I Feel It in the Air

Well, today I voted for my choice of president. I have been listening to talk radio like a junkie searching for crack. Who will end up on top? Barry O.? McCain? Everyone believes Obama has this sewed up and not one polling location has closed in this country. Wow! Can you imagine? Then you have McCain hoping that another Dewey vs. Truman upset will occur. Wow! If you know your American history, you know how that showstopper occured. Anyway, today I voted and I can feel the electricity in the air. I look at my neighbors and we smile with a nod. We feel good. We share a secret. We know that history will be made. Whether or not you love Obama, you have to admit that it is exciting to be on the cusp of a historical first.

What the Hell is Wrong with Madonna?

Today I was swimming in the audio goodness of 80's music. Suddenly Like a Virgin came on and I started thinking back to when Madonna in all her badass glory rolled around on the stage of some awards show (MTV Music Awards?) in a wedding gown. My parents cringed and I thought she was awesome. For the longest time I had defended the Material Girl for her business savvy ways and clever gimmicks to keep herself relevant. In the past 7 years at best Madonna has lost her mind and her identity. Did the fact that she was older and that younger, outrageous women were nipping at her heels get to her? Actually, I hate to admit it, but it seems that the big 80's 3, Michael, Prince, and Madonna, have taken getting old badly. Michael has turned into a sideshow clown. Prince is looking like he loves the Botox injection a little too much. Now Madonna with her dirty divorce from Guy Ritchie and her scandalous relationship with A-Rod is bad form. Her body is yoked out, she's prancing around in videos with Justin Timberlake, and singing songs about clubbing. What happened to the Kabbalah? What happened to saving the world one unfortunate, token child at a time a la Angelina Jolie? What happened to the children's books? For goodness sakes, Madonna was growing up then...BANG! Is this her midlife crisis in high definition? So sad.

Well, I still love me some Madonna. I can't figure out what she's going through, but I'm sure it will work itself out.

The Vice Presidential Debate: The Farce

My last post was about it being open season on women in the political realm. This post will be a review of the VP debate with a keen focus on Sarah Palin.

After about an hour of "by golly", shout outs to 3rd graders, and that damn bang flicking in her eyes, I was ready to jump through my television and shake her until her fillings rattled. People complained that Hillary was shrill and too hard. Palin was a parody of herself. Hell, Tina Fey probably would've looked more poised than Palin. She was an enthusiastic cheerleader for John McCain with her good, ol' gal demeanor. Neither candidate directly answered the questions poor Gwen tried to ask, but Palin was obvious about pushing her agenda. She even looked squarely into the camera and said she wanted to tell America why she was right for the job. She turned the debate into a job interview. She didn't fall flat on her face like most of America thought, but she didn't give a stellar performance. If anything, she exposed herself to even closer scrutiny. Will her performance help or hinder McCain? No one really knows.

The Right is breathing a sigh of relief because she didn't look too bad. When you have to watch your candidate while holding your breath as if you're watching your toddler walk across the room, it reveals a lot. The Left is doing a jig because Biden hit a homerun. If you're celebrating too hard because your seasoned pro performed better than a novice, you must've been worried.

In the end, America is asked to choose the next leader of this nation. The VP role is the shadow to the president. In the case of George W., his shadow looms larger than the president, but that's neither here nor there. What matters now is which shadow does America want to be waiting in the wings in case the head of state is lost. Does America want a tried and true Washington insider with a wealth of experience? Does America want a Gidget and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington hybrid?

Open Season

I am not a Sarah Palin fan. When many conservatives started wetting their knickers over her, I was left speechless. How could any rational person know so little about another and are willing to hand them the keys to the White House? It was absurd. All the talk about being a maverick and her good, moral stance on all the issues the far right consider...well, right was just beating the drum to the same ol' chant that we've been hearing for the past 8 years. We know that she likes to shoot moose, her 17 year old daughter is pregnant, and she tries to charm middle America with her "aw shucks and golly" personality. We can only gleam from her interview with Katie Couric that she doesn't read periodicals, she thinks looking across the ocean at Russia is foreign experience, and she is oh so happy to be on the winning ticket to the White House.

I could go on and on talking about Mrs. Palin, but I won't because everyone else is doing a fine job of it. Their job is so well done that it looks like it's open season on the female politician. First their was Hillary that everyone wanted to dress down and humble. Michelle Obama got beaten into a side note after her feisty personality started to look a little too...much. Cindy McCain can be called a c*nt by her loving husband and no one really stands up for her. Now poor, mousy Sarah gets to dodge the unkind arrows aimed at her carefully styles hairdo.

I watched her debate tonight. When you think about the person who will be a heartbeat from the presidency, you want to see someone who you could trust to take on that responsibility. When Truman, LBJ, and Ford took over, they managed to hold it all together. Can Sarah Palin do it? I don't know. I don't know her. What I do know is that there seems to be open season on the women who are in the spotlight of politics.

Ode to Paul Newman

On September 27, 2008 we lost an American icon. My children and I love the movie Cars. They love the cars and the racing. I love listening to Doc Hudson a.k.a. Paul Newman. Those merry eyes, kind heart, and no nonsense attitude is something Hollywood will probably never see again. While a guy with Newman's looks could easily cruise the starlets of Hollywood, he married a woman he cherished for 50 years. He was faithful. He was known to say in response to infidelity, "Why go out and eat hamburger when you have steak at home?". Joanne Woodward was his steak.

With the passing of the old guard of Hollywood, I mourn what is left. The murky, sleazy era that churns out untalented flavors of the month make my eyes bleed. There are some talented people in Hollywood, but the class is gone. Take a look at Newman's life and lament the loss of class.

Paul Newman fought for his life and loses at the age of 83.

I thank Paul Newman for leaving an imprint on the media that will touch generations to come.

Do You Know Where Your Money Is?

So the market is crashing, George W. is being presidential for the 2nd time in his life, and people are squirreling their money away. Do you know where your money is?

What does the bad scene on wall street have to do with Joe and Jane Average? Nothing? Everything?

I will admit that I'm not a big Wall Street guru. I have a working knowledge of what the Dow Jones entails. I know that when the numbers go down that it's not a good place to be. Many people depend on the market being strong because their retirement is tied into it. Some people "play" the market and when the market goes south, the fun drops out of "play".

Are we approaching a depression/recession? Will business men and women dive from skyscraper windows? Will entire families be turned out on the streets? Will the children be forced to work in sweatshops?

In these days of financial turmoil, there is one thing to keep in mind. It's best to be careful about the few pennies you have clutched in your hands. Read the small print on contracts. Educate yourself on how to diversify your money. Remember that $100,000 is a magic number. When your mother told you not to put all your eggs in one basket, consider your money to be eggs. When your money reach that $100,000 mark, look for another basket to hold the overflow. Don't shy away from the banks, but don't think the banker is your friend. If you have what you consider a lot of money, invest in a financial advisor. And if you don't understand or trust your advisor, get a second opinion. Who cares if you hurt their feelings? There are a lot of people who once had millions who probably wished they had been a little less trusting of their advisors. They probably wished they had hurt a few feelings in order to save their fortunes.

Once again, I'm not a financial expert. I like to think that I'm an expert on commonsense.

So take your money out of your sock drawer, have faith in the economy working itself out, and educate yourself on being a smarter investor.

Old Salty Dogs w/ 2 Months to Go

Some people get caught up in American Idol, Survivor, and The Hills. The news media said that more people watched Obama and McCain's speeches than the finale of American Idol.

Imagine that. The search for the next leader of the United States is being compared to the search for America's next pop idol.

Well, I have been watching the conventions and speeches. I've been listening to the talking heads disect every word, look, piece of clothing, etc.. I've asked many of those questions a lot of people asked or were afraid to ask. Will Hilary really concede to Obama? Will Bill Clinton throw his support to the new democrat Messiah? Who the hell is Sarah Palin and why did McCain pick a newly minted govenor as a running mate? Can McCain speak to a crowd as well as Obama? Can Cindy McCain stop smiling? Did Laura Bush ever stop smiling? How can McCain talk about change when he's representing the current politcal party in office?

The questions go on and on.

What fascinates me is the underlining drama. Yes, everyone is debating on whether an old salty dog or a refreshing upstart should be the next president, but the battle of the old salty dogs is one I'm eager to watch these coming weeks. Obama is suave and cool while Palin is, seemingly, quick and spunky. But what about McCain and Biden? These two cats been clamoring for that top position for years. They both made the run two times. It looks like it's the last chance for them both. McCain is 72 and Biden will be 66 in November. Biden may not be running for president at the moment, but he sure is running as the next heart beat to the job. So it's a matter of who wants it more.

Biden says that McCain is a good friend. Can two friends duke it out for the White House? Right now everything is nicey nice, but Palin and Biden are slotted for the pitbull position of their campaigns. Palin came out swinging this past week.... Well, her speech-writer came out swinging on Obama. Biden did not hit as hard. Now that the conventions are over, who will bring it like Mike Tyson with his boxing license restored?

So I will pop my popcorn, listen to my talk radio, watch some political television, and stay tuned to this reality television.