Author: Becky Sarwate

And Then There Were 58…Bayh, Bayh Evan (February 16, 2010)

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Bayh

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20100216/pl_bloomberg/a6qybv5vkza4

Aw nuts!

If there is one thing I admire about the hard Republican right, it’s their apparently insatiable appetite for battle. Over the last 12 months, the “Party of No,” has used its spare energy for nothing beyond intense ideological and bureaucratic grudge matches – and seems to relish the confrontation. Like Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple as well as Pixar, the people who have taken you back to the Revolution – literally to the 1770s with the resurgence of the “Tea Party” – seem to thrive on adversity and their underdog status. It’s like they are daring anyone in Congress to actually try something. Democrats are body checked at every turn.

But the bullying gets so much easier when your opponent takes his toys and goes home. It has always stymied me to come up with reasons why those most wed to change (many, but not all of the left leaning Dems) appear to have the weakest stomach when it comes to fighting for it.
Today we learn that Evan Bayh, a former two-term Indiana Governor, and two-term Senator, who has never lost an electoral contest, is leaving the game. His reason: “‘There’s just too much brain-dead partisanship’ in Congress, Bayh told ABC, and the American people need to vote out those who are ‘rigidly ideological.’”

Alright, I feel you there Evan, but how does your resignation help us to achieve that goal? By vacating your formly Democratic seat, aren’t you just opening it up to Republican takeover, a prospect not impossible in semi-conservative Indiana?

It is hard, both as a staunch liberal, and as a lover of the textbook (rather than actual) political process, to find much to celebrate these days. Though I do not place the blame on Obama, who has nonetheless developed into a curiously “lame duck” first term chief, “Change” becomes an ever dimmer possibility with every news cycle. The divided electorate seems more fractured and unwilling to come together to get work done than at any time in our history. And that is dangerous, because we have a comprehensive list of real problems that need solving now.
I would beg Senator Bayh to reconsider, but I am sure he has already fielded calls from Majority Leader Harry Reid, possibly even the President himself.

I am daydreaming of a targeted flood, a la Noah, that could wash away Capitol Hill and give it a fresh start. It appears nothing short of that is going to move American democracy forward. I guess Evan Bayh shares my dream. It’s just that I thought we went through the process of electing officials so they could help us, not get bored/frustrated/annoyed and give up. If Senators get disillusioned and quit, how do they expect us to stay engaged?

Wow, John Mayer, Just Wow (February 11, 2010)

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john-mayer-borat

A few weeks back, my co-worker Lora and I took a little break from the grind to play a game. It was called “What celebrity would you like to have hit on you, just for the joy of being able to turn him down?” Lora’s choice was Brad Pitt, a controversial one for certain, and largely driven by the ugly beard he was sporting that he has since shaved off.

My pick was instantaneous and for me, way too easy: John Mayer. For years I have watched this slutty egomaniac get famous for too many things besides his music – like his sidewalk press conferences, endless Twittering and the stream of hot Hollywood babes he has banged, and then had the class to report about. Never will I understand what some of these impressive women saw in this fleabag (et tu Jennifer Aniston – twice?!). Incidentally, I might also mention that I hate his music. He may be a fine guitar player, but his singing voice sounds like a small barnyard animal in heat.

So it’s clear I do not like the guy and would love to personally give his ego a check if the opportunity presents itself. But it seems Mayer himself has beaten me to the punch. Have you folks seen this? I could paraphrase, but it packs a greater wallop to read the disgustingness first hand:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35334100/ns/entertainment-celebrities/

If I had any respect left for Mayer, I do believe this would have finished it off. Is there anyone out there who will admit to being a Mayer fan? If so, what do you make of this seeming attempt to self-destruct?

The Ship’s Going Down: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em! (February 9, 2010)

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ship

Ah yum, the familiar taste of egg on our faces. Too bad I don’t care for eggs, but to be a resident of Illinois, you’d better learn to love that chicken born protein, because as long as you are a voting adult of this State, one humiliation after another is to be your lot.

It almost seems like a farway dream that a man named Obama: classy, intelligent, thoughtful and competent, could have ascended the ranks of the political mire we crawl through in the Land of Lincoln. But it did happen, a once in a lifetime gift, and enjoy it folks, because it looks more and more like that’s all we’re going to get.

Because no sooner did the primary polls close last Tuesday night, then we found ourselves in familiar territory:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/2036963,CST-NWS-cohen09.article

A pawnbroker, a repeated domestic violence offender, consorter of admitted prostitutes and SuperBowl party killjoy (did you SEE that mess as he withdrew from the Lt. Governor’s race in a teary press conference, in the middle of a pub, as innocent people attempted to watch the Saints march to victory?) I would ask, fair citizens, what we have done to deserve this nightmare, except we, or at least the Democratic ilk of us, actually voted for this loser. Let this be a cautionary tale to those who think their vote couldn’t possibly matter. When you achieve a paltry 25% turnout, you get Joey Buttafucco as your candidate.

I didn’t vote for Cohen, but no matter. I am again ruined through guilt by association. And now that Cohen has quietly (ha!) exited the race, where do we go from here? Are there any good choices? It seems some would like Dan Hynes, the Democrat who just lost the nomination for Governor to incumbent Pat Quinn, to step forward. But surprise, surprise, he seems a little reluctant to fill the shoes of a man who will let his morbidly obese son weep with heartbreak next to him on national TV.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/02/hynes_not_interested_in_illino.html

Between this crap and the blizzard, I need a drink already. It’s gotta be noon somewhere…

Go New Orleans! (February 6, 2010)

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superbowl

It was not until the Fall of 2006 that I began to take a real interest in the NFL. At first, my thirst for knowledge was driven by the need for information, a competitive edge so that I could take everyone’s money in the Pick A Winner Pool which I participate in every year. I haven’t actually mamanged to take it all yet, but I am working on it.

Anyway, I found as I studied, once I got past the assumption that I will ever understand EVERYTHING that happens on the field (the sport is just too complicated), I started to like what I saw. I enjoy the way a lead changes four or five times in a game, the way that a pick can shift momentum and put you back on the edge of your seat when you’d already given up on the home team. I like the loud, rowdy fans, the crunching of hot male bodies (in some cases), the failure of my enemies (I am talking to you Brett Favre). In short, football kind of makes me feel alive, riding a roller coaster of emotions that are precarious from one whistle blow to the next.

Tomorrow, as you know, is the Super Bowl, another championship game without the Chicago Bears (I maintain they didn’t show up to the last one they played in either). No matter because I find myself firmly on the side of the New Orleans’ Saints. Not only have they never won a team ring before, but the City has been through an awful lot in the last six years. They need the morale boost, and with the play of their football team this year, they deserve it.

I am also a bit tired of Peyton Manning and the Colts, not the least because they were the team to humiliate the Bears this weekend in 2007. The Colts are becoming like the Patriots once were, or the Yankees still are – that annoying team that always seems to find itself in the last stages of the playoffs, predictable, the ones you start rooting against.

It promises to be a good match. I have picked my side. What’s yours?

Shamrock Shuffle Training – Outing 2 (February 4, 2010)

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mean_samurai

You would think that a woman who beats herself up in the gym (or at home doing Tae Bo) six days a week would be a competent runner. You my friends, would be wrong, as I was when I had the foolish idea to undertake this race on March 21st. It’s a 8k (roughly 5 miles) and I was somehow under the impression that all the cardio I do would make this thing a breeze.

Saturday was too cold so I ran indoors on a treadmill. I logged a highly unacceptable time of 70 minutes to finish the 5 miles. I felt Ok about this for a first day until my best friend Gary, who claims he is “out of shape” informed me that he can easily run the same distance in under 42 minutes. Um….

So yesterday I went out after work, thinking that it’s best to simulate actual race day conditions – weather, roads, etc. My plan was to run from my place to the intersection of Lincoln/Ashland/Belmont and back – about 4 1/3 miles in total. I was able to run for more continuous periods without stopping, which shows my lung capacity is already building. But alas, my final time was a still sorry 50 minutes – only slightly ahead of my pace from last Saturday.

I would have returned home feeling completly dejected, but I was buoyed by the new sites I encountered as I ran down Ravenswood toward Addison, a part of the street I have never explored before. I was jogging and bopping out to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” when I saw something rad out of the corner of my eye. Samurai training! Or what I thought was samurai training, but actually turned out to be aikido. But samurai training! Swords, ponytails and everything! This is the place:

http://www.shinjinkai.org/programs_aikido.html

Really, how awesome is that? I decided to take it as some sort of sign. I WILL be a running warrior and must not give up, even if I can hardly move a muscle in my body this morning. Maybe I will take up fencing as my next project. What do you think?