong; Men who for truth and honor's sake Stand fast and suffer long. Brave men who work while others sleep, Who dare while others fly... They build a nation's pillars deep And lift them to the sky.

Good Quote-Quality Chus

So those of you who read "Blog du Wren" or "The Week" for that matter, are familiar with publications drawing attention to interesting/disturbing/inspiring quotes. In that vain I would like to share a little gem from Baltimore politics. Those of you who are familiar with the dysfunctional group of nepotistic men and women that make up the city government are aware that Sheila Dixon, the mayor, is under investigation for all sorts of inappropriate shenanigans involving people giving her money and stuff and her doing stuff for them. Well during the investigation it was revealed that she was treated to tens of thousands of dollars in shopping sprees by her at-the-time boyfriend, who in return had the wheels of gov't greased for him in regards to development projects he was involved in. When asked about the shopping sprees where she got furs, several hundred dollar Jimmy Chu shoes, etc., her response was, "I don't shop often, but when I do I buy quality." She is quite the woman of the people. She is also accused of taking donated gift cars intended for poor families and using them for herself. Of course everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but in Baltimore the real shocking thing is that anybody bothered to care enough to say, "Hey, a city council president/mayor shouldn't be taking huge gifts in return for favors." (Full disclosure: I supported her...Hey, democracy ain't perfect.)

Moving is the worst thing in the world

I know being "curbed" is probably slightly worse, but moving is a close second. I have been laboring for what feels like years to move out of our house. How many SUV's of stuff could we possibly own? If I cannot finish getting rid of it all by tomorrow I may "curb" myself. On the same topic I guess I have to report that I will no longer be officially residing in Baltimore. Do I need to change the name of the blog? Since I consider DC a suburb of Baltimore, I think I'm all good.

Teaching Nicknames

I've been teaching the last couple weeks and have therefor not had much time to blog. This summer I am teaching 7th grade language arts to one class of boys and one class of girls. Since I have been in grad school the last year it's been interesting to be back in the classroom. One thing I have thought about as I start teaching again is the number of nicknames I have been dubbed over the years of teaching, some of which reoccur over and over, from year to year, which I guess means they are particularly apt. So here are a few of the names students have called me over the years in no particular order:
-Hunchback/Quasimodo (this is by far the most popular)
-Mr. Noodle (a reference to my broken arm)
-Nezercanezer (this was around the time the Matrix came out)
-Mr. Nezby
-various names that are inappropriate to mention here, many of which involve substituting inappropriate words for the second syllable of my last name.

Drinking

Since I have been blogging about drinking lately, I thought I would ad my favorite wine. There is a little Italian grocery store in a bad neighborhood in Baltimore that sells really cheap wine (and amazing bread, pasta, etc.). We found this wine on sale one day and have been buying it ever since. I am no wine conasuer (sp?), but at $8-9 a bottle I think this is a great deal. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese (whatever that means?). But it is really good. I haven't seen it at any other store, but if you come across it I highly recommend it, whenever it is in stock we stock up on it.

I love youtube.

My favorite music video ever. Link to youtube since I don't know how to get it here.

Dark and Stormy Update

After a little scientific research I have determined that yes, Gosling's Black Seal Rum is in fact the right rum to use. It makes a big difference. Also I find it separates and gives the nice two tone look to the drink. Check your local bar. (I don't know why I bother consider my three loyal readers don't even drink, but just in case any of you want to take up the drink, this is a good place to start.)

Things I don't understand department.

So in the things I don't understand department are these commercials for the Cypher Stent. (You know those tubes they stick in your arteries so you don't die.) First of all I don't understand how it is beneficial for a stent company to advertise on regular t.v., as opposed to lobbying doctors to use them. I mean do people actually go in and say, "No I don't want that bootleg stent, I want the Cadillac of stents, the Cypher Stent!" Perhaps they do, but it seems kind of silly. I am going to trust my doctor to choose my stent, not some commercial with old dudes running up stairs and riding horses. I feel the same way about prescription medication commercials. They always say, "Ask your doctor about xyz..." I can just imagine all these people going to their doctors, having no idea what the medication is for, and asking their doc, "Say Doc, shouldn't I be on Cealus (SP?)." and the doctor going, "Well Jane, I don't think it will help with your osteoporosis." And why are those old people in the Cealus commercial sitting in side by side tubs outside? Who has tubs in their front yard? Weird.

Dreams

I am not a big interpretor of dreams. But I have two reoccurring dreams, one of which I have had since childhood and one I have had about five times in the last year. In one dream I am always being chased by bears. In the other dream I am stuck somewhere as I can see hurricanes approaching. Obviously I have some anxiety....Does anyone else have reoccurring dreams?

Sourdough

Today I started baking bread again. I wanted to attempt using the KitchenAide mixer and to get back into bread making. I made two basic white sandwich loaves. The KitchenAide, first of all, was amazing. (I do not own it, it belongs to Sarah's mom) I always found the initial mixing of the dough to be the most tedious part of baking bread and this thing takes care of it in no time and mixed up a great batter. The bread turned out nicely, although I think the recipe was a little bland. For my next project I am going to make sourdough. Sarah's mom and I started our starter today and are going to get some yeast growing and see what we can do. I have always wanted to make sourdough, so here goes nothing.

Dark and Stormy is the New Mojito

The last two years the mojito has gone from a drink nobody had heard of to a drink that is everywhere. I am kind of on mojito overload. They are everywhere. Well for those who like to be on the cutting edge, I wanted to let you know that I am starting a new drink trend: the Dark and Stormy. I originally learned about this drink from my brother who made them strong and tasty. I have asked for them at several bars and gotten quizzical looks but recently had a wonderful one at Blue Coast. I am telling you people, get a recipe, mix one up and enjoy. When I had one at the restaurant it looked like a black and tan, they somehow got the various elements to stay separated. mmm...mmmm....goood.
PS- apparently this drink comes from Bermuda, although I have never been. I am just introducing it to the rest of the world.
Recipe:
-2 oz. Rum (it seems some people recommend Gosling's Black Seal Rum, no they are not a sponsor of this website)
-8 oz. ginger beer
-lime juice

Ted Kennedy

As a historian you tend to appreciate those that are part of history and still around making it. I was sad to hear the news about Ted Kennedy having cancer, but watching Senator Robert Byrd (the only member of the senate who has served longer than Kennedy) cry while he prayed for him on the senate floor was seriously moving. I don't know if it is up on youtube, but it was a powerful moment. Byrd certainly has a checkered past, but I appreciate him as an historian in his own right. We need more of them in the senate. I have always thought that the senate needed more diversity, both in race and gender, but also in occupation. We need more doctors, teachers, engineers, military personal, scientists, and less lawyers in the senate. Of course Byrd is technically a lawyer, he got his degree at night over a decade while serving in the senate, but he also has published a several volume history of the senate. Anyway I digress, get better Ted.

Post 100

So apparently this is post #100, although when I count it's around like 75 or something, so I don't know what google is thinking. That's crazy. 100 posts and still nothing of any substance. I surprise even myself.

Is it me, or is this the most pretentious article ever?

I am now instituting the first annual, most pretentious thing ever award. You can nominate an article, a person, an object, anything that for you embodies pretentiousness. The winner will be forever shamed in front of my two readers. I nominate the following article from the New York Times Home and Garden Section: "Keeping Watch Where Rocks...." You have to read the whole article. I love the HG section and of course it is always a little pretentious, but this article really takes it to a whole 'nother level. My favorite line: "A row of portraits of the Selknam of Tierra del Fuego, a Patagonian tribe that is now extinct, lend a slightly anthropological air." I'm sure the extinct tribe would be happy to know that they are now adding a "anthropological air" to this yuppy's BS house...give me a break! Please send in your nominations!

Pictures

"Come on lets go to Bethany!"

"I think I just heard a wave.""There it is!, There it is!""Let's go to the beach, there it is!"
"Ah yes, the beach."

Baltimore is a murdery small town

Watching the local "news" last night. There was a story about a photographer from my neighborhood who won a contest from national geographic. The next story was about a stabbing in the neighborhood next to mine and they interviewed (without any comment) the photographer from the previous story as a neighbor to the crime. I guess there are two possibilities: they sent out two different crews and it was just a coincidence, or the same crew did both stories and was just incredibly lazy. Either way this gives you some idea why "news" is in quotation marks. Baltimore is a creepy small town. While on the topic, I would like to publicly propose that Baltimore downgrade its status to town. I am sure there are complicated population, size requirements that make it officially a city, but like a university changing from being a college to a university, I think Baltimore would do better as a town. A town can't lead the nation in syphilis, drugs, or murder, can it? Plus who would be afraid of visiting some little old town? When I run for mayor this is going to be part of my platform.

Beach in Spring part deux

Turns out that the farther you get into spring the better the beach is. Despite Quinn getting revved up to hit the beach at 5:50 in the morning, it is the perfect day to be in Bethany. Although sitting inside writing about cholera most of the day isn't the greatest. Thesis of my paper: "It turns out that dying of cholera in 1832 sucked as much as dying of cholera any other time, except that the church also damned you for being immoral." (Only immoral people, drinkers, fornicators, sabbath breakers, etc., got cholera) Best preventative I have found that was offered in the 19th century for cholera: smoking lots of cigars...you know for clearing the air.

Orioles

The Orioles are once again playing well at the beginning of the season in order to draw me in, get me excited, and than spend three quarters of the season letting me down. They keep coming back late in games to win and their bullpen is doing really well. Which, of course, means they will not come back again this season and the bullpen will start stinking the rest of the year. In good news I have a new pregame ritual...soft-shell crab sandwich and Boh from Fadley's in Lexington Market. Despite the fact that the stall next door in the market sells, raccoon, (yes raccoon), it is awesome. Best experience from the ball game yesterday: the drunk college girls behind us with letters written on their bellies who couldn't quite get it together to spell Orioles. Mostly because some of them were shy, so there was a lot of ories, etc. Go O's.
PS- RIP - Jay Gibbons, you are gone but not forgotten. Are you free to do birthday parties?

An Ambivalent Baltimorean's guide to Baltimore

Don't get me wrong, I love B-more. But how to best display its charm, which has taken me twenty odd years to appreciate? Having someone come from out of town gets you thinking, what are the best things to show in Baltimore. Here is my list: The Reptile House (which is no longer around, but I include it because for the longest time it was my favorite thing to do in Baltimore for a dollar), the Visionary Arts Museum (very Baltimore, very cool), Orioles, Crabs and Boh, the Hampden lights (in winter), the Helmand, the Aquarium (although very expensive), the Charleston, Tambers (diner/indian food, the greatest), the Paper Moon, the Walters, and perhaps Fort McHenry. What would be on your list?
PS- for fans of the Wire, an informal Wire tour and for those who haven't seen "Serial Mom" or "Pecker," those are must sees.
PPS- And when Baltimore won't cut it, as a last resort, DC, which I see as basically a suburb of Baltimore.

Stuff White People Like

I was alerted to this website by a friend. In the interest of full disclosure I would say about 70 of these items apply to me. I'm sure J.V. would want me to ad "cheese" to the list. I think I would also ad San Francisco to the list.

the beach in March

The beach in march is either really cold and rainy (march showers bring, april showers, which bring may flowers....but more and more in my front yard it is february showers bring march flowers, thanks global warming), or it is perfect. Today it is perfect in Bethany beach, DE. Sunny, warm, the beach was empty this morning when we took Quinn for a three mile walk. Perfect. Hopefully I can post some pictures later.

What I'm Reading

Thanks for the tip, offered by another Baltimorean about how to catch rats (with fried chicken). Haven't been posting lately as this has been a surprisingly busy time for me. Right now I am reading a book called "A Colongy of Citizens: Revolution & Slave Emancipation in the French Caribbean, 1787-1804," by Laurent Dubois. I'm only a couple chapters in and it is pretty interesting so far. Any book with this long a title was not meant to be a best seller. It seems by giving your book this long a title you say, "this is for academics only, normal reader do not bother to pick this up!" Thus shooting yourself in the foot sales wise. If I had written this book I would have called it: "Blood in the Caribbean" or something like that. Unfortunately I have no time to read books of my choice these days, but in that vain, what are you all reading out there? (By you all I mean my three faithful readers of course.)

I give up.

Rat you win...I give up. From now on I will just throw a cup of dogfood down the basement steps for your to enjoy. Damn rat. Have to go rewrite a paper on the "Progressive Movement, neither progressive nor a movement, talk amongst yourselves." My professor started class with this old SNL joke.

Day 19

No Rat. Happy Valentines Day.

oh by the by...

llama won. Go MD....beat Duke. Question: What movie did this line come from: "So I said, hey 'Llama, how bout a little something for the effort?'"

Day 18-The Hunt

Dear Diary,
We have been on the hunt now for eighteen days and still no sign of the beast. We thought the ice , rain and partially flooded basement would drive it up the steps and into our snare, but alas, it is a smart devil. I have begun to call him "Great White" and he haunts my dreams. He left his trail of excrement across the basement floor as if to tease me, taunt me to catch him. He takes the bate outside our cutting edge trap, and yet leaves the bounty inside undisturbed. Where did you learn such tricks "Great White?" How shall I catch thee and end this tragic play? You are here and not here, perhaps a ghost of a rat. I will catch you.

Voting

For once I get to vote in a presidential election where it might just matter!!!! Yeah! Go MD! I skipped out on oogling the political celebs the last few days, with opportunities to see Bill, Obama, and Chelsea. I probably should have gone, it's gonna be history after all. While I am sad that my two first choices are gone (Kuccini and Edwards) I am still psyched about the dregs. Since I don't have to tell you who I am voting for I won't, except to say it rhymes with llama. Can we all just stop and breath a sigh of relief that no matter what happens King George will be dethroned in less than a year! (that is figurative of course, really he will retire to play golf, shoot stuff, and "write" his memoirs) Here is an interesting idea: Please suggest a title for GWB's memoir. I will get the ball rolling: "George and Dick's Excellent Adventure," I assume if he is writing it, it will have to be a kids book.

Rats

Hunting rats is hard!

Whoever said Baltimore rats are stupid. After a couple weeks with the rat zapper we are still without our first catch. They took the food I left out in front as an enticement, but apparently are scared to go in. We're not too worried because so far they are confined to the basement, probably because our dog is so ferocious (see picture). Any suggestions on what to bait the trap with? I have been using dog food and doggy bacon. I thought who could resist? I am starting to suspect that the rats are so well fed they don't need my little morsels, kind of like the sharks in an aquarium who are fed so well they don't eat the other fish. Maybe I need to provide them with some stimulation, like a large hamster tower, and just put the rat zapper at the end. Stay tuned...

Local Lawyer Commercials

One thing I have noticed as I have traveled this great land is the ubiquitous cheesy lawyer commercial. In Lewiston it was Joe Bornstien, "Let's settle this one." In Baltimore you have Stephen L. Miles, "If you have a phone you have a lawyer." Now there is a new comer in town that really takes the cake: Larry Glazer (SP?) "Don't urinate on my leg and tell me it's raining." Do you have any favorite, low budget, lawyer commercials?

Hopper

Saw the large Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery last Monday, after trying on Friday and failing. (They need more parking on the Mall). The exhibit, although crowded, was really good. It is always interesting in large exhibits that include a wide time period of an artist's work to see how it changed over time. Hopper went from doing intense etchings and watercolors of mostly architectural and city themes, to larger oil paintings that seem to always catch people in pregnant pauses, letting you wonder what is going on, like reading just a paragraph in the middle of a short story. I don't want to sound like all the annoying people at the gallery giving their mostly uninformed and occasionally really stupid comments on the work, so I will just say it was really cool and made me appreciate being so close to some really big museums. (Is it me or do the stupidest people always talk the loudest?) After seeing all of his work, much of which includes just one or two people seen through a window, or in a private moment, the last painting in the show, just light coming through the window of an empty room, painted right near the end of his life, was very powerful. I don't know if the exhibit is traveling but if you get a chance I suggest you see it. (It's already closed in DC)

Boston

Off to Boston for a birthday weekend and some chowda. I wish I had some Ravens gear to wear, I can't stand all the Patriots hype.

Rats...

Living in Baltimore rats are just a part of life. I once read a story in the paper about a seedy bar that hosted rat-fishing contests as a promotion. They would bait-up a hook and go out into the alley behind the bar and see who could catch the biggest rat. Unfortunately, the health department or animal control did not see the humor in the whole thing and put a stop to it. We have rats in our back yard and possibly (I like to keep the possibility alive that it is happy bunnies eating our dog treats and not disgusting rats) in our house. When I lived downtown I once had a rat in my apartment for a few days that pulled itself off of the glue trap before I could get to it with my tennis racket. (A feat my turtle could not replicate, getting off the glue trap that is, I didn't beat him with the racket....sad Mr. T.) We just ordered the best rat trap ever....The "Rat Zapper Deluxe." It electrocutes the rats humanely and is fast. (Animal rights activists please complain in the posts section of this blog.) I will keep you up to date. My question is does anyone have any bright ideas about how to get the rats out of my backyard, since my dog eats their waste. (Which may explain the cranberry like thing that grew on the inside of her ear.)

Photo

Here's a picture from the NYtimes, brought to you by my brother. Can anyone come up with a good caption?

snow

Be careful what you wish for....snow....accident and missed flight (both for Sarah). Quinn loves it though.

Awkward Juxtiposition

So yes I am on break and currently watching Oprah. It started with a segment on Marion Jones and than a segment on Natalie Holliway, with her mom and brother. After a short commercial she brought out the cast of "Juno." Is it me or is it in poor taiste to go from, "so what was it like when your sister/daughter was murdered?" to "Oh my God what a cute movie!!!!" while the mother/brother are sitting in the front row. Seems a little insensitive to me. Also one day Oprah is all about her weight-loss challenge and the next day she starts with a segment on Cold Stone Creamery. I am getting mixed messages. Tomorrow on Oprah: "Starving children in Africa" and "Gale King's favorite all-you-can-eat-buffet."

I want snow

I am sick of rain and mud...I want snow.

Readership and The Wire

Want to know how many people read your blog? Post that you got engaged and see how many people comment....my total? TWO. So here's to my two readers! Thanks for your support. By the way, I am currently watching the 4th season of The Wire, it's awesome. If you want a show that explains so much about what is wrong in American cities, you should get the DVDs. By far the best show on television, one of the rare shows that does not conform to traditional tv rules and story structures, amazing acting, closest thing to literature on television....check it out people.

kucinich (SP?)

I am back on the Kucinich bandwagon. Saw him on PBS last night. So he believes in aliens, who cares, we need someone who actually wants to challenge the media and large corporations (sorry Trip), I really think most of the other dems (Edwards excluded) aren't interested at all in getting corporations out of politics. Unless you remove their influence nothing else will happen, environmental reform of real meaning, increased minimum wage, etc. etc.