the mood is pretty sad and down


as uploaded by inoneear on flickr

Me to daveworld: I'm ready for my state to secede with Oregon and Washington. We'll call ourselves the United States of Bitchen. We'll have all the cool culture and all the money. We'll have the coastline. We'll let two people who love each other with all their hearts to marry. We'll cure people with advancements from stem cell research. We'll build allies with other nations and earn the respect of the world. We will respect others' religions and viewpoints but not feel the need to mandate values and personal decisions. We'll have a balanced budget and our politicians will not expose CIA agents and we will not tear the limbs off of innocent children with errant bombs.

Calvo to me: I'd apply for citizenship to the United States of Bitchen. You'd go off to other countries to search for Weapons of Like, OMG!

They Voted

They Voted
Originally uploaded by slogrl.

America the Dutiful

My heart is beginning to swell. Even though I don't know how things are going to turn out, one thing is for sure: America is turning out to have its voice be heard.

I read about the Newsday columnist who said, "When published reports showed a million new voter registrations in Florida and about 800,000 in Ohio, I made the election a lock. They were not rushing out for George Bush."

And Andrew Sullivan has been stating he's voting for Kerry. For someone like Sullivan to say this... wow. I heart you Andrew Sullivan. May he marry whomever he pleases.

Finally, from the above mentioned AS I got to this link: What to watch for on election night.

What are you doing tonight? A bunch of us are gathering at KB's for dinner and to either cry in our beer or toast our fellow countrymen.

» Newsday columnist says pollsters are clueless
» What to watch for on election day
» Andrew Sullivan
» Vote images from Flickr

a really good morning

Man, it felt good voting today. It felt completely satisfying circling in that little bubble for the next president. While I have no idea who is going to win (and for that matter, am very frustrated with all the air time polls are getting), I feel good voting for who I truly believe in. And even better not voting for someone I don't believe in one iota.

Afterwards KB and I meandered down to Linnaea's and who was there but that very handsome mystery guy I see nearly every dog damn day all over the place. Introductions finally happened so now I can say hi when I run into him.

On my way to work this morning it was old Soul Coughing. Sigh -- I could create a web shrine for all my favorite bands that are no longer together and Soul Coughing would be very high up on the list. I turned it up loud and cardanced (or at least head bopped) most of the way down the Valley Road.

And it is gorgeous. A season change (more of one) should hit any day now. Bye bye sunshine and shorts. (Heh. Hello sweaters and socks. I know it's not that bad.).

voting day overheard

bill: how's the national erection going?
emdot: so far the polls are high.

All Saints 2004

All Saints 2004
Originally uploaded by MichosÅ?aw.

Pictures of All Saints Day in Poland. Very beautiful.

» See all the pics

"I read at a 78th grade level."



» which simpson's character are you?

Carn-evil



Umpteenth Annual Estab Halloween Party. Paasche's band played before the dancing began. Many ex-stabbies from all over the state -- Jamie, Ryan H, Laura, Ryan Capo. All the local alum. Where was Heather? Where was Maya? Sending best thoughts out to all ex-stabbies of yore. Missed you all.

Bryan Pumpkin

Bryan Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by revolution8.

Check out the Jack-o-Lantern display over at Flickr. This pulls up the "pumpkin" tag.

» Flickr Pumpkins

man, contemplating jersey

man, contemplating jersey
Originally uploaded by lia.

Focusing on the Losing?

What is wrong with the Apprentice is this: there is too much focus on the loser. I realize it is a show, so it needs an arc and an emotion for us to hang our attention spans on to. BUT, what is wrong with The Apprentice and this crop of Aspiring Corporate Weasels is the focus of the show.

We are supposed to be watching a show about finding the right apprentice for the job. Instead we are watching a show about finding the wrong person for the day.

I have worked in a sour workplace where the name of the game was Find This Season's Scapegoat. I have worked in a sour workplace where the name of the game was We Fickley Like You Now, But Do One Wrong Thing and We Will Spin All Those Other Good Things Into A Pile of Incompetence. I have worked in a a sour workplace that was managed by "Who's In and Who's Out." I have worked in a sour work place that was hungry for blood, blind to anything beyond their vision, and lacking the maturity of seeing Strength in Diversity.

And while I might still feel pangs of pissed-off-itude once in awhile when I think about that time, I can still see it as a positive because I have empathy for when I see others mired in that same muck.

If you are doing a task and the whole objective is about "Not Losing" -- when it should be about "Let's win this" -- you are setting yourself up for not doing your best work. You are setting yourself up for wolf-pack mentality. You are setting yourself up for Covering Your Ass instead of really doing something extraordinary.

The Apprentice is a hard show to watch anymore. It feeds our American bloodlust for finding the weak and then ripping them to shreds, digging into their flesh and ripping out their hearts all in the name of being right, being smarter, being snarky, being "not them." All with the talent of seasoned armchair quarterbacking.

Yet what we see in The Apprentice -- the Set up for Failure, the Maliciousness of Group Think, the Covering of the Asses, the Let's Point the Finger at You, or even the most base of "We don't like you because you aren't the best" -- this is what is wrong with America. This is what is wrong with Corporations. This is humanity in a very unattractive light.

And I guess being on a soapbox isn't that attractive either. But my point was, imagine how much more interesting this show would be if it focused on the winning team. If it focused on how to be a better leader, a better team player, a more creative thinker, a more courageous risk taker, a supportive boss.... It is missing so many opportunties. But that is the show that I wish it was.

The this, the that

Marvelling. Would you call it "it's getting old" if I said once again how god damn beautiful it is today? There's something about the weather after it rains. The full moon has made the tides extra high. The rain has made the atmosphere extra clear. And our hills are already greening -- about three months earlier than usual.

Speeding along. Today I had to relinquish the fast lane as I was not going fast enough for the Ford F250 behind me. :) But I got to the right and didn't even call him a name when I saw that he had a Bush Cheney sticker on his bumper.

Worrying. This election has got me a little fearful. Worried that if GW wins the world will change, our allies will leave us, and we will continue this downward spiral of untrustworthiness, deception, and fear. Worried that if Kerry wins our nation will continue to be divided as the Evil Contingency that plots things on the right (not all the right are evil -- I understand this) will continue to promote divisive dialogue, not allowing our nation to heal or become unified.

Wondering. Did we get the name wrong? Are we actually the Divided States of America?

Digging. This little email rush that has happened twice since my high school reunion last August -- someone will write an email to everyone and then there is a deluge of "I miss you" and "hope you are doing well" emails. God those warm my soul. I love having these old friendships still around me... like putting on that old HS sweatshirt and seeing that it still fits... or something. I'm reaching, but the words aren't quite there.

Lunar Eclipse 02

Lunar Eclipse 02
Originally uploaded by a superhero by night.

La Luna, La Bella Luna

Wow! Beautiful! And this is so cool: check out the flickr contigency as more and more people upload their photos from tonight.

AND... I think the Sox are going to win! Crazy! Lunar Eclipse and the end of a curse. I love crazily coincidenced things like this.

» Lunar eclipse as captured by Flickr

feeling the brotherly love

If you believe that the Liberal Media is a vast conspiracy out to stretch the facts and lead the nation astray, well I think you are looking for excuses to not challenge your own beliefs and concepts.

Pennsylvania is one of the swing states, one of the states that will determine who our next president will be. The Philadelphia Inquirer is supporting John Kerry. In doing so they are printing 21 articles -- one a day -- each expressing a different reason that you should vote for John Kerry, too.

In addition, the Inquirer is publishing an opposing view point to every one of their articles. The opposing viewpoint will run next to the opinion piece and all are written by experts for that subject.

God love the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read the 21 Reasons here.

tidbits

The last 24 hours have been pretty great. First of all, really nice dinner with Tom last night. Fun time and good convos... everything from inspiring some kid to be passionate about math (go Tom) to strategies to support my attempt to wean myself from my current computer addiction (that worked really well so far).

This morning is nothing short of extraordinary. A year ago today all of California was ablaze -- the whole friggin state. How many houses burned down? How many hundreds of thousands of acres burnt to a crisp? Too many. But this year our rains came a month early -- more yesterday even. And today, I drove Highway 1 to work (highly recommended, if you can keep your road rage in check with all the Cuesta students driving slow in the fast lane so they can make that left hand turn in five miles) and was treated to already greening hills, vast beautiful blue fucking brilliant sky, puffy white clouds and an amazing high, glassy tide. I took pictures. Film at 11.

Oh, oh. And Beau Jocque on my car stereo. I love Beau Jocque. Today's soundtrack was Coming In and Corn Bread. And I got to thinking about how Beau Jocque died -- decades too early. Which made me think of Mark Sandman of Morphine who died decades too early. Which made me think of both of these bands -- Morphine and The Zydeco Hi-Rollers that I saw multiple times in New Orleans and how New Orleans is the best place to see any live music anywhere. ...

Good thing the beautiful sky was there to distract me.

1000 posts

This is my 1000th post. In honor, I give you a really great link.

Errol Morris is the sly camera guy who brought you those clever Apple Switch ads. Now he brings you the very poignant, important political switch ads. I highly recommend watching these. I only wish they could flood our TV stations -- I wish these ads were on constantly until the election.

» Why they are switching their votes to John Kerry

Originally uploaded by b0.

I want this bumper sticker.

I listened to a mostly interesting thing today about the difference between liberals and conservatives and how it all comes down to.... the family. People who were influenced by the stern hand of the father tend to be conservative (are pro punishment and "earning" anything in life) while people influenced by nurturing families tend to be liberal (are pro helping others and supporting one another).

» Listen here

progressive on the outside, indie on the inside

I am a sucker for a quiz (mscaprikell -- you out there?). This was one of the more accurate test results, I thought. For the record, I have never, ever started a sentence with the words "Susan Serandon says...." Just wanted to be clear about that. But I have often started them with regards to the Simpsons. Sigh. The Simpsons. I so heart Ralph Wiggumisms.

I am a hybrid of: Indie Girl Progressive Girl. Click on the pictures below to read more: Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

rant

I come from a family of nicknamers (don't we all?). And for the ten years that I was an only child I had a plethora of little loving nicknames that my mom would coo at me. Twinkletoes and Punkin being the most prominent two. When my little babysister was born, I quickly learned the art of sharing as slowly my little Twinkletoes name became hers. And my little Punkin name slowly whittled down to simply, "Punk."

And that's fine. I can handle it. I still find it sweet and endearing. Years go by. And yeah, okay, decades. I'm still Punk. UNTIL. Until until lately when I've been spending a little bit more time with my mom. And her dog. Her dog who has the perfectly fine name of Dini. Her dog, DINI, who I keep hearing being referred to more and more as Punkin.

Which is not okay. Eager to be fair and balanced I offer up the suggestion of calling Dini "Twinkletoes" (sorry Becca). And my mom just smiles and ignores me and says "but she is such a Punkin."

Life is so unfair.


Epilogue.

Mom: you sure have a smarty pants look on your face.
Mar: you should read my blog.

[pause as mother reads]

Mar: You better hope Child Protective Services doesn't hear about this.

[pause as mother chuckles]

Mar: And how come I get "Punk" and Becca doesn't get "Twee"?!
Mom: I call her Twink. But these names are interchangeable. I call you Twink.
Mar: No you don't.
Mom: But that dog... I just cannot call her Twinkletoes.

Which just adds fuel to my fire.

I'm thinking here that replaying mundane family nicknaming squabbles is probably not the most interesting reading in the world.

it's not all about flickr


Photo by Catherine Jamieson

It's important (for me) to remember that there are still sites out there beyond Flickr. Sites I have known and loved for years. Sites that made me ooh and ahh and laugh and that impelled my fingers to leave comments in the comments sections. Number one on that list is the prolific Catherine Jamieson (Seajay, as she's known in the dw neck of the woods). So, I'm reminding you as well: there are pics beyond Flickr. But can you imagine if CJ joined Flickr. Ohmigod. There'd be no leaving it then.

» Catherine Jamieson, Fluxing/reduxing and all of the above

Marigolds

Marigolds
Originally uploaded by Twinmama.

More SLO goodness on Flickr. I've known about SLO Lane for awhile and have no idea why I don't read her site on a daily basis -- cuz it is a site that should be read on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, she's on Flickr and her photos are rich and beautiful and capture this beautiful central coast we all love so much.

I've been driving past this field -- actually -- the field I've been driving by is bright orange, so maybe this is from a different time of year -- but this is what patches of my drive to work look like: farmland and then bursts of color. God love the central coast.

Clickity Clackity

Clickity Clackity
Originally uploaded by emdot.

Cute Becca. A more apt picture would have had Becca traipsing about the house and/or town in her bathing suit or leotard as those are the only two pieces of clothing she wore from age four until age... um... 13?! (Competitive swimmer and dancer). Here you see the last day she was ever seen in regular clothes until she hit junior high school.

Heh. Writing the word "dancer" or even saying the word "dancer" always makes me think back to this time when I met a former ballerina from the Bolshoi. It was my birthday dinner and she was there as somebody's date. As was her screechy daughter (please stop screeching in the french restaurant little screecher monkey). Small Talk Emdot tried overly hard with the small talk saying to Miss Bolshoi 1985, "so you used to be a dancer?"

"DANCER?!"

"DANCER?!"

"I WAS NOT A DANCER!" dramatic pause "I WAS A BALLERINA FOR THE BOLSHOI BALLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hence, proving that the screeching daughter simply took after the screeching mother.

bailey dances for Luna

bailey dances for Luna
Originally uploaded by zens.

I cannot get enough of this photo and this photo's caption.