Apt. 11D

Confused and Befuddled

I'm in lecture-writing mode today and am not really supposed to be looking at the blogs. But I couldn't resist clicking on a link that my dad sent to me to Victor Davis Hanson at NRO Online. Hanson writes,

The latest polls reflecting Obama’s near-collapse should serve as a morality tale of John Edwards’s two Americas — the political obtuseness of the intellectual elite juxtaposed to the common sense of the working classes.

For some bizarre reason, Obama aimed his speech at winning praise from National Public Radio, the New York Times, and Harvard, and solidifying an already 90-percent solid African-American base — while apparently insulting the intelligence of everyone else.

He goes on to explain that Obama's speech was the worst speech ever and that all the non-brie eaters hate his guts now.

Did I miss a major story? Is Obama out of the race? So, I ran over to check the headlines at the Times. No headlines. The opinion writers both talked about Obama, but nothing about a "near-collapse." Herbert thinks it was the best speech ever, but many people might miss the point. Brooks is wondering why Hillary doesn't resign already.

Maybe Hanson is confused.

What Makes a Bad Movie

Dan and Megan linked to a Joe Queenan essay, which has the best definition of what makes a bad movie. He's not talking about bad movies that we love to watch, but the bad movies that are unwatchable, like Gigli. Dan and Megan have their own suggestions for really bad movies.

I would like to add to the list Madonna's, Swept Away.

I haven't seen her directorial debut movie, but it should be placed on the list simply because of this statement: "I have always been inspired by the films of Goddard, Visconti, Passolini and Fellini and hope that I may one day make something that comes close to their genius," she wrote in a statement, listing four great film makers and misspelling two.

Spreadin' Love

The first great YouTube video questioning the Obama-cult. (Thanks Amy)

Charles Murray dug Obama's race speech.

Depressing advice for political science grad students (via Chris Lawrence). Although I suppose it's not any more depressing than the advice from my grad school adviser. He told me to marry a doctor.

I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords

Thanks to Matt.

The Non-Vaccinators

Megan comes out rather strongly against the non-vaccinators and makes me laugh:

Knowing parasites upon the herd immunity of everyone else, they are increasingly creating clusters of unvaccinated kids who form disease reservoirs where previously eradicated illnesses like measles are making a comeback. Their precious darlings then go on to infect younger children who haven't had their vaccinations, the immunocompromised, and adults whose immunity has waned.

Now that I have a foot in the special education community, I've heard way too many rants about vaccinations. I'm very happy to hear rants from the other side now.

Pop Culture Women and Politics

Yesterday morning, I had a 10 pound ham and not much clue of what to do with it, so I googled "ham glaze" and ended up at Martha Stewart's website. She had pages of tips of how to score the ham, what to do with the skin, and how to mix up a lovely brown sugar/cognac glaze. After printing out those pages, I got distracted clicking on other things on her website.

She had a warts-and-all scrapbook of her life, which included mention of her divorce and pictures of her entering court for the insider trading scandal. There's a picture of her leaving prison wearing a poncho that a fellow inmate made for her. Martha is oddly comfortable documenting the bad things in her life.

I've always been fascinated by Martha Stewart. I had a subscription to her magazine years ago. I've got a bunch of vintage dishes in my cupboard that Martha told me to buy. I liked the scrubbed, organized lifestyle that she painted, even as I was wearing black and hanging out in dark bars in the East Village.

Several years ago, Steve and I were at the Pier Show visiting a friend who sells antique glass. Jonah was a toddler sitting on Steve's shoulders as we browsed the mid-century furniture and artwork. We saw Martha in running clothes roaming around, too, so we stalked her for a while.

Martha is a fascinating political subject. Is she a feminist? On the one hand, she preaches a lifestyle that involves women doing painstaking cooking and sewing. She added several steps to the baking of the Easter ham. When my sister in law saw me removing the skin of the ham and scoring the fat in a crosshatch design, she said that there's no way that she would do all that work. If one really wants to live the Martha lifestyle, one must make it a full time job.

On the other hand, Martha has become a very wealthy, powerful woman from knowing how to correctly score the fat of the Easter ham. She may have backed the wrong horse in the Clinton-Obama fight, but she's a mainstay in New York Democratic politics.

There are a few other pop culture women that have a foot in the area of politics.

Angelina Jolie has the philanthropy and foreign-policy angle. I also think she's interesting for putting a dent in the traditional image of motherhood.

Oprah Winfrey certainly gave a boost to Obama's campaign, demonstrating more political strength than Ted Kennedy.

There are several other pop culture women, who have gone beyond the glossy magazine covers to make a real political impact. Their large followings and money have a huge impact on gender politics, the women's vote, and in politics in general. Judge Judy might be one of them. Who else should I add to that list?

Home Improvement, Final Installment

Well, the stupid kitchen is about 95% complete. The guys have a long list of little things to do. I suppose I should be bugging them to come back to finish off the job, but I'm enjoying the quiet.

When the workers first came, I was all mi casa, su casa with them. Which was fine, except they took the su casa part too far. I would come home from work to find five or six guys hanging out in my dining room drinking beer. They were marching upstairs to use my bathroom. They were commenting on the bottles in our recycling garbage bin. Lines had been crossed.

Then I became very neurotic about having the workers know that we were slobs. The breakfast dishes had to be cleaned up and the table wiped before I left the house. It took several trips up and down the stairs to the bathroom sink to get the dining area in order. Since the workers were using our upstairs bathroom, I had to make sure that the dirty underwear was pushed to the bottom of the laundry hamper, and my hair dryer was put away.

I hadn't expected the process to be so stressful and time consuming. Because I'm a moron.  I should have had the work done when the semester was over.

As painful as this process was, the kitchen itself is fabulous. Maybe too fabulous. Steve and I have never bought a new appliance before. We've always lived with appliances that date back to the days of Pufnstuf. Now we have shiny new appliances. Our microwave can sense how many potatoes are in there and then cooks them for just the right amount of time. We're a little freaked out by how smart the microwave is. And then there are the cabinets with the crown molding and metal knobs. I think our kitchen is too good for us. I think the cabinets are laughing at my fat ass when my back is turned. The dishwasher notices the muffin top on the top of my jeans.

Still, it's a great room. There's lots of room for us to cook and do homework together. It's a family room. On Sunday, we'll be making a Easter ham in there for 15 friends and family. I can't wait.

Living in Important Times

Yesterday, as I drove home from school, I listened to Obama's race speech on the local radio station. I was stopped at a stop sign on a winding road that snakes through the Northern New Jersey suburbs. I had passed the field hockey fields of the fancy private school and was driving towards the pick-up trucks and the rough rentals by the side of the railroad tracks. At that stop sign, I turned the volume up.

When I got home, I read the speech on line. When Steve got home, he asked me if I heard the speech and then he promptly went to watch the speech on YouTube. In the hallways of school today, we simply asked, "did you hear the speech?"

I think that if I discussed the speech, I would do damage to it. All I can say is that I heard it. And I am convinced that we're living in important times.

Spreadin' Love

Dr. Manhattan takes McCain to task for picking up on the pop science connection between immunization shots and autism.

Russell Arben Fox reviews Amy Sullivan's The Party Faithful.

Friday night specials. I think we're officially in TMI zone. It takes a lot to get me to that place.

Frequent commenter, Amy P, has started her own blog with commentary on gardens, children, and life.

Paterson

Paterson's inaugural speech  was remarkable, because there was enormous media attention, a who's who of the world of politics in the audience, and a hearty applause at every step. (Here's his press conference from a few days ago.) His warm references to his family got standing ovations. New York is done with pervs.