Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Notes from suburbia

I've been incommunicado for a few weeks because it took us forever to get Internet access at the house.  It involved three different Comcast guys (and three different days with my sweetie at home for no reason--OK, at least the last day there was a reason).  The last guy arrived on a Sunday and was the only competent guy we saw.  Clearly he works on Sundays dealing with the customers who have been driven to the breaking point during the week.  Anyway, here are some notes from the intervening weeks.


Here we are in front of the new house, wearing our WaMu "Whoohoo!" shirts.  At the time we took this picture, it was already a little sarcastic.  At this point it's just sad.  If you're wondering, my sweetie still has a job, and we still have the house.  We shall see how long this lasts.  Marriage has been a very interesting journey so far.


My second baby surprise jacket.  I love the little fish buttons!  The second time around, this pattern still has not lost its charm.  It's fun to knit, and it's so cute!


Our brand new living room chair, which I love.  I love the cool almost mod pattern!  I love the cool pastel-yet-bright colors!  I got this chair by spending two hours in the store with my sweetie, after which he said, "OK, whatever fabric you want.  As long as we can leave."

And, finally, our new couch!!  I love this couch, and it has a great story behind it, too, which I will share in another post.

That's enough catchup for now!

Friday, September 05, 2008

Brief political comment

I have no intention of using this blog for political commentary. I don't care to get into arguments with random strangers, and honestly I'm pretty conflicted about this election. I don't know what to think, and I can't get passionate about arguing for either candidate.

However, I do have to say, that last night on the culminating night of the Republican convention, they showed a "tribute" video about 9/11. They showed footage of the WTC and the Pentagon burning, of the WTC falling. They made references to "bodies falling" and said "We will carry memories of your beautiful faces and those loving voices now gone forever" while showing footage of distraught survivors and their frantic "missing" signs with pictures of their loved ones. They implied that only they can prevent this from happening again.

As someone who lived in NYC at the time, I don't think I can even begin to express how offensive I found this. Actually, "offensive" is not even a strong enough word. "Filthy" comes to mind. "Revolting." This is political exploitation of the most morally bankrupt and disgustingly cynical sort.

Yes, I "remember where [I was] that day" and no one is going to tell me what I should have learned from it, nor are they going to win me over by showing footage of thousands of people dying for their own political ends. How dare they? How dare they??? In the days after 9/11 the local news channel just turned on the camera and showed family after family with their signs and pictures, begging the camera for anyone who had seen their relatives to come forward and tell them anything. It was agony. How dare they speak of "your beautiful faces" in generic terms and exploit other people's suffering to scare the country for political reasons? How dare they reduce this to yet another opportunity for jingoistic flag waving and saber rattling?

The next day, I am still enraged. But I guess they figure no one in NYC is voting for them anyway. So, what the heck? Exploit away for the benefit of those who weren't there.