What I Will Remember: 2009

Celebrating New Year's at my brother's wedding.

Walking around the Capitol, to Harris Teeter, the day of the inauguration. And the four day weekend.

Joey's first birthday.

Getting to learn the new neighborhood by running around Capitol Hill, to the mall, to the Lincoln Memorial.

St. Patrick's Day Five Miler. The Army Ten Miler.

Crashing a wedding reception, or trying to, during the Law Con.

Eating at Due's at 3am in Chicago with friends.

Celebrating T&S's wedding on Valentine's Day. Celebrating with Jenny & John. Going to Vegas for the first time, and not liking it so much.

A chaotic, not fun 4th of July.

Alito's awesome speech and the Texans.

MM's investiture and drinking margaritas with the Texans. Feeling a bit hungover flying home the next morning.

Getting snowed in the weekend before Christmas.

Thanksgiving with all of us there.

Meeting Aly....to come.

Heading to Bethany one last time.

Let it Snow...

For the first time since February 2003, we have a real blizzard here in DC. Way over a foot of snow on the ground, and it continues to snow. There was even a blizzard watch!! It's been an unusually relaxing Saturday afternoon...no gym trip, no trip to Target or Harris Teeter or last-minute Christmas shopping trip to Pentagon City. It's eerily quiet in many respects, this Saturday before Christmas when hustle and bustle are usually par for the course. I'm relaxing, drinking tea and watching While You Were Sleeping. What an awesome movie. Maybe Christmas Vacation next?

There are year in review magazine issues to read, there is a Cowboys game tonight, there is wine to drink and dinner to cook. And more snow to fall. It's a peaceful moment.

Best Music of the Year

I have yet to create my definitive best of music list of the year (I'm waiting til the bitter end...or maybe during our blizzard this weekend I'll get bored and start it early!), but here are some of woxy's picks, and what I've also liked:

Grizzly Bear, Phoenix, Animal Collective, Passion Pit, the xx (how did I JUST discover them...love VCR!), Metric, The Pains of Being Pure of Heart, Neko Case, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Monsters of Folk, Andrew Bird...well I could go on. The list is here.

I've really enjoyed getting to know some new music this year. I haven't completely made up my mind yet, but near the top would be Florence & the Machine's Dog Days Are Over, Beach House by the Cave Singers, M Ward's Stars of Leo, U2's Breathe, the xx's VCR, something from Swell Season, something from Monsters of Folk, Story by Great Northern, something by Fanfarlo, Noah and the Whale, the Avett Brothers....gosh, there's been SO much good music this year. I'm not really sure where to start. With what I've seen for 2010, from Spoon and Shout Out Louds and Yeasayer and Charlotte Gainsbourg, I'm positive we'll have another great year ahead.

Best TV of the Year...

So I'm going to attempt to create a few best-of lists, starting with television. In no particular order, my favorite shows of the year:

Lost. Obviously.

Top Chef. Best season yet.

Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters. For getting better this second half of the year.

Fringe. Because it is sooo creepy and intriguing.

V. Because Elizabeth Mitchell rocks!

Glee. Fun and cheery.

House. Huddy!!

American Idol. Yes, I watched it every week.

How I Met Your Mother. Despite the aborted relationship of Robin & Barney, sigh.

Guiding Light. Farewell...

Whole Food Republicans

Lots of this sounds familiar:

What's needed is a full-fledged effort to cultivate "Whole Foods Republicans"—independent-minded voters who embrace a progressive lifestyle but not progressive politics. These highly-educated individuals appreciate diversity and would never tell racist or homophobic jokes; they like living in walkable urban environments; they believe in environmental stewardship, community service and a spirit of inclusion. And yes, many shop at Whole Foods, which has become a symbol of progressive affluence but is also a good example of the free enterprise system at work. (Not to mention that its founder is a well-known libertarian who took to these pages to excoriate ObamaCare as inimical to market principles.)

Yes, you can be a city-dwelling yuppie type who votes conservative. And maybe I'd quibble a bit...I "believe in environmental stewardship," because I refuse to pay taxes for plastic bags, but I also don't like waste. I believe in diversity, including philosophical/ideological diversity. And I appreciate Whole Foods, both because I admire its libertarian-leaning CEO, and also because I value the foods that go into my body. I'd rather not eat crap, for the most part, after I take so much time to run and work out.

The Republican party can have smart, educated, urban voters who care about their communities. It's not that a "progressive" lifestyle is better, but it's just not "liberal."

All sorts of good end-of-the-year pop culture

Top Chef's finale was last night. I was sorry than Kevin lost, and my second choice Bryan lost. But the Volotaggio Brothers are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and I hope to try their cooking one day. Mmmm, Volt!

And I've been listening to all sorts of good, best of 2009 music. I just discovered the xx, and I've been listening to lots of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, along with next year's new releases like Yeasayer and Shout out Louds (current favorite song: Walls). There's been a lot I've discovered this year, from new Animal Collective to Florence + the Machine to Passion Pit to Metric to Muse to Phoenix. It has been a good year for music.

The Next VH1 Special?

Loving these decade-in-retrospective lists, lately. How in the world did ten years go by?

Billboard has the Top One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s, topped by Daniel Powter's Bad Day of American Idol fare. I think on my ipod, I have Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, James Blunt's You're Beautiful, Macy Gray's I Try, and well not on my ipod but The Calling's Wherever You Will Go. That's not bad. There were several other songs I recognized like that Vanessa Carlton one about A Thousand Miles, but I am happy that I avoided most of these.

I'm guessing it's pretty likely most of these acts have disappeared, but most deserve to go away.

Now which one-hit wonders deserve to be around longer? That I might have to comb through my ipod for...

Top Chef: Napa!

Of course, I was thrilled to see that Napa and Brix was featured in the most recent episode of Top Chef, having just eaten there last April. Jennifer was booted, which was not a huge surprise, since the Voltaggio brothers and Kevin have just been stronger overall, though she definitely deserved her slot in the Final Four. Nice to see a female, 33 year old chef do so well! I will have to remember 10 Arts by Eric Ripert for a future dinner in Philly!

As to the winner...my favorite is Kevin, because he seems like such a nice guy. But I would love to see Bryan win b/c of Volt (must trek to Frederick!!).

Thanksgiving '09

Thanksgiving was here and gone in a blink of an eye. We had a smooth flight coming in, and Kev picked us up at the airport. Then we had dinner with the whole fam at Roger's Roost on Wednesday. Joey is sooo big and cute. He was shy at first, and then cranky due to lots of missed nap time. But he looks more like a little boy now than a baby, and bigger than his pictures. He adores babies, computers, cheese, mama, that mystery box in dad's office, and shutting the door. He also likes cards, putting the ball through the little basketball hoop, looking like a baby model in his baby Gap shoes, sitting in a big-boy chair, and putting things in (and out) of trash cans. He is too awesome.

I got some shopping time in with mom at Lakeside, Target's, Kohl's. Dad gave me some new books. We watched lots of football. Celebrated L-A's big 30th birthday at Lions, Tigers, and Beers.

Must get home again soon.

What I Am Thankful For...

My husband.

My home.

To have my parents, and my parents-in-law, all healthy and happy.

My brothers and sisters-in-law.

My two awesome nephews.

To be both employed, and decently paid.

To be able to run.

To be healthy.

To have spending money.

To have so many of my friends be so happy.

S was right on Friday night; things are going well for the group, and we are at that sweet spot where we can welcome so many new lives into the world, have our parents be healthy and active, and be able to still get together once in a while. The beach weekend this year will most likely be the last, and I am grateful we have been able to spend five New Years there together, before we all become further immersed in our growing families.

We are very blessed.

Bocuse d'Or

This may have been the best Top Chef episode yet. I had never heard of this bocuse d'Or competition, but it was an amazing test of culinary skill and all of the dishes looked absolutely mouth-watering. And yes, the favorites from this season--Michael & Bryan Voltaggio, Kevin, and Jennifer--made it to the final four.

Everything from Thomas Keller's presence, to the revelation that the finale will be in Napa Valley, to the camaraderie between the chefs--it all came together for a fascinating episode. While Tom's review made it clear there were flaws in each dish, I doubt some of the earlier eliminated contestants this season could have pulled it off.

So who will win? Kevin's my favorite, and he has been so thoughtful and consistent, as Tom's review also makes clear. But gosh, it is a close competition. I can hardly wait for the finale!

Best Live Moments of the '00s

I certainly don't agree with all these (ahem, #1), but some, like U2's amazing performance at the 2002 Superbowl, just months after 9/11, still resonate. And some of the SNL sketches are great comedy.

9/11 is the most memorable moment, not best.

More Music

Been listening to this today. The song "All the Pretty Girls" is currently my fave on the latest Paste sampler.

All Songs Considered is considering the decade's most important recordings. What that means, I don't know. Kelly Clarkson is among them, which means influential, not necessarily best (though the explanation that her success really paved the road for future Idols is certainly true...she could have flopped ala Justin Guarini). Actually, Britney on the list just makes me sad. Not that the list-maker uppers added her, but that something with as little talent as she possesses has made such a mark on this decade of music. This actually might inspire me to come up with my own ipod list, though god, I can't believe that this decade is coming to a close in six weeks. I've gone from 23-33, single to married, FS to...well, FS.

I think a little more time does have to go by to fully evaluate the decade in music. Looking back at the 90s, I doubt the N'Sync/Backstreet Boys blandness is really as important now as it was then. And some artists are just beginning to emerge, and I think they will prove far more profound in a few years time than even now.

Recovering

Been listening to Dawn Landes today.

Soothing after several days of big meals, lots and lots of wine, little sleep, many good friends, and general over-doing-ness.

Homesick Feeling

It's rainy and cold and dreary. I'm trying to stay upbeat, looking forward to friends coming into town tonight. But I just want to curl up under a blanket with some hot apple cider and a book and disappear for a while. Or go on a long run like I did Sunday morning into the beautiful mildness of a DC Autumn.

Not sure exactly where the bummed feeling is coming from. I'm tired of working, and I feel grouchy already. I've barely seen the husband these last two weeks. And it's still two long weeks until Thanksgiving. I want to see my mom & dad and my brothers & the SILs and I really want to see my nephew, because he is so cheery and perfect.

I hope I can cheer up soon.

Running a Half

So I decided to take the plunge this morning and sign up for the National Half-Marathon on March 20. I am definitely a bit nervous tackling this new distance. The Army Ten Miler rocked, and if I had been feeling a bit better, I am confident I could have made my nine-minute mile time. But now I'm hoping to not only accomplish that goal mile, but do it for 13.1 miles! Eeek!!

One factor that drew me to this course is that it goes practically past our house, down H street to 13th NE. I remember this past March seeing the half-marathoners (and full marathoners!!) and thinking gosh, can I do that? And this past Sunday, on a gloriously warm November morning run to the Lincoln Memorial and back, I saw the runners go past the Capitol. And maybe I could do that?

The challenge will be trying to run outside in winter, because running outside gives me more energy. I ran quite a bit outside this past winter, but it was mild and I was lucky. This year, who knows? And the other challenge is daylight...I hate the winter and it get dark at 5:00pm. I already missing being able to run after work. Treking to the gym does give me the advantage of being able to do speed intervals, or hill intervals. And in the long run, that will help me conquer some of those kinds of obstacles in a longer race.

Anyway, I am looking forward to it. It'll be my last year in the 30-34 category! And if kids are in the future, I want to say I could run 13.1 miles before. And after, if I'm that lucky.

The Sniper's Execution

John Allen Muhammed is due to be executed tomorrow. Good.

Lori Lewis Rivera was one of his victims. She was only a year younger than me. She had a baby, and she had her whole life ahead of her.

Three Supreme Court justices--Stevens, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor--"objected to the court's haste, saying it "highlights once again the perversity of executing inmates before their appeals process has been fully concluded."

No, Rivera's death was hasty. Rivera didn't have the benefit of these past seven years to see her family grow, to enjoy DC and her life here. Her death was "perverse." She had no appeal.

I remember being in DC at that time, walking that route from our old place on 23rd to Pentagon City. You looked over your shoulder, you were timid, you cautiously turned on the news and wondered if and when there would be the next vicitim. It was only a year after 9/11 and the anthrax letters. It was a scary time, and it was terrorism. I frankly think Lee Boyd Malvo should be executed, too. He was old enough to know right from wrong, and he was old enough to know the consequences he'd face as a cold-blooded murderer.

I hope Rivera's family can find some peace, if not closure. I don't like the death penalty, but some crimes are so heinous that they warrant a greater punishment. This is one of them. And I hope that the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, faces a similar penalty once he is brought to justice.

Two Columns

Lots of truths in this week's Peggy Noonan and Charles Krauthammer columns about Tuesday's election.

First Peggy:

A president has only so much time. Mr. Obama gives a lot of his to health care. But the majority of voters in New Jersey and Virginia told pollsters they were primarily worried about joblessness and the economy. They're on another path, and they don't like the path he's chosen. A majority in a Gallup poll out Wednesday said they now think the president governs from the left, not the middle. The majority did not expect that a year ago.

The president chose promises made before the recession fully took hold, rather than more pressing and pertinent public concerns. In the language of marketing that has become the language of politics he thereby, in his first year, damaged his brand.

I think that is true. Voters don't like the health care proposals, they don't like the spending, they don't like the unemployment rate, they don't like ethically challenged incumbents, and they don't like it when they are ignored.

"Public opinion is everything," Lincoln is said to have said. It is. It can be changed and it can be shaped, but it always has to be listened to. This White House has gotten bad at listening. It paid the price for that on Tuesday.

I agree that the election wasn't primarily anti-Obama, but I don't agree that it was just anti-incumbent. Just twelve short months after "hope and change" voters are still hoping for change. It just wasn't delivered, as promised, in 2008.

As for Krauthammer, he contends the results of the election proves that last year's premise of the a major realignment in American politics was little more than fallacy. He points out that weak candidates weren't the problem, like the Dems maintain--Deeds and McDonnell nearly tied for years ago in the AG race.

Just last month Gallup found that conservatives outnumber liberals by 2 to 1 (40 percent to 20 percent) and even outnumber moderates (at 36 percent). So on Tuesday, the “rump” rebelled. It’s the natural reaction of a center-right country to a governing party’s seeking to rush through a left-wing agenda using temporary majorities created by the one-shot election of 2008. The misreading of that election — and of the mandate it allegedly bestowed — is the fundamental cause of the Democratic debacle of 2009.

This misreading of the mandate caused the problem. This is a center-right country. Perhaps all of those voters who didn't show up this year are all liberal, young, and make this less center-right than the pollsters demonstrate. But they didn't show up. Last year was about the cult of Obama, and not some transcendence of the liberal-progressive politics that Nancey Pelosi seems to think governs this country.

The Maine vote against gay marriage--60% turnout, mind you--also indicates that this liberal progressiveness may be overstated. And when you don't turnout to vote, like 40% didn't, then it is really overstated.

And I even thought a year ago that politics is politics...incumbents get arrogant and get blamed, parties swap sides, you find your beliefs again when you are on the sidelines. Politics is cyclical, and no matter what anyone thinks, nothing is permanent.

Let's see what 2010 brings. I'm going to prognosticate now that many Dems will lose their seats in the House, even if they don't lose the majority, several governors will go down, and perhaps Harry Reid will suffer the same fate as Tom Daschle. But a lot can happen in twelve months--just look at this past year.

Best Of, Already??

It's only November 5, but apparently, Amazon is releasing the first "Best Of" 2009 list already. It's music.

What I own (or have some of) on the ipod today:

48 Thao, Know Better Learn Faster
37 Cass McCombs, Catacombs
35 Antony And The Johnsons, The Crying Light
32 A.C. Newman, Get Guilty
31 U2, No Line On The Horizon
30 Imogen Heap, Ellipse
29 Cave Singers, Welcome Joy
22 Iron & Wine, Around The Well
15 The Swell Season, Strict Joy
14 Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
13 Passion Pit, Manners
11 Metric, Fantasies
10 Camera Obscura, My Maudlin Career
08 K’Naan, Troubadour
07 Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion
05 The Avett Brothers, I And Love And You
04 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
03 Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
01 Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

It is two months too early for me to come to my own conclusions, though I do love some of the Passion Pit, Avett Brothers, and Swell Season. Breathe by U2 will show up as favorite tracks, along with Girls by Animal Collective and of course the Cave Singers. And then there are the tracks I've been assembling on my new music in 2009 list on my ipod so that will help me sort. Gosh, is it already November? I know there has to be a number of tracks out there that I still will fall for in 09!

So, also, I finally took the plunge and ordered a new camera off Amazon, since there were some Sony deals for $159. Very excited to finally have a quality digital camera. I just hope I have a chance to fiddle with it before the convention.

Thirty Years Ago and Last Night

Another notable milestone of the week is the 30th anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis, when Iranian students stormed the American embassy and took hostage dozens of Americans for 444 days, memorable released the day of Ronald Reagan's inauguration (to the great dismay of Jimmy Carter).

A few years ago, I read a great book by Mark Bowden called Guests of the Ayatollah which recounted this crisis. His journalistic background made the tale a real page-turner, and for someone who was only a pre-schooler during those years, gave some real insight into what happened, what the repercussions were, and why Carter handled the entirely incident so ineptly, including that failed rescue attempt.

Last night was another milestone, as the GOP recaptured the governor's office in both Virginia and New Jersey. Bob McDonnell's win was expected; Chris Christie's was hoped for in the wake of the inept way zillionaire Jon Corzine ran the state, not to mention all sorts of tangled ethical issues. It wasn't a total GOP sweept--Hoffman lost in NY-23--but considering how crazy that election was, it was a pretty successful night. So good news in PA supreme court races, Maine's voters rejected gay marriage to the consternation of many libs (ahem, "progressives"), and the 2010 election season has officially started. Granted this was no referendum (according to the MSM) on Obama, though I think it was Jonah Goldberg's comment that summed it up. Something about how if Obama was only good for gushing profiles of Michelle and Miley Cyrus tickets, then hey, let his coattails be even longer!

What Hath God Wrought: Book Review

In record time, I finished the 855 page What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe last night. Yes, I'm a huge nerd in my current reading obsession of the antebellum period. I read it mostly during football weekends, when I felt like I needed to be a little productive during back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back football games. Howe certain had his biases: anti-Jackson, anti-Indian removal, pro-Mormon, anti-Mexican War, pro-John Quincy Adams, pro-Winfield Scott (and sidenote: so that is who Scott Circle is named for!), and pro-womens movement. He celebrated the religious revival of the era, the crusades against slavery, poor beleagured Henry Clay (you wondered how he kept missing his presidential chances), and offered a good round-up of presidents of that era. Not terribly notable Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Martin Van Buren, who was little more than a protegee of Jackson's; Harrison and Tyler, a monumental failure as a Whig prez, James K. Polk, who actually accomplished his goals in advancing the borders of America and retired when he said he would. And eventually Zachary Taylor, who died not too long after his victory in the Mexico War and election. I really felt like I learned a lot about the era--it's glossed over during that period between the War of 1812 and the much-more written about Civil War era. But the antebellum period certainly had its highlights...the conflicted abolitionists movement, slavery rebellions, technology and communication revolutions, the formation of the two-party system (still basically the same as 1860...next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the formation of the GOP...how will we note that?). I definitely remained a fan of Adams and Scott. The personalities were fascinating then and remain so today, and the scandals just as notorious.

I'm going to start from scratch on David Reynolds' Waking Giant, which I attempted to read a year ago during moving and never quite finished. The long discussions of Emerson and Thoreau sort of bored me, because I was much more interested in the politics, but I know I think I have a much more firm grasp of the history of that era. I'm going to also move into my new buy, The Age of Lincoln, to transition into some Civil War era books which I will likely borrow from dad when I'm in Michgan for Thanksgiving. Anyway, I give What Hath God Wrought an A, and I hope this current reading momentum continues.

Twenty Years Ago

The Washington Post had some features in its Outlook Section this weekend reminding us that it was two decades ago that the Berlin Wall fell. I remember watching footage of that historic day on mom & dad's black & white TV, watching with awe that this symbol that utterly defined the Cold War was breached. The joy displayed that night was the enduring image that you remember in a year with historic images.

Twenty years later, some of the leading figures, like President Reagan and Pope John Paul II, are gone, but many of the leaders--Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Gorbachev--are still with us. Twenty years can be a lifetime--like those 21 years between the events of 1989 and the Prague Spring (still the favorite paper of mine from college). But it's a generation later, and most of the young 'uns around here were toddlers during those events. They don't remember the threat of nuclear war, the angry rhetoric, the arms build-up, the summits, the old world order, or the Soviet Union itself. Soviet communism was so defining, and its aftermath was little more than a holiday from history, until Islamic terrorism reared its ugly head (again).

Still will always associate that with the Jesus Jones song..."I saw the decade in, when it seemed/the world could change at the blink of an eye"..."Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history."

Postscript...Rich Lowry's column Obama is ignoring this anniversary: It's all about W.

Glamourous??

I don't subscribe to Glamour, though if I did, I'd be receiving their Michelle Obama cover story in a few days. Now, there is a lot to admire about our First Lady: she received her education, seems to be a pretty loving and loyal wife, and a great mom. But really, woman of the year?

For the first time in the magazine's history, a first lady appears on its cover. Somehow, I don't think Cindy McCain would have received a similar honor had her hubby won the presidency last year. Laura Bush was never honored, despite her commitment to education and literacy, just like her mother-in-law. Nancy Reagan never was featured, despite her Just Say No campaign that raised such strong awareness of the problems of drug abuse. That campaign transcended pop culture like few before or since. Not Betty Ford or Rosalyn Carter, or heck, even Jackie Kennedy.

What makes Michelle so unique? 'her "commitment to mentoring young women." Unlike the strong, successful women that Laura Bush raised?

I'm not belittling her commitment to mentoring; so many young women don't have positive role models to emulate. But sheesh, just like that infamous Nobel, why honor her now? She's been in DC less than a year, and she's not made that much of a difference (never mind her over-priced farmer's market). I think so many other strong women make a difference, in their own ways, in subtle ways, in ways that set a more powerful example than a First Lady ever could, a woman who really should be devoted to service if for no other reasons, she's unemployed and has the time, support, and profile to be of service.

Women's magazines are so hypocritical; I'm still contemplating whether to renew my Self subscription after Lucy's tales. Glamour, too, is off my list, but then again, I never subscribed. I actually had a bit of respect for it when it featured that normal sized model, the one with the bit of a tummy. But now--they are just the same as everyone else. Buying into what the MSM sells, without a discerning voice or contrary opinion. Too bad there isn't a market for a magazine for young conservative women on the market.

Give Michelle time, just like her hubby. Though I find it ironic that it is far too early to be assigning blame to the failures of Obama's presidency--Afghanistan, the failure to get any major piece of legislation passed--but not too early to honor them. While Bush is still blamed for every last flaw in this world, it's not too soon at all to bestow the accolades. Glamourous, indeed.

Good Stuff on Health Care Reform: I <3 Thomas Sowell

IBD/Investors.com is reprinting portions of a recent Thomas Sowell book with respect to the economics of medical care. As always, he is spot on with his analysis, whether it is recounting the pointlessness of bureaucracy, or well, basic economics:

Artificially lower prices, created by government order rather than by supply and demand, encourage more use of goods or services, while discouraging the production of those same goods and services. Increased consumption and reduced production mean a shortage. The consequences are both quantitative and qualitative.

Even the visible shortages that follow price controls do not tell the whole story. Quality deterioration often accompanies reduced production under price control, whether what is being produced is food, housing, or numerous other goods and services whose prices have been kept artificially low by government fiat.

I hate when people say "Oh, Canada has free health care! It's so unfair that we have to pay!" It is NOT free. There's this little thing called taxes that pays for this "free" health care that is often so much more inefficient than proponents claim. That is why Canadians cross the bridge to Michigan or New York to get elective procedures, or even non-electives ones, performed: because they don't want to be on a waiting list for eternity.

The Dems don't and won't see it this way. Thankfully, a few principled senators like Joe Lieberman won't let them get away with it.

Fifteen Years

I've facebook-chatted the last couple of nights with old friends from HS I hadn't seen or talked to in fifteen years. So strange...in some ways it feels like I was 17 years old just yesterday, and other days it feels like it was 150 years ago. Funny those connections of those who knew you then shape you as much, or even more, than those who shape you know. I don't know why their approval or interest is so very important, but I was one person then, elements of that girl remain, and new facets of me are even more present and critical to who I am now. Not as shy but still, not an athlete but someone who can knock out five miles after work on a treadmill, not fat but confident and strong and still smart.

And there are others from your past that you don't care to update with your life. Because they still cause nightmares. They still cause you grief, they still provoke tears. And does that make me a hypocrite? No. Forgiveness and distance cures much, but not all. Not all.

They Can't Give Them Away

So dad sent me this link this morning: Detroit House Auction Flops for Urban Wasteland. Basically, they can't give houses away in Detroit. A few amazing statements...

• Total vacant land in Detroit now occupies an area almost the size of Boston, according to a Detroit Free Press estimate.

• Despite a minimum bid of $500, less than a fifth of the Detroit land was sold after four days. (And most of those homes were from 2006, before the auto companies were at their lowest point!).
  

• Detroit has a $300 million deficit.
  
  
• Homes in Boston-Edison were going for $15K...or less!

The Boston-Edison District is full of beautiful mansions, once owned by historic Detroit leaders. Very depressing is that homes now are selling for practically nothing. For about $250K, you can buy one of the most expensively listed homes in the neighborhood:

LARGE BOSTON-EDISON HOME IN GREAT AREA. HUGE BEDROOMS, LARGE LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM, FAMILY ROOM. HUGE FINISHED BASEMENT, SUPER LARGE DECK. GREAT 3RD FLOOR RETREAT INCLUDES OFFICE, BEDROOM AND BATH. COULD BE USED AS IN-LAW SUITE. SUBJECT TO SHORT SALE.

Yup, twice the size and half the price of what we have. Six bedrooms. A short sale...

For only $225K, you can get this:

A PICTURESQUE TREE LINED STREET IN THE BOSTON-EDISON DISTRICT PROVIDES THE SETTING FOR THIS 1919 GEORGIAN. FOYER W A GRAND STAIRCASE, LR WITH NAT FRPL AND DOORS TO A PRIVATE PORCH. KIT REBUILT IN 2008 CHERRY CABINETS, GRANITE, SLATE, BOCSH, DACOR, GROHE, RECESSED AND HAOLGEN LIGHTING, MBR WITH NAT FRPL AND TOTALLY REBUILT BATH WITH JETTED TUB AND WALK IN SHOWER. THIRD FLOOR WITH 2 ADDL BDRMS, FULL BATH. SIDE YARD W POND,WATERFALL,DECKS,PATIO...

It is gorgeous, and pictures show the beautiful kitchen and yard and the face that it has been maintained well. It would go for $1.5 million or more here. Easily.

I am not going to bother recounting the listings for places only $50K, $70K. They need a little improvement, but you could put $100K worth of work into them, and they'd be stellar. Hell, I'd buy a place and send the kids to Liggett or whatever. It would be a bargain. Even with higher heating bills!

But this is all so sad. And with more people fleeing the city, it's only getting worse.

Top Chef: Top Season

This season of Top Chef has easily been the best season with the best chefs, and last night's episode of the eagerly anticipated Restaurant Wars was my favorite episode yet. For chefs have established themselves as the likely final four, barring a major upset--Kevin, Jennifer, and the Voltaggio brothers of Michael and Bryan. Then there is Eli and Mike a step below, followed by Laurine and Robin. The top four divided into two teams in their challenge of Restaurant Mission vs. REVolt (awful name!!) left me on the edge of my seat. Kevin and Jennifer really slipped for the first time this season, Mike coasted as he usually does, and then Laurine just flopped as the front of the house for Mission. She was sent home. Robin had a surprisingly first-rate pear dessert, while the Volt brothers crushed and Eli proved far more adept than his counterpart as host for the evening. I was so nervous that Jennifer would have been sent home, but she survived it, as Tom's blog stated, justifiably so.

Top Chef definitely inspires me to cook more, though I'm still a little nervous about trying anything beyond my usual pasta dishes (chicken florentine, clammy pasta, farfalle and salmon, spicy shrimp--the usual rotation). So maybe I should attempt the corn chowder or the pumpkin or squash soup this weekend--yummy recipes from Shape and Cooking Light. I need to branch out, and at least I have a stellar enough kitchen to enable me to do that.

Writer's Block

I've been going through a (long) spurt on writer's block. I want to write more, think more critically, put pen to paper or keystroke to board, or whatever analogy you'd like to use. And I can't. I think being such a generalist doesn't help me, because there is never one singular thing to focus on. And unless you're a random columnist for some magazine or a style section, that's hard. For example, I care about:

• Politics and legal issues, particularly how Obama's policies or lack thereof (thank you, SNL) are affecting this country, impeding economic recovery, and contributing to a culture in which blame is used to rationalize progress, and not just "progressive" progress.
• Exercise, running, fitness, cooking, etc...the source of all of the health and fitness blogs I lurk at. But I have no desire to track my meals or offer nutrition advice or design recipes. It's a hobby.
• Entertainment, celebrity babies, discovering new music, etc. etc. All of which I consider a hobby.
  
• Detroit, how the state of Michigan is suffering economically. How the state can't create jobs, can't retain young college graduates, can't innovate, can't attract new residents. But Michigan has fantastic sports teams, the great up north, water and good people. What drives it?
• City and neighborhood politics and culture and discovering Capitol Hill and enjoying Washington, DC and H Street.
  
• The issues that every 30-something woman is worried about, children and home and working full-time and making time for friends and family and husband and house-wifery.
  
• Travel and seeing more of this country, visiting cities and connecting with members and having the freedom to go abroad.

I feel pulled in so many directions because I am, though I don't think that is a unique situation at all. I always thought I'd have more of a focus, and I'd fall into some certain public policy and be writing and participating in creating public policy as opposed to facilitating others' participation. I'm not sure what that means for me, career-wise. But I need to come to grips with my lack of focus and my writer's block if I want to be a writer. More to come...

Jury Duty

I was stuck on jury duty yesterday...luckily, I got out of it. Though in a way, I would not terribly have minded a few days on a jury, since after a decade of working with lawyers, I've never spent much time in a court room (thankfully, right?!).

The day was rather long and boring, though I did have plenty of time to catch up in my reading. In my current historical obsession with the antebellum period, I'm hoping to (finally) wrap up American Sphinx. I'm currently a few hundred pages into What Hath God Wrought, which I'm hoping will finally lead me to (re)read Waking Giant, which a year ago, amidst moving, I could never fully get into. I think the former will help engage me into the latter. And after this, perhaps the Civil War? I'd like to go find a short bio of James Madison, though he seems to be an even more neglected framer than John Adams.

The Peace Prize

Yup, this about sums it up:

In a stunning announcement, Millard Fillmore Senior High School chose Shawn Rabinowitz, an incoming junior, as next year’s valedictorian. The award was made, the valedictorian committee announced from Norway of all places, on the basis of “Mr. Rabinowitz’s intention to ace every course and graduate number one in class.” In a prepared statement, young Shawn called the unprecedented award, “f---ing awesome.”

At the same time, and amazingly enough, the Pulitzer Prize for Literature went to Sarah Palin for her stated intention “to read a book someday.” The former Alaska governor was described as “floored” by the award, announced in Stockholm by nude Swedes beating themselves with birch branches, and insisted that while she was very busy right now, someday she would make good on her vow to read a book. “You’ll see,” she said from her winter home in San Diego.

And again in a stunning coincidence, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the Oscar for best picture will be given this year to the Vince Vaughn vehicle “Guys Weekend to Burp,” which is being story-boarded at the moment but looks very good indeed. Mr. Vaughn, speaking through his publicist, said was “touched and moved” by the award and would do everything in his power to see that the picture lives up to expectation and opens big sometime next March.

At the same press conferences, the Academy announced that the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award would go this year to Britney Spears for her intention to “spend whatever it takes to save the whales.” The Academy recognized that Spears had not yet saved a single whale, but it felt strongly that it was the intention that counted most. Spears, who was leaving a club at the time, told People magazine that she would not want to live in “a world without whales.” People put it on the cover.

The sudden spate of awards based on intentions or plans or aspirations was attributed to the decision by the Norwegian Nobel committee to award the peace prize to Barack Obama for his efforts in nuclear disarmament and his outreach to the Muslim world. (The committee said next year it will honor a Muslim who reaches out to the non-Muslim world.) Some cynics suggested that Obama’s award was a bit premature since, among other things, a Middle East peace was as far away as ever and the world had yet to fully disarm. Nonetheless, the president seemed humbled by the news and the Norwegian committee packed for its trip to the United States, where it will appear on Dancing with the Stars.

This is the final piece of proof, after the awards to Carter, Gore, and Arafat, that the Nobel Peace Prize is a joke, a parody, a worthless prize that is utterly discredited. You don't award the Nobel Prize for Peace to someone for "giving the world '"hope for a better future'" is "striving for nuclear disarmament." Twenty years ago, give it to Ronald Reagan for all of his work in ending the Cold War and limiting and halting nuclear weapons. Don't give it to someone who has done absolutely nothing. He's given some speeches, he's looked hopeful. It's a joke.

The London Times sums it up:

Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world.

Instead, the prize risks looking preposterous in its claims, patronising in its intentions and demeaning in its attempt to build up a man who has barely begun his period in office, let alone achieved any tangible outcome for peace.

And top ten reasons. My favorite: consolation prize for losing the Olympics.
Yup, this is the same week he won't meet with the Dalai Lama, because he might PO the Chinese.

Army Ten Miler

Yesterday, I ran my first ten mile race, the first time I've ever even run ten miles: the Army Ten Miler. I finished in 1:31:27, about a 9:08 mile. Considering my horrific cold and coughing, I'm pretty pleased. Still would have liked to break 9 minutes, but hey! It was so inspiring to be in the field of 30,000 runners, about 22,000 or so finished, and to be in the top 25% of women and in my age bracket. To see the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with only one leg, or no legs, still competing, and beating me at mile 9, was utterly amazing. The energy in the air at a race is something else, and I would like to try to do the half. I was feeling pretty sick around mile 9, but thankfully my body just lasted long enough to not start gagging until I crossed the finish line. You do dig to find that spurt of energy at the end. To cross the memorial bridge, to pass the Kennedy center down Independence, to the Capitol and then the 14th street bridge and back to the Pentagon is an amazing blur, and I am proud. But it was weird at the start, to hear us called athletes. It something I will continue to struggle to see myself as, because I've never been an athlete. And yeah, I was nowhere near the beginning of the finishers, but I was better than average in this field, and most people would never attempt that distance. So for me, it was my own personal victory.

U2: Larger than Life

Last night's U2 concert was certainly larger than life, a spectacle of lights, flashes, crazy loud sound, and masterful music. Sigh. Highlights: I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Beautiful Day, City of Blinding Lights, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, One...

The set list:

09/29/2009 FedEx Field - Landover, Maryland, USA
Breathe, Magnificent, Get On Your Boots, Mysterious Ways, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet), Elevation, Your Blue Room, Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet), New Year's Day, Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, The Unforgettable Fire, Mofo (snippet) / , City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On
encores: One / Amazing Grace (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Of course, there was preaching. Iran. AIDS. Africa. Burma. Teddy Kennedy. Ugh. And this review encapsulates the concert the best I've seen. Yeah, it was a shorter show. Yeah, Blue Room? Yeah, nada from Zooropa? Hell, I was happy they skipped Pride, which is now tied with New Year's Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday as my least favorite, way over-played U2 songs. I also wanted to hear The Fly. And yeah, it started out too slow. But hey, the music is awesome. So glad I went.

I believe this is the show I saw them last.

Twenty-five years ago...

25 years ago, the Tigers won the world series, Bless You Boys. Has it really been that long? Watching the video and seeing Jack Morris, Lance Parrish, Alan Trammell, Sparky, Willie Hernandez, etc. brought back a lot of memories of when they won, hearing the horns blasting in the streets, wearing the Bless You Boys t-shirts for a special spirit day at school, just having some enthusiasm in Detroit at one of the city's many low points, the infamous Devil's Night fires.

I'm not as much as into baseball anymore, but that was such a special year as a Detroiter. One of the few times you were so proud of your city, your team. You can remember those players names and positions so clearly so many years later, and there hasn't been a team since as special.

Now these guys are about 50, with grown children and they are scattered across the country.

Sparky said, "You tell children in the third grade that they'll wake someday and be out of college. I don't know how. It just happens." I was in third grade that year, and he's totally right.

Time on the Death of Detroit

Time magazine is the latest to jump on the bandwagon of MSM outlets who have reported on the "death of Detroit." A few sobering statistics first:

By any quantifiable standard, the city is on life support. Detroit's treasury is $300 million short of the funds needed to provide the barest municipal services. The school system, which six years ago was compelled by the teachers' union to reject a philanthropist's offer of $200 million to build 15 small, independent charter high schools, is in receivership. The murder rate is soaring, and 7 out of 10 remain unsolved. Three years after Katrina devastated New Orleans, unemployment in that city hit a peak of 11%. In Detroit, the unemployment rate is 28.9%. That's worth spelling out: twenty-eight point nine percent.

Sobering images:

The neighborhood where I lived as a child, where for decades orderly rows of sturdy brick homes lined each block, is now the urban equivalent of a boxer's mouth, more gaps than teeth. Some of the surviving houses look as if the wrecker's ball is the only thing that could relieve their pain. On the adjacent business streets, commercial activity is so palpably absent you'd think a neutron bomb had been detonated — except the burned-out storefronts and bricked-over windows suggest that something physically destructive happened as well.

Who to blame: White racists? Coleman Young? John Dingell? The UAW? I'm tired for the "white racists" being the most culpable for the blame when it's now been two generations plus on horrible, racist Detroit governance, the backwards auto industry, family breakdown and the whining welfare state, a culture of blame that everyone else is culpable of breaking down the city except its residents, and the country's worst education system.

It's so easy to find blame. So hard to make the decisions to change.

Stuff I'm Into Lately

1) Good runs, though today's nasty heat and humidity and the early hour it gets dark does interfere! I accomplished my goal of running to the Lincoln Memorial and back. Now, only ten miles in ten days!!!!

2) The Monster of Folk album is stellar.

3) More Texas tomorrow...hopefully everything goes smoothy!!!

4) Catching up with friends. I checked out Cava on Monday with S&K...good mezze, though I ate and drank way too much. Good to catch up with friends. And half price bottles of wine on Monday in the 'hood!

5) I mentioned I finished the Age of Reagan, right? Oh, lots of good reading in that. I need to get back into TJ soon, probably on the plane tomorrow!

What a Week..

So I am way behind in posting. Jenny's wedding was a lot of fun, great music, and she looked beautiful. I ate more mashed potatoes than I ever thought possible, oh those were so good. The weather could have been better, could have been worse. It was a lot of fun.

Houston was fun. The guys were crazy and good party-ers, and I had some pretty awesome margaritas and fajitas after the investiture. Good times, and it reminded me why I do not always dislike my job.

And today marks the grand finale of GL. I watched this weeks episodes online, and it's very sad. I watched that show pretty consistently for a decade-plus, from 1983ish to 1994ish. I only stopped watching after the debacle of a break-up between Roger and Holly. But I'd turn in over the years, see the Marian Crane saga or bits and pieces of Phillip and Beth or Matt & Vanessa. This is a sad day. It was neat seeing the faces from the past that popped up this week, Bridget and Bridget and Nola and Mindy and nuMichelle and Fletcher and Holly and Ed and all those other characters that made the show so awesome to watch in its prime 17, 18 years ago, at least its prime for my generation. Some touching tributes showed up online. It's amazing that so many posters have kept up with the show for decades. Life and growing older and just general disappointment have prevented me from becoming one of them.

From my perspective, these last shows have been pretty well done. The little tips toward history...Phillip's writing and Beth's art (I remember that!), Fletcher & Alex's friendship, the mature connection between Ed & Holly, Bridget at the boarding house, all of that....reminds me of watching so many years ago.

TV Guide Canada ranked some of the actors/actresses/couples. I mostly agree. I'd have Harley & Mallet in my top love stories, with Roger & Holly #1. And I'd have David's trial to Harley & Mallet's wedding in my top storyline list. And the R&H cliff house scenes. Rachel Miner deserves to be among the best actresses.

More HERE.

Bye GL, and thank you.

Remember

Archival footage from that horrific day eight years ago. God bless the victims, their families and friends, and all of those who have died in the war on terror. And God bless our troops.

Global Warming, A Myth? Shocking!

A skeptical voice at the Washington Post on global warming! Wow!

Remembering

I will never forget the morning of September 11, with the beautiful blue sky, the sun shining, the absolutely clearness and beauty of a late summer day. I remember chattering about U2 concerts and a recent trip to Florida and absolutely nothing of any relevance that morning. It is hard to believe it has already been eight years now, since that pre-September 11 mindset kicked in.

I remember sitting at my desk, Doug coming in and telling me that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I remember clicking on ABCnews.com, that graphic struggling to upload of a picture of a tiny plane hitting a tall tower. I remember turning on the radio, hearing the crazy rumors of car bombs on the mall and Rosslyn on fire. I remember Jenny scared about her friends' siblings in NYC, and I remember wondering why in the hell Steve was not answering his phone. I remember that rush of a crowd, every man and woman for themselves, going in no particular direction and talking to no particular person. It was the last time I was without a cell phone. I remember getting the news about Barbara, and I remember sitting outside at Laurial Plaza with that eclectic group of people, just wondering what in the hell was going on and why there were armed men patrolling the streets. And I remember wearing the same dress I wore to my college graduation and have never worn since, though I will always keep it. I remember a lot from that day.

Eight years ago today, the world was captivated by shallow things that don't really seem to matter much in the greater scheme of things. It's a miracle, but not one unaffected by the work of the Bush Administration, that there were no further attacks in the interim.

It seems strange to be celebrating a wedding this weekend, but life and love do go on and endure in a way that befits that date. Terrorists don't win these games. But gosh, it is still so hard to let a summer day mesmerize you in September and NOT think of that September 11. I am glad it is cloudy, and it might rain today. I am glad it is cool and not that perfect late-summer temperature. And I am glad that so many people part of my life that day are still part of my life. Very lucky and blessed, indeed. More later...

RIP GL

From the Wall Street Journal.

At a "Guiding Light" costume sale this summer, cast members could purchase the clothes they wore on the show. Elizabeth Keifer, who has played redheaded vixen Blake Marler since 1992, bought the sparkly, gun-metal silver wedding dress she married her mother's boyfriend Ross Marler in 15 years ago, before she gave birth to twins by different fathers. (The DNA Diagnostics Center in Fairfield, Ohio, says the condition, known as heteropaternal superfecundation, is possible. The center periodically receives calls from soap opera writers asking this question, a spokesman says.)

I remember that wedding...one of the last highlights of GL before I quit watching. The break-up of Roger & Holly was the nail in the coffin. But of course, I remember the Josh & Reva saga, Sonni/Solita, Harley & Mallet, Dylan & Bridget & baby Peter, the four Musketeers, Lujack, Ed & Maureen, Little Billy and Michelle, David's trial and Kat and Gilly & Hamp, the blackout, and everything from circa 1993. Bye GL.

Happy News!

Congrats to W&C on the week-delayed birth of our new nephew! Lots of love to the west coast this morning!

First sad news...

God bless Ernie Harwell, the iconic voice of the Detroit Tigers. Prayers with him as he battles cancer.

Strangely, I was thinking/dreaming of Tigers baseball last night. Every bit as big of a part of Detroit--the Tigers are interchangeable with Ernie--as anything is.

A quiet weekend!

It was a quiet weekend, cooked mussels and shrimp. Ran 7 miles on the treadmill on Saturday, and 5.4 miles outside yesterday. And it's gorgeous out now...70 degrees, very Fall-like. Yeah!

I saw two movies, He's Just Not That Into You and finally, three years late, The Devil Wears Prada. Yes, two totally chick movies, since the boy was at work. I enjoyed them both. I could relate to Jennifer Aniston's character, dating seven years!, quite a bit :-) And I definitely saw some of L's assistants in the Anne Hathaway character Andrea.

Hopefully this will be a quiet week, leading to another relaxing weekend. Monday is off to not a bad start. Yum, I'm a big fan of the peanut butter cookie larabar. I will have to stock up. I've never understood the fascination with bars, but this one tastes good and is a better snack than my Lance Whole Grain sharp cheddar crackers, though they are both tasty.

I cannot believe it is already August 31; the summer has flown by, although it's not Labor Day yet for an entire week. I love the turn to more fall-like temperatures here, but I'm sad that it gets dark so much earlier and my great evening outdoor runs are coming to an end soon. I should try to get up earlier, but I can't.

Recent Reviews

So I've actually been reading and seeing a couple of movies lately:

• Julie and Julia...both the film and the book. I marginally liked the movie lately, if only because the protagonist author seemed so unlikeable to me. (Plus the gratuitous slams at Republicans irked me!!!) But I loved the film about cooking, Meryl Streep was fantastic, and it was nice to read a happy book about happily married couples. Rare in Hollywood, and in print. The book did a better job at setting the post 9/11 stage, the angst at turning 30, and the desire to do something memorable.
  
• I read The Middle Place, mostly at the DMV. It was a funny, relateable memoir, and it made you think that cancer can happen, bad things can happen, but you can survive.
  
• Having missed Star Trek thanks to United Airlines, I did see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past enroute home. It was a fun movie, I really thought Jennifer Garner looked beautiful, and Matthew McConaughey was perfectly cast. It helped that portion of the trip go by much more quickly.
• I started the American Sphinx book, but took a short break from it. I'm going to finish that before starting Steve Hayward's Age of Reagan Part Deaux.
  

The Last Ten Days

Sooo....the last ten days in a nutshell:

• Met mom and dad, and we went to he Argonaut. Calamari and burger.
• Someone ran into S's car.
• Walked around the mall for 5 miles, saw the renovated American History Museum, finally. Then Granville Moore's.
  
• Went to Woodlawn, the home of Nelly Custis.
• Went to George Mason's home, Gunston Hall.
• Made sea bass.
• Dropped mom & dad at the airport, got car inspected, got paperwork signed for S.
• DMV day!!!!
• Las Vegas. Plane left late on Wednesday, and Star Trek did not work. So I finally got in at 3:30 am on Thursday, east coast time. Stayed at Bally's.
  
• Hung out at the pool, and then went to see the Beatles Cirque du Soleil.
  
• Then, the infamous party bus, with the diverse group of 50 somethings, 40 somethings, 30 somethings, and the 21 year olds.
  
• The next day started with a facial (and a warning about eye lines), followed by browsing and the bachelorette festivities. Dinner at CatHouse in the Luxor. I will never forget Thunder from Down Under at the Excalibur. Then Voodoo Lounge at Rio, which I did not enjoy very much.
  
• Saturday was blah. I should have gone home. We didn't do very much, though dinner at Ah Sin was an experience. And great conversation with C about football!! I will never get so many "free" things again. Then we traipsed to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then watched the fountain show at Bellagio.
  
• Then home, though not without a "missed" connection. That Wolfgang Puck spinach, goat cheese, and mushroom pizza, not to mention the Sammy and good conversation with Jen, got me through, until I finally arrived home after midnight.

The end?? Eh. I had a good time hanging out with the girls, though I wished I had seen J more. Oh, well. Back to the grind.

Timely

After my recent visits to the marriage bureau and Social Security, this is timely.

About 70% of Americans agree, either somewhat or strongly, that it's beneficial for women to take her husband's last name when they marry, while 29% say it's better for women to keep their own names, finds a study being presented today at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting in San Francisco.

I've been more lazy, rather than passionate, in the now year-plus it's taken me to change names. I am not opposed to it, but I'm no where near the camp that 50% think a woman should be forced to take their husband's name. I'm not agnostic...I think it makes a lot more sense if you have children, and I think it makes sense to signal to society that you are a couple, a family. But no way would I ever require it.

Self Hypocrisy

So the recent Self magazine covershot of Kelly Clarkson looking a size 6, when she is more like a size 12, has been generating lots of controversy. Self editor Lucy Danziger wrote one of the most hypocritical responses I can recall, basically saying it's ok to airbrush, it makes things honest. She even revealed she air-brushed herself after she ran a marathon!!

Her idiocy:

Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best. Did we publish an act of fiction? No. Not unless you think all photos are that. But in the sense that Kelly is the picture of confidence, and she truly is, then I think this photo is the truest we have ever put out there on the newsstand.

Here was my comment:

I find this response to be completely hypocritical. And I am disgusted to hear you would admit to being retouched after running a marathon. How vain are you???? There is a stark difference between slimming yourself down for a photo to appear in a national magazine and choosing a more flattering shot for a Christmas photo. There is also a difference between smoothing a wrinkle in a blouse and shaving off arm flab or other unwanted fat. As a woman in her 30s, I feel secure about my body. But many of your readers don't, and many young women don't. You admit that the cover has to sell magazines. You've basically conceded someone a bit plump won't. What kind of message does that send about "being your best self?" I am seriously considering not renewing my subscription because I have lost all respect for the editors of this magazine.

I hope someone loses their job over this. You should not edit a woman's magazine, devoted to being your best self, if you are this condescending and dishonest.

Books

I just finished A Magnificent Catastrophe on the 1800 election. It was a quick read, and a pretty fascinating one, of the first real presidential "campaign," and it truly exposed how vitriolic those races were, even 200+ years ago. Jefferson and Adams, who lived such parallel lives, until they died on the same day, are both fascinating men. I'm looking forward to reading American Sphinx next, on my current kick of reading about the founding fathers. I go back and forth between my favorite, though it certainly is not Jefferson, who seemed like such a hypocrite at times. Hamilton was selfish, impulsive, and deserves more than his share of blame for Adams loss. Adams was stubborn, but he really deserves a great deal of credit for his inspiration and conviction at that time. I think both he and Jefferson partially redeemed some of their less than admirable qualities through the letters they shared in the last decades of their lives. I guess ultimately, Washington was the most noble, though in some way he seemed the least "bright" in the intellectual sense. But his honor, foresight, and his courage really seemed to be the guiding light of the founding brothers. A few have suggested it was Benjamin Franklin who was the wisest of them all, but I need to read up on him. Anyway, I enjoyed the book, its exploration of the role of belief vs. deism, the crucial roles a couple of states played (PA, NY, SC, Delaware), and how absolutely vindictive the press and certain candidates were. And I guess I should say my least favorite of them all is Aaron Burr. I have yet to read of a redeeming trait he possessed!

Fun Weekend

We had a nice weekend with friends. Jenny's shower was on Saturday morning, and then we had the group over for fajitas Saturday night. It was great to see PK again, and his month back "home" has gone by too quickly. He came over again last night for croaker tacos after the boys went to see the Real Madrid/DC United game. I went to see Julie & Julia which was mostly terrific. Meryl Streep was SO Julia Child, and her marriage with Paul was just happy and sweet and endearing. It definitely made me a bigger fan of her. The Julia character grew to be annoying after a bit--narcissistic and self-absorbed. But I'm still going to read the book, just for the cooking/foodie part! And it was nice to see a feel-good movie, with (mostly) likeable characters, as opposed to violent, unhappy, depressing flicks. It was a nice afternoon, followed by a trip to Target. But sheesh, I spent a lot of $$ this weekend! And I still need a Vegas outfit.

Who Killed Detroit: Another Take

This Freep piece links to an article by David Frum, who offers yet another hypothesis as to who or what killed the city of Detroit. Beyond the obvious, race relations and "the city’s defiant rejection of education and the arts" is cited.

A city that celebrated industrial culture spurned high culture. The Detroit Institute of Arts is very nice. But it does not begin to compare to Cleveland’s museum, let alone the Art Institute of Chicago. Detroit has a symphony orchestra, but its history has been troubled and unstoried in comparison to Philadelphia’s or Cleveland’s. On the plaza in front of the Detroit municipal building is a huge bronze replica of Joe Louis’ fist and arm, as if to say: “Here is a city ruled by brawn.” Brawn counts for very little in the modern world. The earnest redevelopers who hoped to renew Detroit by razing its history instead destroyed the raw materials out of which urban renaissance has come to so so many other American downtowns. A couple of days after I returned from Detroit, I telephoned a friend who had lived and worked in the city for many years. My friend, it’s relevant to mention, is the son of an Irish cop, ardently Catholic and defiantly conservative. Why did Chicago recover and Detroit fail, I asked. What doomed the city? He thought for a moment. “Not enough gays.”

Detroit confirms the lessons taught by Jane Jacobs and Russell Kirk. Preservation is as vital to urban health as renovation. Indeed, they are inseparable. The preservation of the old incubates the new.

Not sure I fully agree. I agree somewhat. Downtowns thrive because there is culture, and arts, and music, and a reason to voyage out of the safe but boring suburbs to venture out of your safety zone. Downtowns exist if there is shopping. And sport--and Detroit has the Lions and Tigers and Wings, and once upon a time, the Pistons. They exist with fantastic restaurants, Polish food and Mexican food and Greek food and Eastern market and produce stands. They exist because there are fantastic summer festivals, and parks like Belle Isle and Boblo. They exist because of the Grand Prix and the freedom festival fireworks, when those aren't being tarnished because of videotaped beatings. They exist because people feel safe to wander, to duck into hidden diners and wander into art museums because you can walk. They exist because the music--the Motown music--is culture that is every bit as important. And yes, the DIA is fantastic, with its Diego Rivera murals and its Egyptian mummies.

They exist because after the riots, things are rebuilt. Trends are identified and captured into miniature golf courses or tasty mussels or great thrift stores or used book marts.

They exist because families of five from the 'burbs can venture side by side with city families, and not just those headed by a single mom of five with four baby-daddies.

And this:

As the white working class departed, Detroit became a black-majority city, governed by a deeply aggrieved and flagrantly corrupt political class. Political dysfunction spiraled the city into another cycle of dissolution and abandonment — and the abandonment in turn provided the politicians with fresh grievances.

There were primary elections in Detroit earlier this week, and the top candidates seem to be decent. No Monica Conyers or Kwames among them. Not teriffic candidates, or politically diverse candidates. But a far better group than in the past. No Coleman Youngs. Not "hit Eight Mile."

[I]ndustry’s demand for unskilled labor would first cease to grow, then diminish, then disappear. For many migrants, the promised land soon proved a mirage. Or maybe worse than a mirage. If the promised land did not yield the hoped-for industrial jobs, it offered something else: generous new welfare programs, the ashy false fruit of urban liberalism. The children of the parents who accepted the fruit grew into the criminals who drove first the middle class and then the working class out of the downtown and then altogether out of the city.

The worse of liberalism, not the best of liberalism (and I mean small l liberalism, not big L), thrived in Detroit. And continues to thrive. It sent away my dad and my aunt, and it sent away us. What remains are only those who can't leave.

I'm not ready to completely give up on Detroit. That's why I pick over those pieces of those who visit and ponder and question why. But the Frum piece is incomplete. Perhaps if I could, I'd come up with my own hypothesis. It would begin, and end, with the riots, and white flight, and the horrid education system, and broken families, and corrupt, racist governance. It would rise again because of its food and music and a halt to decades of deterioration. And because a younger generation was given a reason to stay, and not just more handouts. Cash for a clunker?

Our neighbor said something last night, about not needing to go abroad to serve in a Peace Corps. There are cities and neighborhoods where young, idealistic kids can go here to create renewal. I wish I had that kind of heart. Maybe someday. Instead I'll keep rooting for it.

This nails it...

A good column by Howard Kurtz on Clunkers for Cash and health care reform...

I may be in the minority, but how can the administration declare the clunkers program a success when a billion-dollar effort that was supposed to last till November ran out of money in five days? Isn't that a pretty spectacular miscalculation?

Also, isn't it apparent that the $4,500 payments for older gas-guzzlers was extremely generous? That's a huge chunk of change to spur people who probably would have bought a new car eventually anyway. It's a nice short-term boost for the auto industry, and a small boost for fuel efficiency, but is it worth the additional $2 billion that the Senate seems inclined to join the House in approving? Does it further the impression that the administration is just shoveling money out the door?

There was no single day when the Gang of 500 got together and declared health care to be in trouble, but the White House is clearly on the defensive as Congress decamps for August. In retrospect, Obama failed to focus sufficient attention on the what's-in-it-for-me question for the majority of Americans with insurance. Given the sweep and complexity of the proposals, many folks are skeptical of Obama's assurances that their coverage will remain unchanged. And with a 1,000-page bill that the Democrats haven't figured out how to pay for, the whole thing is vulnerable to attacks and distortions, on lots of sections and sub-sections.

I predict that Obamacare will end up the same as Hillarycare: DOA. And I hope the other result, bye-bye Democratic Congress, will happen, too.

And it's not a quite what's in it for me, phenomenon, either. It's a this is completely stupid to be throwing away so much money and go further into debt and then eventually raise taxes, thing.

More Scary Obama Policies

Powerful piece in the WSJ this morning regarding the Obama Administration acquiescing to shoe-bomber Richard Reid's ridiculous free speech/religion demands.

Mr. Obama has repeatedly suggested that the security challenge of bringing more than 100 trained and dangerous terrorists onto U.S. soil can be solved by simply installing them in an impenetrable fortress. This view is either disingenuous or naïve. The militant Islamists at Guantanamo too dangerous to release believe that their resistance behind the wire is a continuation of holy war. There is every reason to believe they will continue their jihad once they have been transported to U.S. soil where certain federal judges have signaled a willingness to confer upon them even more rights.

The position of civil rights activists with regard to these prisoners is plain. “If they cannot be convicted,” says ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer, “then you release them.”

Meanwhile, in order to appease political constituencies both here and abroad, the Obama administration is moving full steam ahead, operating on the false premise that giving more civil liberties to religious fanatics bent on destroying Western civilization will make a difference in the Muslim world. In a letter sent to his father as he began his hunger strike, Reid provided a preview of how he will exercise his newly enlarged free speech rights, calling Mr. Obama a “hypocrite” who is “no better than George Bush.” His lawsuit remains active while the Department of Justice works out a settlement that satisfies the man who declared, “I am at war with America.”

Obama can't decide what to do with Gitmo, first wanting it close, and then basically following President Bush's policy. He lets the human rights for terrorists lobby decide for him, but he needles his way through the policy to create just enough of a loophole so he couldn't be held accountable if, God forbid, there is another attack on this country. It's been eight years since 9/11, but I don't think for a second that the possible for another one has evaporated in those years. Yes, thanks to President Bush and his policies, we haven't had another attack on our soil. But I'm afraid if the rights of these evil men are placed above those of the rest of us, the chances of another one will only increase.

Best U2 Songs

Inspired by that last post....in no particular order

Mysterious Ways
One
Who's Going to Ride Your Wild Horses?
The Fly
Walk On
With or Without You
Where the Streets Have No Name
Faraway so Close
Lemon
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Bad
Beautiful Day
All I Want is You

Best R.E.M. Songs

Two lists:

Paste
Pop Candy

I'd go with Near Wild Heaven, Half a World Away, Belong, Country Feedback, Losing My Religion (and I never used to get that CD!), Sidewinder, Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, Pretty Persuasion, Begin the Begin, Fall on Me, Finest Worksong, Driver 8, Try Not to Breathe...I need to think about it more!

Ten Things Going On Part II

1. Happy Birthday to my mom!!
2. I need to spend my $5 of borders bucks soon, and I'm not sure what to spend it on...I am reading A Magnificent Catastrophe. I finished Founding Brothers and Upstream, finally, in the last couple of weeks.
3. I need to get my snapfish pictures framed, finally!
4. I need to use my Gap 30% coupon on Thursday for new clothes!
5. Figure out the Vegas trip plans. Buy a new outfit to wear there, not get too stressed about J's shower, and try to have a good time.
6. Figure out when to do the car inspection.
7. Beat Steve's wordmole record!! Grrrr....
8. Buy an anniversary card!
9. Pack for Chincoteague!
10. Celebrate a year of wedded bliss!

Some Fun Detroit Facts

Read HERE.

Not so sure about the sold-out Ford Field games these days, but no doubt that Detroit is one of the best sports towns in the country. With so much bad, you gotta have some good in there, too.

Bankrupt

Detroit public schools are just about bankrupt.

Behind DPS's predicament are many of the same problems that have haunted the city's auto industry for years: excess capacity, high labor and pension costs, fleeing customers, ineffective management, outside competition and -- except for a handful of respected programs -- a reputation for low quality.

Even after millions of dollars in budget cuts in the spring, including 29 school closings and thousands of layoffs, the district started the fiscal year this month with a $259 million deficit. To meet payroll and pension obligations, the district has had to seek advances on state funding and other stopgap measures.

DPS's enrollment -- which largely determines its allotment of state funding -- is about half what it was in 2001, as suburban districts and charter schools have siphoned off tens of thousands of students. By this fall, DPS will have 172 schools open and more than 100 vacant. Meanwhile, the high-school-graduation rate is 58%; coupled with the enrollment losses, only about one-quarter of students who start high school in the district graduate from it in four years, according to outside estimates.

But DPS's problems go beyond the type that sank GM and Chrysler. Wide-scale corruption has depleted district coffers, which held a $103.6 million surplus as recently as 2002. In June, Mr. Bobb's new team of forensic accountants found DPS paychecks going to 257 "ghost" employees who have yet to be accounted for. A separate Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in May led to the indictment of a former payroll manager and another former employee on charges of bilking the district out of about $400,000 over four years.

How telling is this: enrollment has dropped nearly in half this decade: from 159,000 to a projected 83,000 in 2010. Between ghost employees, drop-outs, economic devastation, a mayor who was just in jail, a former city council president who is heading to jail, and a myriad of other problems, I'm not surprised that Detroit public schools rival the auto companies for most incompetent local business. But these schools, described as a "national disgrace" by Arne Duncan, can't just be eradicated because of the unions. Too bad the entire system can't be scraped in favor of universal charter schools or school choice. But no one is really to go that far for change.

Concert

Last night we went to see Elizabeth & the Catapult and Greg Laswell at the Rock & Roll Hotel. E&C was a lot of fun, and I really adore her song Taller People. It's anti/pro greedy Wall Street, and it sets a good tone for the times. Laswell was eh; I was actually a bit disappointed. Maybe I sensed a lack of energy? I don't know...I think I like the CD much better. But I like the Rock & Roll hotel, the venue is a smaller 9:30 Club, and it's nice to be able to walk a couple blocks home afterwards. And to hit Argonaut beforehand.

Amazing Statistics

By year's end, Michigan is expected to have lost 950,000 jobs since 2000, or 20.3 percent of its workforce, according to a recent University of Michigan report, largely because of dramatic restructuring in the U.S. auto industry. Per-capita income in Michigan has fallen from 16th to 33rd over the same period. In the first quarter this year, 10.4 percent of all Michigan mortgages were past due -- the fourth highest of any state.

More on Obama's visit here.

So we pay their mortgages, their college education, and then what: their food bills (food stamps)? Clothes? Cable? Internet? It never ends...

12:34:56 on 7/8/09

Cool fact...in a minute, it will be 12:34:56 on 7/8/09. Cool, huh? Once in a century!

Been a busy house-guest filled week. Not sure what the plans are for tonight, but they do involve going out. I guess. We survived the Fourth of July and some major awkwardness with a poorly planned BBQ. I need to be more outspoken, not rude exactly, but more direct about what I want to do or don't want to do. My avoidance of conflict is not a quality trait at times. I will say the panoramic views of the city with the individual fireworks was absolutely amazing. Love Independence Day.

I am enjoying these things, though:

--the new blackberry and wordmole
--the Gomez CD, which I downloaded for an Amazon bargain!
--Beth's big salads
--Fitting in a few quality workouts
--The mild-ish summer we're enjoying. Liking the 80 degree days!!
--that coverage of the Michael Jackson passing is, no pun intended, going to be dying about it now that his memorial service occurred. His beautiful, loving, eloquent daughter Paris is quite the tribute to him and how he seemed to be a pretty good dad. Hopefully he will be allowed to rest in peace, despite the fact that the media is still prying in to all of his affairs.

Over-Traveled

After a trip involving delayed flights (for maintenance, weather, crew rest, and heat), a nearly missed connection, and lost luggage, I think Steve and I are both a bit a bit road weary from traveling. Him even more so. We did have a nice time in Texas, eating and drinking way too much and enjoying Wendy's baby shower. We're very excited about our new nephew!

Last week was one of those weeks when the world was too much with us...the horrible metro accident; the Sanford affair; the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett; and most shockingly of Michael Jackson. Thriller was the first record I remember...the music, the moonwalk, the style, the King of Pop. It was very defining of the 1980s. The only other artist of such resonance for me at 8ish was Madonna. Through the years, I've certainly grown to appreciate others, but in terms of the cultural significance of that time, MJ was it. His later years and quirkiness/oddness/peculiarity or whatever words you'd use to describe his eccentricity defined him, but circa 1983 or 1984, he was the man. RIP.

Republicans Are Morons

UGH.

From tragic to idiotic. The Fix column pretty much says it all: dishonest with constituents and staff, an ongoing affair, possible misuse of state funds, "the cover-up is worse than the crime," etc. etc. Republicans can't get it together. Ensign is having an affair. Governor Sanford is screwing around and lying about it, and it gets worse. And his wife and father-in-law knew? I mean, come on. What the hell are you thinking???

Well, at least Ensign can breathe the sigh of relief, that he isn't the latest Republican who is having an affair.

Maybe this should be a new feature. What the hell??

Horrible

Horrific tragedy today, with at least six dead in a metro crash near Fort Tottem/Takoma Park. Red line, which is "my" line on the metro, though I would never go that far.

I read a remark, at how sad it is, that people were waiting at home for these commuters. Families waiting for their mom or dad to come home, their roommate to come home. And they never made it home.

Prayers for all affected, and hopes that this is nothing more than a tragic accident. After living through 9/11 here, you never know.

Good Run

I had a glorious 6+ mile run last night. It was the perfect combination of nice weather, a little bit of rainy mist, a 2pm coffee, and just general energy. I could probably repeat those conditions and maybe have that same run. But days without high humidity are getting rarer in DC, so I will appreciate those fantastic workouts when I can have them. I'm sure I'd be lucky to knock out a 5K today.

But DC is a fantastic place to run. I went down Maryland to 6th to North Carolina, to Penn and then around the capitol all the way down the mall to 14th Street. Running home into the wind, there is nothing like seeing the capitol to give you some energy.

I guess S's comment about how much tougher it is to run at 25 as opposed to 21 or 22 also propelled me. Poor thing. When you're only competing your marathon in 3 1/2 hours, I'll be really feeling bad for you!!

Better than Ezra

For the first time in eons, I went to a concert last night. Better than Ezra was playing with Tyrone Wells at the 9:30 Club. I've definitely lost track of how many times I've seen them--five? Maybe six?

It was a great show. We started at Vinoteca for some malbec and some sliders, than on to the Club. I forgot what it was like to be on the floor and how packed/crazy it gets. Tyrone Wells was good--his song More is in the trailer for My Brother's Keeper. BTE of course rocked it. I am negligent in getting their new CD, though I've listed to Absolutely Still at least a dozen times. They played most of my faves...Lifetime, Good, In The Blood, Desperately Wanting, Sincerely Me, Porcelain, At the Stars, Rosealia, Extra Ordinary, Misunderstood, King of New Orleans, Porcelain, Juicy. New stuff too. I think that's all...closing with the Blur Song 2 and In The Blood completed the show for me. Good stuff. I would have preferred a few other oldies but goodies...maybe Daylight or Rewind or WWOZ or Allison Foley or Under You or Live Again or Happy Day Mama. But no complaints. It was a solid show, as always. Not the best I've seen them--the first time was best, still--but very enjoyable.

But I need to go to more concerts!

Michigan & the Knowledge Economy

Great piece in the WSJ today about Michigan & the knowledge economy.

At a groundbreaking ceremony for a road project in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday, Mr. Biden joined Democratic leaders from Gov. Jennifer Granholm to Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow in suggesting that prosperity is around the corner. The federal government, he said, was doing all it could to help Michigan "lead us into the 21st century like you did in the 20th century."

Doesn't this say it all? Hey, maybe Steve is right and there is a role for government in stimulating the economy, or at least in promoting innovation. But I somehow don't think this is the same thing. Honestly, the federal government's solution is to throw money at a problem and hope that it gets spent wisely. Manufacturing and its 20th century model isn't going to help the state create jobs like it did even twenty years ago. College grads leave the state or search for opportunities that spur growth, both in the economy and in their careers.

The larger point is that what the middle class needs more than anything else is an economy where employers have to compete for their labor. The more open a state's economy is to investment and entrepreneurship, the more employers there will be. And the more education a state's citizens have, the more advanced the industries they can support.

Michigan needs to create reasons for its college graduates to stay. Kevin is an exception, and he found one of the few opportunities where technology and innovation is at the forefront. But the federal government isn't doing that. What's going to happen once the federal roads are built? Where do those workers go? Kevin's not hiring them. The stimulus money will be spent, invested in roads and infrastructure. It needs to be invested in workers.

Good Weekend

We had a nice weekend, in town (with the exception of my postponed haircut!). We met up with Adam for a drink on Friday night, followed by dinner at Granville Moore's. Yum, such good beer and frites and mussels!!! Saturday was a good interval workout, Target, pick-up the boy to get his car detailed, bowling!!!, Whole Foods, and then a fun evening with Liz and Mary. And Sunday was brunch with the GMU girls, a bad outdoor workout, and Giada's shrimp fra diavolo. Yum. Not to mention a lot of scrabble! I didn't get everything accomplished, but it was worthwhile. And this week is BTE and some more time with friends. What more can a girl ask for?

OK, so I can think of a few things...I did order the new nine west watermelon purse. I just wanted to buy something. I desperately need work clothes so that will need to be taken care of. Just 4 1/2 more work days til Friday....Sigh.

Write Right

So we are in the middle of junior employee hiring season here, with four vacancies. One was filled about 24 hours after it was opened to a 2009 grad. The decision was swift, smooth, and seamless. I think. Her writing sample was horrid, and if anyone had bothered to read it, should have made this decision a little less seamless. Ugh. Grammatical mistakes throughout, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, the misuse of commas, etc. etc. All of my pet peeves about writing in one ten page document. Not to mention overuse of citations from Time and PBS.

I've ranted somewhere on this page about the Generation Y problem. The cockiness, the arrogance, the "I'm better and smarter than you" issue. And if someone thinks it is acceptable to submit a paper she probably received an A on, promptly received a job offer, and no one seemed the wiser, then you can see how one develops an attitude like this.

Well, I don't want to be one that says "I told you so." And I hope I am wrong. But in this case, I don't think I am. If you can't have a flawless, or at least grammatically coherent, writing sample (and this does not even get into the issue of her thesis, which had no logic or coherence to it), the one thing you use as the primo example of why you should be hired, then what does that say about your abilities, judgment, and skill set???

Fifteen Years Later

On May 22, I celebrated my fifteen-year anniversary of high school graduation. It's funny because I don't remember very much from that day. I do remember wearing the white gown and cap, delivering a speech, that dress I wore, saying good-bye to friends and star girls and being very, very excited to be done with high school. In facebooking, there's this tendency to be very nostalgic and have all sorts of fond memories of school, like everything was wonderful and you were all such tight friends back then and there weren't crappy days or lonely days or days when you just wanted to be on your own, starting over in a new city far, far away from Detroit. Fifteen years later, you are the same person with the same regrets and the same memories but clouded by years of other stuff. You view those days through the lens of a 33 year old, with a bit of nostalgia despite it all. I think it's because you hear about Gossip Girls-esque shows where high school seems so wonderful and glamorous and money and grades and introversion and social sophistication don't seem to mean anything. You weren't terribly lonely or lacking a boyfriend or drawn in some insular world of television and dreams and wondering where life would lead you.

The curiousity about where and what some girls are up to is gone now, for some. I think the same feelings of insecurity, and of not living up to potential, and not being socially sophisticated linger. But other things, good things, happier things exist, and I can't ever wish to go back to being 18. I'm happier being 33, with a job (even this one), and a home and a husband. And friends, real ones, not ghosts on a webpage. I enjoy the here and now so much more.