Ya think?

I sent an email through the HRC website to my representatives urging them to support the Matthew Shepard Act. One of the pre-loaded representatives was Sen. Roland Burris. Here's the auto-reply I got from him in my inbox, because I'm sure allll those emails he's receiving are related to the issues, right? Maybe he could carve "auto-reply email drafter" to his accomplishments on that giant monument of his.


Thank you for taking the time to contact me. Due to the overwhelming amount of mail I receive, it is more efficient to send a message through my official web form. Please visit www.burris.senate.gov to send a message about issues that are of concern to you. If this is a scheduling request please contact: Burris_Scheduling@burris.senate.gov.

If you are not a constituent of Illinois, I urge you to contact your representative, by visiting http://www.senate.gov/
Please let me know when this has been implemented.
Thanks

My very own Obamarama

By the most amazing stroke of luck, I found myself in Washington, DC last week. With an amazing seat (yes, an actual chair!) to an utterly once in a lifetime historical event, the Inauguration of President Obama.


I have a friend who worked on the Obama campaign, and knows a lot of people. We'd discussed whether he was going to be able to score tickets for him and his wife, and in passing discussed the possibility of me coming out there and possibly being able to join them. I really never thought I'd be able to, I kept hearing how airfare was doubling and tripling the usual cost, that is if you could even find available transportation. Then I got a call from my very generous and well connected friend asking again if I'd really be able to get out there. The idea that I might actually be able to go seemed almost too good to be true! I talked over some last minute vacation time with my boss and weighed the ability to attend this historic event with me missing an otherwise absolutely mandatory meeting involving some big wigs at work.... we decided if I can figure out transportation he'd be ok with me leaving, and we would make sure the powers that be understood I would be missing work for a very very good reason.



I went home and looked up a flight into Reagan National. $1200, no way I can afford that. How about a train? Amtrak, sold out into every surrounding major city, not to mention DC. Greyhound bus? I've never rode a bus for a long trip before... but doable, right? It would cost something like $260 and would take me a full 24 hours to get there. Blerg. I am not driving, I would never make it. I've been known to get lost driving to the homes of my close family members.

Then I got another phone call from Matt who found tickets I could actually afford! Done and done! Flying into Philly, out of Baltimore....and I will be in DC for the Inauguration!


A few days later I was on a plane headed into Philadelphia. Matt's wife Noelle, also a very wonderful and generous friend, picked me up, and we went straight into Baltimore. We were lucky enough to have VIP tickets to Obama's last public speech before the Inauguration. Giant American flags draped the street as we walked up to the Courthouse.

We made it just in time to get into the gate alongside the stage where he was to speak, and watched from the steps of the building on his right, so lucky to have such an amazingly close view! In the cool, crisp air of Baltimore, you could literally feel the electricity of the excitement in the crowd. I could not imagine what it would be like on Tuesday!

The next day, Sunday, we headed into DC for the Inauguration kick off concert. We watched from near the base of the Washington Monument,via jumbo-tron. I was especially excited to hear U2 (though not sure why they only announced Bono when other members of U2 performed with him?) and Stevie Wonder perform. Garth Brooks milked it a little too long, if you ask me. And Laura Linney? Ooook! But it was definitely cool to see Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington present.

Here is a photo of me, Matt, and Noelle there for the concert.

Tuesday we were out of the house at 5am, drove from their home in Northern Maryland down to Falls Church, VA in order to park and take the Metro into DC. The trains were already packed shoulder to shoulder. By some more amazing luck Matt was able to obtain an extra ticket for me from his coworker who didn't want to deal with the traffic and all the people that would be there. He and his wife had blue, standing room tickets. I ended up with a yellow ticket in the seated section, compliments of Senator Carper of Delaware. I tried giving it to them since they are of course the only reason I was able to come out there in the first place, but since there was one yellow and two blue, they were kind enough to insist I keep it. Of course I didn't hear the end of it, but I expected nothing less :)

As we were going to two different gates, I got off the train before them and we parted ways. I realized I had no idea where I was going (surprise surprise), and was told to head toward 3rd. I walked the 13 blocks down and realized the few cross streets that were not blocked to foot traffic were so packed with people you couldn't get over anyway. People were selling every imaginable kind of Obama memorabilia on the street. Even Obama perfume and cologne, aptly named "Hope" and "Change". I passed on that one.

I asked one lady who appeared to be some kind of traffic guard how to get to Constitution and Louisiana. She just looked at me like I was asking her what all these people were here for. Apparently asking nicely counts for nothing, hrumph! The poor secret service people were being bombarded with people asking for directions, they had no idea. There really were no signs pointing you in the right direction or advising of detours. I began to panic a little thinking I was never going to get to my destination, then a kind lady who was from the area assured me I was headed the right direction, and tada! Yellow gate! Well, not quite. The line for the yellow gate, which wrapped around many many blocks.

About an hour later I was through security and walking to my section to find a seat. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon walked right past me! I found my seat and absolutely marveled at my proximity to the Capitol, and the sea....sea of people behind me. It looked like layers and layers of ants crawling on each other...waiving American Flags. The air was cold, and the heat of 2 million people literally hung above them in the clear blue sky. Truly a sight to behold.

Everyone stood on their chairs taking photos. They began announcing people. When "The Honorable George W. Bush" was announced everyone booed. I honestly didn't even know Dick Chaney came out with him because I couldn't hear his name over the booing. I gave him a few courtesy claps. The lady next to me half seriously scolded everyone around us for booing, telling us "your mothers would all be ashamed!" And then laughed. I'm told the television broadcast cut to some music so the people at home didn't hear this booing!

The excitement in the crowd was palpable. My fingers hurt from the cold but my core was warm and buzzing from the anticipation and the weight of the historical importance of what I was there to experience. I kept taking pictures of what amounts to the same thing over and over (capitol, crowd) but felt like I had to take as many as I could to document my being there. I kept trying to email a friend at work a picture from my blackberry so I could share it live with my coworkers but with so many people there, cellphone service was spotty. This also meant I could not get through to Matt and Noelle, but I trusted they hopefully found their gate as I had.

The crowd went insane when the Obamas began to be announced. And when Barack Obama came out, the volume of 2 million people cheering behind me was deafening. The process of him taking his oath of office was a lot quicker than I expected, it was over before it began, really. I couldn't really see the jumbo-tron due to an unfortunately placed tree, but could hear it pretty well. I tried to super zoom my camera and get between "fur hat lady" and some other people in front of me to snap a few pictures, but it was a little difficult to get anything good. I did manage to get a short clip of him giving his inaugural speech:

After it was all over, I snuck up as close as I could and took some more photos. It was at this time the Obamas, and America, said good-bye to Bush, ushering him into Marine One and out of our lives.





Here is a 360 view of where we were at, taken after people started to leave:

I then headed out to find Matt and Noelle. After finally finding them, I found out that they had indeed made it to their gate.... but never got in. They weren't the only ones. My friends, with their blue tickets, spent 4 hours smushed in a mass of people just outside the gate, unable to hear or see any part of the inauguration. I felt terrible, and of course they were pretty upset at whatever happened to cause ticketed people to not be able to get into their section. I don't blame them. I wouldn't have even been there if it wasn't for them, and they didn't get to see any of it! Boo! Thankfully I did take lots of pictures to share with them, and we DVR'd the whole thing so all of us were able to watch it the next day. They were glad I was able to get in, but I still felt bad.

A lot more walking later and we finally made it to the Metro station, and were headed back home. No Balls for us, too cold, too tired, and too broke to afford to attend one!

The next day we relaxed and watched the DVR'd recording of everything, and ordered pizza. I did get a chance to go back a couple of days later with Noelle to do some sight seeing and museum hopping, which was fun.

I flew back Friday, and here I am. It was an amazing experience, and I am so grateful to have such generous, wonderful friends that made my trip out there possible.

Here is the link to all my photos if anyone is interested. Hope you enjoy them!

Road rage

As a profession, I speak with people on a daily basis who do stupid things with their car. This could be backing out into their mailbox, being completely oblivious to what's going on around them and pulling out in front of someone, or running a red light, among countless scenarios people get themselves into.

I once spoke with someone who got into a high-speed chase with another driver down the interstate, exited the highway, then proceeded to have the other driver get out of their car and punch them. This, my friends, is what we like to call road rage. Road rage, if you ask me, is the stupidest and most avoidable loss situation there is.

Today I was driving back up I55 from Bloomington. I had set my cruise to 74 mph and was momentarily in the left lane to pass a slower-moving car. I wasn't accelerating because at the pace I was going, in another 2 or 3 seconds, I would be ahead of that car and I would be able to move back into the right lane.

Right as my car was at the point where the back half of it was still parallel to the car in the right lane, I noticed a white minivan seriously flying up behind me. People exaggerate to me all the time how fast they think another car was going, but I can honestly say this car had to have been going at least 90 mph coming up behind me. Well, my car was just about to the point where I could get over, but I, admittedly, hesitated for just a moment because I just couldn't believe this guy. Of course he flys up on my tail and is about thisclose to me. He's getting super impatient and jerks over into the right lane the same moment I do, as I'm trying to get out of his way. This of course pisses him off even more because of course he's in such a hurry. He continues to ride my tail in the right lane, as I look up in my rear view mirror and see him and his female passenger yelling at me and flipping me off. I scrunched up my face in disbelief and motion to the left - Well get over then! He then jerks back in to the left lane and flys past me. I can feel my face burn as their windows pass mine. Yes, I admit I flipped him off as he drove by. I figured he'd just keep on going, secretly hoping a cop was up there somewhere to bust him for driving like such an ass. I mean come on, what a jerk!

But then, his wife or girlfriend or whoever must have saw me flip him off because they suddenly slow down and start pacing me. Well this kinda scares me because who knows what this weirdo is capable of. Just drive on if you're in such a hurry, why are they hanging back now? Images of this guy swerving over into my lane and hitting me then trying to blame it on me are going through my head. But that's the claim rep in me, I guess. They slow down to the point where they are over and just barely ahead of me. I see the passengers side window roll down. Mind you, it is super windy today and they were going about 80 mph. The female in the passenger seat then proceeds to stick her head out of the window and scream profanities at me while flicking me off. I just stared at her in disbelief, hoping they'd just keep driving. After a few moments of this she finally got back into her car and they flew off at an unbelievable speed.

I watch the white minivan with dealer plates, DL 1550, drive off... I wonder if I could call that in? Nah... I don't even know who I could call? It's not 911-worthy. But come on. These are the jerks that cause accidents! These are the people that get into an accident from this kind of behavior, then refuse to believe that they could possibly have any negligence, or lie about what happened! This is how people get hurt.

I guess I just want to remind everyone, especially now when the weather starts getting bad and the roads can be treacherous, to please... take your time. Drive relatively near the speed limit. LOOK AROUND YOU. I can't tell you how many times people get into accidents and never saw the other person coming. And please... don't drive like this jerk! Or you or someone else might end up getting hurt. I know you might be in a hurry, but so is everyone else. Please, just calm down. Drive at a safe speed, watch out for the other guy, and more often than not, you'll get to your destination safely.

Pat Boone on Prop 8

Hate is Hate, according to Pat Boone.

Yes, Pat Boone. The washed-up country singer turned right-wing commentator. I think he and Chuck Norris, whom I've written about before, should get together and make babies. All this anti-gay rhetoric has got to lead to some major latent homosexuality between those two. Sounds like a classic case of deflecting the issues that you don't feel confident about in yourself. I mean look at this photo of him, he'd fit right in to the scene!





Of course if they got together, they might be disappointed to find out how difficult it is to adopt children as a gay couple though. Ah, but I digress.

Let me pull up a few of my favorite quotes from Mr. Boone:

To them, there is only one acceptable worldview – a theology they intend to enforce on all humankind

--The irony in this quote is just astounding.

...was saddened to hear that the estimable Brad Pitt, who has done a lot for the displaced people in New Orleans, pledged $100,000 to his friend Ellen DeGeneris for some campaign to overturn Prop 8, saying something about constitutionally guaranteed "equal rights." I'd like to know – on just what constitutional writ does Brad base this statement?

--So Brad Pitt (above all others apparently?) is a bad man now for supporting equal rights for his friends and for every citizen of CA and this country? And as for Constitutional writ... does the Declaration of Independence ring a bell? As in "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..."?

Every homosexual citizen has the same, identical rights as any other American

--Really?? Really??? Please, Pat! Come live one day in a gay person's shoes! Please! Try to adopt children, visit your ill partner in the hospital, or apply for health benefits through your partner's employer! TRY! I think my head might explode.

Slavery was abolished, blacks and women obtained the rights to vote, and these true rights were not obtained by threats and violent demonstrations and civil disruption (though these things did occur, of course), but by due process, congressional deliberations and appropriate ratification.

--What he forgets to mention is that the thirteenth, fifteenth, and nineteenth amendments provided rights obtained by the legislative process, representative government. Not by popular vote, as was Prop 8. Big difference! Oye. Throwing the civil rights of the oppressed minority to the wolves of the majority oppressor for a popular vote... is NOT the same thing.

And last, but certainly not least, the most unconscionable quote of all:

What troubles me so deeply, and should trouble all thinking Americans, is that there is a real, unbroken line between the jihadist savagery in Mumbai and the hedonistic, irresponsible, blindly selfish goals and tactics of our homegrown sexual jihadists. Hate is hate, no matter where it erupts. And by its very nature, if it's not held in check, it will escalate into acts vile, violent and destructive.

Yes, Pat. Hate is Hate. And you have done a fine job of exemplifying yours, by drawing a comparative connect-the-dot from the terrorists in Mumbai to the LGBT and gay-supportive community who demonstrate and protest for equal rights and protection under the law. A clear comparasion. For a wing-nut.

Blago, oh-no.

First let's state the obvious.


Blagojevich is comedically arrogant, unequivocally idiotic, and entirely corrupt. The allegations against him are astounding. The transcripts of his conversations are F-bomb-ladenly hilarious and unbelievable. And his hair is straight out of the 80s.




"Nothing but sunshine hanging over me....whatever I say is always lawful" Well-chosen words one day before being arrested?


Dig the Maddow Show fake-Chicago accent reenactment of the Blagojevich tapes. Oh, snap! Even Patty got in on it!


I think my new favorite line is "I got this thing, and it's F*@&% golden," referring to Obama's vacant Senate seat which he basically put up for sale. Classy. Had I known Senate seats were for sale, I would have included it on my Christmas list to Santa.


As expected, all eyes now turn to Obama. What did he know? When did he know? Did he know? What's his tie to all this corruption? After all, he IS from the "Chicago Machine." I'm sure, if they have been taping all of Blago's phone calls, that if any communication took place between Obama or his staff and Blagojevich regarding the Senate seat, it will come out. I just hope beyond hope that Obama was being 100% truthful when he said "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening." I? We? Which one is it? Whichever one it is, it better be true.


Axelrod said he talked to him. Obama said he didn't. Now Axelrod is rescinding the comment. But wouldn't it be entirely plausible and legal for someone from the Obama camp to communicate at some point with the Blagojevich office regarding future appointment to the seat that Obama has vacated, just for general conversation, sans the attempts to get paid for it? Wouldn't it then be strange for him to say there was absolutely no communication between the two offices? I don't know.


But some sort of communication between someone must have taken place for Blago to call Obama a "Mother F*&%er" for not being willing to give him anything more than his "appreciation" for whoever he was to appoint to the Senate seat. The question is, where do you draw the line between direct ties on behalf of Obama, and a possible conversation by one of his staff members with Blagojevich, unbeknownst to Obama? I would really just hate to see this taint Obama before he even gets sworn in. Talk about terrible timing. Yet another "guilty by association" scandal for people to run with. Ayres who?


Any communication that did take place, I hope it reinforces the current notion that Obama remained clear of this scandal and corruption. At least the Obama camp has that going for it right now, they seem pretty clean. I hope it stays that way!

Oooh yeah... extra napkins...

Tonight I was driving home from work. It's winter so it's only 4:45 but it's already pitch black out. My iPod, which as about 1200 songs on it, is on shuffle but invariably "shuffles" the same songs it always "shuffles". Why it thinks I want to hear Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison" more than once a week is beyond me. Of course, you never can trust a big butt and a smile.

The constantly recurring "Lady" by Styx I can deal with.


So I'm driving down 83, singing along to some Styx when I glance in my rear view mirror, like I've done a million and one times before. But this time is different, I notice something. What is that? I reach up above the mirror and my fingertips come to a dip in the plastic, and pull it down. Oh my god. I have a visor. A very narrow, long visor right above my rear view mirror.


I know, who the hell cares, right? I'm too short to really even put it to good use. I need a visor that comes down to the freaking steering wheel. Or a phonebook to sit on to bring me up to that level. But listen, I have had my car for 4 and a half years. I have over 73,000 miles on my car. I practically live in my car, and I never once noticed this visor.


It provided me with a flash of self-awareness. This is so typical of me. I am so oblivious to blatantly obvious things going on around me sometimes, I didn't even notice this stupid visor in my car.


I'm notorious for having no clue when someone may be showing signs of interest. No clue when someone is actually making fun of me, until it's too late to stick up for myself. No clue when it's inappropriate to say things until it's already out of my mouth and I've made a fool of myself.


Case in point, had a conversation a few days ago with a friend on the subject of women over 30 with nose rings. Of course I blabbed my mouth about how getting your nose pierced at that age may be a little trashy and desperate, and how yes, I have mine pierced but come on, I got it done when I was 20. Of course I did not notice the lady standing right next to us in line at the store was well over 30...and had a nose ring. My friend was kind enough to point this out. After I opened my mouth about it. Whoops.


I'm not stupid, and I'm not typically un-cooth. But I do have my moments. Maybe that's why I usually just keep quiet and observe, and hate speaking in front of people.

******************************************************************************

Side note, two videos that must be watched. For some reason it won't let me post a video as a video, so you'll have to click the links.

First, Prop 8: The Musical. It's a brand new, bright, Obama Day!

Second, one of the funniest yet most disturbing things I've seen in a long time.

Let me just say, I will never look at my former restaurant managers the same again.

Braggin on the fam!

I have to brag on my family for a moment...

My aunt's store "The Chalkboard" was featured on Fox Chicago as one of Chicago's "Favorite Toy Stores". Her, my cousin Becky and her daughter Morgan are all in this clip! Morgan is the blondie letting us know she wants a science experiment for Christmas. Note to self!

Check it out :)

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7967841&version=1&locale=EN-US