My "Lady Brain" Is Just Amused

I was amused when I heard that John McCain had chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate - all I could think was: BIGGEST PANDER EVER!

Leave it to John Stewart & Samantha Bee to articulate better than I ever could why this choice is so dumb - Friday's Daily Show has a great "analysis" of the choice. The skit is funny but also right on.

Some women are offended by his choice, and some are energized - I just think it's funny. If Obama wins in a landslide, I will NOT be surprised. The one good thing this choice will probably accomplish for McCain is getting conservatives who couldn't bear to vote for either candidate to independents who will say "are you kidding me???" is much larger.

I also remember how badly Mondale lost in '84... everyone always credits his straight talk about raising taxes, but I think having Ferraro on the ticket was relevant too. As the Democratic primary season revealed (to my surprise) sexism is worse than racism in the country right now. There are plenty of folks who are simply not comfortable with a woman in charge.

But to his credit: McCain just made this race even more interesting! :)

Post after the Road Trip

I've become a slacker with regard to posting from the road - we had pretty regular computer access, but were too entertained to think of posting!

I just returned from a 3-day cross-country road trip with my 19-year-old daughter. Apparently we have both matured a lot over the last year because we had a GREAT time! No car trouble (blessedly) and a couple fun stops with friends.

My trip actually took me from DC to Deep Creek, MD to Philly to Chicago (via suburban Cleveland) and then home. I picked up my kid in Philly so she was with me for most of it.

Deep Creek Lake in NW Maryland (see above photo) is one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced. My cousin has a lake place there, so we spent an afternoon on the boat - a lovely day.

But the revelation of the trip was not in the scenery, amazing though it was. The exciting part was spending 24 hours in a car with my kid and enjoying ourselves. Beautiful.

Homeland Security's Latest: Brilliant!

In the "Gotta Love It" category...

The StarTribune reported yesterday that in response to their "admitted blunder" of hiring ex-MNDOT official Sonia Pitt, (after she was fired for mishandling the 35W bridge collapse,) the US Dept of Homeland Security is instituting a new policy:

"From now on, more job candidates will have their backgrounds searched on Google."

Oh yeah, that'll fix that problem!

Perspective from Here

The view from my front door:



It reminds me: "If I am not happy in this place, in this time... I'm not paying attention."

Life is good. :)

Points for Creativity!

Nothing makes me feel old like seeing a really fun, creative idea executed by people 20 years younger than me! Whether or not you think this is silly, we have to give these kids points for creativity.

The New York Times reports a new movement of Barack Obama supporters who are "expressing solidarity with him" by adopting the middle name "Hussein" on Facebook pages and in daily life.

A cursory look at the results for a search of "Hussein" on Facebook today netted: Tonya Hussein Van Tol, John Hussein Hartman, Dustin Hussein Hamari, and Kyle Hussein Randall, all in the first 2 pages.

There are lots of ways to make a point, but at least this one is entertaining. I like it!

I Hope I'm Wrong

I was genuinely surprised at the headline on today's Start Tribune - "Franco Guilty in Crash" - though I probably shouldn't be. I'm been making Minnesota red-state jokes for a couple years now, so I know that anti-immigrant negativity is alive & well here. But seeing that Olga Franco was found guilty in that bus crash was jarring: I still don't expect that from Minnesotans.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope there was compelling evidence that she did it, and somehow it just didn't make it into the newspaper. All I know about the case is what I've read in the StarTribune, so I realize that may leave much to be desired. But there is so much reasonable doubt in my mind that I can't help but wonder what role anti-immigrant sentiment - read racism - played in the verdict.

For the first time this year, I can envision McCain winning the presidency. I hope I'm wrong.

Events

Events in my personal life are actually more interesting than the rest of the world right now... my excuse for not writing for almost a month. Life is good - both joyful and heartbreaking, but never boring.