Open Threads

1. My dad has 69% blockage in his carotid artery and needs surgery. He had a stroke this weekend. He’s fine for the most part – no permanent damage that I know of. I talked to him tonight, and he’s very tired, but only because he had to wait all weekend in the ER – just like I have had to do in the U.S. – for all you people who think shit is better in you country.

2. Had a wonderful weekend at a wedding in Savannah, GA. I swear, I think my friend spent 100K on her wedding (probably less than that but it seemed like it – every bar was open.)

3. When you are an expensive hotel hosting an upscale Jewish wedding, don’t play Christmas carols in the lobby during cocktail hour.

4. Savannah, Georgia is an awesome vacation. Halef and I spent a good amount of money going there for the wedding, but it was worth it for the vacation. Just visiting all the town squares (originaly 24, but now 21) was nice. There are statues in every one. Amaizng to see the history.

5. Want to go to Fredericton, NB to see my parents for Christmas. $1000+. It was better when Delta flew there direct. It would have been about $400. I can’t blame them for cutting the route – but why before I needed it??

6. How was your Thanksgiving? I went to my cousin’s place. Normally, I hate deep-fried turkey. He made it marinated with cajun spice and it was awesome. Best TG dinner ever. Yeah, it’s late to post that, but whatever.

7. Obama’s National Security Team. Pretty good, IMO. What did you expect from Obama? Did you think he’d take a kindegarten teacher and hire her as Education Secretary? A corporal at a local police department and make her Secretary of Homeland Security? A bank teller and make him Treasury Secretary? Some lawyer who advertises during Judge Judy and make her AG? How about Jackie Chan as SecDef?? Would that have been change you could believe in??

8. Resveritrol. Had lots of that this weekend at the wedding. I am now 27 – not 39.

ThingsPost + Comments (52)

This morning, I went to the DMV to renew my driver’s license. It took forever. As a non-citizen, I am required to present my passport and my I-94 (immigration) card. I did that, as required. I was held up for over 2 hours because, according to the database, I was registered as a citizen of the United States of America. I presented evidence otherwise.

Shit.

I Was a CitizenPost + Comments (33)

As much as I liked California, the flight home was epic suck. For whatever reason, despite reserving an aisle seat and confirming an aisle seat as I checked in, I was nonetheless given a ticket that, when I boarded the plane, put me squarely crammed into a window seat. At 6’1″ and having lost my girlish figure long ago, wedging my copious ass into a window seat for 5 hours is teh awesome. Even better, I managed to draw the seat in which the window is not really there, but I got half of the window in front of me and half of the one behind, which means- a huge ass hunk of airframe in my shoulder for 5 hours.

To make the flight more fun, I got seated next to a young college couple who went through various displays of public affection for the duration of the flight. She was fidgety- I never realized that the little air nozzle on airplanes that control individual airflow required direct and active supervision for the entire flight until sitting next to her. He was uninterested, instead choosing to spend his time reading the Fountainhead.

That, in and of itself was disconcerting. He looked like a young preppy frat boy, probably 20-21, so I had the classic dilemma. Did I raise a scene and rip it out of his hands and replace it with the copy of the Bacevich book in my carry-on bag, or maybe the latest Vanity Fair, thereby saving the world of another glibertarian intent on ruining the online world with more inane Tech Central Daily posts? Or did I run the odds and hope that there would be no long-term damage done to his young mind? Youth recover quickly, and there is a solid chance that he might outgrow the harm at least by age thirty.

I never came to a decision about what to do. I just put the headphones on and watch the inflight movie, which was Wall-E. The young co-ed loved that- alternately squealing, giggling, and damping at moist eyes during the “poignant” parts. I just tried to concentrate on the movie, rather than throttling the 5 year old kicking the back of my seat or telling his mother to cover her damned mouth when she coughed. I will have to watch it again some time, and it may turn out that if I watch it when I am not plotting the murder of fellow passengers, I will enjoy it more.

I think over Iowa, I contemplated suicide for the first time in my life, but the TSA folks had made sure I had no sharp objects. I think if I am ever told I am going to die in a month, I will immediately board a plane- that will make the thirty days seem like forever.

Oh yeah. They lost my god damned luggage, too. Allegedly, that will be delivered tomorrow.

*** Update ***

Shouldn’t they have to give me the 15 bucks back for checking my luggage, since they lost it? And why are they still charging me anyway, now that prices for fuel are back to normal and they are still running smaller jam packed planes with not so much as one empty seat and a skeleton crew of aggravated flight attendants? Bastards.

And here is Lewis CK telling me to shut up and to stop being such a whiner:

Home At LastPost + Comments (90)

Read this.

Then read Jim Henley’s point about the recent Palin/turkey silliness. The barbaric “execution” and “assassination” of those turkeys is the model for how these animals should be raised for food.

And since we are talking about turkeys, this Daniel Larsion takedown of assorted foolishness is not to be missed.

Talking TurkeyPost + Comments (94)

About traveling to the West Coast is waking up at your normal wake-up time and it is 4 am.

Well, actually, the best thing is that they seem to use cilantro in everything, which is pretty awesome.

*** Update ***

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but looking through books at the convention, rather than write their names down or collect business cards I do not want, I am just going to take a digital picture. Not sure why I never thought of this before.

Speaking of books, I finished the Limits of Power on the plane yesterday and will review it, finished Taking on the System last night, and plan to sit by the pool after dinner and read either Reputation: Portraits in Power or the Best American Political Writing 2008

The Best ThingPost + Comments (140)

Nate Silver, awesome poll analyzer at fivethirtyeight.com, is hot.

Just sayin’.

Department of Things I Didn’t RealizePost + Comments (82)