Look look! I think I'm in this picture of Lieberman talking to people at a diner here in Nashua yesterday. Look at the person sitting to the right of Lieberman, with his left hand raised up by his head. I'm the person right behind his hand. You can really just see my hair, but I'm pretty sure it's me. (And, well, I know I was there.) The guy next to me, looking backward toward the door, is my friend jaQ. Isn't that neat?
(I'm not really a Lieberman supporter, by the way, although I did vote for him for Senate in 2000. I just went to the event to see what he was like... just for the sake of it, really.)
Braun Is Expected to End Bid and Back Dean
Interesting. I like her, but wasn't going to vote for her because there's no way she'd beat Bush right now, etc. But if she supports Dean, that makes me feel better about supporting Dean. (I've been wavering on that the past few days.) Which is exactly their point, of course. Argh. Is it bad if I react exactly the way I'm supposed to like that?
To Avoid Fuel Limits, Subaru Is Turning a Sedan Into a Truck
Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. They're making a sedan into a truck so that it can be worse for the environment. Making it an inch and a half higher off the ground. Yup. Ooh, and now it can have tinted windows. Joy. What is wrong with people?
. . . you really start to figure out what you like. We've had most of the same CDs on the overhead at work for the past few days, and I've come to some conclusions. First of all, I'm about ready to ring Jack Johnson's self-importantly apathetic little neck. The first time his CD came on, it made me stop and think, "Huh. That's interesting. I wonder what that is?" It was different from most of what we play downstairs in the store, which tends to run to classical compilations, sedate jazz, and an appalling amount of Seal, and it was rather ear-catching at first. By a few songs in, though, I was thinking "All right, already. What's next?" And by today, when I heard it for the third or fourth time, I had developed an intense hatred for the CD and probably for Jack Johnson himself. On and On indeed.
I have, however, also found a CD that seems to keep improving as you listen to it over and over. And I'm not alone in this opinion. An increasing percentage of the staff is thoroughly addicted to Torch Songs. It's a compilation of, well, torch songs, and it has just about everyone on it, from Ella to Aretha, including Eva Cassidy, Diana Ross, Judy Garland, K.D. Lang, Dinah Washington, Carly Simon, and more. Some of the songs that have stuck out to me the most are "The Man I Love," "Autumn Leaves," and "But Not For Me," but really, they're all great. This CD has definitely made its way onto my to-buy list in the past few days. Go check it out. You'll like it.
I've been wanting to write more about books I read here, so I figured I might as well just go for it. And I just finished reading what I felt was a very important book, so where better to start?
As I've mentioned before, I'm addicted to NPR, so I listened to quite a bit of Anne Garrels' coverage of the war in Iraq. I think I even heard the broadcast in which she cut off suddenly, saying she had to move because her hotel had become a target. So when I heard that she had a book coming out, I had to read it, for more than one reason. Her experiences sounded fascinating, yes, but more importantly, I wanted to learn more about Anne Garrels herself--what sort of person would choose to put herself in that situation? And how?
Well, the book was even better than I expected. The writing was surprisingly frank and open, with no lack of personal anecdotes, and I really felt like I got to know Ms. Garrels herself. At the same time, she gave enough information about Iraq and the war that I was aware of learning a huge amount while compulsively turning pages to see what happened to Garrels and her friends. Both the macrocosm and the microcosm were well represented, one might say.
Some reviewers have complained about the inclusion in the book of e-mails sent by Garrels' husband Vint to family and friends while Garrels was in Iraq. Yes, they were sometimes silly in tone, and yes, they interrupted Garrels' narrative, but those were some of the very reasons why I liked them. They added some much-appreciated levity, and kept the book from getting too intense. More importantly, though, they provided a subtle but lovely subplot. While following the fascinating story of Anne Garrels' experiences as an American woman and reporter more or less on her own right in the middle of the Iraq war, the reader can also follow the story of the loving husband in Connecticut, "taking care of the home front and changing the diapers on the labradors."
I would heartily recommend this book to just about anyone. Anyone who listens to NPR. Anyone who wants to get a taste of what modern Iraq is really like. Anyone who likes adventure stories. Anyone who is interested in the advancement of women in traditionally male professions. And anyone who cares, even a little, about the condition and future of the United States, Iraq, and the world.
One of the most exciting things about my new apartment is that it is close enough to downtown to let me walk to most of the interesting places on/around Main Street. This includes the library, and, yes, the yarn store. Yeah, I told you it was exciting. Today is my first day off in the new place, so I braved the sleet and slippery streets to walk to the library and LYS. I'm liking this LYS more and more, especially now that it's so close. (My other LYS is about 40 minutes away.) I wandered around for a while, getting all sorts of inspiration for sweaters and shawls and socks and stuff. Of course, I have plenty of yarn I want to use first. But yeah. Someday I will go in there and buy myself yarn to make a sweater. Really. I will.
I got two skeins of Regia for Christmas, so I can finally try those nifty socks! Since most of my needles are still packed, this seemed like the perfect excuse to buy some new needles and start my new socks. And at the library, along with some books, of course, I got the first Wives of Henry VIII DVD to play on my new DVD player. So after I do some unpacking this afternoon I'm going to curl up with my new yarn and watch and knit. And drink tea, probably. Doesn't that sound like a great afternoon?
I found this Vote by Issue quiz for the Democratic primary, but I really didn't like it. The options were all quotes from the candidates, which in some cases hinted at their identities (especially with Congresspeople talking about supporting or opposing bills) and in some cases provided slightly differently worded versions of the same option. I'd rather one that has straightforward questions about the issues (perhaps with a multiple choice and/or a 1 to 5 agree/disagree sort of thing) and then shows which candidate you're closest to. Has anyone seen something like that?
Hi everyone! Yes, I'm still alive. Sorry I haven't posted--I'm in my new apartment but don't quite have Internet access set up there yet. (I'm posting this from jaQ's.) I'm headed to CT for my parents' New Year's party now, but I should be back and online from my new home by tomorrow afternoon. See you then!