IT IS FINALLY HERE!!!

It's Election Day people! I was up at 6:30 and to my polling place by 6:45 where there was a line! A line where I live is highly unusual, but there were more than enough voting booths and the line moved swiftly. At approximately 7:10 a.m., I cast my ballot for Barack Obama and Joe Biden!!!!! You all should do the same!

Happy voting!

Jon Stewart to Sarah Palin: "Fuck You"

The audio kind of sucks. Rough transcript after the vid.



He (McCain) made an interesting vice presidential choice.

I like the woods...I just don't know if I would pull my vice president out of the woods randomly.

She came out again today. She was talking to a small town, she said that small towns, that's the part of the country she really likes going to because that's the pro-America part of the country.

You know, I just want to say to her, just very quickly...fuck you.

I've never seen someone with a greater disparity between how cute they sound when they're saying something and how terrible what they're saying is.

Don't ya know, Obama, by golly, he just is a terrorist? What? Oh, you know, he just, gosh, kills babies, you know.

I'm so over the idea that only small-town America is the heart and soul. Small-town America is fine, but it's the same as cities. Cities are just a lot of towns piled on top of each other in one place.

They have this whole thing that somehow we can write off entire swaths of the country, that we are somehow...I get it. You know, New York City was good enough for fucking Osama bin Laden, it better be good enough for you.

I can't take it anymore. After eight years of this divisiveness, we're back to this idea that only small-town America is the real America.

I get it. I'm from New York. We have a lot of gay people. But homosexuals don't have sodomy on Russian flags.

Sarah Palin?????????

I know I'm a few days late in jumping on this bandwagon, but is John McCain serious? When I got the text on Friday saying she was the pick, I actually laughed out loud. Does he honestly think women are going to run to him because he put a woman on the ticket? Message to John McCain: we're a pretty clever bunch. We don't flock to breasts. We like ideas. And what does it say to women that the woman he chose is an extremely anti-choice, NRA member for life, former beauty queen? She's a member of Feminists for Life, which is a complete oxymoron. AND SHE'S THE GOVERNOR OF ALASKA!!!! Population of Alaska: 683,000. She asked the interviewer on CNBC in early August WHAT THE JOB OF THE VICE PRESIDENT ENTAILED!!! For fuck's sake!! She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho (which isn't even ranked in the top 100 universities in the US according to US News & World Report)!!! If she wants to be McCain's press secretary, go for it!!! She can't be worse than Dana Perino! But Vice President? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY? I'm not even going to go into her 17-year old daughter being pregnant. How is abstinence-only sex education going for you Ms. Palin?

P.S. Anyone who names her children Track, Bristol, Piper, Willow, and Trig clearly has suspect judgment.

Jozy Altidore and The Dark Knight?

I FINALLY saw The Dark Knight. Yes, it has taken me an inordinate amount of time to see it, but I work two jobs and there is no such thing as a weekend in my life. Anyway, in case you didn't know already, it was BRILLIANT!!

First, I must share with you what I saw when I first entered the IMAX in Fitchburg: a dude wearing the new USMNT home jersey with 'Altidore' on the back. Being as ardent of a supporter of the USMNT as I am, I was monumentally psyched by this. It is a fact that I have never seen a US kit on a person out and about doing normal things like going to see a movie. The only times I've seen them are on the players on the field or in the stands during a game. I've seen some teenagers running around the mall in Beckham kits (I've made an internal decision to give $10 to the first person I see randomly wearing an LA Galaxy kit with any name other than Beckham on it), Real Madrid, Brazil, Italy, an assortment of Mexican league kits, but never a USMNT kit. It was like spotting Big Foot.

Naturally, I had to speak with this man. So I went up to him and complimented him on his choice of shirt, to which he smiled and said thanks. I asked if he had watched the game earlier this morning (US-Netherlands in which Jozy scored) and he hadn't. That was a bit of a let down. He didn't even know Jozy had scored, but he did know there had been a game and the opponent. Maybe he had Tivo'd it and I ruined it. Oh well. But seriously, what else would he have been doing at 6:45 on a Sunday morning?

Is anyone else having serious WC 2002 flashbacks? I did especially on Thursday morning, waking my ass up at 4 am. At least the US won so it wasn't all in vain. They better do the same on Wednesday. I get really ornery when I'm tired.

So The Dark Knight. It was amazing. The action sequences were VERY well done (thank you, Christopher Nolan for abhorring CGI!) and the streets of Chi-town looked gorgeous as Gotham. Props to Christian Bale for having the balls to stand on top of the Sears Tower. No thanks.

Heath Ledger gave one of the best, if not the best, performances of anyone I have ever seen in any movie. That's why we go to movies, to see performances like that where you don't recognize the actor and all you see is the character. And Maggie Gyllenhaal was much better than Katie Holmes.

More Crazy Ass Weather Courtesy of Living in the Midwest!

I took these pictures before Father's Day, but I've worked an average of 50 hours a week since then and it's taken me some time to get them uploaded. First, the flooding. I'm sure you all (all 3 of you who read this) have seen the images on the news or YouTube and here's another.

That's the on ramp to a local highway. The river's edge is supposed to be on the far side of those trees. The cars parked along the on ramp belong to the homeowners who can't access their driveways anymore. What I didn't take a picture of (and I should have) is the National Guard truck stationed along the ramp day and night that has ATV's parked outside the truck that the guardsmen use to ferry the residents to and from their cars and homes. My brother's house is on the river and he no longer has a backyard, has sandbags stacked 4 high against the back of his house, and had to destroy the recently placed ceramic tile in his basement in order to place 2 water pumps to keep the water out.

And then, the wind.


That's a giant tree, had to have been at least 50' tall. The wind completely uprooted it and two others in this cemetery about 1/4 mile from my house. That was a big surprise for me driving into work one morning.

The weather has been great for the past few weeks, but the water has barely receded.

Work and Weather

Now that school is finished for the summer, I'm tackling what many students my age deal with: two summer jobs. My first job is an office job which I work 9-1 every day. Not bad, I agree. Then I drive 40 miles to my second job, which is retail, and don't get home until 10. I know I have it a lot better than others, but sometimes you just have to whine, just to get it out. The stress comes from the retail job. I hate dealing with bitchy, stupid customers. The easy solution would be to quit, but I enjoy the income. Plus, I'm saving for my long postponed return to England. So, bearing that in my mind, I will suffer through the summer.

Speaking of summer, it sure as hell is not looking like it. While the east coast sweats it out and the northwest bundles up and shovels snow, the poor midwest is getting battered with rain, wind, and tornadoes. I'm thankful to be in an area that has not been hit by a tornado, but the rain is creating very dangerous situations. The local river is supposed to rise to a record level, the highest since 1914. After the winter we had (record levels of snow), I think I'm with the rest of the midwest when I say: Mother Nature, please give us a break.

And Finally From the Newspaper of Record...

Unbelievably Happy!!!!!!!

THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cried. I'll admit it. I'm so happy it is ridiculous. I locked myself in my dorm room's bathroom and sobbed when Bush got re-elected in '04, so it's nice to shed tears of happiness for once. Bring on Angry Old Man McCain!!!!!

US-England

The US-England game kicks off shortly and I'm quite pumped. However, I was, just a minute ago, surprised to read that Brian McBride is leaving Fulham. Fulhamerica is down to three Yanks. Still worth following. I hope BMB comes to the Fire!!!!

In anticipation of the match-up, I thought it would be fun to share my John Terry story, as he was named captain for today's game. During the summer of 2006 I interned at the Chicago Fire in the Media Relations office. That summer was amazing for the Fire finally opened Toyota Park, hosted the All-Star game versus Chelsea, and won the US Open Cup. The real highlight, of course, was the All-Star game. It was about six weeks after the World Cup had ended and Chelsea just signed Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko to their already amazing roster that included Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry. So the entire All-Star weekend was insane with practices, press conferences, etc. The day before the game both teams held open practices at Toyota Park. As sad as it is, the MLS All-Star practice was not that big of a deal. The Chelsea practice, on the other hand, was. Armed with my walkie-talkie and cell phone, I was running around the stadium tending to whatever needed to be done. As the Chelsea players began to take the field, I was down at midfield talking with my boss about what needed to be done with the photographers. Then I got a call on my radio that someone on the Chelsea staff wanted a piece of gum (no joke), so I was to run up to the office and retrieve a piece of Orbit.

As everything was moving at a frenetic pace that day, I ran up the pavement and pushed open, with a great deal of force, the doors that led from the field to the area under the stands where the locker rooms are. The door, for some reason, stopped opening and I stopped in my tracks. Holding the door inches from his face was none other than Chelsea (and soon-to-be England) Captain John Terry. I may be 5'8", but John Terry looked much taller than his listed 6'1" as I stared up at him in complete embarrassment at having almost assaulted him with a big metal door. To make matters worse, I glanced to my right and saw he had been walking out with Frank Lampard, who was now barely containing a smile at my appalled face. I don't really remember what happened next, but I think I mumbled some form of apology and ran off to the office to take a breather, compose myself, and extract the desired stick of Orbit.

I shared my close encounter with my fellow intern and he laughed in my face. It was exactly the reaction I needed. Telling my aunt and uncle, who are English (they live just outside Cambridge in Newmarket), was also great because my uncle is a HUGE English fan (he was at the 1966 World Cup Semi-final, England-Portugal, at Wembley. I've seen and touched his game program from the day. Be jealous!). He was ticked that I didn't get an autograph or a picture. Ah, putting things in perspective.

So that's my John Terry story and just in time: the game is about to start!!

Summer

Thank God. I'm done with classes and the weather is starting to remain warm and sunny. Shaving my legs has become a priority as I've lovingly embraced my skirt and sandal collections again. Both have waited patiently. I bought a rather kick ass pair of faux alligator heeled sandals on Friday, always exciting, and went out to celebrate my best friend's birthday on Saturday evening. We've always considered ourselves old souls, so a group of us went out for a nice dinner and then drank wine the rest of the evening while watching the entire first season of The Office. We did the binge drinking and bar-hopping in undergrad. It gets old really fast. Hanging out and having a nice conversation is much more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, it is fun to go out to bars every now and again. This past New Year's Eve was, for the most part, super fun, but I just don't have the inclination to do that every weekend. It seems excessive.

Anyway, the USMNT kicks off an awesome summer schedule on Wednesday, taking on England at Wembley. I'm very, very excited!!! What I'm more excited about is World Cup Qualifying, which officially begins for the US on June 15 against Barbados. I really hope the US makes it to South Africa, even though I have views on holding the event in South Africa. The country has a mountain of internal and infrastructure issues and I feel the country's money would be better spent on those problems then building and updating stadiums for hosting the World Cup. But that's just me.

Election coverage continues to take up the majority of my time and I feel I'm developing some sort of parasocial relationship with the presenters on MSNBC. Do not disrespect Keith Olbermann in front of me! Obama is still going strong despite the Wicked Witch's seemingly daily attempt to end him. Keep trying, Sweety. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks John McCain is a grumpy old man who doesn't know when to stop pandering. A maverick no longer is he. Once the general campaign begins, McCain is so over.

I hate snow

I got back from my wonderful Floridian vacation on Saturday. It was snowing when we landed in Chicago. What is it doing today? Snowing. I hate winter. I'm so done with it. A week ago, I was in the warmth and sunshine, wearing flip flops and tank tops. Now, it is right back to sweaters and closed-toe shoes. Where is spring?

The US played Poland yesterday, winning 3-0. Nicely done. I wish Cory Gibbs had been subbed in, even for five minutes. He deserves it. Next up for the US is a highly anticipated match up against England at Wembley. Oh how I wish I could be there. I was at the last US-England game in Chicago (which we lost 2-1). I'm beginning to think I bring the team bad luck. They've never won a game that I have attended. Granted, I've only seen them four times (US-Poland 07-11-2004, US-England 05-28-2005, US-Scotland 11-12-2005, & US-Brazil 09-09-2007), but their record in those four games is 0-2-2. That's why I'm determined to only go to friendlies until I attend a game the US wins. Just in case.

Barack Obama

He was incredible, so much better in person. I had seen him almost exactly two years ago. I was going to college in Illinois and he held a town-hall style event at my school. That was awesome enough, as he is a very well-spoken, well-informed man. Last night was different. It was a victory RALLY!! Everyone was raucous and excited, especially the Senator. The Kohl Center was PACKED!!


That's all three bowls, the floor, and an auxiliary room that had been used to hold the line (see below) to get in as the weather was incredibly shite yesterday.

Since it was a victory speech and not a stump speech, it was electrifying. I was in what would have been, had there been seating, the third/fourth row on the floor, and people continued to press in during the speech, trying to get as close as possible to this man. The biggest applause line was when he said "George Bush won't be on the ballot in November." (7:40 in the video below) The entire arena went ape-shit. If that wasn't a call for change, when 17,000 people are on their feet cheering, I don't know what is. I enjoyed how he called people out (15:30), like Senator Clinton, for calling him a hope-mongerer and turned it around with sincerity and flair to make them look like idiots for spewing such bullshit.
"Hope that in America no dream is beyond our grasp if we reach for it, and fight for it, and work for it. Understand this, hope is not blind optimism. Hope is not ignorance of the barriers and challenges that stand between you and your dreams. I know how hard it will be to change America. I know it won't be easy to provide healthcare for all American's like I've proposed. If it was easy, it would have already been done. I know it won't be easy to change our energy policy. Exxon Mobil made $11 billion last quarter. They don't want to give those profits up easily.
I know how hard it will be to alleviate poverty that's built up over centuries. I know how hard it will be to improve our schools, especially because improving our schools will involve more than just money. It will require a change in mindset, a belief that every child counts, that it's not somebody else's problem. A belief that parents have to parent and turn off the TV set and put away the video game. And that our students have to raise their standards of excellence. That's not easy to do, changing our attitudes, changing our culture."


To see the speech in its entirety, watch below.

Oh, and after the speech I shook his hand!!

Amazing...

I was there. I'm ridiculously tired, but I'll post a review and my own pics and videos tomorrow.

Totally Bizarre

Mirapex, a prescription medication to treat Parkinson's and the, in my opinion, made-up condition known as Restless Leg Syndrome, has the most bizarre side effect I've ever heard. Among the regulars of drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, stomach ulcers, bleeding from the ears, etc., you must also be careful about developing gambling problems. Pardon?

10" and Counting...

It's still snowing. That's the railing of the balcony off the back of my house. It's a little nuts. Classes were canceled (yay!), so I'm fully taking advantage of the snow day by doing absolutely nothing.

I'm currently watching the US-Mexico replay of last February's match-up on ESPN Classic, getting amped for this evening. There's a ton of coverage on ussoccer.com and all the ESPN channels, so there's plenty to keep me occupied.

Last night was fantastic for Senator Obama, winning in 14 states including Illinois, Connecticut, Missouri, Georgia, and Colorado!! Sure Clinton won California, but that was entirely predictable. It's still an incredibly tight race and VERY exciting! The Wisconsin primary is on February 19 and for the first time in a while, it actually could make a difference. I'll have more information on it in the coming days.

For now, I'm going to continue watching the game (Donovan is about to score) and enjoy the one tonight! Estados Unidos!

Super Tuesday and Super Awesome Wednesday

It's rare in February that I have two big events to look forward to. It's even more rare to have them be two days in a row.

If you've been living under a rock or are just completely uninformed, tomorrow is Super Tuesday, probably the single most important day in a presidential election year other than Election Day. 24 states are holding primaries or caucuses, 22 involving the Democrats. As MSNBC has been saying in its ads for their election coverage, this is the most important election of our lifetime. That may seem a bit melodramatic, but it really isn't. Iran, our direction in Iraq, and our position as the world's remaining superpower will all be visited by the next president.

If you haven't read my "About Me" thing on the right, you won't know that I am supporting Barack Obama. We need to move forward, away from the politics of the past. We need a leader who can unite not only the American people, but citizens of the world. People in other countries are excited about what Barack brings! The people I've spoken to think that by electing Obama, American's are willing to admit that we need to take a different approach to leadership and that we are willing to reestablish relations with other countries. It's incredibly important that you vote tomorrow (if your state is holding a primary or caucus -- click here to find out if it is<--NY Times), hopefully for Obama, but make sure you understand what you're voting for and not just who.


Also, if you want a good read, I found this last week and got chills. Washington Monthly asked Ted Sorenson, JFK's speech writer, to write the speech he would most want the Democratic nominee to give during their acceptance of the nomination at the National Convention in August. Sorenson wrote with no candidate in mind. It's amazing. Below are pictures of RFK and Ted (l) and JFK and Ted (r). I couldn't find a bigger one of JFK and Ted.




The other fantastic event, happening on Wednesday at 9pm EST on ESPN2, is the quasi-annual US-Mexico game. Both teams are pretty much at full strength, as usual, and the Mexicans are hoping to end an embarrassing record against the US (12-7-7 since 1990, 9-0-1 since 2000 on non-Mexican soil including the glorious 2-0 win at the 2002 World Cup). Hugo Sanchez, the Mexican head coach, is trying to downplay the match-up against the US, trying to save his own ass should the current streak continue. He actually had the audacity to say that it was unfortunate the game was going to be played on US soil since that will give the US a home crowd and the benefit of calls. Fat chance! The game is being played in Houston, the city with the third-largest Mexican immigrant population in the US. The only venue in the US that has ever hosted a pro-US crowd verse Mexico is Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. Keep talking, Sanchez, you're making me giggle. So if you aren't doing anything Wednesday (word here in the Wis is that we're going to be pretty well snowed in), tune in. It's always a good game. Below are the highlights from the last meeting in the Gold Cup final in June. I couldn't find one that included the Mexico goal and was shorter than 58 minutes. Oh well! You get to see Benny Feilhaber's beauty, so who really cares?!

Lumbergh and Geography

My Geography/Geology professor totally talks like Lumbergh. He doesn't have the same douche bag-vibe of Lumbergh, but has the same tone and pace. Yeah, how about that lithosphere? And today, in order to take a picture of the whiteboard where we'd all scribbled stuff, he whipped out a digital camera that used a FLOPPY DISK!!! Do they even make floppy disks anymore? Using a floppy disk digital camera is like whipping out your Zack Morris-style cell phone brick.

Needless to say, that kept me amused for the duration of class.

NY Giants - 2008 Super Bowl Champs!

Wow, am I glad to have been wrong!

Sucks to be you, Brady!

An Introduction While Watching the Super Bowl

I decided it was time to start a blog. I have many random ponderings which go unarticulated, mostly because they happen while I’m driving or in the middle of class. I’ll make a conscious effort to write them down and share them with you, whoever you happen to be. I find the entire idea of the blog peculiar, but at the same time fascinating.

Anyway. I’m currently watching the Super Bowl and even now, with 2:39 left in the game, I don’t know what team I’m rooting for. On one hand, I hate the Patriots and Tom Brady and Randy Moss. That’s mostly on principle. My friends and I concur that Tom Brady gives off a skeeze vibe and as a lifelong Packer supporter, I could never support a team with Randy Moss on it. Then there are the Giants who booted the Packers out. I can’t possibly support a team that ended Brett Favre’s season. In the end, which it almost is and it looks like the Patriots will remain undefeated, I have to root for the Giants. They’re the underdogs and they don’t have Tom Brady OR Randy Moss. With 1:22 left, GO GIANTS!