Fascinating fact for the day

Check out this article on the analysis of the above signatures. The very last tidbit is the one that I thought was pretty fascinating:

But, interestingly enough, Obama and McCain are lefties — just like four out of five US presidents immediately before them: Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr and Bill Clinton.

Lefties rule!

Perhaps I was not clear

Some time last year, and I think I blogged about this but I am too lazy to look it up, I saw an article in Oprah’s magazine about women who had chosen not to color over their gray hair. It cemented my decision not to color my hair as it slowly shows some gray because I thought those women looked gorgeous. I am blessed with good skin tone to pull it off and I want to keep my hair long and I rather liked the “silver fox” look I’ve also so far not had a whole lot of gray. It’s there, but keeping my hair long and given that I have so much it is not obvious. I still pluck out the one that shows up right in the front of my part line - it will need more friends in the area to make it not so obvious before I stop that. However, please note that I am talking here about not minding and even welcoming at some point they gray hairs on my *head*. Perhaps I was unclear on that. Because, you know, I really DO mind finding one in my EYEBROW!!!! Tweezers are my friend and I better not be seeing THAT again!

Carry on.

Basketball Pole 1 - Sportsboy 0

What happens when you are playing “bump out” on the school basketball court at recess and you get hit in the face with a stray soccer ball from the field which causes you to turn your head quickly in reaction to the soccer ball thump only to smash directly into the basketball pole? You get a lump directly in the center of your forehead like this:

You also get to come home early from school because you understandably have a headache and get a wee bit dizzy when you move too quickly. No other symptoms though. Ice and rest. Oh, and you feel quite a bit embarrassed because you will go back to school tomorrow with this lovely lump probably looking even worse before it goes away. All of a sudden the short hair cut does not seem so wonderful!

No word on the basketball pole. There is the potential for a dent which he will check out tomorrow

Move 2008 - Week 20 with pics

These are explanations of why I have not been moving enough to meet my goals:

Padres game with LL team.

Mother’s Day Dinner

Brown Pelicans on the rocks at La Jolla where we walked last night before dinner.

The pile o’ papers sitting on my sofa at this moment waiting to be logged that must be done today.

The good news is that I did somehow manage two workouts again. The other good news is that the largest obstacle, the pile o papers, will be off my shoulders in two weeks. Now I am off to tackle the pile because if I get through it fast enough, I can get in a workout today.

Here comes the sun!

In typical So Cal spring fashion, we are back to sunshine and heat this weekend. We keep alternating between heat and cold in April/May. Makes weekend clothing planning a real challenge! At least there is no May Gray so far. A friend is in town from NY and when he was here last year all he saw was may gray. He’s not complaining about the sun. I am meeting he and Foodgirl again for dinner in La Jolla. She made a funny last night telling me how “parking in La Jolla makes me cry!” She is so right!! We will find a way though.

SportsBoy has his last Miracle League game this morning AND his last regular season LL game this afternoon. Anyone want to guess how happy I am that LL is almost over???

There is talk of some post season tournament but I have no idea how involved we can be. His travel ball team has their final tournament next weekend and then that one does end for real until September. Of course, I don’t get a break as the Treasurer since there are summer camps and a few older teams that play all the way through. Guess how excited I am about that????

We are on the downhill slope to 6th grade graduation and all the events surrounding it. The 6th grade play is the first week of June and that runs 4 nights out of that week.  Dancefest is the 10th. Graduation and a party are on the 12th. And who knows when he leaves for Sweden since his dad has done nothing about making flight plans. Anyone shocked to hear that????

I’m working on and off all weekend too. Grant payroll file is due first thing Monday am (was supposed to be Friday but I got an extension). I started creating the file yesterday. I’ve logged 352 forms and I am through the letter ‘K’. This is my last one of these. New gal starts the 29th and will be handling the June payroll. Anyone wanna guess how happy I am about that?????

OK, off to Starbucks for a frappuccino to get things started. I know *that* shocks no one

This Week in Politics - Change

No, not Change of the Obama-esq variety (though I am all for that as everyone knows). This week IMHO marked some pretty big turning points in the political world.

One actually started last week with the votes in NC and Ind. After weeks of wright-mania, the voters delivered the message that, yes, they ARE more thoughtful than the media credits them to be. More thoughtful than I feared them to be really! After seeing how effective the Swift Boat attacks were in 2004, after watching the media devolve into shallowness I never thought possible, I had been going into this political season in constant apprehension over what would happen. Apathy seemed rampant and 30 second sound bites ruled. But I have been encouraged so far. the voting public saw through a lot of the crap being thrown at them. Not everyone of course, and I understand that. Still, it was a welcomed change.

Along those lines, I am sensing a change in the media too. I’d love to give all credit to bloggers of course, and surely many tenacious writers did spark this tide, but I think the media is no longer able to get away with supreme vapidity without criticism. Look at the uproar after the ABC debacle debate. At the moment it happened their colleagues on the TV couldn’t or didn’t criticize too vehemently out of respect (and, I am sure because they know they could have been just as guilty given the opportunity), but as time has passed that debate has been held up often as an example of the highlighting of meaningless political rhetoric and personal attacks. Yesterday Chris Matthews did not let a radio host get away with shallow spin! He exposed the hosts’ lack of actual *knowledge* on the subject rather than letting the guy just rant and repeat talking points. That was a first! Usually, talking heads from both sides of the debate are simply put up there and allowed to shout at each other with very little substance and the TV ‘moderator’ just lets it play out, or actually, eggs them on (entertainment value and all that) and the viewing audience learns nothing. I’d like to think that the media is getting it that we are NOT just turning on their shows for entertainment and are finally, perhaps, turning back towards the goal of education and information. Maybe. I hope. Ooh, hope and change…sorry, can’t help it

For those on my side of the political aisle who may have been feeling apprehensive about the divide in the party with this extended and divisive primary season, I think the tide changed there this week too. Two things accomplished that. Just as the media was sinking it’s teeth into Hillary’s West Virgina victory and they were getting themselves all wrapped up in the “hard working white uneducated blue collar voter” meme which would have just served to stir up more bad feelings, John Edwards sucked the air right out of that balloon. His endorsement of Obama switched the focus of the news cycles and everyone then started talking about unity. Both of their speeches in Michigan when they appeared together highlighted the Democratic Party as a whole - often mentioning Hillary and the positives she brings. Then, our own dear President did the best thing he could have done yesterday. He got into the fray himself by lobbing a verbal water balloon at Obama. Suddenly all the party leaders, including Hillary, were standing up to defend Obama. Now, this is all just great political theatrics, I know. And it’s a hoot to watch! But for a week which started out feeling as if it would be very fractured for the party, it has ended up feeling surprisingly united. THAT was a change that needed to happen.

Finally, the last one which I linked to yesterday. The Calif Supreme Court declaring the Prop 22 Marriage Amendment unconstitutional. I know I probably have a few readers who do not agree with me on this, but allow me a moment to revel in what I happen to think is a change that is long overdue. I remember when this initiative was presented every well. It had a lot to do with sparking my involvement in politics. Sportsboy was in pre-school and there was a lesbian couple who had their daughter there and the oldest daughter was SB’s age. We all got together throughout the year for birthday parties and I ended up walking in my first 3-day with one of the moms. In one of the newspaper articles debating Prop 22, this couple represented the same sex side. I knew that one of the mom’s had already battled cancer and they were just very concerned about how their family would be impacted if she lost her battle (she didn’t thankfully) and knowing them brought the situation “home” to me. Thought truthfully I have also always identified with people who are ostracized. I just never properly ‘fit in’ socially with my age group while in school and even beyond for awhile so I have empathy for people in that situation.  I could *never* support anything that ‘lessens’ anyone and that is how I have always viewed the gay marriage issue. Prop 22 was the beginning of the end of my membership in the GOP I know that there is a new battle on the horizon in CA as there is a group petitioning to write a *new* amendment, but I do know that change takes time. And patience. And dedication. And hope

Proud of my state!

Calif. Supreme Court rejects gay marriage ban

American Idol Top 3 (with results)

Since I am a day late, I’ll give the results at the end

As always when it gets to the Top 3, the contestants had their triumphant home town visits. The judges pick the first song for them.

Paula chose a Billy Joel song that I have never heard of for David Archuletta! And So It Goes. No matter - it was vintage David A. Very very good.

Randy chose Alicia Keyes for Syesha which was actually a little TOO predictable. To me it sounded as if Alicia was singing. Not that it was not GOOD, because this girl has found her stride and is doing great, but it was nothing that will stand out.

Simon chose Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face for David Cook - Wow. Wow. Excellent choice for him as it made David *really* show off his originality. He is MY American Idol this year hands down.

Now on to the songs they chose for themselves.

David A sings With You - Hey, David can sing a nice little pop song. He can’t dance at all (that was kind of painful to watch), but he sounded great as always.

Syesha chose Fever - at least one contestant does this EVERY year. Uck. Consider this her final audition for Broadway. She looks great. Sounds great. Moves great and certainly has those acting chops in full force.

David Cook chose Dare you To Move - a song that grates on my nerves on so much. That started off weaker than I have ever heard him, but finished strong. I actually preferred the first song though!!

Finally, songs the producers chose.

David A gets Dan Fogelberg’s Longer - one of my all-time favorite sappy love songs. Nicely done. A few truly lovely notes hit there. They keep saying “You can sing the phone book David” and they are so right. I love how Simon hates the lyrics to this song ;->>

Syesha gets Hit Me Up - I think this is my favorite of her three songs tonight. Shows off her vocals and she gets to be upbeat and fun. Weird how the judges didn’t like it that much! Simon is right though that her best moment was last week with the Sam Cooke song.

David Cook gets I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing - oh, my favorite Aerosmith ballad. David doesn’t have his groove on the soft/low range tonight. But, oh when he rocks it out, WOWZA. Way to end the show Mr Cook!!

OK, I know I am not going out on a HUGE limb saying this but…it’s going to be David vs David. What else can it be? No diss on Syesha, but she just is not in their league. It’s been marching toward that ever since Michael Johns was voted off (I thought he would be the only one with a shot at breaking up the Davids)

******* Taking a break until the kick off show airs here *******

Call me sappy (go ahead, I know you will want to), but I really LOVE the Final 3 goes home show!!! It’s like when I was totally into Survivor and would look so forward to the family visits. Total tug on your heart strings tear jerkers and I fall for them every. single. time. Sniffle.

And there it is - David vs David. It had to be. Bye bye Syesha, but step aside and let the men go through

“Logic” in Campaign-speak

On yet another primary Tuesday, one without drama or intrigue though, I feel the need to point this out. Hillary Clinton has argued (amongst many other dubious things as she skillfully ignores the numbers working against her), that HER victories carry more impact that Barack Obama’s because they are in historically critical General election swing states and her victories in those states PROVES that she would win those states in the GE. Now, every time I hear that argument I think “But it was only Dems voting for a Dem candidate. That does not translate directly to what percentage you will get in the GE when running against McCain!”  Of course, my opinion doesn’t make good dramatic copy for the press and pundits so you aren’t going to hear such things from them However, let’s dissect just how ridiculous this particular Clinton claim is using those wonderfully logical of things - the numbers.

On Feb 5th, the Republicans had the first part of their primary election. On the day that McCain essentially wrapped up the nomination, here were the results from West Virginia:

CAUCUS RESULTS - February 5, 2008

Republicans | Polls | County Results
Candidate	Votes	% of votes	Delegates won	Projected winner
Mike Huckabee	567	52%	18
Mitt Romney	521	47%	0
John McCain	12	1%	0
Rudy Giuliani	0	0%	0
Ron Paul	0	0%	0

McCain: 1% !!!!!!!!

So by the Clinton “primaries are good indications of the general” metric, if OBAMA gets 2% today, he’ll beat McCain in West Virginia in the general.

So that’s the goal for Obama tonight, set by the Clintons themselves: 2% in West Virginia. I think he can do it.

In Protest

As all good liberals are won’t to do, I must stage a protest. My beefs are many, so please be patient.

1. I protest against deadlines. Particularly multiple deadlines that smash into one another to become one massive DEADLINE.

2. I protest against the stubborn nature of some (or could it have been poor listening skills?) who just 15 mins after being asked to request a two week extension on a deadline, requests just ONE. Oh gee thanks.

3. I protest against Board meetings during American Idol (thank gawd not during the finals next week).

4. I protest against TWO Board meetings in the same week.

5. I protest against heartburn.

6. I protest against the Padres. Hey, they are supposed to provide me with a nice distraction from all of the above, not cause more of #5.

7. I protest against the city using a two month billing cycle for water billsm Again. After using a one month cycle for two years. Make up your mind! And really, the two month thing is a real pain for household budgeting!

And lest I sound just TOO bitter this week. I am thankful for one supportive co-worker giving me the weekend to prepare the monthly monster file which *should* be due Friday. A modicum of relief was felt over that (though now you know the fun I will have this weekend). I am also thankful for the three containers of sour gummy worms in my kitchen courtesy of DS1. Those should help get me through the week. Well, as soon as #5 above goes away that is.