But I found a version that puts the whole interview in its appropriate context. I especially liked the part at the beginning of the proclamation when she "deem[s] this fowl creature worthy of a pardon".
Fowl. Foul. Get it? Hee.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
You Know...
I was going to go off on a rant about the latest asinine comments coming out of the Vatican via the mouth of Cardinal Stafford, but I don't have enough energy to give it the proper take down it deserves.
Except to say that describing President-Elect Obama as "apocalyptic" is about as loud of a dog whistle as I have heard coming out of the church in a long time.
Except to say that describing President-Elect Obama as "apocalyptic" is about as loud of a dog whistle as I have heard coming out of the church in a long time.
Monday, November 17, 2008
I Cave
And go vain for one post. Because I've got nothing else to talk about right now. The temperature went from sixty to thirty overnight and there is snow on the ground.
I intentionally went shopping in a mall on Sunday. One of those old fashioned enclosed structures that sells overpriced goods and services. I was lured. Because this was no ordinary mall. This was the mall of high end shops extraordinaire. Nordstrom's, Kate Spade, Burberry and Tiffany's. Yes, a Tiffany's in a suburban Pittsburgh mall!
It was the promise of a merino and model blend sweater (on sale!) from Martin + Osa, and a well fitting undergarment (most emphatically not on sale) from Nordstrom's that lured me in. The scent of fresh Louie Vuitton leather, a comfortable overpriced beanbag chair from LoveSac (The BigOne is large enough to use as a bed), the sparkling diamonds at Tiffany's.
I tried on clothes. I wandered. I spent too much money on unmentionables. I resisted Godiva chocolates and factory cheesecake. It felt like a vacation.
It was a vacation of sorts, as I try to spend as little time as possible in malls. I exclude the cutting of my hair at a Regis salon in the mall near my home because A. I get my hair cut far less often then the industry standard of every six weeks, B. Regis is less expensive then the majority of independent stylists in the Pittsburgh area and C. I've had my hair done at Regis salons in cities all over the United States and had a positive experience at every single one of them. Which I can not say about a certain Pittsburgh based chain who consistently and without fail butchered my hair every single time I visited. The final straw cut was so awful that I walked into a Regis the next day and paid full price for a stylist to fix it.
And when I was finished, I got in my car and drove across town during the Steelers game. Because as any self-respecting resident of this city knows, the best time to go anywhere in the city and get there quickly is during a Steelers home game. Although a true Pittsburgh resident would not be running errands. They would be glued to their television or freezing in their nosebleed seats at Heinz Field.
I intentionally went shopping in a mall on Sunday. One of those old fashioned enclosed structures that sells overpriced goods and services. I was lured. Because this was no ordinary mall. This was the mall of high end shops extraordinaire. Nordstrom's, Kate Spade, Burberry and Tiffany's. Yes, a Tiffany's in a suburban Pittsburgh mall!
It was the promise of a merino and model blend sweater (on sale!) from Martin + Osa, and a well fitting undergarment (most emphatically not on sale) from Nordstrom's that lured me in. The scent of fresh Louie Vuitton leather, a comfortable overpriced beanbag chair from LoveSac (The BigOne is large enough to use as a bed), the sparkling diamonds at Tiffany's.
I tried on clothes. I wandered. I spent too much money on unmentionables. I resisted Godiva chocolates and factory cheesecake. It felt like a vacation.
It was a vacation of sorts, as I try to spend as little time as possible in malls. I exclude the cutting of my hair at a Regis salon in the mall near my home because A. I get my hair cut far less often then the industry standard of every six weeks, B. Regis is less expensive then the majority of independent stylists in the Pittsburgh area and C. I've had my hair done at Regis salons in cities all over the United States and had a positive experience at every single one of them. Which I can not say about a certain Pittsburgh based chain who consistently and without fail butchered my hair every single time I visited. The final straw cut was so awful that I walked into a Regis the next day and paid full price for a stylist to fix it.
And when I was finished, I got in my car and drove across town during the Steelers game. Because as any self-respecting resident of this city knows, the best time to go anywhere in the city and get there quickly is during a Steelers home game. Although a true Pittsburgh resident would not be running errands. They would be glued to their television or freezing in their nosebleed seats at Heinz Field.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
David Byrne as Minor Deity and the Cat Came Back
I say upfront that my ability to form coherent, interesting sentences seems to have taken a holiday with the last round of viruses. I hope for the return of my full facilities soon, as this odd feeling of dullness is becoming an irritant in my life. I can not seem to create or comprehend the world around me.
J and I went to see David Byrne at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on Friday night. We stopped to have a drink at the Panther Hollow Inn, half a sandwich at Camille's and a short stroll through the neighborhood before the show.
Stopping at PHI was a bad idea. As the majority of PHI's sales are in the form of stiff drinks and beer, smoking is not only permitted (due to an exception in the law), it is actively encouraged. Unfortunately this last round of virus', which started with a case of food poisoning and evolved into step throat + a massive sinus infection with a finish of bronchitis have lowered my tolerance for cigarette smoke to z.e.r.o. As I have spent the better part of the last four weeks at home, forgoing the gym, outings with friends and hockey games, I'm not very keen (what a quaint word, "keen") to be sick again anytime soon. My list of tolerable venues grows ever shorter as an increasing number of bars and restaurants in the Pittsburgh area apply for an exception to the smoking ban.
Bah.
We wandered briefly around Oakland. It was warm and the streets were crowded with students and fellow concert goers. The city is celebrating it's 250 Anniversary with a Festival of Lights and some prominent Oakland buildings were lit with abstract designs and film of wild animals in hotel rooms. On our way to the hall a couple asked us for directions and I resisted the impulse to send them to the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead instead. Submitting to my better angel did little to aid the large number of attendees who confused the two venues and arrived after the show was well underway. Late enough for Byrne, to note their arrival in between songs.
David Byrne as minor deity, attired in white shirt, white pants and white shoes to match his toned down (but still slightly flamboyant) white pompadour hair. The band, backup singers and dancers were also dressed completely in white, which lent an on-vacation-resort-wear vibe to the evening.
Oakland's Carnegie Music Hall is a tiny, high, tight venue used mostly for lectures. The music reverberated through the hall, filling it with sound without feeling too loud. The temperature rose quickly, from the heat of so many bodies packed so close together and I could see how uncomfortable the band was by the end of the show.
My favorite part was the end, watching the expressions of pleasure and disbelief cross his face as he listened to the applause from the audience, completely in the moment.
As for poor kitty, she is back at home, perfectly healthy (in better health than myself actually) and pain-free after a through cleaning and extraction of her lower left canine tooth, which had a lesion large enough to expose the nerve.
J and I went to see David Byrne at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on Friday night. We stopped to have a drink at the Panther Hollow Inn, half a sandwich at Camille's and a short stroll through the neighborhood before the show.
Stopping at PHI was a bad idea. As the majority of PHI's sales are in the form of stiff drinks and beer, smoking is not only permitted (due to an exception in the law), it is actively encouraged. Unfortunately this last round of virus', which started with a case of food poisoning and evolved into step throat + a massive sinus infection with a finish of bronchitis have lowered my tolerance for cigarette smoke to z.e.r.o. As I have spent the better part of the last four weeks at home, forgoing the gym, outings with friends and hockey games, I'm not very keen (what a quaint word, "keen") to be sick again anytime soon. My list of tolerable venues grows ever shorter as an increasing number of bars and restaurants in the Pittsburgh area apply for an exception to the smoking ban.
Bah.
We wandered briefly around Oakland. It was warm and the streets were crowded with students and fellow concert goers. The city is celebrating it's 250 Anniversary with a Festival of Lights and some prominent Oakland buildings were lit with abstract designs and film of wild animals in hotel rooms. On our way to the hall a couple asked us for directions and I resisted the impulse to send them to the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead instead. Submitting to my better angel did little to aid the large number of attendees who confused the two venues and arrived after the show was well underway. Late enough for Byrne, to note their arrival in between songs.
David Byrne as minor deity, attired in white shirt, white pants and white shoes to match his toned down (but still slightly flamboyant) white pompadour hair. The band, backup singers and dancers were also dressed completely in white, which lent an on-vacation-resort-wear vibe to the evening.
Oakland's Carnegie Music Hall is a tiny, high, tight venue used mostly for lectures. The music reverberated through the hall, filling it with sound without feeling too loud. The temperature rose quickly, from the heat of so many bodies packed so close together and I could see how uncomfortable the band was by the end of the show.
My favorite part was the end, watching the expressions of pleasure and disbelief cross his face as he listened to the applause from the audience, completely in the moment.
As for poor kitty, she is back at home, perfectly healthy (in better health than myself actually) and pain-free after a through cleaning and extraction of her lower left canine tooth, which had a lesion large enough to expose the nerve.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Day After
I'm tired this evening, after staying up until 1:30 am to watch the remaining returns and the speeches. I don't think I have fully processed the enormity of what we, as United States citizens, have achieved by electing Barack Obama as our president.
When I logged into my email this morning I had two messages from non-American friends.
“Congratulations. Well done. Lot of work ahead” one wrote.
“Yes, yes there is” I replied.
I voted in my fifth Presidential election yesterday. J and I woke early and were in line to vote at 6:50 A.M. I passed the time before polls opened entertained by the looks of shock and dismay on the faces of poll workers and voters. They were surprised by the line.
There were three electronic voting machines available for use in my precinct. At 7:00 am the polls opened. At 7:05 one of the three machines broke down. At 7:10 I was at a machine, reading through my options.
I waited a few moments before pressing the vote button at the top of the machine.
Riding the buses into downtown and Squirrel Hill, I saw Obama supporters standing on street corners, holding enormous Obama/Biden 2008 signs and cheering. Cars honked as they passed by. The sun was shining and the spirits of the people out on the street was high for so early in the morning.
I went outside after lunch for a short walk. Instead of tension, the mood was festive, almost holiday-like. Young college students walked the streets proudly sporting I Voted Obama/Biden 2008 stickers.
It was dark when I left work, yet there were even more people out on the street, eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The bus stop was as crowded as I have ever seen it, enough people to fill two buses completely.
Instead of thinking about the election outcome, I thought about the Festival of Lights and wondered if the Cathedral of Learning was lit up. It was not, but the outside of the Carnegie Museum of Art sported a moose wandering across the facade.
Determined to stick to my media blackout plan, I stopped at the gym and went for a swim.
The plan lasted until 10:00 pm. J, curious about the results, pulled up CNN.com and began reading returns and projections to me out loud. Around 11:00 pm the Daily Show called the election for Obama and we switched to CNN to watch the speeches.
And I sat, stunned, until almost 1:30, watching the footage of U.S citizens celebrating in the streets.
Extraordinary.
When I logged into my email this morning I had two messages from non-American friends.
“Congratulations. Well done. Lot of work ahead” one wrote.
“Yes, yes there is” I replied.
I voted in my fifth Presidential election yesterday. J and I woke early and were in line to vote at 6:50 A.M. I passed the time before polls opened entertained by the looks of shock and dismay on the faces of poll workers and voters. They were surprised by the line.
There were three electronic voting machines available for use in my precinct. At 7:00 am the polls opened. At 7:05 one of the three machines broke down. At 7:10 I was at a machine, reading through my options.
I waited a few moments before pressing the vote button at the top of the machine.
Riding the buses into downtown and Squirrel Hill, I saw Obama supporters standing on street corners, holding enormous Obama/Biden 2008 signs and cheering. Cars honked as they passed by. The sun was shining and the spirits of the people out on the street was high for so early in the morning.
I went outside after lunch for a short walk. Instead of tension, the mood was festive, almost holiday-like. Young college students walked the streets proudly sporting I Voted Obama/Biden 2008 stickers.
It was dark when I left work, yet there were even more people out on the street, eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The bus stop was as crowded as I have ever seen it, enough people to fill two buses completely.
Instead of thinking about the election outcome, I thought about the Festival of Lights and wondered if the Cathedral of Learning was lit up. It was not, but the outside of the Carnegie Museum of Art sported a moose wandering across the facade.
Determined to stick to my media blackout plan, I stopped at the gym and went for a swim.
The plan lasted until 10:00 pm. J, curious about the results, pulled up CNN.com and began reading returns and projections to me out loud. Around 11:00 pm the Daily Show called the election for Obama and we switched to CNN to watch the speeches.
And I sat, stunned, until almost 1:30, watching the footage of U.S citizens celebrating in the streets.
Extraordinary.
Monday, November 03, 2008
I Can't, But You Can
David Bryne sent me an email. A bulk email, but an email nonetheless.
I'm so weirdly excited by this that I'm a little bit stupid right now. So stupid that I answered it. I know he will never read it, but felt as if I needed to reassure him that someone was listening.
From David Byrne:
I Can't, But You Can
Pardon the bulk mailing. I Can't Vote. I am an immigrant with a Green Card and, therefore, I am not eligible to vote in a federal election. FYI - I can get drafted (luckily, Daniel Berrigan burned my draft board's records) and I pay taxes, yet I cannot vote for President. On Election Day, I see my neighbors heading to the nearby elementary school to cast their ballots. The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out in one day.
But most of you can vote. What can I say? The Republicans have made us less safe than before 9/11, bankrupted this economy, started an illegal war they can't - and don't intend to - finish, removed what sympathy (after 9/11) and respect the world had for the US, and have robbed US citizens of many of their basic rights. Global warming? What's that? Science and education? Investment in our future? No, thanks - we'll stick with a good 'ole hockey mom. Ignorant, and fucking proud of it, as is always the case.
Although it looks like a shoo-in, it ain't over 'til Florida. And there are plenty of racists in this country who will vote against their own best interests. So please, get to your local elementary school, post office, town hall, or whatever, and cast your vote and make this a country we can all be proud of. We can get out of this mess, and life can be better than it is.
David Byrne
NYC
I'm so weirdly excited by this that I'm a little bit stupid right now. So stupid that I answered it. I know he will never read it, but felt as if I needed to reassure him that someone was listening.
From David Byrne:
I Can't, But You Can
Pardon the bulk mailing. I Can't Vote. I am an immigrant with a Green Card and, therefore, I am not eligible to vote in a federal election. FYI - I can get drafted (luckily, Daniel Berrigan burned my draft board's records) and I pay taxes, yet I cannot vote for President. On Election Day, I see my neighbors heading to the nearby elementary school to cast their ballots. The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out in one day.
But most of you can vote. What can I say? The Republicans have made us less safe than before 9/11, bankrupted this economy, started an illegal war they can't - and don't intend to - finish, removed what sympathy (after 9/11) and respect the world had for the US, and have robbed US citizens of many of their basic rights. Global warming? What's that? Science and education? Investment in our future? No, thanks - we'll stick with a good 'ole hockey mom. Ignorant, and fucking proud of it, as is always the case.
Although it looks like a shoo-in, it ain't over 'til Florida. And there are plenty of racists in this country who will vote against their own best interests. So please, get to your local elementary school, post office, town hall, or whatever, and cast your vote and make this a country we can all be proud of. We can get out of this mess, and life can be better than it is.
David Byrne
NYC
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Apparently...
I have the face of a sixteen year old girl. At least that is what the (much younger) ticket seller at Loews seemed to believe, as he asked for identification before selling me two passes to Zach and Miri Make a Porno. J laughed while I showed my driver's license and paid for the tickets. And he continued giggling all the way into the theater.
On a side note, I have to share how much I love how Spielberg begins the opening scenes of Schindler's List. From the Germans collecting the names of Jewish citizens, to Oskar Schindler collecting names of SS officers in the club, the transition between drinking songs to the music and marching of war. The entire tone of the movie, the study of contrasts between poverty and decadence, the banality of evil, the increasing tension, all of these things and more are why I love this movie so very much.
On a side note, I have to share how much I love how Spielberg begins the opening scenes of Schindler's List. From the Germans collecting the names of Jewish citizens, to Oskar Schindler collecting names of SS officers in the club, the transition between drinking songs to the music and marching of war. The entire tone of the movie, the study of contrasts between poverty and decadence, the banality of evil, the increasing tension, all of these things and more are why I love this movie so very much.
Poor Kitty
I'm gearing myself up, mentally, for the well deserved tongue lashing I will receive from my cat's veterinarian when I call tomorrow to schedule an appointment for the oldest feline, Lucy Snowe*. Poor kitty has an infected tooth, needs a cleaning and has not been to the vet in three years.
In my defense, all three cats spend 100% of their time indoors, are very healthy (infected tooth notwithstanding) and have been taken to an open clinic to be vaccinated against rabies.
Same poor kitty is now hiding underneath the guest room bed, slightly woozy from the painkiller and very unhappy with with me for administrating the painkiller and antibiotic. The emergency vet prescribed the drugs to ease the infection in her tooth and to dope her up enough that she forgets it hurts when she eats. I caught her at the water bowl this morning and I'm going to put out some soft food to tempt her later today.
In the grand scheme of things, obsessing and spending considerable sums of money** on a thirteen year old, six pound Turkish Angora mix is a bad idea. With the economy diving ever closer to the bottom, I should be concerned about my retirement instead of squandering money on a cat. In fact, I should be embarrassed that I'm about to spend as much money as a month's rent to make sure that she feels better.
But I'm not. I'm thankful. I'm thankful that most of my friends are pet owners who understand the emotional benefit of outlaying large sums of cash to keep their feline and canine family members healthy. I'm thankful to have had so many years with a companion who serves as an anchor between my life as a single graduate student and my life now.
Like Lisa, I have looked at Lucy recently and realized that she is beginning the end of her life. At some point in the next several years I am going to have to make the painful decision to let her go. I'm not looking forward to that moment, to losing one of the constants of my life. But living creatures are never constant. Whether cat or dog or bird or human being, they grow, change and eventually leave us.
*Why yes, I'm a fan of Charlotte Bronte. Why do you ask?
**Cleaning a cat's teeth is expensive as they must be fully sedated with general anesthesia for the procedure.
In my defense, all three cats spend 100% of their time indoors, are very healthy (infected tooth notwithstanding) and have been taken to an open clinic to be vaccinated against rabies.
Same poor kitty is now hiding underneath the guest room bed, slightly woozy from the painkiller and very unhappy with with me for administrating the painkiller and antibiotic. The emergency vet prescribed the drugs to ease the infection in her tooth and to dope her up enough that she forgets it hurts when she eats. I caught her at the water bowl this morning and I'm going to put out some soft food to tempt her later today.
In the grand scheme of things, obsessing and spending considerable sums of money** on a thirteen year old, six pound Turkish Angora mix is a bad idea. With the economy diving ever closer to the bottom, I should be concerned about my retirement instead of squandering money on a cat. In fact, I should be embarrassed that I'm about to spend as much money as a month's rent to make sure that she feels better.
But I'm not. I'm thankful. I'm thankful that most of my friends are pet owners who understand the emotional benefit of outlaying large sums of cash to keep their feline and canine family members healthy. I'm thankful to have had so many years with a companion who serves as an anchor between my life as a single graduate student and my life now.
Like Lisa, I have looked at Lucy recently and realized that she is beginning the end of her life. At some point in the next several years I am going to have to make the painful decision to let her go. I'm not looking forward to that moment, to losing one of the constants of my life. But living creatures are never constant. Whether cat or dog or bird or human being, they grow, change and eventually leave us.
*Why yes, I'm a fan of Charlotte Bronte. Why do you ask?
**Cleaning a cat's teeth is expensive as they must be fully sedated with general anesthesia for the procedure.
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