the wait is over

"LOST" begins again tonight and oh-what-a-hiatus-it's-been. (Not sure how many times I need to stress that.) Phew! Glad that's all done and over with! Back to some normalcy, for Christ's sake. Fuck this regression bullshit.

With "normalcy" comes hanging out with the Doc. My emotions have ranged from yes-I-am-interested to no-we-don't-need-to-hang-out to yes-I-could possibly-be-interested to no-we-should-be-friends back to yes-I-am-interested -- and it is there that they currently reside. He's nice. Like, nice-nice. Like, I don't date dudes like that. Like, I am an asshole-magnet.

Or was. Or whatever.

I am running a race on Sunday. The Doc is meeting me there to take me to brunch afterwards. I will hobble, sweaty and spent, toward a Bloody Mary any day, thank you. He's scoring some points for suggesting it.

And so, yes, fittingly, "LOST" begins tonight. When it last aired, I had a regular date with the gym and was more sober than not. I felt pleased most of the time, or when I did not, you know, it was all my doing. (I mean, who are we kidding? I can usually make myself feel horrible enough on my own -- I don't need someone assisting me.)

And so, yes, things are fine. Normal. Even-keeled. I am not waiting for that other shoe to drop on a daily basis and it's hard to believe I endured the nonsense for as long as I did.

Trim the fat.

Watch "LOST".

Run, don't walk.

Be nice to the Doc.

Yes.

well, duh

Me: i mean, seriously -- for someone who puts a lot of emphasis on intelligence, i certainly don't demand it from the boys in my life.

Friend: NO SHIT!

shameless plug

Check out my brother's single, from his upcoming release "Small-Time Machine", out March 11th.

(I'll be in the video.)

breaking news

With Edwards and Giuliani out, we'll have to revise that Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday Pick'em, kids.

Wow, what a shake-up. (Though we saw it coming.)

Will Edwards' departure help or hurt Obama? On the one hand, Edwards was splitting the anti-Clinton vote with Obama, but on the other, his supporters are more demographically-aligned with Clinton's base.

Seems Edwards is gonna have to endorse Obama pronto if we want this to help us.

i've been running hot

I'll go on the record to say that "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones is the best song ever recorded.

That's saying something, because I just finished dancing around my room to Ram Jam's "Black Betty".

the round-up

I am running a race on Sunday.
I am in dance class tonight.
I am walking to work on a regular basis.

"LOST" begins on Thursday.
Super Tuesday is a week away.

I am playing trivia tomorrow.
I am drinking less.
I am happy more.

I am watching "In Treatment".

TSUNAMI!

Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday is upon us and in the spirit of KB's College Pick'Em, I present to you the...

OVERUNDULATING FEVER SUPER DUPER TSUNAMI TUESDAY PICK'EM 2008

Please pick one candidate from each of the Democratic and Republican parties (as applicable; some states are only holding a primary/caucus for one party) for the following states:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho (Democratic Party Only)
Illinois
Kansas (Democratic Party Only)
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New Mexico (Democratic Party Only)
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia (Republican Party Only)

Candidates are as follows:

REPUBLICANS
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee
Ron Paul
Rudy Giuliani
John McCain

DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Dennis Kucinich
Mike Gravel

Remember, don't necessarily vote for whom you want to win, but rather for whom you think will take these states on February 5th.

Each correct pick will earn 1 point. The person with the most points on February 6th will receive two dozen cookies of your choice (my usual prize, yes?) baked by moi. (Sent via FedEx for those of you outside the NYC area!)

Picks must be submitted via email by Monday, February 4th at 12:00 (that's noon-time, folks) PM ET.

GOOD LUCK!

the after-school special

It's been that kind of day.



Great in '08.



Thank you, AB.

slusho

I spent Friday night with the "Cloverfield" monster and a karaoke machine, Saturday night on a barstool with K, Sunday night jumping around in a circle thanks to the G-Men, and Monday recovering while watching that nasty debate.

I also ran 6 miles this weekend.

Yay.

#

I made a $100 bet that I could lose 10 pounds by my birthday. Please be very encouraging.

If I win, I am 10 pounds lighter (but not $100 richer).
If I lose, I am $100 poorer and a terrible failure.

Let the games begin.

(PS: Emma, I made this bet an hour before listening to my saved copy of the Talk of the Nation podcast where it was discussed. Must be in the collective unconscious right now!)

look

Ran this weekend 'round the park. Twice. Listened to many a podcast on the elections. Watched the politico shows. Watched "The Wire". Met up with Josh, Tom, and Hilary at R&B to see the Giants beat the Cowboys. Drank a Bloody Mary. Baked a pina colada cake. Made vegan jambalaya. Read the Times, now that I am a weekend subscriber, while drinking strong coffee on my couch. Re-watched "BSG" episodes.

Crossed my fingers. Made some progress. Put it out there.

Lyndia says, "Let's eliminate negative thinking."

47 days until 30 is up.

the architect

Why is Karl Rove being so sympathetic to Hillary Clinton? Calling her "appealing", acknowledging her "powerful moments", and admitting that her playful responses at the New Hampshire primary "couldn't help but [make one] smile"?

Why is Karl Rove harshly criticizing Barack Obama? Calling him "lazy" and accusing him of "saying one thing and doing another"?

Has Karl Rove found a soft spot in his hardened heart for Hillary? I mean, even his BFF admits that he thinks she'll scoop up the nomination.

Those Republicans -- they really believe in Hillary?

Not likely.

Call it sexist if you will, but the GOP needs Hillary to be the candidate.

girl girl girl

Have you noticed that the introduction to the Milli Vanilli gem "Girl You Know It's True" sounds something like this?

Sexy female voice: "So, what are you doing back?"

Not Rob or Fab: "Well. I. Sat. Back. And. Thought. About. The. Days. We. Used. To. Do. It. Really. Means. A. Lot. To. Me. You. Mean. A. Lot. To. Me."

Sexy female voice: "I really mean that much to you?"

Not Rob or Fab: "Girl. You. Know. It's. True."

Well, you've convinced me.

between two ferns

(Thanks, Scarny.)

yes, we can

Last night, T.Rich and I had a nice Thai dinner, discussed our Career Advancement Plan, and then headed to the Riviera for a returns-watching party.

Hillary upset Barack, yes. Onto Nevada.

I must say, it was a joy to be back in that sort of environment, the room buzzing with excitement and hope and determination. I hadn't been a part of something similar since watching the 2004 debates at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta.

After the networks projected McCain as the winner and we had each finished one glass of the house red wine, we agreed to go our separate ways. I would finish up the night on my couch, flipping between MSNBC and CNN, diligently working on my knitting.

(Oh, and before heading to the train, we stopped by a palm reader. She was closed for the night. Next time.)

After a lot of back-and-forth over the last couple of months, I have finally – on this, New Hampshire Primary Day -- decided upon a candidate.

Some of you may be surprised that I'm not supporting Hillary, as I volunteered briefly on her senatorial reelection campaign, attended a fundraiser, and fully supported her husband (even volunteering on the 1992 campaign when my Republican parents had to drive me to the HQ). I believe in a lot of what she stands for ideologically, but I worry about her electablity: I feel she is far too polarizing of a candidate to win in the general election. Many Republicans are so fed up with the Bush administration that they are willing to cross party lines -- for anyone but Hillary.

Some of you may be surprised that I'm not supporting Edwards, as he was who I had predicted would win the nomination months ago. (One, unfortunately, can never underestimate the power of racism and sexism, even within the Democratic Party.) I voted for Edwards in the 2004 primary and supported his run for VP. My friend, Susie, has been working on his campaign doing advance work in New Hampshire for many months now. She believes in him, and I do, too; I think he's completely believable as a populist candidate, looking out for the working class, $400 haircut and all. After his relative failure in Iowa, however, I think it’s time to wake up and smell the future.



Obama.

The man embodies change. It has been said before, but he’s Kennedy-esque, no doubt about it. (In fact, he’s been described as JFK-meets-MLK – not too shabby of a hybrid.) When I re-watch his speech at the DNC in ’04, I still get chills. I remember that night, and I remember that speech, and I remember having that reaction at the time.

The man is special.

The man is inspirational.

Tonight, I’ll be attending a party to watch the returns in the West Village. I think New Hampshire voters are going to go with Obama and I think it’s the right move.

candidates

84% Hillary Clinton
84% Chris Dodd
84% Barack Obama
83% John Edwards
79% Mike Gravel
78% Dennis Kucinich
75% Joe Biden
74% Bill Richardson
47% Rudy Giuliani
37% John McCain
27% Mike Huckabee
27% Mitt Romney
27% Tom Tancredo
20% Ron Paul
16% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

grand old party

7:19: Giuliani doesn't believe that our foreign policy instigates Islamic terrorism.

7:30: Huckabee says, "I'm not running for George Bush's third term." I'll agree he's a likable guy, even though I think he's nutty on the issues. On Leno last week, he argued that most Americans would rather have a president who looks like someone they work with (himself), rather than one who looks like the guy who laid them off (Romney). Clever. It got a laugh.

8:08: Romney doesn't believe that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country. Where do the American-born children of illegal immigrants go?

8:12: McCain and Romney are getting into it. It's rather annoying. I haven't heard from Huckabee in a while.

8:16: Now we're parsing what amnesty really means.

8:19: Honestly, I still don't buy that Thompson really wants to be president. I'm surprised he's still in the race. I would have thought that the day after Iowa, he would have awoken and remarked, with that whistle-ly voice, "Well, shucks. Looks like I didn't win. Okay, no more of that!" and moved on.

8:22: Ron Paul is a funny guy. I don't think any of the other candidates take him seriously. McCain just shot him a look of complete confusion. I think Ron Paul is the Dennis Kucinich of the Republicans.

8:28: Ah, a question about Obama. Since the campaign's infancy, the candidates assumed Clinton would be the nominee, and most pundits assumed they hoped she would be. So, Charlie's question is: Why should America vote for a Republican over Obama? (The question the candidates are thinking actually is: Is it easier to beat a woman or an African-American?)

8:27: McCain is taking pot-shots at Romney again. Yes, Romney is a threat, but honestly? This strategy isn't effective. It sounds like little boys on the playground. McCain is so pleased with himself. I thought he was doing quite well in New Hampshire polls, but now he's acting like he's got nothing to lose.

8:31: Huckabee gives props to Obama and recognizes his threat.

8:35: Listen, I don't agree with him on the issues, but Romney just looks presidential. I'll admit it: I find him attractive. Shoot me. I was telling Josh and Paul last night that I also have this unfortunate crush on Tucker Carlson. Sheesh.

8:41: Republican debate is over. Charlie is talking all about unity and bringing all of the candidates onto the stage now. Hillary and Giuliani are talking and I'd love to hear what snarky remarks they're exchanging, both with smiles plastered on their faces. I like that Charlie did this. Obama and Romney are chatting, too. Hill is laughing. Edwards and Huckabee look like they are about to smooch. The audience is still clapping, though growing tired.

8:50: The pundits are saying that John McCain had a great night. I'm not sure we were watching the same debate.

No more live-blogging. Settling in for the Democratic debate -- the one to which I really must pay attention.

electability

me: did you see that obama won?

Jason: i heard, didnt even know it was going on

me: welcome to america, son!

Jason: what did he win? a prize?

me: ?!
are you serious?

Jason: he won to be da prezidant?
iowa?
primarys?

me: dude, you gotta read a newspaper!
he won the iowa caucus.
and huckabee won for the republicans.

Jason: so what does that mean?
hilary aint running?

me: hillary came in THIRD.

Jason: so she cant run?

me: no, she can run -- it's just that iowa and new hampshire are big b/c if you win those, you have more momentum in the other primaries.
obama will raise more money now.
makes him a more viable candidate.

Jason: snoozefest. wake me up when the real deal is happening

me: also, people who thought he couldn't win and were gonna go with another candidate may change their minds now.
THIS IS AWESOME. THIS IS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION!
this isn't the super bowl, yo!

Jason: so snoozefest. let me know who our next president is. i've lost faith in democracy

me: i wish there was an emoticon for : eyeroll :

jameson!

Date went well.

But, I woke up on New Year's Day on a pull-out couch, sandwiched between two dudes, so I think it might just be that kind of year.

PS: Hillary must be losing her shit right now.