Four Studying Days Left (January 7, 2010)

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I received an early morning text message yesterday from my good friend Timbo. It read: “So who are you voting for?” I felt that familiar old panic.

Because you see, good citizens of Illinois, I somehow fell asleep at the wheel again and neglected to realize the 2010 primaries were upon us. Timbo remembered that I had taken a vow in late 2008, after the whole Blago/Roland Burris dustup, never to cast an ignorant local vote again. For I must sadly own, my friends, I voted for deposed Governor Blagojevich, not once, but TWICE. I pay lavish attention to national elections, for years sometimes prior to the first vote being cast. But when it comes to my own backyard, I fall behind on who is in play and what they stand for. Why? Is this because Illinois elections are not covered on CNN or in the pages of the New York Times?

Be that as it may, there is no excuse for my lack of attention. There are so many critical issues and bureaucratic messes confronting the City, County and State. But it is not too late! With a little over four days left to cram and make decisions on who to throw support behind, I have found this handy tool an asset:

http://www.uselections.com/il/il.htm

It gives a pretty great summary of each open office, with links for additional information on the individual candidates. How did I not know we were operating without a Lieutenant Governor? For shame.

About the only vote I am sure of right now is that of the Democratic primary for Governor. I am likely to give Pat Quinn another chance. He has done the best he can with a very bad economic and PR situation post-Blago, and has managed to keep his nose reasonably clean in the process. After that I am not too sure. But I put you on notice Timbo: I will not go the ballot box unprepared this coming Tuesday.

Have you decided who should take the State of Illinois into the next decade?

CNN Tidbits (January 5, 2010)

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CNN logo

Those who know me best are aware that I readily own up to my addictions: one of which is this venerable cable news stalwart. I think my problem dates back to the 2004 Kerry/Bush election, but it took on the hallmarks of a full blown habit early in 2007 with the Democratic primaries. I got WAY into CNN during the 2008 election coverage, and somehow never left after Obama’s victory over McCain.

The anchors and pundits of CNN both fill my heart with joy, and alternately repulse me, like any good family members ought. Weekend staff members Don Lemon and Fredricka Whitfield are young, pretty and nonthreatening, same for Erica Hill, AC360‘s regular guest host. Lou Dobbs, before his recent departure, was the cranky old backward uncle I loved to argue with. Campbell Brown possesses just enough “red” leanings in her to prevent accusations of network liberalism. Then of course you have Wolf, AC, Christiane Amanpour, Sanjay Gupta and Fareed Zakaria – the channel’s All-Stars.

I mention all of this by way of acknowledgement that very few people besides myself may find interest in the latest news of which the channel is an agent, rather than a conduit. Be that as it may:

1. Kathy Griffin banned from CNN after F-bomb drop on New Year’s Eve

http://www.examiner.com/x-22153-Cleveland-Pop-Culture-Examiner~y2010m1d5-Kathy-Griffin-banned-from-CNN-after-Fbomb-drop-on-New-Years-Eve-watch-the-YouTube-video

It is hard to find any synpathy for CNN here. You take a notoriously ribald comedienne, put her in the Big Apple live on New Year’s Eve, and you expect what, her and AC to share recipes with viewers? Of course she said something off color. This is a woman who famously stated, upon winning an Emmy, “I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. Suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now!”

Personally, I enjoyed Griffin and Cooper the last two New Years. If I want boring and predictable, I can always switch over to Seacrest. I hope CNN gets its underwear out of a bunch and rethinks the decision.

2. Lou Dobbs Launches Members-Only Web Site

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/04/lou-dobbs-launches-members-only-web-site/

Why would I pay my hard earned dollars to read shit I didn’t want to hear when it was free? And I hear he may also run for Congress in New Jersey. That lucky Garden State.

The Lovie Shuffle (January 3, 2010)

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bears-suck-1

I would like to formally congratulate the Bears on the official end to a mediocre, 7-9 season. Sadly, we Chicagoans are used to the Bears routine suckiness (and that trip to the Super Bowl in February 2007 was just a lovely fluke). But what makes the repeat of last year’s dismal record sting a bit more is the dumping of “Sexy Rexy” Grossman for the much more expensive (fiscally and in terms of future prospects) Jay “Multimillion Dollar Baby” Cutler. Such high hopes. So many interceptions.

Clearly Da Bears had problems above and beyond the undependable arm of our man Jay. Can we get a defense before next Fall? Perhaps show Lovie the door? What is with Bears fans and our irrational attachment to our coaches?

At the very least, the Bears went out somewhat nobly in the remaining two games of this often humiliating season. Granted the final quarter of today’s contest was a little bit more stressful than it ought to have been, given that we were playing Detroit. But last week’s “W” against Favre and the Vikings brought a genuine sheen to my eyes. Maybe there is hope for next year? Hey – I am a Chicago sports fan. What else do we have to keep us warm in these winter months if not eternal optimism?

That reminds me. The Cubs are three months away…

2010 At Last (December 31, 2009)

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2010

We were warned, and braced ourselves for a rough 2009. We knew the economy would remain rickety and jobs would be lost. We knew we’d have a long fight ahead of us, after the initial glow of the Obama inauguration wore off, when it came to reforming health care, making choices when it came to war in Afghanistan, and wrestling with the many other formidable challenges confronting the nation. For these struggles, we hunkered down and prepared to tough it out.

What was less expected this year, and what brought some of us to our knees intermittently (including this blogger) was the daunting glut of personal tragedies that seemed to pop up every eight weeks or so. It was enough to endure my husband’s job loss, the deferring of our dreams of home ownership for another year, and the shaking of our faith in the consistent growth of the American economy. Add to it the death of loved ones (twice), infidelity, a sick niece, the mental collapse of a father, swine flu and well, you get the picture. 2009 was unkind on more than one occasion.

But as of midnight tonight, or so I keep telling myself, all that bad ju ju is behind us and the world gets a fresh start. The best news is that for all the punches 2009 was able to pull, she has a shelf life, just like every other year. Tomorrow morning when we wake up, not only is it a new annum, but a whole new decade. The Winter Olympics will dominate your television screens in a couple weeks, a fresh reminder of that unifying, competitive spirit that can elicit beauty from international cooperation (not just the groans of agony from another fruitless climate summit). 2010 feels positively pregnant with promise.

New Year’s Eve is typically the night for binge drinking and partying, at least for the urban, childless set, but I am going with a quieter welcome this round. Instead, I’ll be eating pizza in the ‘burbs with Max, Jen, KK and Rosebud, cherishing my family and basking in the warm feeling of belonging. No fabulous downtown soiree can compete with cuddling my nieces.

Happy New Year everyone. Be safe, be warm, be loved and join me in welcoming a new beginning.

Isn’t There Still Room for Both? (December 28, 2009)

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Us mag cover

 ny times

Admittedly, I am writing this post whilst a little hot under the collar. I was affronted in one of the worst ways, according to me, by my partner Sam this morning. Sammy and I are teammates on the Chicago Office of Tourism Neighborhood Mapping Project, and normally get on famously. One of the hallmarks of our dynamic however, is a little good natured intellectual sparring now and then.

We were having one such debate over the war in Afghanistan. Sammy, just flat-out anti-conflict no matter the situation, feels we ought to pull every U.S. troop out of the region, like yesterday. I am a bit more gray in my approach, believing that leaving Afghanistan without a plan will cause further terrorist chaos locally and internationally in the long run.

At some point, Sammy made what I thought to be a rather judgmental, narrow comment, and by way of dismissal, I turned my eyes to the pages of the most recent Us magazine. This was both my way of announcing a break in the argument, as well as distracting my attention with something a little lighter. However, Sam dove upon me immediately, insinuating that perhaps my naive international opinions were influenced by my substandard literary tastes.

Now we come to the point: I am an avid reader, but I have very few rules as to what is considered “literature” in my lexicon. Who is to tell me that celebrity gossip and other airier fare do not have their own merits? Isn’t one of the goals of reading and literary consumption to be entertained? I have an International Baccalaureate diploma from my high school days, and an MA in English Literature. I have read the “great” books, but am not such an ivory tower snob that I wish to be out of touch with what turns the masses on. After all, I am a member of that mass. And I state proudly here and now that chick lit., Entertainment Weekly and Perez Hilton do it for me every bit as much as Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe and Wordsworth.

I hate to be pigeonholed, but when it comes to an activity like reading, which I hold so dear as one of the ultimate coping tools provided for us, I cannot abide labeling. I am neither the stuffy bookworm nor the vapid gossip rag connoisseur. I am both, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is people like me who made a mashup like Pride, Prejudice and Zombiessuch a hit in 2009.

I abhor the overall “dumbing down” of our culture every bit as much as Sammy. We are absolutely on the same page there. I will never accept the Red Eye a real newspaper, the way some of my other contemporaries have. But at the same time, I console myself that at least people are reading the paper in some form. It may not be a day far off when I am mourning the loss of even this abbreviated tabloid. I have picked up theRed Eye once or twice myself, as my thinking is that you cannot condemn that which you do not understand.

The act of reading, in any form other than off a computer monitor, becomes more a lost art with each passing year. Those who cherish the antiquated form of entertainment found in books and periodicals should not be so cynical as to start cannibalizing each other. I realize this argument is far from over, and I may be called upon to defend my love ofThe Devil Wears Prada again. So be it. I will do so gladly.