9.30.2008
9.29.2008
And I thought over again
My small adventures
As with a shore wind I drifted out
In my kayak and thought I was in danger.
My fears,
those small ones
That I had thought so big
For all the vital things
I had to get and reach.
And yet there is only
One great thing.
The only thing:
To live to see in huts and on journeys
The great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.
-Song (Copper Eskimo)
Joey G Turns 73
Yesterday (Sun. 9/28) was the birthday of Dixie's esteemed progenitor. Born in 1935 in Brooklyn, NY, he has reached the astonishing age of 73 without any health problems except a bad temper and a sore neck.
Happy birthday, Dad!!
Happy birthday, Dad!!
The Party Boys
The only two men who can save us on a daily basis...with humor, wit, and sharp observations.
Read here their joint Entertainment Weekly interview.
9.28.2008
9.27.2008
"You skeevy colonial dickwad!"
CHOKE: 8/10. Dirty, funny, & weird.
Tip: Good time to see a movie = during a home game -- no one at the theater!
Good News & Bad
This morning we have some of both. I'm gonna start with the good.
1. Good News: Obama rocked the house in the debate last night. He showed himself to be a concise, well-informed, articulate speaker with an almost dizzying amount of knowledge about -- well, everything -- at his disposal. (We heard more about McCain's policies from Barack than we did from McCain, for God's sake.) In short, he came off as intelligent, quick on his toes, and thoroughly knowledgeable about policies inside and out. He also showed himself to be gracious, genuine, and kind.
2. Bad News: I don't know that it changed the mind of one right-wing douchebag to see John McCain for what he was: a coward for not wanting to debate in the first place; a tunnel-vision warmonger; a condescending name-caller; a circle-talking egotist. The Fox news network's panels of "experts" debating after the debate seemed to have been watching a totally different program than my friends and I did. They said McCain came off as "on the offensive" (untrue) and that he did nothing but "straight talk" (way untrue). Only the token light-skinned black gentleman made any points in Barack's favor.
So, did the debate change a single American mind that wasn't already made up one way or the other or given over to apathy? It remains to be seen.
What I did see, for the first time in this life, was a candidate I could trust, love, and admire. And that in itself is worth something.
1. Good News: Obama rocked the house in the debate last night. He showed himself to be a concise, well-informed, articulate speaker with an almost dizzying amount of knowledge about -- well, everything -- at his disposal. (We heard more about McCain's policies from Barack than we did from McCain, for God's sake.) In short, he came off as intelligent, quick on his toes, and thoroughly knowledgeable about policies inside and out. He also showed himself to be gracious, genuine, and kind.
2. Bad News: I don't know that it changed the mind of one right-wing douchebag to see John McCain for what he was: a coward for not wanting to debate in the first place; a tunnel-vision warmonger; a condescending name-caller; a circle-talking egotist. The Fox news network's panels of "experts" debating after the debate seemed to have been watching a totally different program than my friends and I did. They said McCain came off as "on the offensive" (untrue) and that he did nothing but "straight talk" (way untrue). Only the token light-skinned black gentleman made any points in Barack's favor.
So, did the debate change a single American mind that wasn't already made up one way or the other or given over to apathy? It remains to be seen.
What I did see, for the first time in this life, was a candidate I could trust, love, and admire. And that in itself is worth something.
9.26.2008
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It's like Hungry Hungry Hippos! But with real hippos! And they're eating poor people!"
-Jon Stewart mocking a Fox news anchor talking about the Presidential race
-Jon Stewart mocking a Fox news anchor talking about the Presidential race
Candidates' Cupcakes
I fed volunteers at Alachua County Democratic headquarters last evening. (Thank you, Sarah, for bringing the opportunity to my attention!) Apparently the food was a hit, 'cause one dude asked me if I ran a restaurant. And my Obama cupcakes had the ladies singing "Gobama! Gobama!" for reals.
Here's what was on the menu:
Tofu Chili
Turkey Chili
Giant Salad
Obama Cupcakes!
Here's what was on the menu:
Tofu Chili
Turkey Chili
Giant Salad
Obama Cupcakes!
9.25.2008
Dixie Wants YOU!!!
Want to register to vote? It's quick and easy.
CLICK HERE to register, request an absentee ballot, and find your polling location.
Do it today!
9.24.2008
Work: It's Not Just for A-Holes Anymore
I like my job. I actually enjoy going to work in the mornings. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Erin designed an awesome garden outside Mehrhof Hall (my building). I get to see this garden each day as I go to work and when I leave. When I need a stretch and some sunshine and fresh air, I go chill on the new patio.
2. My co-workers have a great sense of humor. Here is one piece of collective art we nailed to the conference room door.
3. The conference room. It's hilarious! Needs a little work.
4. My lamp. I love lamp. I bought it at Goodwill for $4, made a new shade out of modern art paintings, and stitched the top of the shade to the wire rim. I even got the wasp men to unscrew the bulbs in the flourescents in my office, so I now rely on this beaut and my other little desk lamp. It just needs some of those glass bubbly things from Michael's craft store to fill the base, and it's done. WHAMMY!
5. Todd's flowers brighten up the space. Aww, Todd. (Jen found these online for me: "alstroemeria.")
1. Erin designed an awesome garden outside Mehrhof Hall (my building). I get to see this garden each day as I go to work and when I leave. When I need a stretch and some sunshine and fresh air, I go chill on the new patio.
2. My co-workers have a great sense of humor. Here is one piece of collective art we nailed to the conference room door.
3. The conference room. It's hilarious! Needs a little work.
4. My lamp. I love lamp. I bought it at Goodwill for $4, made a new shade out of modern art paintings, and stitched the top of the shade to the wire rim. I even got the wasp men to unscrew the bulbs in the flourescents in my office, so I now rely on this beaut and my other little desk lamp. It just needs some of those glass bubbly things from Michael's craft store to fill the base, and it's done. WHAMMY!
5. Todd's flowers brighten up the space. Aww, Todd. (Jen found these online for me: "alstroemeria.")
Inspired Obama Visualization
The year is 2016. We glance at the television one morning and see Obama having another of his many press conferences. He has now been in office for almost 8 years. It hasn't been perfect, but things are way better than when he took office in January of 2009. You notice that his hair has whitened and he still has that winning smile and that take-charge/positive energy that he had when he was campaigning way back in 2008. You remember back to how concerned you were about whether or not he would win in 2008 and you feel content that he has been safely in office for such a long time. He and Congress have done much to address global warming, health care, development of alternative energy sources and a variety of other important matters to the country and the planet. You feel deep gratitude for the past eight years and how things have gone.
See it...Feel it....Live it...Pass it on...
"What you resist persists." The more we don't want something the more it finds us.
Stop fighting against McCain and Palin, and start working "for" Obama-Biden. Stop driving yourselves crazy with all of the little details you can find about them, and start remembering all of the wonderful reasons we want Obama. Volunteer if you can, but at least take this challenge.
Take 30 seconds right now.
Close your eyes and imagine exactly what our country will feel like with President Obama.
Imagine how good it will feel. Imagine whatever it is about him that you desire. Imagine the pride. Imagine the diplomacy. Imagine the peace.
Imagine the wind mills and the clean cars. Imagine the citizen groups.
Imagine whatever it is that drew you to support Obama. Imagine what your life will look like. Just 30 seconds.
Do it several times a day. We can shift and change the vibration of this country with positive visions just like this. It's only 30 seconds a few times a day. Surely you can find the time. It will feel good. Just try it, and keep doing it.
Then pass this on to all of your Obama-supporter friends. If we all take 30 seconds several times a day to shift into this positive vibration, it will work. You wait and see!
Dr. Gonzo Blazes Again
Dr. Gonzo, dear friend and freelance pharmacist, made me a wonderful piece of art! Unfortunately, in trying to email it to me she accidentally sent it to someone she wanted a job from. Oops.
Read here the good doctor's own words:
I meant to send this email to you, and I just realized I sent it to someone else from my address book! Some guy named XXX, I think I emailed him to apply for a job! Oh, holy shit, I'm so fucking embarrassed, I don't even want to write to him again to apologize! Oh shit I really hope he doesn't look at it! Oh well, here's the email that was meant for you, I'm going to die of embarrassment now.
In case you're confused, that's Billy Joel with a gagball in his mouth. Yes, that's right. The fucker who made this for me also knits scarves, one of which she's going to send me.
Read here the good doctor's own words:
I meant to send this email to you, and I just realized I sent it to someone else from my address book! Some guy named XXX, I think I emailed him to apply for a job! Oh, holy shit, I'm so fucking embarrassed, I don't even want to write to him again to apologize! Oh shit I really hope he doesn't look at it! Oh well, here's the email that was meant for you, I'm going to die of embarrassment now.
In case you're confused, that's Billy Joel with a gagball in his mouth. Yes, that's right. The fucker who made this for me also knits scarves, one of which she's going to send me.
9.23.2008
Goat Soup
I like goats. I like to pet 'em and I like their milk and cheese. I also like to eat 'em, now.
On Saturday, Caitlin & I went to Archer for Leroy's graduation party. He is graduating from UF with a Doctorate in Plant Medicine.
Georgia & Caitlin with Zoe & Celia
(photo by Leroy's daughter Casey)
Leroy and his Jamaican comrades cooked up a real feast: jerk chicken and pork, fried plantains, rice, goat curry. There was iced mint tea and Caribbean beer (3 kinds) and reggae music and a ginormous dog named Caesar, a bull mastiff "puppy" who galloped around the yard with the kids like a lion.
Caesar Before He Was Released From the Pen
Caitlin & Caesar
The climax of the party came when Leroy introduced Caitlin and me to goat soup, also known as "mannish water," an essential component of any Jamaican party. He didn't let us look in the pot as he stirred it and added salt. He said he wouldn't tell us which parts of the goat we were eating until we'd eaten them.
We started with the broth, which tasted like licking a goat. It was brownish, thick, and very spicy. We could see some small orange chunks of yam and yellow chunks of plaintain floating in it.
Then Leroy said: "Are you ready for the meat parts?" We said yes. He dished us up some pieces of what looked like coral -- gray, wrinkled or pocked lumps of stomach, head meat, and feet. This, we were told, was the severed parts leftover after they butchered the goat they bought to make curry with.
Leroy took us through the soup-making process: remove the eyes, tongue, and teeth from the head; scrape off the hair; and roast. The roasted head goes, with cleaned intestines, into the pot. (I'm not sure where the hooves go.) The balls might very well have been in that pot too.
In Jamaican culture, the goat soup is known to be an aphrodisiac (it must be made from a "man goat"), and it is also used as an antidote to alcohol. When someone gets too drunk at the party, he goes inside and eats more soup. It also is a symbol of good luck and hospitality. If there's not a pot of goat soup on the stove, it's not a real party.
The bottom line is, once my skinny little white friend had eaten goat stomach fearlessly in front of me, I had to eat it too. It was extremely spicy ("a pepper exploded," Leroy explained) and made us sneeze, though it didn't make us noticeably horny.
Later, driving home, I burped and Caitlin said: "I smelt that. Your breath smells like goat brain."
Three cheers for mannish water!
On Saturday, Caitlin & I went to Archer for Leroy's graduation party. He is graduating from UF with a Doctorate in Plant Medicine.
Georgia & Caitlin with Zoe & Celia
(photo by Leroy's daughter Casey)
Leroy and his Jamaican comrades cooked up a real feast: jerk chicken and pork, fried plantains, rice, goat curry. There was iced mint tea and Caribbean beer (3 kinds) and reggae music and a ginormous dog named Caesar, a bull mastiff "puppy" who galloped around the yard with the kids like a lion.
Caesar Before He Was Released From the Pen
Caitlin & Caesar
The climax of the party came when Leroy introduced Caitlin and me to goat soup, also known as "mannish water," an essential component of any Jamaican party. He didn't let us look in the pot as he stirred it and added salt. He said he wouldn't tell us which parts of the goat we were eating until we'd eaten them.
We started with the broth, which tasted like licking a goat. It was brownish, thick, and very spicy. We could see some small orange chunks of yam and yellow chunks of plaintain floating in it.
Then Leroy said: "Are you ready for the meat parts?" We said yes. He dished us up some pieces of what looked like coral -- gray, wrinkled or pocked lumps of stomach, head meat, and feet. This, we were told, was the severed parts leftover after they butchered the goat they bought to make curry with.
Leroy took us through the soup-making process: remove the eyes, tongue, and teeth from the head; scrape off the hair; and roast. The roasted head goes, with cleaned intestines, into the pot. (I'm not sure where the hooves go.) The balls might very well have been in that pot too.
In Jamaican culture, the goat soup is known to be an aphrodisiac (it must be made from a "man goat"), and it is also used as an antidote to alcohol. When someone gets too drunk at the party, he goes inside and eats more soup. It also is a symbol of good luck and hospitality. If there's not a pot of goat soup on the stove, it's not a real party.
The bottom line is, once my skinny little white friend had eaten goat stomach fearlessly in front of me, I had to eat it too. It was extremely spicy ("a pepper exploded," Leroy explained) and made us sneeze, though it didn't make us noticeably horny.
Later, driving home, I burped and Caitlin said: "I smelt that. Your breath smells like goat brain."
Three cheers for mannish water!
QUOTE OF THE DAY
There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; my philosophy is kindness.
-The Dalai Lama
-The Dalai Lama
This is the last...
...of the S.P. baby names, I promise. But these were too good not to share. My absentee co-workers had such awesome names, I had to put them up:
#1: Snowshoe Man Palin
#2: Gamebird Kelp Palin
#3: Shot Corrugated Palin
If they want to know who is who, they should email me.
#1: Snowshoe Man Palin
#2: Gamebird Kelp Palin
#3: Shot Corrugated Palin
If they want to know who is who, they should email me.
Personal Potter
My mother is my personal potter. Here is Pot the Second:
Alligator Pot
Alligator Pot w/Flowers
Alligator Pot
Alligator Pot w/Flowers
This Just In
Pot #2 has arrived. Finally! We were starting to worry it had gotten lost in the mail. It is round and mocha colored, about the size of a soccer ball, with alligator-type skin. Pictures to follow.
9.22.2008
If We Were Her Children...
I just went and used The Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. Here's what it came up with:
Me: Chase Rooster Palin
My Boyfriend: Hook Tuneup Palin
My co-workers (who are here today): Trowel Ogre & Staff Wrench Palin
Whew!
Me: Chase Rooster Palin
My Boyfriend: Hook Tuneup Palin
My co-workers (who are here today): Trowel Ogre & Staff Wrench Palin
Whew!
Excerpts
A Call to Arms
How to handle the fury brought on by this election? Register voters, hit the streets, pray. Stop talking about her. Talk about Obama.
By Anne Lamott
Sep. 16, 2008
...when you feel like you're going crazy because something is being perpetrated upon you and your country that is so obscene that it simply cannot be happening.
...A man and a woman whose values we loathe and despise -- lying, rageful and incompetent, so dangerous to children and old people, to innocent people in every part of the world -- are being worshiped, exalted by the media, in a position to take a swing at all that is loveliest about this earth and what's left of our precious freedoms.
...this woman takes such pride in her ignorance, doesn't have a doubt in the world about her messianic calling, that it makes anyone of decency feel nauseated -- spiritually, emotionally and physically ill.
We felt this grief and nausea during the run-up to the war in Iraq. We felt it after the 2004 election. And now we feel it again.
But since there are still six weeks until the election, and since the stakes are high...we have got to get a grip. There are millions of people to register to vote, millions of dollars to be raised. We really cannot go around feeling flat and defeated, with the need to metabolize the rotten meat that this one particular candidate and the media have forced upon us.
One of the tiny metabolic suggestions I have to offer -- if, like me, you choose not to have her name on your lips, like an oozy cold sore...is to check out a Web site called The Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. There you can find out what she and her husband would have named you if you had been their baby. My name, Anne, for instance, would be Krinkle Bearcat. John, her running mate, would be named Stick Freedom. George would be Crunk Petrol. And so on.
First of all, go find out what your own name would be. Then for one day refuse to use the name of these people who are so damaging to earth and to our very souls -- so, "I don't have to understand anything, it's all fuzzy math. Trust me. I'm the decider."
From now on, when working for Obama, talk about Obama, talk about his policies, the issues, the economy, the war in Iraq, poverty, the last eight years, Joe Biden. You don't have to mention Crunk Petrol, or his sidekick, Shaver Razorback.
And you sure as hell don't have to mention Claw Washout -- she is absolutely, hands-down the most ludicrous person ever to be nominated. She's a "South Park" character. There was a mix-up. Mistakes were made.
How to handle the fury brought on by this election? Register voters, hit the streets, pray. Stop talking about her. Talk about Obama.
By Anne Lamott
Sep. 16, 2008
...when you feel like you're going crazy because something is being perpetrated upon you and your country that is so obscene that it simply cannot be happening.
...A man and a woman whose values we loathe and despise -- lying, rageful and incompetent, so dangerous to children and old people, to innocent people in every part of the world -- are being worshiped, exalted by the media, in a position to take a swing at all that is loveliest about this earth and what's left of our precious freedoms.
...this woman takes such pride in her ignorance, doesn't have a doubt in the world about her messianic calling, that it makes anyone of decency feel nauseated -- spiritually, emotionally and physically ill.
We felt this grief and nausea during the run-up to the war in Iraq. We felt it after the 2004 election. And now we feel it again.
But since there are still six weeks until the election, and since the stakes are high...we have got to get a grip. There are millions of people to register to vote, millions of dollars to be raised. We really cannot go around feeling flat and defeated, with the need to metabolize the rotten meat that this one particular candidate and the media have forced upon us.
One of the tiny metabolic suggestions I have to offer -- if, like me, you choose not to have her name on your lips, like an oozy cold sore...is to check out a Web site called The Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. There you can find out what she and her husband would have named you if you had been their baby. My name, Anne, for instance, would be Krinkle Bearcat. John, her running mate, would be named Stick Freedom. George would be Crunk Petrol. And so on.
First of all, go find out what your own name would be. Then for one day refuse to use the name of these people who are so damaging to earth and to our very souls -- so, "I don't have to understand anything, it's all fuzzy math. Trust me. I'm the decider."
From now on, when working for Obama, talk about Obama, talk about his policies, the issues, the economy, the war in Iraq, poverty, the last eight years, Joe Biden. You don't have to mention Crunk Petrol, or his sidekick, Shaver Razorback.
And you sure as hell don't have to mention Claw Washout -- she is absolutely, hands-down the most ludicrous person ever to be nominated. She's a "South Park" character. There was a mix-up. Mistakes were made.
9.21.2008
9.20.2008
Pirate Ghost Cupcakes
In celebration of National Talk Like A Pirate Day, I baked gooey pirate cupcakes. (And wore my St. Augustine pirate tank top, Nur's pirate bracelet, a shell necklace, and a pirate belt; brought pirate hats to work--Jen wore the red one, I wore the black one; and shared with co-workers my "History of Pirates" book that Mom & Dad gave me for my birthday.)
The cupcakes were delicious, but looked less like pirates than like the ghosts of pirates or pirate captives. Hence, I named them Pirate Ghost Cupcakes. They were much enjoyed by all.
This, btw, is the cupcake I tried to save for Eric. He wasn't around to eat it, so I ate it. I think it was my fourth of the day. They were, however, nearly fat free. And 100% vegan.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
-William Butler Yeats,
"The Second Coming" (1920)
Are full of passionate intensity.
-William Butler Yeats,
"The Second Coming" (1920)
9.19.2008
#3
I'm torn about whether this is a "blog I would be least likely to read" or one I should read immediately. Either way, it's a great title. "How to Have a Baby."
It's Pirate Day!!!!
Finally!! It's National Talk Like A Pirate Day!! Happy day, you smelly hookers!!
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