Today, February 24

  1. My current read, Booth Tarkington's "The Magnificent Ambersons," is proving to be one of the most delightful literary exhibitions of schadenfreude I've ever had the pleasure to read. I'm about a third of the way through, and I know that the lead character is going to get everything he deserves: to wit, nothing at all.
  2. While we'll miss Sex And The City, we'd like to note that the characters depicted in the show, despite protestations to the contrary, bear as much resemblance to the rest of humanity as a soap opera about mutant Prada-wearing cockroaches.
  3. Judges are 'heroic' when they make landmark decisions you agree with, and 'activist' when they make landmark decisions you don't agree with.
  4. Bush wants a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, because it cheapens the sanctity of marriage. I have distinct trouble accepting that allowing two people (no matter what genders) who love each other to receive the legal benefits of marriage "cheapens the sanctity of marriage" nearly as much as, oh, say, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé...or The Bachelor...or The Littlest Groom...or The Bachelorette...or, dare I say it, Britney Spears. Government, left corner. Religion, right corner. NOW, before I smack you both.
  5. While we're on that rant, perhaps it's time for society to wake up and realize that marriage is not just a religious sacrament, it is a civil contract. Here are some hints: property laws. Tax laws. Inheritance laws. Next-of-kin issues in hospitals. Shared insurance benefits.
  6. Artichokes are out of season right now. I am annoyed.
  7. Does anyone besides me find it somewhat amusing (and, perhaps, ironic) that a movie showing consensual sexuality between two adults ('The Dreamers') gets a NC-17 rating, but an extraordinarily graphically violent movie like 'The Passion Of The Christ' gets an R? Let's think about this...kids can't watch images of a human body participating in sexual acts but they can watch that body be graphically dismembered?
  8. It's hard not to look at Ralph Nader and shake my head at his rampant egoism. Yes, we know he wants the presidency almost as much as he wants to cling to his ideals, but if he'd just wake up for a moment and realize what the rest of the left-leaning independents (like myself) already know: if he runs a semi-successful campaign, all he's going to do is splinter the Democratic vote and hand George Bush the election on a nice Yale platter. True, he may not like everything the Democrats are doing (heck, I don't either) but if he's so blind to not realize that he'll accomplish more of his goals by getting a generally similarly-minded candidate elected instead of dividing the vote and handing a win to his political enemy, then he's a screaming idiot and Edmund should eat him.
  9. Speaking of cats, I've notified the management that should the current trend of kitty-puking on the carpet continue, I may be forced to revisit our current ban on cat-shaving.
  10. Why do American news organizations only use the word 'hardline' or 'extremist' in reference to non-American politicians? We've got plenty of homegrown liberals and conservatives that qualify. (Along those same lines, why is the word 'village' only used to refer to non-American small towns?)
  11. Memo from western Europe: "Dear America. It was a tit. Get over yourselves already. We'd hate to invade, really, but if you don't shut your sanctimonious yelping already, we may have to. Love and kisses, Western Europe. (P.S. - Don't think we've forgotten that 'freedom fries' crap, either.)"
  12. My tutorial for learning After Effects arrived today. I sense that Daniel Bedingfield's "Gotta Get Thru This" is going to be my bouncy, chipper little mantra. I'm slowly learning to translate my two-dimensional photoshop/illustrator knowledge into a three-dimensional artwork along the z-axis of time. Doesn't mean my brain hurts any less, though. Luckily, in a month or so, I'll think this is so passé.
  13. That is all.
all tags: 
cats
books
reading
politics
television
errata

Comments

On , gfmorris said...
Re: 10.: There are uses of hardline and extremist in discussion of American politics--almost always applied to Congress, almost always by partisan mouthpieces on both sides of the aisle. Re: 11.: Gotta love The Economist. :) Re: 5.: I've been screaming that for months now. Re: 7.: I love the MPAA. [Am I seeing Gibson's movie? Hell yes, I am.]

On , cal said...
I agree with everything except the first - simply because I haven't read the book. As for cat hurling, two of ours do that once in a while... the answer would be a special lickable goop you give them...or special food. Quite nasty...but I think the big girl would go ballistic if I even *suggested* shaving her beautiful coat!

On , jeffie said...
We've actually tried the special goop before (two different flavors). They won't eat it.

On , heather said...
Best way to get the cats to eat the goop - smear it on a paw. Cat cleanliness overides cat disgust.

On , kat said...
Re 9: Our cats are hurling less often now that we have a constant supply of cat grass. Yes, I know, cats mow it down fast. Have it growing in batches, so that as soon as they're done with one batch, you've got another one ready. It hasn't completely eliminated the problem, but it helps a great deal with us. Re 4&5: Amen, sister. I've been trying to say that for a while now, just like Geof. Re 7: It's all about our good old forefathers and their squeamishness about sex.

On , gfmorris said...
Oh, and Re: 7. Christ doesn't really get dismembered. I haven't braced myself enough to go see that yet.

On , Monica said...
Amy, it takes all kinds of people to make the world work. Isn't it amazing that we can still be friends even though I take issue with #3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, I hate artichokes, AND I'm a dog person. Yes, I have become a Southern Baptist Texas Republican, and it fits me pretty well. Hmmm... Whoduhthunkit?