esrosedotblog

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

And they are showing actual gay people in the Prop 8 ads.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

NO GO

In his two runs at the White House, the W was able to field one of the best run, most ambitious GOTV efforts ever. He got out votes that would probably never have left home on a sunny day.

John McCain? Not so much.

They are out of time and money trying to play a defensive game on their own turf which, today, includes McCain's home state of Arizona.

In Final Stretch, McCain to Pour Money Into TV Ads

He has no ground game. But this has been true since the beginning of his campaign.

Take a look at this:

The Big Empty

Look at the photos.

There will be no expenses paid for travel to battleground states. No paid GOTV managers.

By contrast, I have received several emails from the Obama campaign offering expense paid travel to Nevada and other nearby states (most recently Arizona) to work for a weekend or a week on the Obama campaign.

If I had the time, I would do this for nothing. I would work just for the fellowship.

Friends of friends went to Las Vegas and had such a good time (even met Joe Biden and Madeline Albright) they went back for more.

But the Obamas have a gound game par excellence. Extremely well organized. Superb.

And lots and lots of money including some of mine.

The photo is of Students for Obama in Las Vegas. There are Seniors for Obama offices!

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain

STUDSLY

"Curiosity has not killed this cat".

He wrote his epitaph himself.

Studs Terkel Dies

He lived to be 96. Automatically, a hero to me.

But he was a hero long before that.

I read all of his early works and he, more or less, radicalized me. Or was one of the many influences that got me thinking of something other than myself.

He had a full and exemplary life. A happy warrior.

Studs. What more apt name?

Labels: heroes

QUE SARAH SARAH

OK.

No one has asked me but here is what I think will happen to Sarah Palin.

She will, through spunk and stamina, stay busy. She will make a lot of money on the speaker circuit.

She will run in 2012.

But she will occupy a niche currently occupied by an even more voracious campaigner, Mike Huckabee.

I don't think that two of them can occupy the same space.

He will eat her up.

She will then become a kind of Pat Buchanan figure.

Maybe a right wing radio talk show.

Based in Wasilla.

Always hovering but never quite into the same position to 'make it' as she is today.

This is her high point.

Labels: republican whack jobs

NO ON EIGHT AHEAD

Good news from the Field Poll, one of the most reliable polls in California.

California Initiative Update

This is closer than anyone would want but, a few weeks ago, other polls had it tied or No losing. Yes winning.

Yes means they ban same sex marriage.

The ads from the Mormon run/funded campaign have been vicious and, incidentally, divisive within the Mormon church. Are they a church? At least a tabernacle.

So, we are on the comeback.

"No on 8" is hyper organized (it's 'the gays' after all--we ran everything except 'the jocks' in high school). They have raised a lot of money that almost matches the extreme fund raising of the Yes-ers.

We have neighborhood canvassing.

Not as hyper organized as Obama but almost.

It is a good sign anyway. We were worried.

Labels: gay marriage, gay politics

GREAT AD

This is why I will go to the actual polls as long as I can. it is one of the most exciting days that there can be.

It has everything. Suspense! Participation! Grand Scale! And what we believe counts!

We get to make history!

Labels: Barack Obama, election

JOE THE BIDEN

Don't forget Joe. He is doing the lord's work.

Hitting the Backroads, and Having Less to Say

I love Joe Biden. If I thought he had a ghost of a chance I would have been for him in the primaries.

I went for the winner Bill Richardson instead. Sigh.

The thing that I like about Joe is that he is the genuine article. What you see is what you get.

There is a little vignette in this article about how he spent 5 minutes with a woman who had the same brain aneurysm thing that he had.

And a kid named Hunter. Only one year old. Who had to meet Biden's son Hunter. Nothing else would do.

I also like his rhetoric. I always watch the videos that show up of his campaign work.

I will be voting for Obama on Tuesday but also will enthusiastically think of Joe Biden as I mark the ballot.

Labels: Barack Obama, Joe Biden

HOME

John made it home from Italy last night. And we just barely managed to meet him at the airport.

His planes from Italy to Dulles to Denver and then to Palm Springs were all early. I think that is the way they schedule now so that nothing shows up on the monthly records of flight delays.

Franklin and I had it all planned. Go to bed at 7PM, an hour earlier than normal. Get up at 1015 and check the arrival time. Go to the airport when the plane landed and wait for John's call that he is near the front of the terminal.

All fine except that I didn't turn on the alarm.

But it worked anyway. I awoke at 10 sharp, went to the computer to see about arrival and saw that he was due in twenty minutes! Early again. Yikes!

But it worked out OK.

We got on our clothes (and harness) and went out around the airport circling a big block from El Cielo to Baristo to Farrell to Ramon and back again.

Two circles and we got the call.

We all had a dog pile right there in the Jeep!

Home to a hot tub and back to bed for me.

It is about 4AM now. This is the time that I called him every day while he was in Rome.

Instead, he got up to see Franklin and me as we went out to the back yard for a pee. Franklin not me.

All is well if not back to normal. I predict mammoth jet lag. After all, it is 1PM to him.

Labels: travel

SO IF YOU WANT A PRESIDENT THAT IS A GOOD MANAGER>>>>>

With Ambitious Campaign, Obama Is Both Big Spender and Penny Pincher

Labels: Barack Obama

WHAT IT IS NOT

From John Cole on the infomercial:

Notice what is missing from that, conservatives? Attacks on John McCain. For 30 minutes, Barack Obama talked about what he thinks are the problems currently facing the country, about what he thinks he can do to help fix them, how you can help him, and why it is important to elect him. He did not spend his time telling you why you should not vote for McCain, he spent his time telling why you should vote for him. You may not agree with his ideas, but you can not argue he has them and is presenting them to the country in a clear and nonthreatening manner.

Now, for a moment, consider what the Republican 30 minute infomercial would look like this year- if I had to guess, it would be ten minutes about McCain as a POW, ten minutes of McCain saying he isn’t Bush, and then ten minutes of bullshit smears about Ayers, Khalidi, socialism, celebrity, and maybe Rick Davis could go before the cameras and pull a tire gauge out of his ass. For sheer nostalgia, maybe the lead McCain blogger could put those table-top gamers back in their place again. All the while, McCain could pepper his speech with folksy rejoinders about earmarks. And now that we are done with a hypothetical Republican 30 minutes, how did McCain actually respond to the commercial? In case you missed it, he whined about public financing (when did that become a Republican cause) and then muttered something about Obama delaying the World Series, and even that was a lie.

Labels: McCain

HE GETS KIDS

And kids have parents.

So sweet.

A little more than a month earlier, teacher Joyce Ben-KiKi had Aron and his classmates each send letters to a famous person as part of a language arts lesson. Ben-KiKi wrapped the exercise around well-known children's book character "Flat Stanley," so along with the letters, the children each tucked a Flat Stanley figure they had made into each envelope.

"I told them not to expect a letter back," Ben-KiKi said. "I told them these people are very busy and most likely will not write back."

The list of recipients was impressive: Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz; Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Obama was the only one to write back. Two other boys, Avshalom Drescher and Zachary Goldberg, both 8, also wrote to him, but Aron was the first to get a reply.

Obama's three-page letter to Aron described Flat Stanley's visit with him and his staff in Washington, D.C. It chronicled their busy day together, which included coffee with constituents, a Senate committee meeting and a trip to the gym. It also had historical facts about the U.S. Capitol, details of Obama's job and a confession from Obama.

"Sometimes I get a little nervous before talking in front of a crowd, but Flat Stanley helped me practice the speech," Obama wrote. "He made me recite it in front of him and then even gave me some advice so the speech would go smoothly. Flat Stanley is really a great coach."

Labels: Barack Obama

HALF AN HOUR

I still have to watch all of Obama's half hour "infomercial". It is OK to call it that. He did so on The Daily Show last night.

But here is what I think about it so far. No. Let Steve Benen tell you. He has it all down. The same feelings and thoughts.

The Case in 30 Minutes

One other thought I gleaned today from some blogger. The half hour presentation plus the Daily Show appearance plus the joint appearance with Bill Clinton plus his Orlando speech which was part of the big presentation pretty much took up all the oxygen in the media. Even Obama did not mention McCain or Bush in his thirty minutes.

They are playing the clock out.

Labels: Barack Obama

UNCOUPLED?

Many people have asked me what would happen if Prop 8 passes.

I have said that it would not matter. I am married to John. Period.

Well, that is true in spirit. But the letter may be a bit more complicated.

Gay married couples face legal limbo if Prop. 8 passes

We are still domestic partners. We did not dissolve that. So if they dissolve our marriage, we will still be legally covered in almost all State respects.

Or all. I have never been quite 100% sure that it is the same as marriage.

In any case, this will be fought. Both sides promise this if 8 passes.

There are two routes. State and Federal.

It will be interesting.

Iif Prop 8 loses there won't be a fight. We will be married. Period.

Vote early and vote often. No on 8.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON

Bill gets on board at the last minute. Just in time for the info-mercial.

Obama tried to lock up undecideds Wednesday with a prime-time informercial that seamlessly cut to some live comments he was making in Florida. The air time cost $4 million.

For a capper, Obama got a big boost late in the evening from Bill Clinton. Pushing aside hard feelings over Obama's winning primary campaign against his wife, the former president got on stage with Obama for the first time and called him the future of the country.

There is no doubt this will help a little in Florida and some of the other Clinton states.

Labels: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton

ARREVIDERCI,, ROMA

John is returning to the US as I type.

His plane left at 2AM our time and he will not get home until 11 PM tonight.

A long trip. Slow. Gotta go through Dulles and Denver on the way to Palm Springs.

But that is the only option other than LA and Franklin and I aren't going to LA to pick him up.

He had a great trip and it went totally as planned with no glitches and a lot of pleasant surprises.

As for us, here in Palm Springs, we are more than happy to see that the plane has taken off.

He left a message this morning at 130 AM to say he had a seat and was about to board.

He turned the rental phone off.

The phone was a very good deal for us. We spoke to each other every morning at 4AM my time, 1PM then 12 noon his. They switched to ST while he was there.

I do not have international so I used a service, Gorilla.com, which gives a lower cost overseas rate. You just dial an 800 number then the overseas.

How did we do while he was away?

Did we have a good time?

It seemed to go fast actually. I was busier all the time. I got to appreciate more of all John does around here. I also had a lot of stuff going on that was extra or unusual. Some planned, some not.

I am excited about the return. I had trouble sleeping last night.

I finally got up about 130AM to see if he had left the message.

He had.

Good. Another 'worry' put away.

Today is the last morning walk with Franklin for awhile. We have had to go in the dark because of my early obligations. It has been fun but I am over it.

One more TV dinner (I eat good ones) tonight and then the routine will be revved up tomorrow.

My husband is coming back! I am ready and then some.

Labels: life, travel

DANCE OF DEATH

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Sydney Pollack's

The Shoot Horses Don't They? (1969)

Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrizon and the indefatigable Red Buttons dance to Gig Young's tune in a marathon which is not too heavily laid on as a metaphor of life in the Thirties.

It is highly watchable. A second or third time for me.

I like the performances, the irony, the metaphor itself.

I will probably see it again sometime.

Not a masterwork maybe but a durable fixture in the American film library.

I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

SUPPORT FROM UNLIKELY PLACES

Barkley Reaffirms Support for Gay Marriage

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

SWEET

Dave found this and sent it along. Charles meets Barack.

Labels: Barack Obama

THE MILLENIALS, WE

I guess we will be in good hands.

It's a little windy at the end but pretty good.

I think my grandkids would be in this cohort. Yes?

Labels: politics

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

How to Deal With Stolen Yard Signs

Our signs are still intact. And they date back to the primaries. Pre-Obama/Biden.

We have had to reset them a few times but that was wind damage. I think.

There are two McCain signs in the neighborhood and I resist the constant urge to lift them up. I assume that some people do the same with mine.

There are a lot of Obama signs around us and there is a new sign appearing all over Palm Springs. It is a return to the old Obama logo with "Yes we can!" on them.

There is an area up the hill that I call 'Red Square' that has maybe six Obama signs all in a group of houses that face one another. One house is a Republican and has no sign.

Actually, both campaigns do not like yard signs. The professionals say that when people ask for signs they think that they have done their job and tend not to volunteer or donate money.

I don't know.

I have done both.

Labels: Barack Obama

LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS

BE INSPIRED: 9,000 IN THE RAIN for Obama in Chester, PA

I see that he came dressed for the occasion.

The McCain's canceled their date in neighboring Quakertown (Quaker-ton to you).

Labels: Barack Obama

FEINSTEIN COMES OUT

Pretty good.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

PERSIAN EXISTENTIALISM

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was the Iranian film

Ta'm e guilass / A Taste of Cherry (1997)

Ebert did not like it for all the same reasons that I did.

The feeling of the film is meditative. It has action but it is very mild. Most of it is riding in a Range Rover and talking. Various riders with the driver who is seeking help in committing suicide.

The reactions of the riders vary. Some freak out. Some have religious reservations. Like that.

Finally he finds someone who will help him but not without a very nice dialogue about life. Biting into cherries.

Maybe Ebert doesn't like the desert. That is certainly a part of the mood. Deserts. Oases.

I liked it and while I don't think that I would want to see it again I wouldn't object. That makes it somewhere between a 3 and a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

THE OTHER WOMAN

So much press for la Palin that we don't see a lot about Michelle Obama. But she is holding her own and gaining in popularity at just the right time.

This is a great article on her and her campaign.

New to Campaigning, but No Longer a Novice

From what I read in here she has the gift of being herself and attracting others to her. They will make a great pair in the White House.

Labels: Barack Obama

HILLERMAN

Tony HIllerman died today at 83.

I have read all of his mysteries based on Navajo lore.

I am sure that they had an impact on my attraction to the desert.

Most of the novels are based in Arizona, the Four Corner area. The heroes he used, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, were engaged in solving mysteries but at the same time were exploring their own Navajo history.

Hillerman used the novels to teach as well as keep a good yarn going.

Maybe it is time to dig them all out and have a re-reading.

Labels: books, desert

PRINCIPLES

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

Labels: McCain, republican whack jobs

UNLUCKY SEVEN

In a year of bad GOoPer decisions, Ted Stevens takes the cake.

He just had to have the trial close before the election.

Now look.

U.S. Sen. Stevens guilty of corruption charges

A case of lousy timing if there ever was one.

Labels: republican whack jobs

THE CLOSING ARGUMENT

Damn! He is HOT. And the crowd in Canton OH is right with him today.

This is the traditional last week sum up.

He will be delivering it all week.

John McCain has no sum up. He will just be throwing the shit like he has from the beginning.

What a sad spectacle for a man who could have participated differently. Who could have made a difference even in opposing Obama. He lost his integrity and his principles.

A disgrace.

Labels: Barack Obama

SOUND OF SILENCE

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Pedro Almodovar's

Hable con ella / Talk to Her (2002)

This is one of the best movies I have seen.

Totally original.

It has many themes and ideas. It is beautiful to watch. The acting is superb.

Almodovar is at his peak.

What else can I say?

I will watch this film many times, I am sure.

It gets a 5 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

LIVING BY THE NUMBERS

Numbers have been ruling my day lately.

I watch the markets from the time I get up. I see the 'futures' as they are being traded. Then the openings on Wall Street and I watch it off and on through the day.

I am watching the polls too. But not all day.

Just daily.

In a big gush in the afternoon.

The poll watching will stop next week. There will be a giant sucking sound as I take the 7 or 8 poll sites off my daily bookmarks.

I don't know what I will do with my time. Just kidding.

The market number watching will be intense for a while longer I think.

Yes.

I know that it doesn't make sense to watch it hourly or daily or even weekly.

But I have become interested in the dynamics.

Take today, for example.

The futures started off negative. Then the market opened positive. Then it gyrated and, I think, at one point got as high as a hundred points over zero. A gain.

Then at the end of the session the bottom fell out. Fear.

I am encouraged by this, actually.

I think that it is trying to find its bottom. It is interesting to watch. If a bit hair raising.

The main thing is not to take any of it too seriously.

The polls are not the election. They are just indicative. A bit up or down is not cause for alarm. Many days it is an adjustment for a too low or too high reading a day or two before.

In general, they are OK.

The market will be what the market will be. What goes down must go up.

My job is to watch it, learn from it and to work on myself. Not get too attached to it.

I am not my portfolio.

TIRELESS

I thought this was interesting. A day in the life of a candidate with some small glimpses of what he does to keep cool.

For Obama, no rest in an 18-hour campaign day

Labels: Barack Obama

MOMENTUM

It's what you need in the last lap.

Over 100,000 at Obama rally in Denver today

Another wow event. The Rocky Mountain News liveblogged Obama's event in Denver this afternoon: Denver police are estimating rally attendance at more than 100,000 people.

That could put today’s crowd here in Denver at the largest ever for an Obama event in the United States.

The crowd in St. Louis, which had been the largest, was comprised of about 100,000 people.

Obama had a big day in New Mexico yesterday -- especially compared to McCain:

Via Playbook, a brutal side-by-side yesterday in New Mexico:
Crowd for Senator Obama in Albuquerque, N.M., last night: 35,000 inside the venue and another 10,000-15,000 outside.

Crowd for Senator McCain in Albuquerque, N.M., yesterday: 1,400 according to the McCain campaign, 1,000 or less according to reporters.

Labels: Barack Obama

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

There is more on the ballot for Californians than most other states.

We have propositions and initiatives up the ass.

In general, I vote NO on initiatives. They are almost always deceptively worded, reflect corporate (or religious) interests and distort the legislative process.

One other thing important this year. In California you can amend the constitution with a majority vote. Not 2/3.

That said, I have to admit that I will be voting yes on a few initiatives this year.

Kevin Drum does the work of explaining it all for me. As it turns out, he votes exactly as I will and has the reasoning behind it.

California Propositions

I don't know what the difference between an initiative and a proposition is. Maybe none.

Labels: California, election

ANNOTATED MATT

It has been awhile since we looked in on Matt Harding, the dancing man.

Here is his 2008 video that someone has annotated with funny and germane observations.

This video still gets to me.

Labels: dancing

PLAYING THE ODDS

David Frum, a long time GOP bigwig and mostly 'good republican' says it is over and it is time to marshall the resources and put it into the Congressional races.

NOT EVEN CLOSE: Sorry, Senator. Let's Salvage What We Can.

You know, Bob Dole recognized that he was on a losing track and, at the end of the campaign, humbly went out and stumped for Senate and House candidates all over the country. And he did some good.

Now, I want a big Democratic majority in Congress as much as the next Democrat but you have to admire the guys with enough character and courage to put their mouths and money on the best bet.

Labels: McCain, Republicans

PALIN vs. McCAIN

Kevin Drum writes about the civil war that is breaking out even before the election is over.

The Skirmishing Begins

I am starting a new label on the blog.

Schadenfreude!

I love the picture on the Wikipedia link.

Labels: McCain, Schadenfreude

CLASS JOCK

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Lindsay Anderson's

This Sporting Life (1963)

This is one of the more realistic, nitty gritty films by Anderson. It features the superb work of Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts.

They are intense.

A miner becomes a small city rugby star but never rises from his lower class background. In this regard the film is very British.

He falls in love with a frigid widow landlady. Complicated. Huge sexual tension. He is obsessed with her unavailability.

A classic tale of the straight man/jock who thinks that all a woman needs is a good fuck.

The film also highlights the plight of the professional athlete and his or her problems of self regard in a society that treats them as a projection of their fanciful heroic selves (men) or as objects of uncomplicated sexual desire (women).

Harris elevates his character's struggle to epic proportions. Much of the action reads as a classic Greek play.

Shakespeare it is not.

I would not mind seeing it again just to see the performances and this Criterion restoration is beautiful to watch in black and white.

A 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

PROP ATE

As of today, it seems that there is still a majority of Californians ready to vote NO on Prop 8, the anti gay marriage initiative.

Actually, it is labelled on the ballot as a measure that would take away the right of marriage to same sex partners. This wording, contested by proponents, put a spin on the ballot which reminds people that this takes away rights. Not an easy thing to vote for.

The battle has been vicious. The Mormon Church has, to the dismay of many of its members, taken a hard position and dumped lots of money in the state to pass the proposition.

See Prop 8: California gay marriage fight divides LDS faithful

Most recently, it is revealed, that they have written threatening letters to California companies stating that they would publicize even a neutral stance to the detriment of the company.

Blackmail.

In response, many companies, including Apple, have donated a lot of money to the No on 8 groups. The reverse spin.

At times, polls have shown the Prop 8 winning. Other times that it was close.

The No on 8 people got a huge transfusion of money and have many ads out there to combat the scurrilous Morman funded ads.

One features the State Secretary of Education in a film clip telling people that 8 has nothing to do with schools and attacking the YES people for saying so.

We expect Senator Feinstein to make an ad shortly.

So, it is a run down to the wire. Currently 52 to 48 for NO.

As far as I know the passage of this proposition, while a tragic result, would not invalidate John and my wedding.

Labels: gay marriage, gay rights

SCENIC TOUR

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Thelma and Louise (1991)

This is, of course, just a fugitive-buddy-road trip movie but with the difference that the fugitive buddies are women.

I didn't much like it the first time and really didn't like it this time.

I am not much interested in seeing people achieve transcendence through immoral or criminal means. I especially don't like it when I feel jerked around.

What I mean here is that we are not left very much room for judgement about it. The director paints us into a moral corner where the action of the two women almost seems pre-ordained.

Nuts. They could have just cried 'rape' and turned themselves in.

Geena Davis is pretty good and Susan Sarandon turns in her patented tough girl act.

The film grabs us by the lapels and dares us not to like it. The subtext is, again, that men are no damn good. Well, as I have said before, we know that. So?

There is only one socially redeeming figure in the movie and that is Harvey Keitel as the state trooper detective who loses control of the case.

Interesting in this film that Keitel doesn't go naked. Perhaps the first time I have seen him not do that.

Instead of Harv, we get Brad Pitt in his debut film. All naked and pretty and actually quite good as a bad, bad boy. The kind you still want to take home to mother.

He has some unforgettable scenes.

I like all the people but I quibble with the premise.

And the end is just trite with all the cop cars and such.

And I don't believe the dive into the Grand Canyon for one minute.

It is also too long. I skipped near the end. It was just getting too tired. Or I was getting too tired. Whatever.

A skipped part makes it a 1 out of Netflix5 folks. An immediate disqualification for Netflix glory. Too bad Brad. Your debut was in a stinker but you went on to make a lot of stinkers of your own. And a few good ones. Let me see. Which ones? Hmmmm.

Labels: best films

WHEN IN ROME......

John has arrived safely in Rome and made a special call to tell me how beautiful his apartment is. He has a balcony with a view of St. Peters, the Collosseum, the Spanish Steps and, presumably, everything on that half of the city.

He is on the 7th Floor. A walkup.

He said that the first thing he did was play our wedding ceremony music.

What do you think about that?

I include the headlines from his tour against blog policy. The blog is supposed to be about me and keep others' privacy secure.

But he is me and I am there with him in spirit so it is about me. And him.

Franklin and I are doing pretty well in his absence. We are past the halfway point. We will make it.

We are still speaking together and as long as you can dialog there is a chance of moving through any tensions. A bit of kibble with bologna helps too.

Labels: travel

PIANO MAN

Dave McKenna resides in the upper reaches of my somewhat limited list of favorite jazz pianists*.

A strong left hand and a tendency for stride made McKenna's artistry instantly recognizable.

He played in Boston clubs for years and, late in the game, achieved a kind of fame nationally and sold some records. He also ended up playing in New York on a regular basis.

Crisp. Quick. Clear melody lines. Surprising improvisations.

The hand is stilled. The records remain. Get one.

Dave McKenna dies at 78; master jazz pianist performed primarily as soloist

Hey. He made the LA papers.

*Not in any particular order: Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland (she is 90 years old and still runs her NPR program), Keith Jarrett. Add McKenna.

Labels: jazz, music

OPIE

Dave sent me to see this.

I got a chill at the whistle.

Labels: Barack Obama

LOOK AT THE FACES

This is another way to see/hear the Obama Richmond speech today.

A slideshow which is somehow more powerful and touching than the video.

Look at those faces.

And it won't hurt for you and me to hear those words more than one time.

Labels: Barack Obama

WHY I AM VOTING FOR OBAMA

Tears.

Inspiring.

Mr. Cool gets red hot.

The last bit has them playing Stevie Wonder "Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours!"

For sure.

Labels: Barack Obama

THE C WORD

There has been a lot of talk about John McCain calling his wife a cunt in front of reporters.

But here, we have Kos using the other C-word which John McCain cannot stand to hear.

McCain Concedes

It is the same news I commented on below. Apparently Markos agrees with me. But he goes a step forward and labels McCain a 'coward'.

Here. Here.

Labels: McCain

FIFTY CALLS

I enjoyed it. I am glad I did it. I am not signing up for anymore just now.

It was interesting to me that the early calls were hard because there were McCain people and indignant people who did not want to be called.

But about the middle of it, things changed. I don't think it was me.

I began to hit a lot of Obama folks. They were all receptive. We chatted. It was nice.

I looked the list over to see if there was some bias in it. None that is apparent. Just luck.

Anyway, I think that, for now, I will quit while I am ahead.

PECULIAR BUT NOT SURPRISING

McCain might skip his own election-night party

I suppose that they are beginning to face the inevitable. It has to be rough enough to lose but to stand there and take the applause of your workers in the midst of the pain has to be tough.

For a proud and arrogant man.

Others would find solace and support from the people who worked with you. That military bearing can kill you.

I read that the McCain campaign is in such disarray and dissension that it might not be all that supportive anyway.

I still find it peculiar. He owes them that much doesn't he.

In the meantime, the Obamas are renting Grant Park in Chicago for their party and he will be there, win or lose, front and center. A man of the people. This is the whole difference between them and the campaigns.

In a nutshell.

A microphone on the lawn of the hotel because it is not big enough inside. Come-on!

Labels: McCain

DISGUST

Gail Collins captures the disgust people (I hope) must be feeling at the gutter politics of the McCain campaign.

If they don't feel the revulsion or do but plan to hold their nose and vote for McCain anyway, they deserve what they get.

But what about the rest of us?

Confessions of a Phone Solicitor

Labels: election, McCain

MCCAIN'S LATEST MISHAP

Labels: McCain

SLOW BOATING

We all fear an October surprise.

But, little by little, the surprise possibilities are slipping away.

This cycle, apparently, there will be no reprise of the "Swiftboat" 527 activity that so upset the Kerry campaign.

There is no big money guy or organization to wade in with their own nasty campaign. Maybe that is why the McCains are being so nasty. They have to do it themselves.

Know When to Fold 'em

There has been a murmur from Al Queda but it has backfired on the GOP'ers in an odd way. The McCains called a fast and somewhat jumbled press conference to 'explain it' and ended up embarrassing themselves badly. A flop.

So the steady drip of the inevitable seems to be eroding the McCain campaign while the steady drop of Palin's favorables pulls it down.

But I am a Democrat and so I am worried and pessimistic and ready for the sky to fall anyway.

Labels: Democrats, McCain

BEAR SHIT

The volatility of the stock market is amazing. But I haven't been here for awhile so maybe it is just normal bear market behavior.

It is all fear.

It is going to be a long haul.

I am OK with it. I just have to watch not attaching myself to the minute by minute or even day by day results.

My IRA is split. One fund goes to money if there is trouble with stock. The other one doesn't.

Like everyone else, the paper value of my portfolio is down a third.

It is very important to my composure to say 'paper value'. I didn't mind when the paper value went up and up.

I don't have to like that it has gone down but, still, it is paper.

What goes down must go up.

An old boyfriend said that a lot.

But I don't like it.

We are in for a rough time.

I am OK though.

If I die soon, the value of my portfolio will be of no concern to me.

If I live to be 90, according to plan, the chances are good that I will see one or two more rises and dips like this after we get some recovery from the one we are in.

Life on life's terms.

Labels: economy

ITALY ONCE REMOVED

I spend about three or four minutes a day in Italy or, rather, talking to someone who is right there on the spot and having a wonderful time.

John has left Florence and rented a car. Drove through the Tuscan hills through Chianti and on to San Gimignano where he spent the night.

He tries to call from some picturesque space every day. Actually, I call him but that is where he positions himself.

The other day he had a student demonstration in the square behind him. It is like NPR.

All is fine with him. And with me as the car was a worry for me.

He says it was easy. Not a lot of traffic. Like driving up to Idyllwild only longer. Twists and turns. He is happy. Hence, I am happy too.

Tomorrow, he will be driving the 'northern loop' to Volterra and then on to Siena where he will get rid of the car.

Sigh of relief here.

Then on to Rome where he will spend the rest of his time (five days) in one place. An apartment that he found on line. He had an apartment in Florence too. It is a good deal and gives some independence and local color.

I am a hotel man myself.

So far, the only down side is that he has spent more than he expected. Duh!

Everything costs something. So, they have learned from us, eh?

Good news is that the ATM card works there as advertised and the exchange rate on them is excellent. A 3 dollar fee.

As for Franklin and me, we are in pretty good shape.

I have been busy somehow. I think that being alone makes me less efficient and somehow time gets filled up. I have eaten supper late two nights now.

Normally when he is away I am eating early. But this could all be an unconscious thing. Compensation. Displacement.

It works. I haven't had any lonely or sad feelings! Sometimes suppression (or is it repression) is a good thing.

Labels: travel

FAMILY ALBUM II

Labels: Barack Obama

NOT FAR FROM THE TREE

This is a wonderful article:

I Hope This is in Good Taste

But the best part is the photo of Obama's grandad. Stanley Dunham. He looks just like him. It is uncanny.

When I read the first book I was fascinated by this man. He is not in the margins. He is a very important part of Obama's life.

Of course, I have more than an average interest in grandfathers. I am one.

And my middle name is Stanley.

He was not a 'success' in the usual sense. But he was an enormous success in the human and spiritual sense.

Look him in the eye. This is what America is about. A regular guy who can nurture and influence the values and life of a grandson who will become the President of the United States of America.

Now that is success.

Labels: Barack Obama

DOESN'T KNOW HIS RIGHT FROM HIS, WELL, CENTER

Kevin Drum offers an analysis of what John McCain did wrong and points out that he had to do it.

John McCain's Problem

This is the first of what will be many rehashes of this election. Books will be written. Fingers will be pointed.

But this makes fundamental sense to me. Wrong man at the wrong time in the wrong place. Very republican.

Labels: McCain

HETERO S & M

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Luis Buñuel's

Cet obscur objet du désir /That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)

with Fernando Rey as a silver fox who refuses to give up on chasing a world class cock tease played by not one but two actresses (Angela Molina and Carole Bouquet) in a sort of random appearance way. I thought one was sort of an earth mother/sex goddess type and the other was a virginal frigid.

Double teaming the man who is not stupid. He wants this chase. So do, I think, the women.

There is a terrorist uprising going on around the action along with a deadly virus that is creeping up on them. None of this startles or jars the participants out of their intense pursuit of unhappiness with each other.

There are many symbols. A mouse caught in a trap. An animal being carried in a burlap sack. It is the 70's after all.

The film unfolds as a tale told on a train by the guy. There is some truth to his tale because we have seen some evidence that something has and is going on. But it could also be a fantasy. In any case the listeners are enthralled and don't seem to be bothered by the terrorists either.

This is Buñuel's last film and he does his damnedest to keep glued to our seats.

He is quite successful.

I would watch it again just to catch more clues and to watch the two women go to work on this sap.

Don't be misled by the headline. While the action is totally heterosexual there is a counterpart in homosexual affairs that plays out in just the same way.

So I guess it is human. I just didn't relate to the attractions involved. I was more interested in the guy who cuckolds the main guy who, it turns out, is said to be queer.

It is that kind of movie.

I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

EYEBALLING

I do a lot of online tests but I don't often pass them on especially if I suck at them.

I did pretty well on this but read that people do not.

The eyeballing game

I got a 6.23 which is pretty high on the normal curve.

You?

Labels: life

GETTIN' GOOD PHONE

I feel a lot better. 14 calls today and most were for Obama.

One old guy wouldn't tell me. He is 86. He wants to keep his vote secret. Good for him. I caught a whiff of the Obama on him though.

It is hard work. I hadn't any real expectations but you have to have your wits about you. Every call is different. And it doesn't pay off to hold to the script to tightly. I feel like I am a robo-call.

It is investing though. I can see how volunteers really get the message by giving it.

I knew that from another area of my life of course. The more you give the more you get. Especially when there is some stress in it.

Labels: Barack Obama, election

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Roman Polansi's

Tess (1979)

This is one of those elaborately set-designed films of an antiquated work of literature (the kind we had to read in high school but probably not this one as there is rape and bastardy in it) which everyone has forgotten except for film producers and directors on the make for a low royalty outing and how many other comments can I cram into one sentence.

I don't like the genré at all. I get sleepy. I begin to think that the heroine—it could just as well be an unfortunate hero—is an ass. Naive. And has it coming to them.

It is also one of those things that basically teaches us that men are shits. But we knew that.

So I quit before I was ahead. No, not 'while' I was ahead. I always felt behind.

I did get to see country dances, a high end chicken operation, honey combs being harvested, loads of scenery beautifully filmed. And then I turned it off. I couldn't stand any more.

It is suprising to me that Polanski got himself caught up in such a lush project. Maybe he needed the money.

I could have watched it all, enjoying the cinematography while mocking the plot but weighing the pluses and minuses I had to go for the bailout.

Sorry, Roman.

And that Nastassja Kinski pout! How did you spell that name again?

That makes it a 1 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

SUCCESS, YES!!

Well, not actually complete success.

I am calling for Seniors for Obama.

Up until today I got harsh old guys like McCain or no answer or, more often, "I don't take this kind of call". I used to be one of those.

It is alright. I don't take it personally. On the other hand, I was beginning to wonder whether Obama had any seniors going for him in Pennsylvania (the state I am assigned).

But today, almost in succession, two women said they were voting for Obama. They could not volunteer which is the main purpose of the call, but that was OK.

Interestingly, I am not to try to convince them about voting for Obama unless they are leaning or undecided. NO conversions from McCain.

I have made 15 calls and have 2 for Obama at the answer. Both will vote. One absentee.

This is about the percentage the Obama organization suggests will occur. The list is a bottom of the barrel one: not yet contacted, older (some in their 90's), not Democrats and so on.

Labels: Barack Obama, election

BITTER SWEET

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Tender Mercies (1983)

This story by Horton Foote is directed by Bruce Beresford and stars Robert Duval.

It is a gem.

Very small scale and exquisitely detailed.

It has some great people in it to support Duval as a broken down country singer who is on his last bender. Only he doesn't know that yet.

A small family and a small town along with a small band weans him from the terrors of the success road.

I liked it a lot and would not mind seeing it again. I might even look forward to it.

That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

PAPER ENDORSEMENTS

Dave sent this.

Obama Widens Lead to 94-28

I don't know about paper endorsements and if they are worth anything either.

But it sure doesn't hurt.

And there are a lot of GOP turncoats in the mix. Two big Texas papers.

It may help with that weird fringe group, the know-nothings of the country, the doubtful and fearful and the uninformed. I mean the ones who are still "undecided". Where are they living? What planet. Even if they can't swallow Barack, they could commit to the other side. Even the Sarah crazies are committed.

Labels: Barack Obama

ENDORSEMENT WITH MUSCLE

I do not believe that endorsements are that powerful in the scheme of things but this one has depth and breadth. It is as tightly knit a statement as you could want and, what is more, it has very strong emotional power.

Whether the endorsement turns into votes or not, here is a deeply thought out statement for Obama and, as importantly, against the kind of racist and religionist jibes that the GOP has conjured. I was brought to tears.

Labels: Barack Obama

TWENTY NINE

This is also the week that I celebrate 29 years of sobriety.

We don't make a big deal of this kind of thing but it is worth recognizing.

I will speak at a Meeting tomorrow and my sponsor will give me a small 'chip' with the year emblazoned on it.

Then we just pick up and go back to doing it one day at a time and following the simple suggestions that got me 'here' in the first place.

Some of you who read this have given me a hand in staying on the path.

Thank you.

Labels: recovery

POLITICAL JUNKIE

I just realized that the last bunch of posts are all about the election.

I am not really that consumed by it. I have other things that are going on.

For one thing, I am recovering from the wedding week.

I have had a wonderful and constant stream of comments from people who were there and also from people who were not but have heard 'all' about it. Nice.

The last kid couple left yesterday. They had gone to Death Valley, camping. It was really nice to have a short reprise of the big family weekend. On a smaller scale.

So the house is now empty.

John is well established in Italy and I talk to him every morning. He is now in Florence after his time in Pisa and Lucca. He has seen the David. He is walking around a lot. He is having a good time.

As are Franklin and I, staying at home.

I took the opportunity to do the laundry most of yesterday. The guest room stuff, the laundry that was left when John took off. And it came time to wash the washer. An every 100 wash event. You put dishwasher detergent into it and it swirls itself around. Mostly soaks.

I did my last (perhaps) interview of this year with a prospective MIT student. I have had 4 out of the list of 60 prospects. That is about right. 10% get far enough to actually apply and while most of them do the interview with the alumni guy, some do not. OK with me.

We are still settling into being a pair and not a trio. Franklin and me.

I think that he has stopped looking for John to come home any time soon.

We have our own routine anyway, more of an afternoon one as I do the PM walk.

Now I have grafted myself on to the AM time. Walk, snuggles, some chasing around. Like that.

So it is not all politics all of the time. Today there will be some reading and a movie!

Labels: election, Franklin, life

THE MONEY POLL

I watch the fund raising numbers rather closely.

I figure that it is more telling than some of the polls.

Look at this:

Obama Raises Stunning 150 Million in September

Well, you can't beat that for a vote of confidence.

Labels: Barack Obama

WOW!!!

100,000 People

He is standing under the great arch.

Keeerist. He keeps turning it up. More people than watched the acceptance speech.

Labels: Barack Obama

RECRUITED AND RECRUITING

I have signed up to make phone calls (Seniors for Obama) to oldsters in Pennsylvania.

That is where I am from. I am an oldster. I am for Obama.

It took me a while to sign up to call. They have been emailing me regularly to do it but I have balked. "Can't I just send money?"

But today I crumbled. A tape from Jill Biden. The other day Michelle Obama got me to make an earlier than planned donation as a matcher. I am vulnerable to the ladies, I guess.

They say that in calling, the first four are the hardest and it is true. Once I got through that threshold, I got easy and smooth and it was OK.

I have fifty names. You get a complete either/or script. It is great.

So far, no winners.

I have been hung up on twice, two hard asses who wanted to lecture me about John McCain and a few message machines. Machines are the easiest because you leave a message and you are done.

The hardest, actually, is if they are supporters as it is my job to recruit them as volunteers. I pass them on to a field office and they are asked to door-knock or some other campaign activity.

Actually, that isn't hard either. It is a gentle process.

They do not want me to push. If they are not for Obama we thank and end the call. Nice and easy. And we don't argue with the hard-asses. Just thank them and say goodbye and good luck. Thanks. Au revoir. Well, no. That would be French, huh?

The thing is that this list is of voters not contacted so far. Not donors. Not volunteers. They are the ones on the sidelines and the other side. Low probability. I also read that if you get one out of ten you are doing very well. I hope for five.

Labels: Barack Obama

PRETENDER TO THE THRONE

From an article about Cindy McCain in this mornings NYT.

Those close to Mrs. McCain say she aspires to be like another blonde, glamorous figure married to an older man: Diana, the Princess of Wales. Mrs. McCain sought out the same mine-clearing organization that the princess supported, joining its board and traveling to minefields, just as her role model had. Mrs. McCain recently told British reporters that as first lady, she would take her cues from Diana, throwing herself into international philanthropy.

Here is the whole sad and disturbing article.

Behind McCain, Outsider in Capital Wanting Back In

I figured she was a kind of outsider but this nails it.

Labels: McCain

THEME FOR THE FINAL DAYS

If challenging Social Security is the "third rail of politics", the other two rails must me Medicaid and Medicare.

John McCain is standing on all three rails today.

The Obamas have saved the big guns for the final days. This issue has lain dormant for weeks since the WSJ printed a story on it.

Dormant no more.

This ought to play well in Palm Springs. But we already have elected Barack.

How about Florida? Hmmmm.

More.

BOY!!!

Is he wound up!

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain

THE D WORD

I am surprised that no one has applied the traditional term for pandering, lying, flag waving rhetoric. That word is demagogue.

Sarah Palin is the genuine article.

Today's flap is because she now tells the 'little' towns she visits that they are the 'real America' unlike those other places.

I just thought that I would mention it. We don't need a lot of explanation. Just use the word. You will have nailed it.

Labels: McCain

ENDORSEMENT DAY

So my local paper, the LATimes endorsed the first Presidential candidate in 30 years. Let's see, that would be 1976 and Jimmy Carter.

Here is the last paragraph:

We may one day look back on this presidential campaign in wonder. We may marvel that Obama's critics called him an elitist, as if an Ivy League education were a source of embarrassment, and belittled his eloquence, as if a gift with words were suddenly a defect. In fact, Obama is educated and eloquent, sober and exciting, steady and mature. He represents the nation as it is, and as it aspires to be.

RELIEF

Today was the great test.

Would the cell phone that John rented for Italy actually work?

The answer is an emphatic "yes"!

I got his "I landed" message when I woke up this morning and we talked together at 4AM, me, and 1PM, him.

He got to 'downtown' Rome which he says is like New York without the organization and was in the rail terminal.

He bypassed the first train to Pisa because all the first class was sold out and was due to take a train two hours later.

This is probably a good thing. Everyone told him that he had a very tight plan and would have to relax it so this is a good test. Actually, it just means he gets to the hotel two hours later and will have to wait a bit for his sleep.

He is over the inevitable European visit hump.

I am over my hump as well. Relieved about the phone's function, relief that he is there and already working with the realities of the trip and relieved that I didn't have to go with him. I would no more want to be in Rome right now than any one of Dante's Circles of Hell. Just to keep the Italian theme going.

Labels: travel

SUPRISING

The contemporary Washington Post editorial page is notably conservative and yet, today, we have this:

Barack Obama for President

I liked the first paragraphs very much.

THE NOMINATING process this year produced two unusually talented and qualified presidential candidates. There are few public figures we have respected more over the years than Sen. John McCain. Yet it is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.

The choice is made easy in part by Mr. McCain's disappointing campaign, above all his irresponsible selection of a running mate who is not ready to be president. It is made easy in larger part, though, because of our admiration for Mr. Obama and the impressive qualities he has shown during this long race. Yes, we have reservations and concerns, almost inevitably, given Mr. Obama's relatively brief experience in national politics. But we also have enormous hopes.

Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain

ALONE, SORT OF

John left for Rome today.

Two weeks.

He will leave Rome and head for Pisa, Lucca, Florence, San Gimignano, Volterra and back to Rome.

Then, he is home on the 30th.

That would leave me alone except for Franklin.

So far, so good.

We took John to the airport this morning and saw him off.

Then we came home, had a little more breakfast and took a walk in the morning air.

Franklin is a different walker in the AM versus the PM.

AM is friskier and walks a lot longer. I will need his energy as I will not be doing the gym for the two weeks that John is away. Substituting the morning walk.

When we got back I doodled around. This is the day for house cleaning and I have a minor role to play before Mari gets here to do the main work.

Then on to an MIT prospect interview. A nice kid from the next town over.

It went well. I am a fast interviewer.

I want all of them to get in but I try to be objective.

Besides it is not my job to evaluate so much as to talk about the place, answer questions, offer to be of help until they complete the cycle of registration and to write up a bit of my impressions for the school to 'put a face' on the cold, stark data of application, tests, references and all that.

This afternoon I have a friend coming over to do some Program work and tonight, a leftover family couple from last weekend will return from a side trip to Death Valley.

They will stay over here until Saturday morning.

Then I will be alone. Well, still 'sort of' because my faithful friend will be with me. Franklin.

I will be busy for the two weeks. Normally so.

I think I will welcome the quiet and solitary existence of being single right after I got married.

Why didn't I go? Because this is John's 70th birthday present. Mine was a party. The trip was long planned. The marriage opportunity came in on top of it.

It does look a bit like a one man honeymoon though.

A good joke but not true.

Labels: Franklin, life, travel

NON VERBALS

This ad right out of the box from last night's debate uses the McCain tics to make the point.

I once taught that non-verbals were worth 80% of the message. I didn't quite believe it but if I had McCain as a model, I guess I would have to agree that it is pretty close. And the snap polls have it that way too. 56% say Obama did the best.

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain

THREE OUT OF THREE

The snap polls, the viewers, over half the pundits all say that Obama had McCain last night.

The anger management classes didn't work. McCain was his McNasty self.

Actually, I thought McCain did better than he did before. He was sitting down, no lurching. He was pretty coherent in the beginning. He couldn't say "Barack" but he did name Obama a few times. Mostly in attacking him.

I thought that Obama's co-option of Joe the Plumber was masterful. Particularly when he used Joe to answer the left-over-from-the-last-debate question about fines for businesses that didn't have health insurance.

It gave us the 'deer in the headlights' moment. Watch McCain go limp.

Bad prep. The trouble with negative attacks is that a candidate begins to believe his or her own bullshit eventually. And when called on it, the candidate gets a burst of reality like this one.

Labels: Barack Obama, election, McCain

NOT ON GOOD TERMS

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Terms of Endearment (1983)

I left early.

It was mildly amusing but very contrived. These people are movie people. OK if you are in a movie but tough to watch if you are in the audience.

OK.

I will cop to not liking any of them really in any movie.

I knew enough, when it came around, not to see it.

I wish I had the same wisdom this time around. An hour wasted.

Yeh, and I know the ending is sad as hell so I am avoiding that too.

I will give this one a 1 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

PREP

Now that the wedding is over, it is all Italy all the time.

John leaves early Thursday morning and he is into the final throes. Two weeks.

I got nervous last night but now have let it go. He will have the trip that he is supposed to have and I will have a quiet time at home. Franklin, too.

It is hard not to get wrapped up in his activities with advice and all. After all, I am an expert at travel. I did it all my working life.

But that is me. How I do it. Or don't.

It is nice to stand back and watch someone else go through the process.

Labels: travel

STUNNER

The CBS/NYT poll released a little while ago is a stunner.

It is the first poll that I have seen where McCain goes under 40%.

The most dramatic part are the internals. McCain is in serious trouble. The momentum is down for him and up for Obama.

THE RACE FOR PRESIDENT: BEFORE THE FINAL DEBATE

I seem to be writing less about the election. Maybe I was distracted by the wedding but I don't think that is it.

I think that we are in a repeating meme period.

Obama does continue to build on his platform. McCain continues his erratic day to day swings and obfuscations.

I will be glad when the debate is over tomorrow night.

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain, poll, polls

DYNAMIC DUO

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

Le Vieil homme et l'enfant / The Two of Us (1967)

In wartime France, a jewish boy is sent to a farm owned by an elderly couple who shelter him without knowing that he is a jew.

The old man and the boy become friends.

There is no story as such. A series of vignettes show their lives together. The back story of the boy's identity is kept in play by the old man's anti-semitic rants. They are not very serious but, still, scary for the boy.

Friendship wins out, of course.

This is a very gentle story of culture conflicts. Old/young, country/city, christian/jew, and so on. A divided France is in the background at all times.

While predictable and gentle, the moral of the story is a very powerful one. Love will win out.

Once is enough though. A 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

DUMPATHON

Conservative pundits go after McCain and his campaign. In a way, it is very sad.

Labels: McCain

VIDEOS

The kids are back on the ground in Boston.

The entire house and yard 'complex' is back to normal except for a host of daisies in galvanized pails. Our wedding flower. See below.

And the wedding itself is a series of little mental videos that play randomly in my brain.

The final, relief giving, checkoff on the to do list. The City Councilman, Rick, who did the honors, showed up in plenty of time. I can see him rounding the corner.

A report from 'out there' that there wasn't any crowd forming at 1:40. Then, a later one that said "they must all be here because most of the seats are filled".

Relief.

Then the gathering of the 'bests' and my kids for the procession. The listening for the musical cues. (We hit the mark on the dot) and the lining up with John telling everyone to walk slowly. One more time.

Then the crowd. My god! Did we invite all these people?

Our walk in. The arrival.

I look at the faces. A sea of them. Very close.

I work hard to listen and look at Rick as he gets us into it.

The promises.

The vows. I got it out.

I try very hard to listen to John's. I got most of it.

I see the faces on the other side as we walk out.

All that is coming up for me.

How do I feel today? Married. I am surprised. It does feel different.

First in a civil ceremony way. We are legit. It is the real thing. I have a husband! It is not just a term of endearment.

We were validated. We stood before our family and friends.

And I look at him and know that we are at a deeper level of bonding. Forever. That is a long time.

Here are his vows to me.

Most marriage vows are spoken when we are young, before we even know who we are - much less what we need. Vows filled with promises - to be who we hope is wanted, to do what we think is expected and to do it forever.

The vows I make today — when I am no longer young, when I know who I am, what I offer as well as what I want — these vows are;
to be as reliable as Orion,
to stay as interesting as Franklin and
to complete a journey I am proud to share.

I will keep these vows with gratitude, and joy and serenity.

And I will love you forever.

Sweet, huh?

Oh. The daisies. Out here they call them Margarites.

After one of our last breakups, I had a 'date'. I brought him back to my apartment after dinner. Or maybe we didn't bother with dinner.

We came down the hall and, there at the door, was a galvanized bucket filled with daisies. John had bought the whole thing from some street vendor.

I had to explain and the guy told me that he couldn't come inside with me. He couldn't upset a relationship that was so obviously important.

I wasn't too happy at the time but now I see the event as providential.

Now we have daisies when ever we can think of it.

Today, I saw a lot of people who were there. The reviews are glowing. The word 'perfect' comes up a lot. Or 'the best wedding I have ever been to."

One surprising thing. Many people mention the birds singing so loudly. We do have a lot of birds in our yard.

I was so self centered that I did not hear them. But everyone else did. Great. Atmospherics are important.

Labels: gay wedding, wedding

THE WONDER DOG

In some ways, Franklin has been having a rough time.

On Friday, the house was invaded by 12 family folk from back east. Confusion.

He doesn't much like the pool splashing so that makes things a bit tight negotiating his back yard.

Then Saturday morning a hundred seats were put up in the back area beyond the pool. "This area is for the three p's—patrolling, peeing, and pooping. Not sitting. What is this?"

Then a hundred more people showed up at 2 PM.

We have done this before. I had a birthday party with about a hundred visitors.

He does very well with this. He walks all the time from person to person, gets pets, moves on to the next. Very social. But always on the move.

And that was his strategy yesterday. We had a young dog whisperer keep his eye on Franklin in case he took it in mind to leave or something untoward. But nothing of that kind happened at all.

We were in the guest room, waiting and hiding, so we could not see this.

We waited. The City Councilman came. We signed the papers (actually getting married before we got married at least on paper).

The family and best men gathered. We went outside to wait for our cues and just minutes before we were going to walk in, here comes Franklin. Through the guest room out the door and into the center of our gathering. Always the center.

Everyone made a fuss over him.

He waited with us and when we walked in he came right along right to the head of the gathering. Next to John and me.

He sat through the short service. As we finished and kissed, the people clapped and he barked!

A sharp loud arf!

Jaws dropped.

Later we were accused of training him to do it on cue. No. It is just Franklin's wise way with the world. He has an uncanny ability to pick up his cues and, more importantly, to act on them.

We recessed and he came along and then joined us for the toasts.

I don't remember his being in the recieving line with us until a bit later when things thinned out.

He came up, sat on my foot (a favorite place to sit if you are his special friend) and viewed the scene.

Last night, the best men, in an extraordinary burst of energy, took down all the chairs and we put the entire house back in shape.

Franklin is greatly relieved at this.

Tomorrow morning all the people will be gone and just the three of us will remain. A sigh of relief and some sleep.

He has not taken a nap for two days. He is still asleep in his bed as I type. Two hours after I got up.

It is hard work to be the family Airedale.

Labels: Franklin, gay wedding, wedding

FANTASTIC

Just a few words for the people who hang on my every utterance in the blog.

The wedding was a great success.

Everyone showed up—about a hundred people, the service people showed up as promised, the cake was wonderful, the City Councilman who officiated did a great job and, the best part, we are now married.

Husbands.

Official in the State of California with privileges in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York who would recognize our marriage if not give us a certificate.

I got my vows out without too much tearing. I got my big laugh line.

See if how can guess which one it was.

I love you.

You are my best friend.

Today I give myself to you in marriage.

We have had better and worst. We've been richer and poorer. We have been together in sickness and in health. We even came close to 'death do us part' a couple of times.

We have cherished and held each other from the first day that we met.

I promise more of the same.

And I promise to work for both of us. Together. To help you be who you are supposed to be, become who you are supposed to become and do what you are supposed to do.

In the care and protection of our Programs. One day at a time.

The day was perfect. Cool. Breezy.

We were right. We did need the other cake layer.

People stayed around. I am sure that we have great photos.

Oh. Did I mention that we are married now?

Labels: gay marriage, gay wedding, wedding

LAST GASPER

This may be my last entry in the blog as a single man.

The momentum has built up so that I suspect that I shall go through with it.

All my kids are here with spouses and kids. What a wonderful reunion. The first where so many have gathered here. A long trek from back east. We are blessed by their presence.

The best men are in place. They sleep in the guest room as I type. One for each of us. Ready to defend and protect.

We have the chairs delivered. The 'altar' is ready. The sound system is in place so that every one of the hundred who will arrive will not miss a word. Or sigh.

Today is a whole ramp up from getting the balloons to icing the drinks (3 a piece). The cake arrives at 11-12. And most crucially, we hope, that the City Councilman will be on time. I call him 'the preacher'.

How do I feel? Well, right now, calm. Like the wind that tore through here during the night fluttering some ribbons on the big display setup in the backyard. A bit ravaged but ready to go, with a little repair.

I will go to a Meeting this morning. The place that makes all of this possible in the first place.

Then we will get through a long march of little details which mean much more to us than anyone attending.

We have lots of help.

The kids, a friend who will be the grand usher. Another who will help people find a place to park (and stay out of the driveway). Another who will prep and serve the drinks. He is paid help. The hardest worker of all.

Did I wander off the question of how I am doing?

Yes.

I don't know how. I do know why though.

I am doing this because, twenty years, ago we put some energy and money behind gay rights in Boston and part of that was the marriage initiative. This finishes that job off.

And, I want what everyone else has. A bond with a belovec husband that ties and nourishes.

A friend wrote the other day. He says it best.

I’m writing to express best wishes to you and John on your big day tomorrow.

All the usual words seem backwards. Instead of “hope” this seems like “proof.” Instead of “anticipation” this seems like “validation.”

I’m happy for you that after years of hiding and shackles you can enjoy the fullness of your relationship. Enjoy tomorrow as the reward for all you’ve done to build and sustain your bond through difficult circumstances.

Blessings on you.

Now. I have to get going. The 'to do list' says that I should eat some breakfast.

Labels: gay wedding, wedding

THE OLD CAMPAIGN

Gail Collins mourns the old McCain campaign.

Dear Old Golden Dog Days

I liked it all but this part rang a bell.

Remember how we used to joke about John McCain looking like an old guy yelling at kids to get off his lawn? It’s only in retrospect that we can see that the keep-off-the-grass period was the McCain campaign’s golden era. Now, he’s beginning to act like one of those movie characters who steals the wrong ring and turns into a troll.

During that last debate, while he was wandering around the stage, you almost expected to hear him start muttering: “We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious.”

Very good.

Labels: McCain

McCAIN STEPS INTO THE SHIT AGAIN

MCCAIN HANDS OBAMA A TARGET

The 'mortgage buyup' proposal that no one on either side takes seriously has allowed Obama to keep hammering McCain's bona fides in the economic sphere while the McCains had hoped to put him on the defensive with the slime machine.

Now, McCain has to defend the indefensible which he didn't take seriously himself.

This is the product of his economic advisor who I have seen on CNN. He is a weasel. Another guy with a hyphenated last name.

What's up with that?

Oh.

That gave Obama another opportunity to paint McCain as 'erratic'. Euphemism for geezer.

Labels: Barack Obama, McCain

PHYS ED

I had my semi annual physical this morning and aced it!

Very nice.

I didn't have a lot to report.

I told him that I was getting cataracts and he told me not to have them done before it was needed, really needed. Fat chance of that.

A lot of people get the work done as soon as they appear thinking that it is better to get it over with. Not. Sometimes they don't develop past a certain point and the early work is unnecessary.

He also told me that my eye doctor is a good one. Not "knife happy". Or, as they say now, not "laser happy".

We also got the benefit of the new data about colonoscopy. If you don't have a history of colo-rectal cancer then it is not recommended after 75. I am not 75 yet but I am not having one anyway.

I don't mind the procedure. But it is invasive and there are risks.

And I don't have the history. I will do one of those shit wipe tests though.

On the minor end of the scale, the biggest complaint I have right now is that I have one of those end of the finger cuticle infection things and he told me that hot water was the cure. I thought hot salty water but he says no. It is the heat.

A feel good moment. The technician came in to do my EKG and we chatted. I mentioned that I was 72 and she was amazed. I guess they don't spend all day reading our files the way we might think that they do.

She told me that most people my age that come in there are feebs (not her word) who didn't take care of themselves and are in very bad shape.

She also told me my heart was perfect. They aren't supposed to tell you that stuff but I guess she thought we had crossed some boundary.

Needless to say, I felt good leaving the doc's office. On to the tests tomorrow morning. Fasting.

Labels: health

TRAIN RIDE

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

This is a tight, exciting and very satisfying thriller about the "kidnapping" of a subway car with 17 riders.

It is an ensemble cast with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. A host of NYC actors fill it out.

It is very good and not a studio shot in view. All New York City all the time.

I would not mind seeing it again sometime. That makes it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

DEBATABLE

Did they shake hands? Did McCain blow Obama off at the end?

I thought so.

Is this important? I think that it is.

The McCains left in a hurry. The Obamas were still making the rounds of the group when I left the program to go to the spa.

I think this is telling. McCain didn't do very well. I think that they knew it.

Snap polls support it.

Obama was crisp and clear. McCain? Talk about nailing jello to the wall.

But I am biased.

It was an awful format and Brokaw was totally out of control. His own questions were snarky but pointed and perhaps did bring things to a clarifying end.

Obama wiped McCain up.

Labels: Barack Obama, election, McCain

BIZZY

I have a feeling that the blogging is going to be skimpy this week.

There is a lot to do for the wedding and guests are coming.

I am doing OK though.

Just not a lot of time.

Today is a short day because of watching the debate.

Gotta walk Franklin early and then have dinner. It will be at 6PM here.

It won't be long before Franklin and I will be walking before dinner anyway. It is getting darker each night and if we do a long one we come home at dusk.

Labels: blog, election, Franklin

11001

Gay marriages in California surpass those in Massachusetts

Not that we are looking to break any records. And we do have more people. And we will marry anyone out of state.

Elven thousand! As of this Saturday it will be Eleven Thousand and One.

And here is another statistic. Our county.

County Ranks 4th in State

We are doing our part.

Labels: gay marriage, gay wedding, wedding

CREEPING TENSION

This is the wedding week. Saturday.

I would be less than honest if I didn't say I was nervous about it.

A sort of undefined free floating anxiety. Not intense. But present.

Sometimes I get nervous about everything coming off the way it is "supposed to".

On Saturday, a friend pointed out to me that "we have no idea what to expect so if anything goes wrong we won't know it".

That made sense.

Today is confirmation day. The chairs (the order was lost), the councilman who will marry us, the flowers, the window washer on Friday morning and so on.

This afternoon some final yard work. Cutting of palms and potting an old ficus in a new pot.

I worry, a little, that people will forget or not come or something. Yet, today, everyone I saw was as excited about it as they could be.

One guy has a new job and might not be able to make it but he is trying to get a couple hours off. So nice.

So it is happening.

I will make it.

I don't want to elope any more. And I will show up at the wedding.

We saw the slide show that Dave made for us this morning. We will show it on the video and my computer. Very nice. Teary.

I am also doubling up on my Meetings this week. A suggestion from one of my close-in group. What I would suggest to another. I will do it. I am sure it will help smooth the way.

Labels: gay wedding, wedding

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Safety not guaranteed.

Labels: life

THE BOSS

From the Philly Inquirer (Springsteen had a concert there last night):

Springsteen referred to America as "a repository of hope" and "a house of dreams" in an impressively articulate speech that preceded "The Rising."

That dream house, he declared, "can't be pulled down by a thousand George Bushes or a thousand Dick Cheneys." And it provided Springsteen with a reclamation metaphor he artfully meshed with the 9/11-inspired "The Rising" and "This Land Is Your Land," the latter infused with a Bo Diddley-beat-powered "Yes we can" chant.

"I want my house back," Springsteen declared. "I want my America back, and I want my country back."

Labels: Barack Obama

BEAUTIFUL

This is a great little film. It is a propaganda piece of course. But a good one.

Israelis for Obama.

I don't always agree with Israel's goals but I sure agree with these Israelis.

Labels: Barack Obama

ON THE RUN

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Nicolas Ray's first film

They Live by Night (1949)

This film noir wrapped around a romance (or romance wrapped around a film noir) has a lot of original stuff--the first helicopter shots of film action)--which are now conventional.

Farley Granger is an 'innocent' for whom a life of crime seems the only option. He is also hopelessly naive.

Critics want to put a Bonnie and Clyde spin on it but I don't see it that way. I see it more as a downward spiral set in motion by the state (wrongful conviction and imprisonment) but that is more a political interpretation.

Gullible, stupid and stubbornly fixated as he is, Farley Granger is great to look at.

I will give this a 3 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films

ANY BLACK CATS?

Think about it.

Look at this from the AP.

He was convicted of an armed robbery that happened on Sept. 13 and was found guilty on the 13th anniversary of his Los Angeles murder acquittal. The Las Vegas jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13-day trial.

And this will be this.

I guess the Juice got beyond his sell date.

Labels: culture

BOURGEOISE TERRORISTS

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Rainer Werner Fassbinder's

Die Dritte Generation / The Third Generation (1978)

The joke here is that third generation of lefty terrorists (modelled on the Bader Manhoff gang) are a bunch of upper middle class dunderheads. They are experts on the clusterfuck.

One of them is the son of the chief police investigator and lives at home.

The plot is sort of tortured. But there are the usual fascinating Fassbinder sidebars which amuse. But not enough.

I didn't like it but I didn't turn it off or skip ahead. That makes it a 2 out of Netflix5.

Labels: best films