A Gay Haiku as Spring Arrives

Girls in tank tops, meh.
Guys jog - shiny, baggy shorts.
Ah, glories of spring!

Is That The Best You Can Do?

Via Mr. Sullivan, this idiotic quote from Minnesota Governor (and Malkin Award nominee) Tim Pawlenty:

"The other day I went to look at their platform for the Democratic Party for our nation. I couldn't understand any of it. I don't speak any French,"

The utter stupidity of that is painful.

A Rethug is Lying? Quelle Surprise!

Via DailyKos:

It's clear from the Richmond police statement that Cantor's office was not directly targeted. Rather, an office that he has used in the past (but not his main campaign office) was randomly struck by a bullet that had been fired into the sky.

I'm not minimizing the dangers of randomly shooting bullets into the air, but for Eric Cantor to describe this as an attack targeting his campaign office is supremely dishonest, an obvious attempt to deflect attention from Republican Party's violent and extreme rhetoric in recent days.

Next thing you know, Cantor will be claiming a backwards B was carved in his face.

What a lying drama queen.

[in Cartman voice:] "Just recently I have been directly threatened." Have you, you sanctimonious twit? By whom, some hippie from the U. of Richmond physics department who calculated the trajectory of the bullet fired into the air, thereby "directly" threatening you?

WATB Watch

I'll say it again: What the hell is wrong with these people?

Of course, by "these people", I mean the batshit crazy wingnuts who continue to lose their shit over the election of Obama and even more so over health care reform.

Is it possible for them to not act like toddlers having a tantrum? Calling congressmen names? Vandalizing Democrats' offices? If they're such goddamn "patriots", shouldn't they have a little more respect for the democratic process?

At this point, it's time for another installment on What Digby Said:

I can't help but recall hearing a whole lot of patronizing advice from these same people a few years back when anyone breathed that President Bush might not have legitimately taken office since he lost the popular vote, his brother manipulated the system in Florida and he was was installed by a partisan supreme court decision. Back then it was all "get over it," and "I've got political capital and I'm gonna spend it!" Now, these same people are all screaming that it's a usurpation if the Democrats win the majority and then pass legislation that they don't like.

It's fairly clear that Republicans don't understand how democracy works. You campaign, people vote, you win elections, you get a majority, you pass legislation. They seem to think Democracy means that that elections are irrelevant, majorities are meaningless and that all legislation is contingent upon the permission of the Republican Party.

I'm sorry these people are so unhappy. I know how they feel. I used to hate it when the Republicans passed some disgusting initiative that went against everything I believe in. But I don't recall having a mental breakdown at the notion that they could do it even though I didn't want them to. The idea that they were obligated to do my bidding didn't actually cross my mind.

As they used to say repeatedly, "elections have consequences." If the people don't like this bill, they have every right to turn the Democrats out of office and repeal it. But screaming hysterically that it's cheating to pass legislation with a majority just proves that these folks' great reverence for the constitution is based more on their love of wearing funny hats than anything that's written in it.

This is how the system works. If you don't like it, start pressing for a constitutional amendment that requires that all legislation be approved by every teabagger in the land before it can be enacted. Or start campaigning to put your teabaggers in office so they can have a majority and enact the legislation you like. In either event, stop the whining about "abuse of power." They passed a bill you don't like, for crying out loud, it's not like they seized office with a partisan decision by the Supreme Court and then invaded a country that hadn't attacked us or anything...

Pop Culture Excellence

If you find yourself in a W Hotel, check out this track on "The Sound of Wonderlust" CD that's in every room.

Of course, if you happen to click through that far, ignore any YouTube morons trashing anything about Paul Oakenfold's remix of the Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather cover of the glorious original by The Smiths. I think it's an absolutely fantastic homage.

Much more importantly, if you want to see Daniel Merriweather's equally glorious mouth in action, go here.

You'll have to endure some dreadful sound quality and a video that is beyond ridiculous, but believe me, it's worth it for the shots of Merriweather singing.

Musts

Must listen to this: (via Mr. Sullivan)



Must watch this: (via eMackinations)



As well as this:

Nine Days Late: Oscar DOs and DON'Ts.

A little over a week late, I enjoyed this piece at The Daily Beast on Oscar acceptance speech DOs and DON'Ts.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (perhaps at his most likable?) are fun to watch, as is the clip of Audrey Hepburn.

NO WAY am I going to watch that ghastly Halle Barry spectacle (so wrong - both her winning and then that "speech"), nor do I need to relive the moment that I knew I absolutely could not stand Julia Roberts. So glad they made the DON'Ts list. But where was Gwyneth Paltrow, winner of possibly the most undeserved Best Actress award ever?

Is There A Way I Can Un-See This??

W-T-F-ing-F??

I found that hideous, hideous . . . thing via Tracy Clark-Flory's piece at Salon. At least I know I'm not alone in my horror:

There are plenty of surprises in GQ's candid interview with Rielle Hunter, John Edwards' mistress and the mother of his child. For starters, the accompanying photos, one of which shows the 45-year-old lounging on a bed in just an oversize dress shirt (could it be John's?) accompanied by a gaggle of stuffed animals and a human-size Dora the Explorer doll.

This happened. Like, this photograph actually exists, people.

I love that last part. When I first saw that grotesque photo I thought it was a funny composite that Salon had generated to accompany the article. Wrong. Does anyone think Kermit and Barney just happened to end up facing they way they are, mouths agape? As if the human-size Dora doll wasn't already bad enough, even when not sharing a bed with a half-naked Rielle Hunter.

Well, That Was Rough

Just back from a week here:

The small first-generation iPhone pic doesn't do it justice.

One day it was cloudy.

I know, poor me.

I wanted to get some pics from up at what has to be among the best infinity pools in the world, but never brought my iPhone up there . . . unlike one woman who never put hers down. She even took it into the pool. I think she purposefully came over to gab into her phone right next to us after we may have "accidentally" splashed her while she was yakking in the pool. People . . .

[If you happen to find yourself in Los Cabos, Mexico (far, for now, from all the action of the unwanted variety), an absolutely phenomenal meal is to be had here.]

I was welcomed back to the wonderful reality of 60614/60657/60613 living today at my Starbucks by an oblivious mother and her typically loud and annoying toddler. Everybody out of Kate's way - she's having fun at Starbucks! Go right ahead, sweetie, explore your world! Touch all the yogurts in the display case.

Because It Just Needs To Be On As Many Blogs As Possible . . .

[First seen (by me) here. Larger image found here.]

Happy Birthday, Bedřich Smetana

Today is Bedřich Smetana's birthday.

I thank WFMT for that factoid. I did not know this until Carl Grapentine told me today on the way to work. They played a lovely version of Má Vlast from the Moldau - perhaps a recording of this very performance:



Carl explained that Conductor Rafael Kubelik left Czechoslavakia in the late 1940s, vowing not to return until democracy was restored. Following the Velvet Revolution in 1989, he did just that, conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the 1990 Prague Spring Music Festival. (So if you saw a guy blubbing just a little bit in his car on Irving Park this morning, it may have been me.)

My very favorite Smetana composition is the overture to The Bartered Bride:



I love my recording by the CSO with Fritz Reiner, but I do wish I could find the Cleveland Orchestra's version that I heard on the radio while in Cleveland a few years ago. Absolutely thrilling.

Olympics Withdrawal

Goodbye for now, Olympics!

I miss you already . . . (and it's good to know I'm not alone.)

No looking forward to the next skating drama.

No annoying yet familiar Bob Costas and his unchanging eyes.

No bobsledders in their bobsled outfits.

No fabulous figure skaters in their fabulous outfits.

What a wonderful respite from all the world's awfulness the past two weeks have been. It was, yes, comforting to have the Olympics on, be it in the background or very much in the foreground. Either way - no wingnuts, no asshole GOP Senators, no Sara Palin. Now . . . ugh. Even through the reality-based prism of Rachel and company, it's just so - awful - especially compared to the Olympics.

The athletes all seemed so - likable. (OK, most of them.) Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of assholes in the mix, but we didn't see them acting like it . . . except Plushenko and that bratty Dutch guy . . . and all those Koren short track skaters, but besides them . . .

I got a little choked up seeing all the athletes walk into the stadium last night for the closing ceremonies. That must be so cool - especially if you've done well. Anything involving Catherine O'Hara is inherently awesome.

I know the phrase "Olympic movement" sounds rather boastful and idealistic, and certainly his Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch Torelló, Marquess of Samaranch was quite the pompous ass with his "best games ever" proclamations. NBC's presence seems more than a bit overdone - what was Matt Lauer doing carrying the torch? Is he Canadian? All that aside, there is something to it all . . .