There's a reason for my absence of late. Actually several. Not that most people who come here care too much, since they seem mostly to be after images I created months (if not years) ago. Still, I feel compelled to share.
First, work has been kicking my bony little ass. The daytime gig has stepped up its daily requirements, and the off-hours stuff has also been acutely intense. I suppose that's all good for the pocketbook, but to paraphrase a certain smuggler, "What good is a reward if you don't have time to spend it?" Fortunately, I think I'm seeing the end of some of the workload in time for the holidays.
Second, new toys. What used to be our game room is now home to a nifty new baby grand. This brings an uncomfortable level of class to the joint, but so far we're handling it okay.
The last couple of days have been consumed with what Chandra calls my "fancy-shmancy" digital camera. For any buffs out there, a Nikon D-80 to be precise. I'll spare the world more cat pictures, and post another of my preferred test subjects, my resonator guitar.
Of course I should be working on my short film...
I'll probably get in big trouble for posting this, but I just can't resist. The following scene is absolutely true, as best as I can recall...
InT. dining room, morning
Jason and Chandra are discussing whether they should purchase a new baby grand piano.
Chandra
Do you think you'll play it as much as your guitar?
Jason
I don't know. What do you mean?
CHANDRA
Well, I know that you'll probably play it in spurts like your guitar, but do you think it will sit there unused?
JASON
Oh, I doubt it will be unused. A big flat surface like that?
CHANDRA
(Horrified)
We are NOT having sex on the piano!
JASON
(after a beat)
Actually, I figured that mail would get dumped on it.
CHANDRA
(Praying fervently that her father-in-law hasn't heard any of this conversation)
Oh. I don't want to pile it up with mail, either.
One of those quiz things-- I find this one notable only because of the description, which I have anecdotal evidence to support. On one of my trips to Finland for a language intensive, a couple of other students heard an American DJ playing over the soundsystem in a record store and came running to inform me they had heard me on the radio.
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio. | |
| The West | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| The Inland North | |
| The South | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The Northeast | |
| What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes | |
Don't read the following unless you've seen the movie-- they give away a lot of gags in it-- but if you're wondering about some of the folks in Borat, this gives a good run-down:
What's real in "Borat"? | Salon Arts & Entertainment
Kevin Drum has a couple of posts up where he discusses election results (here and here), and in a nutshell says that there doesn't seem to be any particular group that swung in a big way for the Democrats. Instead, there seems to have been an across-the-board shift. He seems to be searching for that big shift, and in the process has missed the point that's right in front of him. While no one group or groups may have shifted their views, the fact that everyone seems to have had a shift is huge. This strikes me as a sign that the Republicans have royally screwed up. For them to have lost such a widespread swath of support is pretty amazing, and I think a sign they've really "lost it."
Apparently Dubya's going to have a news conference today. Here's my list of questions:
Okay, so that may be strong, but what the hell. Even if Georgia is still a backwater it feels good to see the rest of the country starting to come around. Yee-ha!
The deed is done, nothing to do now but wait to see who Diebold wants to represent me. Everything was uneventful. I got there about 10:15, and there was a steady stream of people, but no long lines. There were a little more than half a dozen machines, all apparently working fine. I was in & out in about 15 minutes, total.
Checked the news on TV briefly after I got home, and was struck by a couple of things. First, the usual places seem to be having the usual problems, even this early in the day. Second, CNN must be hiring whores for their news desk now.
For some reason I'm reminded of that bit from "The Untouchables." They bring a knife, you bring a gun. They bring a College Republican goon, you bring a lawyer...
From Firedoglake:
If you have problems voting, or you witness some sort of voting irregularity, here's some useful information.
Election Protection's 1-866-OUR-VOTE has live operators who can address some problems over the phone and dispatch lawyers on the ground, if necessary.
Common Cause's 1-866-MYVOTE-1 can help people find their polling place.
Keep these numbers handy in case you need them. Let's get out there and save our country. Today we say the accountability IS important. But that cannot happen unless everyone gets up and gets out to vote.
Josh Marshall has a good summary of the robo-calls that Republicans are making. I saw in another source that the Democrats are planning on pursuing legal action against them for this, and as Josh points out, a number of people in 2002 did the same thing and were rewarded for their efforts with felony convictions.
Here in Athens, we've gotten a bunch of calls regarding Jane Kidd. I have no idea if they're dirty tricks or not, but given the redistricting crap the Georgia Republicans pulled on her I have no doubt that they would also indulge in crank calling. Maybe it even works on other people, but I learned long ago that if there was silence on the other end of the line after I said, "Hello," then I was dealing with either a recording or a telemarketer, and I hang up.
Of course, by some accounts we're getting it mild. At least no one is trying to tell me that my polling place has been changed, or that if I try to vote they're going to throw me in prison. With any luck, the Republicans responsible for this will be the ones headed for the clink, and they'll get to learn the true meaning of intimidation.
I'm taking a chunk of the morning to get caught up on a few things that work prevents me from doing, and also to vote. I had hoped to write some sharp-witted and/or passionate statement about the State of Things, but I can't top this.
Here's a cheery thought:
I've heard people asking, 'what do we do if the Democrats don't take back the House?'
Here's the brutal truth. If that happens, the US is no longer a functioning Democracy. There is no scenario under which that can happen, given the polls, without massive fraud. At that point you have three choices. You can take to the streets. You can emigrate; or you can get used to living in a one-party banana republic without civil rights or democracy."
What's particularly amazing about that statement is that I find myself not dismissing it as the ravings of a lunatic. Here's hoping that tomorrow will bring seeds of change, not chaos...
Ah, lovely. What is justice compared to the prospect of ensnaring a handful more votes?
It's kind of fascinating to think that while Saddam is portrayed over here as Señor Evil, it would apparently be more accurate to describe him as a lifelong stooge for the U.S. As such, it seems somehow fitting that his trial would culminate in a last-ditch bid to try and boost the fortunes of Republicans on this side of the pond.
I would like to propose a new nickname for Mr. Dubya Bush:
