Here's my schedule. Last day of class is this Friday. The following week is reading week, then from the eighth through the twenty-third is finals. My last final is actually earlier than the twenty-third though, which will give me a chance to party up here and then make it home for Christmas. Then it's back up north again for the second semester in mid January.

Blogging should be light, but you all know how i am. i'm addicted. So i'll probably post stupid shit once in a while during study breaks or whatever. i've got a few blogger interviews in the works which you'll want to stay tuned for as well. Actually, i'm gonna post a fun interview with Ginger of Candied Ginger on Thursday, so be sure to check that out. Then another really special annie-conversation later on in the month, just to keep you visitors visiting.

P.S. Speaking of interviews, Matt Rustler did mine a couple of weeks ago and i know the whole blogosphere is awaiting that posting with feverish anticipation.

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Did you see the Raiders last night? What a game. i'm telling you, even during years when they suck, the Raiders can still put on a show. Especially against the hated Broncos.

As for tonight's game, i need a winner to offset last week's faulty prediction. Although, if you watched the first quarter of last week's game, you probably were wondering if your girl might just have some inexplicable insight into the game of football. But then New England's ass-kicking began. That Rodney Harrison interception at the end of the second took all the fight out of the Chiefs.

So tonight it's the Rams and Green Bay at Lambeau Field. i picked Green Bay correctly for the Monday night opener back in September, but i blew my prediction when Green Bay lost to Tennessee on October 11th. That was the last time Green Bay lost, and they've fought back to a 6 and 4 record by winning their next five in a row.

i think the Packers will make it six in a row tonight and they're favored by 6½. This will be Brett Favre's 200th regular season game in his consecutive game streak, so he should be on. But with Ahman Green hurting, i wonder if the Packers will cover the spread? The weather figures to be bad and both teams will need to run the ball more. With Marshall Faulk, i think the Rams can keep it close. So i'm going to make another leap and pick the Rams plus 6½.

Update: Packers won 45 to 17. Okay, i suck. Mostly i suck. But sometimes i get lucky, and when i do expect me to call it genius. Last night was not one of those times, though.

Plus i'm 4 and 8 in the Blogger Bowl. That really hurts. And Victor is number one! Victor! A man who'll drive 400 miles for a rat is winning the Blogger Bowl. i just don't understand it.

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AAaaaaaaHHH!!! AAAaaaaaH!!! WaaaaaaaAAAhhH! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhh! NNnnoooooOOoooooo!!! AAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! AAaaaaaaHHH!!! AAAaaaaaH!!! WaaaaaaaAAAhhH! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhh! AAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! AAaaaaaaHHH!!! AAAaaaaaH!!! WaaaaaaaAAAhhH! NNoooohohohohonnnnononono!!!! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhh! Pleaaaaseeenonononnhohono!!!!! AAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! AAaaaaaaHHH!!! AAAaaaaaH!!! WaaaaaaaAAAhhH! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhh! AAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

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What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Posted by: annika at 11:16 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 hmmm... let me try this one... heee... ^.^ passing saying hi! that was a fast sunday! ^_^ have fun and enjoy the rest of the holiday w/k... now, gonna go try the test/quiz! heeee =^.^=

Posted by: maizzy at November 27, 2004 05:20 AM (QEnlL)

2 Geez, I am embarrassed to tell you what my result was: I got Bill Clinton. Then I did the movie quiz...and I got Apocalypse Now. What the hell is wrong with me??

Posted by: ginger at November 27, 2004 06:31 PM (Otp/6)

3 Hey! Fellow Einstein! I found a real giggler here: Annika's Journal in "Red State" dialect You can enter the URL of any site for the same "dialectization". Put down your drink before clicking...

Posted by: Desert Cat at November 27, 2004 08:01 PM (c8BHE)

4 Ginger, I took the long version of the leader quiz and got Abe Lincoln, but the shortest version made me Saddam Hussein. I guess I really MUST be bipolar. ;-)

Posted by: Dave J at November 29, 2004 09:57 AM (CYpG7)

5 Yeah, I got Saddam Hussein, too. Maybe the people I used to supervise would agree.

Posted by: Eric Johnson at November 29, 2004 07:48 PM (84Org)

6 i'm not catholic, female, or even very nice and i ended up with Mother Teresa... some introspection is apparently necessary. blu

Posted by: Blu at November 30, 2004 11:56 AM (U9/fh)

7 Nothing wrong with Einstein! I am Mother Theresa as well. And I am "Schindler's List" too.

Posted by: Amy Bo Bamy at November 30, 2004 02:25 PM (RpVKX)

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone. i will probably not be posting this weekend, as i will be at my parents' house, helping to cook, eating, drinking and watching football.

i'll leave you with a very nice holiday poem about the historical Thanksgiving, by 19th Century American poet, Hezekiah Butterworth.

The Thanksgiving in Boston Harbor

"Praise ye the Lord!" The psalm to-day
  Still rises on our ears,
Borne from the hills of Boston Bay
  Through five times fifty years,
When Winthrop's fleet from Yarmouth crept
  Out to the open main,
And through the widening waters swept,
  In April sun and rain.
    "Pray to the Lord with fervent lips,"
      The leader shouted, "pray;"
    And prayer arose from all the ships
      As faded Yarmouth Bay.

They passed the Scilly Isles that day,
  And May-days came, and June,
And thrice upon the ocean lay
  The full orb of the moon.
And as that day, on Yarmouth Bay,
  Ere England sunk from view,
While yet the rippling Solent lay
  In April skies of blue,
    "Pray to the Lord with fervent lips,"
      Each morn was shouted, "pray;"
    And prayer arose from all the ships,
      As first in Yarmouth Bay;

Blew warm the breeze o'er Western seas,
  Through Maytime morns, and June,
Till hailed these souls the Isles of Shoals,
  Low 'neath the summer moon;
And as Cape Ann arose to view,
  And Norman's Woe they passed,
The wood-doves came the white mists through,
  And circled round each mast.
    "Pray to the Lord with fervent lips,"
      Then called the leader, "pray;"
    And prayer arose from all the ships,
      As first in Yarmouth Bay.

Above the sea the hill-tops fair—
  God's towers—began to rise,
And odors rare breathe through the air,
  Like balms of Paradise.
Through burning skies the ospreys flew,
  And near the pine-cooled shores
Danced airy boat and thin canoe,
  To flash of sunlit oars.
    "Pray to the Lord with fervent lips,"
      The leader shouted, "pray!"
    Then prayer arose, and all the ships
      Sailed into Boston Bay.

The white wings folded, anchors down,
  The sea-worn fleet in line,
Fair rose the hills where Boston town
  Should rise from clouds of pine;
Fair was the harbor, summit-walled,
  And placid lay the sea.
"Praise ye the Lord," the leader called;
  "Praise ye the Lord," spake he.
    "Give thanks to God with fervent lips,
      Give thanks to God to-day,"
    The anthem rose from all the ships,
      Safe moored in Boston Bay.

  "Praise ye the Lord!" Primeval woods
  First heard the ancient song,
And summer hills and solitudes
  The echoes rolled along.
The Red Cross flag of England blew
  Above the fleet that day,
While Shawmut's triple peaks in view
  In amber hazes lay.
    "Praise ye the Lord with fervent lips,
      Praise ye the Lord to-day,"
    The anthem rose from all the ships
      Safe moored in Boston Bay.

The Arabella leads the song—
  The Mayflower sings below,
That erst the Pilgrims bore along
  The Plymouth reefs of snow.
Oh! never be that psalm forgot
  That rose o'er Boston Bay,
When Winthrop sang, and Endicott,
  And Saltonstall, that day:
    "Praise ye the Lord with fervent lips,
      Praise ye the Lord to-day;"
    And praise arose from all the ships,
      Like prayers in Yarmouth Bay.

That psalm our fathers sang we sing,
  That psalm of peace and wars,
While o'er our heads unfolds its wing
  The flag of forty stars.
And while the nation finds a tongue
  For nobler gifts to pray,
'T will ever sing the song they sung
  That first Thanksgiving Day:
    "Praise ye the Lord with fervent lips,
      Praise ye the Lord to-day;"
    So rose the song from all the ships,
      Safe moored in Boston Bay.

Our fathers' prayers have changed to psalms,
  As David's treasures old
Turned, on the Temple's giant arms,
  To lily-work of gold.
Ho! vanished ships from Yarmouth's tide,
  Ho! ships of Boston Bay,
Your prayers have crossed the centuries wide
  To this Thanksgiving Day!
    We pray to God with fervent lips,
      We praise the Lord to-day,
    As prayers arose from Yarmouth ships,
      But psalms from Boston Bay.

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Dan Rather has finally succumbed to the inevitable, and the expected. He is stepping down from the CBS Evening News. i feel good about that, because i was one of the many voices urging CBS to fire him after he presented those forged memos in a transparent attempt to influence the presidential election. But i'm not patting myself on the back too hard. Rather's retirement was anticipated long before the scandal, and though his reputation is forever tarnished, he was not fired like he should have been.

Bill at INDC Journal has more:

Unfortunately, it only smells like victory, because ...

1. Rather's still working for 60 Minutes.

2. The findings of the independent investigation are overdue.

3. No action has been taken against Producer Mary Mapes or CBS News President Andrew Heyward. In contrast, the CBS News producer that dared to interrupt the final minutes of 'CSI' was canned within a few days. That says a great deal about their priorities.

As before, you can contact CBS News by clicking here.

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i received another lovely comment from an anonymous troll the other day. Again, using the expletive-laden prose so typical of the frustrated left, i was urged to kill myself. That's the second time this month. This particular commenter was pissed that i hadn't yet posted about the so-called "marine shooting" incident.

The reason i haven't written about the incident until now was because i was still working out my own mixed emotions about what i saw on that video. Well, my emotions were mixed until this afternoon, that is. Now i just feel manipulated and angry. Here's why.

When i first saw the shooting video, i had not yet heard the story, so i watched it without having heard any spin from the right or left. i have to admit, when i heard the shot and the marine saying "he's dead now," i was appalled. My first gut reaction was that something was not right about the way things went down.

Since the time of my initial reaction, i've been able to put the event into its proper context. i understand how the marine was justified in shooting the terrorist under the rules of engagement. i understand that these enemy were not prisoners, and had not surrendered. i understand that marines are not cops. i understand that the act of feigning death is inherently threatening, and any marine who perceives such a threat must protect himself by killing it. But the words "he's dead now" continued to bother me. They sounded like something a sadistic Quentin Tarantino villain might say.

i had assumed that the marine who shot the terrorist was the same marine who said "he's dead now," but i was wrong. Since the day the story broke i've seen the video dissected many, many times on various TV networks, including "fair and balanced" Fox News, and not once have i heard anyone mention that the marine who shot the terrorist was not the same marine who said "he's dead now."

To me, that fact is critical to understanding what happened, and its omission from the news "coverage" of the shooting completely skewed my own perception of what happened. Strange that i learned this crucial piece of the story only by reading the embedded reporter's own website this afternoon. In his pathetic non-apology/explanation to the Marine Corps, Kevin Sites retells what he saw:

While I continue to tape, a Marine walks up to the other two bodies about fifteen feet away, but also lying against the same back wall.

Then I hear him say this about one of the men:

'He's fucking faking he's dead -- he's faking he's fucking dead.'

Through my viewfinder I can see him raise the muzzle of his rifle in the direction of the wounded Iraqi. There are no sudden movements, no reaching or lunging.

However, the Marine could legitimately believe the man poses some kind of danger. Maybe he's going to cover him while another Marine searches for weapons.

Instead, he pulls the trigger. There is a small splatter against the back wall and the man's leg slumps down.

'Well he's dead now,' says another Marine in the background. [emphasis added]

My outrage doesnÂ’t end there. This punk, Kevin Sites, apparently wants the marines to not hate him for endangering their lives by providing the enemy with propaganda, which they will use to prolong their futile resistance. Make no mistake, Kevin Sites and his superiors have the blood of U.S. marines and soldiers on their hands. HereÂ’s how he tries to explain himself to the marines of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment with whom he had been embedded:

As you know, I'm not some war zone tourist with a camera who doesn't understand that ugly things happen in combat. I've spent most of the last five years covering global conflict. But I have never in my career been a 'gotcha' reporter -- hoping for people to commit wrongdoings so I can catch them at it.

This week I've even been shocked to see myself painted as some kind of anti-war activist.

It's time you to have the facts from me, in my own words, about what I saw -- without imposing on that Marine -- guilt or innocence or anything in between.

The Marine then abruptly turns away [After killing the insurgent] and strides away, right past the fifth wounded insurgent lying next to a column. He is very much alive and peering from his blanket. He is moving, even trying to talk. But for some reason, it seems he did not pose the same apparent ‘danger’ as the other man -- though he may have been more capable of hiding a weapon or explosive beneath his blanket.

No one, especially someone like me who has lived in a war zone with you, would deny that a solider [sic] or Marine could legitimately err on the side of caution under those circumstances. War is about killing your enemy before he kills you.

We all knew it was a complicated story, and if not handled responsibly, could have the potential to further inflame the volatile region.

I knew NBC would be responsible with the footage. But there were complications. We were part of a video 'pool' in Falluja, and that obligated us to share all of our footage with other networks. I had no idea how our other 'pool' partners might use the footage. . . .

When NBC aired the story 48-hours later, we did so in a way that attempted to highlight every possible mitigating issue for that Marine's actions.

We wanted viewers to have a very clear understanding of the circumstances surrounding the fighting on that frontline. Many of our colleagues were just as responsible. Other foreign networks made different decisions, and because of that, I have become the conflicted conduit who has brought this to the world. [emphasis added]

Sites concludes his non-apology letter like this:

So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera -- the story of his death became my responsibility.

All you did was weaken a country today . . . That's all you did. You put people in danger. Sweet dreams, son.

More: Read Chris Roach's post about why this shooting was not a "war crime."

Still more context: Via Dean Esmay, this slideshow about "what really happened in Fallujah" should be required web viewing for everyone. John of Argghhh! has more commentary, here and especially here.

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New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. Patsys favored by three, according to the latest line. KC's studly running back Priest Holmes on the bench with a bad knee. Star New England cornerback Ty Law out. Their other corner Tyrone Poole doubtful.

Does this open up the passing game for KC? Is Trent Green good enough to win against Belichick's defensive genius? Can Derrick Blaylock put together two great performances in a row as KC's stand-in back? Is unstoppable New England ripe for their second loss of the season? Should i pick KC plus the three points?

Yes. Maybe. Possibly. I don't know. i think i will.

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Last Week's (Sporadic) Huge Comment of the Week^® was a comment to my request for advice on which animated movie to see this weekend.*

Go for 'The Incredibles.' Speculate on what sex between Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl must have been like. Discuss the paradox of being a woman who basically is her own condom.

Dahahahaha!

Those of you with strong stomachs might want to check out Kevin's new line of Christmas cards.

P.S.: i might humbly remind everyone that annika's journal merchandise also makes a great holiday gift.
_______________

* We saw The Incredibles, which was a whole lot of fun, and i highly recommend it.

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Sure, the Detroit basketball brawl was a travesty, but i think the real travesty is that the L.A. Times hasn't hired Tony Pierce as a sports columnist yet.

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1 I can't believe Moxie is married to that guy. Coincidentally, he had posted this on his site a couple days after the election.......... http://www.tonypierce.com/images/2004/11/blogpics/lifin.jpg

Posted by: reagan80 at November 21, 2004 10:16 AM (hlMFQ)

2 Yah, well, if Moxie can't convert Tony, no one can. (Btw, i think the whole marriage thing was a hoax.)

Posted by: annika at November 21, 2004 10:42 AM (L8tXg)

3 baby, you can try to convert me any time thanks for the love.

Posted by: tony at November 21, 2004 12:53 PM (4gRVm)

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Which animated feature should the b/f take me to see this weekend?

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In honor of the opening of Clinton's Little Rock library, i'd like to reprint a few stanzas from a dirty limerick by Cameron of Way Off Bass.

. . .

While Bill on the podium dropped trou,
Making sounds like an amorous cow,
A fat intern walked by
Catching ClintonÂ’s glazed eye;
“I’m the piglet, and there goes my sow!”

So the Horn Dog rolled off of the stage
(For his belt did his ankles engage).
As he crawled on the floor,
Up came Al “Mad Dog” Gore,
And the stick up his ass he called Rage.

. . .

Posted by: annika at 07:48 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment
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1 Well, liberals can respond A world-class statesman named Bill Was the target of wrath on the Hill with venom and bile his enemies vile misjudged and misjudge him still ;-)

Posted by: Hugo at November 18, 2004 08:01 AM (hDybU)

2 He's got some good stuff

Posted by: Scof at November 18, 2004 08:06 AM (+OiAc)

3 Semi-off topic. It is raining here today for the CLinton Lie-bray opening. The local media and police have been saying that, in the event of rain: NO UMBRELLAS. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you happen to see the coverage, please note that the people sitting in front all have umbrellas. Apparently, the "No Umbrellas" rule only applies to the common folk. Rich folks and celebrities are allowed umbrellas. The Democrats really are the party of equality and the little man.

Posted by: Steve L. at November 18, 2004 09:46 AM (hpZf2)

4 Annika, Thanks for the link and, because I like ol' Mark Russell, the compliment.

Posted by: ccwbass at November 18, 2004 12:25 PM (s+fLr)

5 Why yall so nasty?!

Posted by: ken at November 18, 2004 03:43 PM (xD5ND)

6 I had a dream about Monica Lewinsky recently. In my dream, she was looking for a husband. I was not interested.

Posted by: Ontario Emperor at November 18, 2004 04:44 PM (c6rOB)

7 And a haiku: Cool November rain remember our golden age? President Clinton

Posted by: Hugo at November 18, 2004 07:22 PM (F66V9)

8 Haiku right back at you: Took a young intern, Used her like a redlight whore. Threw her to the wolves. -------------------- And what really hurts is that I voted for the sumbitch in '96, so I figure I have sniping rights.

Posted by: ccwbass at November 18, 2004 08:19 PM (Dg6ty)

9 A wretched old fella named Starr Our Billy's fine name did tar He reveled in slime but revealed no crime his perfidy left quite a scar From a small southern town called Hope Came a leader of great breadth and scope For eight years he shone -- but now we all moan in this dark time,liberals mope

Posted by: Hugo at November 18, 2004 09:03 PM (F66V9)

10 "For eight years he shone"? Uh huh. Go towards the light, Hugo. It's time to pass on.

Posted by: ccwbass at November 18, 2004 11:58 PM (YOHrm)

11 How 'bout the Tom Lehrer of his age?

Posted by: Smallholder at November 19, 2004 05:30 AM (EKkB8)

12 Hugo, I ask, in all sincerity, just what do you see in Clinton? I admit, I voted for the SOB the first time he ran...but in less than a week I was regretting it! I think annika will vouch for me that this is a sincere question; I've left my Munuvian URL out of the personal info so that you may reply to my question privately (if you so choose--obviously you may ignore this question), or perhaps you'd like to do so on your blog. Thanks for your time. Billy's winning was the happiest of days: "I'll make the military safe for gays!" That promise he did break, Saying, "Oops! A mistake!" And he had only been Prez for three days! No one told him you're supposed to wait at least a week before you start breaking promises!

Posted by: Victor at November 19, 2004 10:33 AM (L3qPK)

13 Hugo, I now see you anticipated my question and already answered on your blog Thanks for a thoughtful reply.

Posted by: Victor at November 19, 2004 10:37 AM (L3qPK)

14 One more comment: Did anyone else notice someone was missing from the ceremonies?

Posted by: Victor at November 19, 2004 10:39 AM (L3qPK)

15 Ford's health prevented his attendance, but he sent his regards.

Posted by: annika at November 19, 2004 11:42 AM (zAOEU)

16 Oh. Thanks, annika!

Posted by: Victor at November 19, 2004 12:14 PM (L3qPK)

17 Smallholder, I figure as long as I haven't slid into William Shatner's "The Transformed Man" territory I'm doing OK.

Posted by: ccwbass at November 19, 2004 12:50 PM (avnPS)

18 How about that all-time classic, Two Sides Of Leonard Nimoy? ("The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins?" Grrroaaan!)

Posted by: annika-geek at November 19, 2004 01:06 PM (zAOEU)

19 Ahh - Nimoy! The Bad-Music-Appreciator's patron saint!

Posted by: ccwbass at November 19, 2004 03:43 PM (1w3km)

20 I like Russell, but I think he was better when he was younger. He seems to have lost a little something lately. And I have ALL of Tom Leher's music (In a boxed set, even!). Tom's humour was more than just political. Who else would have though to sing the periodic table of elements to the tune of 'I am the Model of a Modern Major General' (Gilbert and Sullivan, for those who don't know).

Posted by: Keith at November 19, 2004 09:13 PM (lRq/d)

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You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

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Larry King and historian Michael Beschloss were talking tonight, on the occasion of the opening of Clinton's library. As usual, King asked one of his famous leading questions. Something like: "It's too early to judge Clinton's presidency, don't you think?" Beschloss agreed, noting that Truman had something like a 12% approval rating at the end of his presidency, and now he's considered one of our great presidents. Beschloss also compared the Clinton legacy to Eisenhower's.

Is it too early to judge Clinton's presidency? Well, i didn't quite get a Ph.D. in history, but i'm ready to call it right now.

Clinton should be rated somewhat higher than Jimmy Carter, probably nearer to the only other president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson. Dangerously ineffective and misguided in foreign affairs, we will be dealing with the mess Clinton left us for decades.

And my opinion of Bill Clinton has improved since he left office. Nice guy, nice library, bad president.

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Here we are in the middle of November. Although in California the weather is indistinguishable from almost any other time of year, i think i'm ready for a seasonal poem. This one is by Robert Frost, 1913.

My November Guest

My Sorrow, when she's here with me,
       Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
       She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
       She talks and I am fain to list:
She's glad the birds are gone away,
She's glad her simple worsted grey
       Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
       The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
       And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
       The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
       And they are better for her praise.

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i think i'll watch a classic movie later tonight. High Noon, starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.

: )

The IMDb plot summary says: "A sheriff, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him." Sounds like a metaphor for George W. Bush and the Democrats.

Sorry, i couldn't resist the political jab.

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Can you spot the irony in this holiday stamp webpage from the United States Postal Service's site?

i'll tell you. The word Christmas appears nowhere on either of the two pages from which you can order holiday stamps. Even though four of the eight selections on the first page are clearly and specifically Christmas stamps.

i can understand the view that the US government should not appear to endorse any particular religion by actually uttering the word "Christmas." i don't agree with that line of thinking, but i see how the argument can be made.

The problem with the USPS site is that their omission of the word Christmas, to describe stamps with Santa Claus, reindeer and even an image of the baby Jesus, cannot be based on any desire to adhere to the First Amendment.

Note that there are also stamps clearly identified with the names of two other religious celebrations: Hanukkah and Eid. (From what i understand, Kwanzaa and the Lunar New Year are cultural, not religious celebrations.)

As far as i'm concerned, the only way this PC bullshit can be interpreted is that the USPS thinks some people might be offended by looking at the word Christmas while shopping for stamps.* Either that, or the Postal Service marketing department has been taken over by anti-Christian wackos. (Not anti-religious wackos, mind you, just anti-Christian.)

i don't think anyone, even the most rabid anti-religious zealot, could possibly be offended by merely looking at the word Christmas. Those kind of people just do not exist. Oh i'm certain that there are some people who claim offense in order to advance a political agenda. But anyone who would be truly offended by the word Christmas simply could not function in society.

i think it's great that the USPS is commemorating Hanukkah and Eid-ul-Fitr with stamps. But how is calling a Christmas stamp a Christmas stamp somehow improper?

Maybe they should change their acronym to the USPCS.
_______________

* By the way, the function of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause is not, and has never been, to prevent people from being offended.

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At lunch today, a bunch of us were talking about our parents, and the pithy, often funny things that they say, in an effort to impart wisdom on us.

i love my dad. If there's one man i admire more than any other it's him, because i consider him the standard by which all other males of the species should be judged. i like to think i inherited some of his brains (except for his genius for math), his sense of humor, and his love of science, technology and sports. i wish i had inherited his rock solid dependability and work ethic. Or his unflappable calm and good humor.

My dad's a quiet man with a very dry sense of humor. He doesn't often give advice or make declarative statements, unless it's something funny. This actually serves to increase the value of anything serious he does tell his two children. Like the old TV commercial says: When my dad speaks, people listen. At least his kids do.

Here's a compilation of the most memorable and infuential statements my dad has uttered in my presence.

• Sometimes Annie, you have to do things you don't want to do.¹


• Don't ask me, look it up.²


• Learn to like sports, and you'll never be sorry.³


• The Democrats are a bunch of fucking communists.⁴


• You can apply to that school, but I'm not gonna let you go there.⁵


• What did you do to your hair?⁶


• What do you wanna do that for? There's too many damn lawyers.⁷


• You ride a motorcycle long enough, you're gauranteed to get a broken leg.⁸


• Me too.⁹


• Your career goal shouldn't be to just be a lawyer. It should be CEO.¹⁰


• What the hell did you do to your hair?¹¹


• Go ahead and spend it, that's what money's for.¹²


• A little hard work never hurt anybody.¹³


• You don't like that? That's the best part!¹⁴


• You're not going out of the house looking like that.¹⁵


• As long as you're living here, you follow my rules.¹⁶

¹ Probably the best advice he's ever given.
² This recurring theme was responsible for fostering my lifelong love of books.
³ Ditto for sports.
⁴ The impact of this statement was magnified by the fact that it was the only time i have ever heard my dad use the f-word.
⁵ In reference to U.C. Santa Cruz.
⁶ Upon seeing his only daughter as a brunette.
⁷ Which is what my dad, a lawyer, said to me upon first hearing that i was thinking about going to law school.
⁸ Statement made about a month before my high school boyfriend crashed his motorcycle.
⁹ His standard mumbled but sincere response to "i love you, Daddy."
¹⁰ After warming up to the idea of me in law school.
¹¹ Upon seeing his only daughter as a redhead.
¹² i know, i still can't figure that one out. Like i said, a real dry sense of humor.
¹³ What dad hasn't said this?
¹⁴ My dad, the quintissential Midwesterner. This statement usually referred to the most disgusting by-product of a meal, like tripe, bone marrow or chicken kidneys, for example.
¹⁵ This was also a favorite of my mom's, along with the next quote.
¹⁶ Thank God for those rules, though. They made me the sweet young woman i am today . . . well, occasionally.

Posted by: annika at 07:54 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Kevin at Wizbang has the photo of Cheney's . . . umm . . . dick. Kinda puts W's flight suit "package" picture to shame.

Best comment to Kevin's post is by Christopher Cross: "That must be what they mean by 'gravitas.'"

Heh.

Posted by: annika at 11:22 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Philadelphia at Dallas.
Philly is favored by 6½ points.
The Cowboy's quarterback is still Vinnie Testaverde.
Vinnie Testaverde still sucks.
He's thrown ten picks this year, six in the last two games.
He's awful.
Philly is coming off a loss to Pittsburgh.
They outclass Dallas at the QB, RB and WR positions.
You do the math.
Gimme Philadelphia minus the points.

Now onto sports news of the more prurient variety. Chicago Bears Linebacker Brian Urlacher admits that he went out with Paris Hilton, but that he's never seen her infamous video.

We met, had a good time in Vegas, and she came to a game. That was about it.

She's a nice girl.

And a busy girl

she goes all out.

I don't know what the big deal was. I was single, and we hung out for a while.

I didn't even see the [infamous] video, man.

I should've watched it; I heard it was pretty good.

Rock on Brian.

Update: With the Eagles' 49 to 21 shellacking of the Cowboys tonight (Someone forgot to tell Andy Reid that there's no BCS in the NFL, and thus no need to run up the score.), i improved my record for MNF prognostication to 6 and 3. My awesomeness continues to roll!

Posted by: annika at 09:55 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Philly bye 3 no more or less.

Posted by: Dex at November 15, 2004 11:10 AM (yw5Tu)

2 The rumor of last week was that Bill the Cat lost the mayoral election due to havin' been married to Paris Hilton for 17 minutes the day jes' before the election. Paris gets around, doesn't she. I wish she would come around here. I think she is cute.

Posted by: Tig at November 15, 2004 09:19 PM (G5PGV)

3 ...awesomeness continues... Then there's your sub-500 record in Blogger Bowl. (Trash-talking only because The Rats of Chaos are scheduled to roll over annika's journal next week, kiddo.)

Posted by: Victor at November 16, 2004 04:50 AM (L3qPK)

4 We're not gonna talk about Blogger Bowl. Not after Ted whooped my ass so badly this week.

Posted by: annika at November 16, 2004 09:14 AM (zAOEU)

5 It's not exactly a "pee-test" that's used. Very few of the nasties actually show up in urine. Usually, a blood test or a smear is what's needed. Drugs, OTOH, will usually show up in pee.

Posted by: John at November 16, 2004 02:05 PM (OmbAg)

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