If Mac's back, does that mean I'm back?

Posted by: annika at 08:35 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Fucking Clinton machine! Fuck fuck fuck them fuckers! I hate them.

Posted by: annika at 08:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Bravo, Mitt Romney. I've been a critic and a skeptic of his candidacy, but that was really well done. It looked like he got choked up at the end, but that's okay, so did I. I'm a sucker for appeals to our country's great religious heritage.

Posted by: annika at 08:02 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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Hugh Hewitt asks:

Given all the hits Huckabee has taken in the last four days, the question becomes: Where will the folks who drop him move their allegiances?

1. How can Romney fans expect their guy to win the nomination, let alone the general election, when he's going backwards in the polls? In what possible spin universe is a slip from third to fifth in the national polling a good sign for the Romney campaign?

2. Why should I believe that Romney will catch fire once America gets to know him when three weeks ago nobody knew who Huckabee was and they both used the same forum to introduce themselves to us, i.e. the debates? Isn't it time to admit that Romney just isn't able to sell himself to Republicans?

3. If Romney can't sell himself to Republicans, even with the right message, how can we expect him to win the middle third of voters, the independents, whose votes win and lose elections?

4. How is it that Romney, the management genius, can spend so much time and money in Iowa and yet be in a statistical tie with a guy who's spent next to nothing, whose campaign team is supposedly third rate, and who's supposedly not even a real conservative?

5. When will Romney fans stop crying about "religious bigotry" and admit the real reason Romney is such a dud: The Slick Factor?

Romney is in trouble. And no, I don't believe religious bigotry has anything to do with his apparent collapse. Sure, there's people out there who won't vote for a Mormon just because he's a Mormon, but I can't believe they're more than a handful. I certainly haven't met any. I have much more faith in the goodness and good sense of the majority of Republican voters than those who are so quick to ignore Romney's obvious lack of appeal and pin the blame on some non-existent anti-Mormon hysteria.

If Romney still aspires to be anything beyond a one term governor he's going to have to do more than tell us his views on "religious liberty." I don't really care about his opinion on that subject. What I care about is this: can Romney present himself as anything other than the consultant robot he's been in every debate I've seen so far.

We know Romney can buy and sell corporations. Can he sell himself? So far the answer has been a definite no. He says the right things, he's right on the issues, but nobody's buying it. Like Hillary, he's got a perception problem. But unlike Hillary there are still a lot of people, like myself, who are open to being convinced. Romney just needs to figure out how to sound genuine, instead of an overly focus-grouped consultant's idea of what a conservative candidate should sound like.

It's important that Romney figure this out, and soon, because he may just be our only hope. As much as I love Rudy, I have serious doubts about his electability, because there are just too many vulnerabilities in his past. And I'm sure Hillary's team has already mapped out their narrative against Rudy for next fall. They'll leak a scandal a week to their buddies at the New York Times and CNN. It won't matter if the scandals are real or imagined, as long as they reinforce the narrative they will have created. Tough as Rudy is, I don't know if he can survive the onslaught that's waiting for him.

Romney's squeaky clean image, in theory, should immunize him from any Clintonian Swift Boat strategy. Hopefully Romney can learn how to fight back against the Hillary machine without committing the Lazio error, and without curling up into a ball like he did when McCain dressed him down the other night. But the most important thing Romney needs to do is figure out how to make himself likable, and he needs to do that now.

Posted by: annika at 07:31 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Skippy's Led Zeppelin reunion post. Recommended if you love or especially if you hate Led Zeppelin, there's something for everybody. Choice cuts include:

Plant invented one of the most annoying phenomenons in modern music: screaming the word "baby" seven or eight times in high C and letting people think that it's the blues. It isn't the fucking blues, it's being a dick. Listen to history's great blues singers. You almost never want to punch them in the face.

. . .

When you get to be Jimmy Page's age, almost all girls are inappropriately young. If, at the age of 59, Robert Plant asks anyone to squeeze his lemon 'til the juice runs down his leg" he should be laughed at by the audience and immediately taken into police custody.

. . .

Zeppelin was first and foremost a "rock" band, and that doesn't age very gracefully. The Stones on the other hand were always far more about the roll than they were the rock. You can be a really old guy and play, say, "Tumblin' Dice" without looking stupid. The same probably can't be said about "The Immigrant Song."

I barely remember watching Led Zeppelin when they reunited for the Live Aid show back in 1985. I wasn't all that impressed, but hey, I was eight and I wanted to see Duran Duran. Years later, I dated a drummer who educated me about the mythic status of the late John Bonham and the overwhelming awesomeness of "Achilles Last Stand."

As I say, I was educated, and I became a fan. But I can't see spending money on a reunion show today when they're so over the hill and their best guy is dead. I'd never go see the Rolling Stones or The Who these days either. Of course, if it were 1975, I'd be all over it!

Skippy really needs to read Lord of the Rings, though. I can't believe he hasn't read that yet.

Posted by: annika at 04:32 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 You're back! I trust the bar went well? And who knew you were so friggin' young? Damn, I was an elderly fifteen in 1985 and spent most of Live Aid day camping with my girlfriend. I did however get to see Mick Jagger tear off Tina Turner's skirt. That was pretty cool. Knowing what I do now about the late-lamented Young Offenders Act, I actually should've finished "Lord of the Rings." Hitting someone in the face always looked like fun in Road Runner cartoons. Alas, it would be unseemly for a gentleman of my advanced years. Oh, and I re-wrote hunks of that post. It might actually be funny now. Welcome back!

Posted by: skippystalin at November 30, 2007 08:55 PM (TUjSW)

2 Mebbe he's never read it because it's total garbage? I've tried, several times, and I can never make it past page 150.

Posted by: Victor at December 01, 2007 05:51 AM (kLJvP)

3 I can't believe it! Skippy wasn't kidding! SHE IS BACK!

Posted by: reagan80 at December 01, 2007 01:18 PM (o4G66)

4 I'd never go see the Rolling Stones or The Who these days either. Saw the Stones for the first time two years ago. Eh. But I still might see Led Zep...

Posted by: Nigel at December 01, 2007 08:26 PM (wearR)

5 Annie, I came by just to leave a comment in your "farewell post" about how much we miss you especially now that Bronco Bomber has taken the lead in the Iowa polling and holy shit on a shingle there's a whole page of posts here! I saw that you said "I'm not back, by the way", so I hope you're inspired to be "not back by the way" for a long time to come. Welcome not back, by the way.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at December 02, 2007 04:15 PM (fLFSv)

6 Oh, what the hell is this!?!? I quit coming by because I thought you were throwing in the towel and in the process of cleaning up my favorites folder I find that you completely head faked me....that's just mean. I MOURNED you dammit!!!

Posted by: TBinSTL at December 02, 2007 10:01 PM (soc2D)

7 Forgot to mention I saw The Who earlier this year. Daltrey's voice is as strong as ever, and better than damn near everyone elses out there, and the supporting band (which includes Pete's bro on rythym guitar and Zack Starkey, Ringo's son, on drums) is one of the tightest around. Obviously, Townshend has forgotten (or ignored) his wish to die before he got old; OTOH, he ain't pretending to be a youngster. Props to him for acting his age...almost.

Posted by: Victor at December 03, 2007 05:08 AM (1oGDT)

8 I rescind my previous congratulations on being back, as you most definitely are NOT back. And I hope that you continue to not be back.

Posted by: physics geek at December 03, 2007 07:22 AM (MT22W)

9 I dunno...you seem back.

Posted by: dawn summers at December 03, 2007 02:41 PM (SOf9N)

10 Damn, Skippy's rant was one of the best I've read in a while.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 04, 2007 05:44 AM (xHyDY)

11 A welcome-back present for you.

Posted by: Victor at December 05, 2007 05:34 AM (1oGDT)

12 hey those would be so much better without the bows!

Posted by: annika at December 05, 2007 06:48 PM (mzyb2)

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All the buzz this morning on talk radio and the blogs is about the planted questioners from last night's debate. I'm not as outraged at the individual questions — a question is a question — as I am at the fact that they were all designed to perpetuate a Democratic stereotype of Republicans and conservatives. And not only that, since the planted questioners all came from the activist left, yet were only identified by CNN as ordinary citizens, they gave the false impression that ordinary Americans are united against conservative principles. That's simply not true; eight years of Republican presidency prove that it is not.

Questions designed to place the candidates on the defensive have their place, but such questions are fundamentally unfair when the background of the questioner is hidden, and especially when the same tactic is not used against the Democrats in their own debates. Bryan at Hot Air said it:

Last time, the debate was for Democrats and the plants were all Democrats. This time, the debate was for RepublicansÂ…but the plants were still all Democrats.

Posted by: annika at 07:53 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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First off, I pray that the candidates of both parties have the guts never to allow this format ever again. But I know they won't. The format is worse than a joke, it's destructive. Just look at the type of people asking the questions and ask yourself how many people you know in your everyday life who are that weird.

Somebody at CNN chose these questions and that person was not a friend of the Republican party or conservatives in general. It seemed many of the questons were specifically chosen to portray conservatives in a bad light. I certainly saw nothing like that during the Democratic YouTube debate. But not only that, there were too many irrelevant and undignified moments. There is no excuse for Yankees/Red Sox questions or confederate flag questions or questions about biblical inerrancy in a presidential debate during wartime. That said, I do have some impressions of how the candidates did.

I've been a Romney skeptic since I first began hearing about him. It's not that I'm dead set against him, I just want the guy to prove himself to me. I've listened closely to him and he fails to sell himself every time. Up until now I've had trouble putting my finger on why. But tonight I realized that the man just doesn't come across genuine. Every time he gets a hard question he dodges it by saying he'll consult the appropriate people when he's president. I know that's what presidents do, they consult advisers, but when I hear a candidate say it I have to wonder if he has any core beliefs that he can draw upon.

The most famous example of this Romney dodge was when he said he'd consult "the lawyers" before deciding if he would get congressional approval before responding militarily. Just about the worst thing he could have said. Tonight Romney did it twice. On the torture question he said he'd consult McCain, but McCain would have none of it. And looking at Romney's face, I could tell he was embarrassed. I disagree with McCain on the torture issue, but I loved the way he called Romney out on his Hillaryesque refusal to commit to anything. The third time Romney played the "I'll consult" card was on the "don't ask don't tell" question, and it drew boos.

I'm still willing to be persuaded by Romney, because I'm afraid he might be the only winning option against Hillary. But he's not convincing me to feel good about that. The one thing I like about Giuliani the most is that when he says something I can feel his conviction. And that's exactly what Romney is lacking. To my ears, Romney seems passionless and convictionless, even while he's saying the right things. I know it's a perception problem, and maybe I should listen more to what he says rather than how he says it. But a perception problem is an electability problem too. So there's your reason Romney's way behind in the national polls. I'm not the only one who has trouble believing in him.

Regarding the other candidates, I thought Thompson did really well. And I'm the biggest Thompson basher out there. I wish Anderson Cooper had granted him the amount of time his second place position deserved. I'm willing to be convinced by Thompson too, though running him against Hillary would be 1996 all over again.

Giuliani was Giuliani. I know his story, I like him, I don't think he hurt himself tonight. In contrast to Romney citing Bill Cosby, Giuliani's answer to the black on black violence question was spot on. Giuliani reduced black on black violence by reducing violent crime, drastically. Even Romney had to admit that Rudy got results.

Paul has no business being in these debates. He's not a Republican and he's only a distraction who wastes minutes that should go to the real candidates. Everybody knows that, but the media hates Republicans so much I wouldn't be surprised if they invited Paul to participate in the general election debates.

Huckabee's answer on the Bible question was excellent, but he is a preacher.* I'm still leaning Huckabee, but the guy who really rose in my opinion was Duncan Hunter. He's good on all my issues as far as I could tell. No chance to win, but he may be the most solid conservative on the stage. McCain, as always, was great on Iraq and the War on Terror. I'm glad he reminded people that he was the only one who was right on Rumsfeld and the new Petraeus strategy. Tancredo was bumbling and innefectual, as always.

Did anybody miss Brownback, Gilmore or Tommy Thompson? I didn't.

Update: Iowa and Florida Polling shows Huckabee the clear winner.

Also, some good stuff at The Scratching Post, including shoes!
_______________

* Giuliani's rambling answer came close to an approximation of liberal Catholic doctrine as I was taught by Jesuits. The actual Catholic doctrine is codified in the Catechism as follows:

The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."

Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book." Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living". If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures."
[emphasis added]

Posted by: annika at 07:17 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 It is so awesome to have you back! I totally agree with you on the bible comment. Wishy washy folks can go f#ck themselves I know what I believe and nothing will convince me otherwise.

Posted by: Andy at November 28, 2007 09:31 PM (P8ZAx)

2 Well, it certainly seems like you are back...

Posted by: Nigel at November 28, 2007 09:33 PM (wearR)

3 Haul out the holly We're getting home so we can start to celebrate Fill up the stockings We may be rushing things but we can hardly wait now For we need a little Annika, right this very minute Candles in the window, carols at the spinet Yes we need a little Annika, right this very minute It hasn't snowed a single flurry Annie, we're all in a hurry Haul out the holly Turn on the brightest string of lights we've ever seen Slice up the fruitcake It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough For we need a little music, need a little laughter Need a little singing ringing through the rafter Yes we need a little snappy happy ever after We need a little Annika now! Welcome home. By the way, did you pass the bar?

Posted by: Kosher Hedgehog at November 28, 2007 11:07 PM (4Bv8X)

4 that should be a hannika song lol!

Posted by: annika at November 29, 2007 03:45 AM (7jE/A)

5 Hannika?? Oh, boo! Boooooooo!

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 29, 2007 06:30 AM (xHyDY)

6 Thanks for the link! I missed the question about the Confederate flag. I sure do wish I'd seen that. As a Republican, that question has been bothering me for a long time. I've been on the fence between Fred Thompson and Rudy waiting to hear what they had to say about the Confederate flag.

Posted by: K T Cat at November 30, 2007 10:59 AM (/3yde)

7 You guys know I'm kidding about the Confederate flag, right?

Posted by: K T Cat at November 30, 2007 11:00 AM (/3yde)

8 Okay, there's a lot there to respond to. First, I hope to Christ that the GOP cuts out this whiny "the media and Democrats are mean to us" bullshit soon. Politics is ugly and Republicans haven't exactly won the White House 9 of the last 14 times by sending flowers, chocolates and feelings of love. If having some homo general sprung on you during a primary debate that no one but sexless geeks like us are paying attention to gets you all weepy, God help you in the general. In case anyone missed the history, the Clintons play to win! Romney is nothing but a haircut. Anybody can beat that manicured ghoul. Christ, Romney's dad ran for president on the platform that he was brainwashed by the American military. Anything you need to know about Mitt can be learned from George. Big John McCain made Romney look like what he is, a blowdried idiot. However, Giuliani just looks desperate and sad when he goes after Mitt if only because the two of them believed exactly the same things until about 10 months ago. Which brings me to my next point: Romney and Giuliani are both whores. It's very hard to paint a Clinton as being fast and loose with their fundamental beliefs when you're even more so. Huckabee is interesting in that he embraces all of the things that make both Republicans AND Democrats unelectable. While I find the combination of Marxism and evengelical Christianity interesting, if he were nominated it would be much more like 1936 than '96. If nothing else, Dole won more than three states and I doubt that Huckabee could be Alf Landon. As to the format, YouTube isn't going anywhere. It's going to the same as those stupid fucking Town Hall debates, where the stupid rule the day. Having said that, look at the last election before the town hall format: 1988. The big issues then? The death penalty and the pledge of Alligeience. Two things that the Office of the President has nothing at all to do with. Read the Bush/Dukakis debate transcripts. That's pretty much all you got. And that was when trivial shit like the collapse of the Soviet Union was underway. Dumb topics like the Confederate flag and what color the candidates Glock is are important because idiot voters make them important. And television ratings are determined almost exclusively by retards. The first televised debate was in 1960. That election was determined almost entirely by Nixon's sweaty upper lip. So you got the Bay of Pigs and a near-miss on a nuclear war. Feel better? TV debates should be destroyed in their entirety. Fuck! I just realized that I should've saved this for my own stupid blog. I'm such an asshole.

Posted by: skippystalin at November 30, 2007 09:58 PM (TUjSW)

9 Speaking of Hannika, here's a treat for all of you. One of my all time favorites, Tom Lehrer (R.I.P.) singing "Hannukah in Santa Monica"... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZUgr1zh878

Posted by: Shelly at December 12, 2007 05:04 AM (wearR)

10 BTW: Skippy, yes you are. Immigration and Terror will carry this next election. Bet on it.

Posted by: shelly at December 12, 2007 05:05 AM (wearR)

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A Republican YouTube debate? Whose brain farted and came up with that idea. Oh well, welcome to politics, 21st Century style.

Answer: Yes, and yes. Hey, I didn't make the rules.

Answer: I think, or rather, I feel that earmarks should be limited to one per ear, and only in the earlobe. I agree with the questioner that many young people today abuse earmarks excessively. For instance, this latest trend of punching a huge hole in your ear and sticking a pvc tube or a toilet paper roll inside has got to stop.

Answer: You are an idiot. Here's why. 1. Iraq was a debacle, but things are slowly improving. Despite almost four years of incompetence, Bush may just pull a rabbit out of a hat there. 2. Gonzalez didn't fire as many U.S. Attorneys as Clinton. Would you have supported Clinton's impeachment for firing all 93 U.S. Attorneys? I didn't think so. 3. Katrina was a hurricane. Or do you believe that George Bush controls the weather? 4. Abu Ghraib? The only problem I have with what went on at Abu Ghraib, which was not torture by the way, is that some idiot went and took pictures of it. 5. Walter Reed was a bad scandal, but it's being corrected, and nobody seriously thinks the neglect that went on there was official policy. As for Bush being the worst president in U.S. history, the jury is out on that one. I'm still hopeful that historians will rank him somewhere above Carter, but I'm not putting money down on it yet.

Answer: No. That's why I spent 23 years in school, so I don't have to anymore. And I can drive this.

Answer: You are one scary looking dude. It's ironic that you ask about school shootings, because if I ever found myself in a class with you, I'd drop that class so fast it'd make your strange and oddly proportioned head spin. Tell your parents they are idiots.

Answer: What? I didn't catch the last part of your question. I think it was about video game violence. Personally I love violent video games. Especially those war shoot-em-ups like Medal Of Honor and SOCOM, or jet fighter games like Ace Combat. I kick ass at them too. I wish I could make out the last part of your question, sorry.

Answer: I'm sorry. You used the phrase "cruel and dangerous abortions." I think its ironic, because you're so obviously scared that a change in abortion law might cause you to have to be more careful when you're slutting around Huntington Beach. But when I think of cruel and dangerous abortions, I think not of ignorant girls like you, but of the millions of victims of abortion who never had the chance to protest the cruel and dangerous way their lives were snuffed out.

Answer: You're absolutely right Carmen. I would give you the option to take a portion of the money that would normally go into Al Gore's "lock box" and invest it yourself, so nobody can take it away from you and you'd get a much better rate of return than you would if you relied on government to take care of you. I don't believe anyone should ever rely on government to take care of them. The Democrats want you to rely on government because it perpetuates their power over you. But remember, government is usually the problem, and never the solution.

Answer: I love that thing you did with the lid! That was classic! What are you cooking there? I bet it's good. Judging by your waistline you are probably a pretty good cook. Anyways, to answer your question, we got to have an embassy, come on. We can't build an embassy? Where do you want the ambassador and his people to stay, in a hotel? Be realistic, now.

Answer: First of all, thank you Dr. Hawking for that question. I'm a big fan of yours, and like many Americans I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first chapter of A Brief History Of Time. To answer your question, I agree we could all be nicer to our political opponents. Paying them compliments is a good start. I'll pick Senator Dodd, if you don't mind. Senator Dodd, you have a spectacularly thick and full head of hair. It's so much nicer than Senator Biden's failed implant job.

That felt good. I can do more. I'm not back, by the way.

Posted by: annika at 07:42 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 I'm feeling such a mix of emotions after this post, I have to go eat an entire box of croutons. Are you sure you're not back?

Posted by: Preston Taylor Holmes at November 28, 2007 03:54 AM (b6+qN)

2 You need to throw your hat in the ring, girl.

Posted by: Gordon at November 28, 2007 05:49 AM (NIvR3)

3 "A Republican YouTube debate? Whose brain farted and came up with that idea." It's an attempt to be "hip" and "with it", dreamed up by some political hack with no clue about being either, who dreams up silly attempts to mimic that behavior but is blind to the irony that active attempts at such result in nothing more than stultified parodies of what he's/she's aspiring to be. And when the Democratic version of this comes around, just add some 4 letter language, be more hyperbolic, and remind folks why the current incarnation of modern political liberalism as practiced by sheltered, shallow, collegiate-thinking but real-world clueless hacks lends itself more to bumper-sticker philosophy and facile sloganeering than it does substantive thought or pragmatic solution-finding, in stark contradiction to the older style, more intellectual Patrick Moynahan sort of liberalism that even I as a conservative could respect. Otherwise, same answer. You know, opening questions up to You Tube is worse than a stage actor soliciting the Peanut Gallery. It's an act begging for response from the superficial, unthinking, knee-jerk portion of the population. No matter how many rational, thinking people rush to use You Tube for the first time, they'll find that space already occupied by the same geniuses who post bathroom humor, idiotic screeds, or dumbass conspiracy theories. If they're looking for substantive questions with real thought, and not just the postcards and sound-bite talking points version of true political thought, they've gone to the wrong place. On the other hand, those sheltered, shallow, collegiate-thinking but real-world clueless Democratic hacks surrounding the candidates should feel right at home there. "But remember, government is usually the problem, and never the solution." With that one line, Anni's shown more substance and belief in reality than even most current Republican office holders, let alone Obama, Clinton, or any of the other cardboard cutout, cliché-ridden Democrat candidates display. The principle of government as a blunt tool, not a surgical knife, seems to have been forgotten by too many today.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 28, 2007 06:28 AM (xHyDY)

4 Hehheh... You see, with Cas not being around, someone's gotta pick up the bile quotient. Anyone wanna lend a hand? Yes, I know my syllable-to-word ratio is higher than his ever was, but I'm only trying to replicate the level, not the form. Damn, I miss him. Where the hell is he?

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 28, 2007 06:30 AM (xHyDY)

5 nice Mondo! hey don't you know I stole that line from Reagan!

Posted by: annika at November 28, 2007 07:26 AM (i+Wwa)

6 No, I didn't recognize it. But it sounds like something he'd say. It's good advice to take; too many people don't stop and think about that, and only see government as something to enable their wishes (well intentioned or no). Anyway, my "blunt tool" statement was stolen from George Will (although I think his line was actually "blunt instrument"), so we're both sorta in the thieving mood today.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 28, 2007 09:22 PM (UNQLe)

7 But remember, government is usually the problem, and never the solution. Anarchist.

Posted by: Ramsay Glaser at November 29, 2007 01:51 AM (U13vA)

8 These things are not only a prime example of why the average citizen shouldn't participate in debates, they are perfect in explaining why they shouldn't be allowed to fucking vote in the first place.

Posted by: skippystalin at November 30, 2007 10:12 PM (TUjSW)

9 So I wonder if the dude wearing a Chicago t-shirt is from U of C.... It would explain so much.

Posted by: The Law Fairy at December 05, 2007 11:40 PM (njcvI)

10 Flock! The flocking law fairy got here before me? I'm ashamed.

Posted by: Casca at December 11, 2007 12:48 PM (xGZ+b)

11 Iraq a debacle? My dear, war is a messy business, and like the rest of life, imperfect. Gallipoli was a debacle. Iraq's perceived jumble was the price of doing business. We couldn't have got them where they are today without going through the messy part.

Posted by: Casca at December 11, 2007 12:50 PM (xGZ+b)

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The new bumper sticker for people who can't go five friggin' minutes without pimpin' their third place guy.

Posted by: annika at 07:57 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 If you're back, I'll celebrate!

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 27, 2007 12:11 PM (xHyDY)

2 Are you back?

Posted by: Andy at November 27, 2007 06:01 PM (P8ZAx)

3 Someone go kick Casca and Shelly awake. Me, I'll admit to being here because I was too damn lazy to delete this entry from my RSS reader. What's your excuse?

Posted by: elmondohummus at November 27, 2007 08:07 PM (UNQLe)

4 I still don't know what an RSS reader is...

Posted by: annika at November 27, 2007 08:11 PM (mzyb2)

5 Puhleeze tell us you are back! Screw it...I'm blog rolling you anyway. Don't let us down!

Posted by: Nigel at November 27, 2007 10:14 PM (wearR)

6 RSS reader aka "aggregator" aka "feed aggregator" aka "news reader" or a whole lotta other crap: "... is client software or a Web application which aggregates syndicated web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, and vlogs in a single location for easy viewing." (Source: Wikipedia article) Or in other words, it's a program where you can centralize a lot of blogs and other sites that can be accessed through RSS, ATOM, or similar protocols. I personally like Sharpreader myself. Anyway, that "what's your excuse" line was a fun poke at Andy. I don't care what Anni's excuse is, just as long as she's back for even a little while.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at November 28, 2007 05:33 AM (xHyDY)

7 I have been checking once every few days hoping you would come back and it's very cool that you have!

Posted by: Andy at November 28, 2007 09:26 PM (P8ZAx)

8 I'd been checking every few days and took off about a week. It's good to see you back.

Posted by: physics geek at December 03, 2007 07:17 AM (MT22W)

9 I have a life. I only check once a month.

Posted by: Casca at December 11, 2007 12:52 PM (xGZ+b)

10 I have a life, too. But Casca has invaded it by letting on that you are back. How could you do this without lettig us know? I have to re-order my world again.

Posted by: shelly at December 11, 2007 04:53 PM (wearR)

11 Casca let me know, otherwise I'd still be mooning away waiting for you. How could you start up again and not tell your pals??? Is that any way to run a blog?

Posted by: Shelly at December 11, 2007 04:54 PM (wearR)

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Well this is the final post of Annika's Journal. Thank you to all you faithful readers, from those who were here in the days I used to not capitalize the "I" to those of you who recently discovered this blog. Thank you to every single one of you, the commenters, lurkers, stalkers, trolls and even you Lindsay Logan fans. You all made it fun, and you were the reason I checked my e-mail ten million times a day for the last four years.

Now it's time to close up shop. Will asked whether I think I have grown from the experience of blogging. It's a difficult question to answer, and not only because I haven't given it much thought. You see my blog persona is so different from the real Annika, it's almost like Jekyll and Hyde (confession: Annika isn't even my real name!). The Annika you know is so much funnier, sexier, friendlier, smarter and cooler than I could ever hope to be in real life. If anything, what I take away from this experience is a desire to be more like her.

Before I go, I want to especially thank everybody who purchased things off my wishlist. I used to send thank you cards, until I realized that a cryptic perfume scented note from a strange Scandinavian girl might not be the easiest thing to explain to someone's wife or girlfriend. "I swear, she's just a blogger." And to those of you who never got a thank you, it might also be because somebody stole the gift off of my front porch, as often happens. I still appreciate your thoughtfulness. I'm truly amazed at people's generosity to someone they don't know, whose only public virtues seem to be a wide array of interests and a fair ability to string words together.

For those of you who will suffer withdrawal for the various rubrics I've written under, here are some suggestions for future reading:

American Skankwomen and Celebrity Watch: Your best source for celebrity gossip and snark will always be Agent Bedhead, my Cotillion sister.

annik-dotes: I stopped writing personal anecdotes the way I used to in the beginning. Mainly because they were never as interesting or brilliantly written as the stuff Dawn Summers writes. Someday she's going to write a book that will outsell David Sedaris, because she's funnier.

annikapunditry: You're on your own for political stuff. So much of the conservative blogosphere fails in the "keeping it real" department, I don't know what to tell you. But you can always rely on Michael Yon to be honest with you regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, and he knows what he's talking about. Another guy who knows his shit is Wretchard, but I suspect you've already heard of him. And the geniuses at Gates of Vienna never disappoint when it comes to the Global War on Terror. And Sarah has a great eye for what's important, whether in the world of politics, policy or purling. In addition, I may do more stuff for A Western Heart in the future.

Arts, Let's Go To Hollywood and Poetry: The amazing and prolific Sheila O'Malley is the first place you need to go. When she writes about poetry it makes my old Poetry Day posts seem like they were written by a third grader. Sheila has so much God-honest love for the movies, theater, and all the arts it's infectuous. Plus, in addition to his great blogging on feminism, life, chinchillas and a host of other subjects, Thursday poetry continues as always at Hugo Schwyzer's blog. Thank you, Hugo for all your support and love. Ccwbass is the blogger I once called "the Mark Russell of the blogosphere" for his poetry. And for food and wine, I dubbed Pursuit the unofficial sommelier of Annika's Journal.

C.T.O.T.I.O.T.D.: I always count on Beth to find the strangest, funniest, and coolest shit on the internets before anyone else does. And she's absolutely fearless, too.

Dumb-Ass Quizzes: The funnest things I ever did on this blog were the Jeopardy tournaments and the haiku contests. I don't know of anyone who wants to put in the work to organize those things, as they were time intensive. But if anyone does, I'd love to try participating as a contestant someday.

Faith: I could suggest The American Princess for half a dozen of these rubrics. But everytime the Pope speaks, I want to know what E.M. has to say about it. And from the non-Catholic perspective, the Midwest Conservative Journal is your best source. MCJ is also the very first blog to put Annika's Journal on its blogroll!

Fash-ism: When Candied Ginger went away, so did the best fashion blogging. I'm a big fan of Shoewawa instead of the other more annoying pajama-wearing shoe blogger. And although it's not a blog, Diva Village has everything you need to know in one fun place. I can't tell you how many fashion ideas I've gotten from them.

History: Obviously, Llama Butchers. Okay, not so obvious. But despite the name, Robert does a lot of excellent history related posts, and his interests are very similar to mine. Good sci-fi blogging too.

Hot Tub Friends and Peter Pumpkin Comics: Peter Pumpkin will return, after my hiatus, at Six Meat Buffet. I recently reviewed some of my HTF posts and decided that their comedy to amount of time it takes to make them ratio was not very high. Thus HTF may or may not return when I do.

Legal Mumbo Jumbo: E.M. being an expert in constitutional law among many other things, The American Princess wins again.

New Gun Nut Stuff: Publicola, who else? He's also one of the oldest and dearest supporters of Annika's Journal. Plus, he's smarter than a boatload of appellate judges, which ain't much of a compliment but trust me. The guy has forgotten more history and conlaw than most lawyers and journalists will ever know.

photoshopaholic: Rodger of Curmudgeonly & Skeptical puts out more photoshopped comedy than anyone in the blogosphere, and he's always spot-on. And "ROTFL" is normally just a figure of speech, but Jim Treacher has done some photoshopped shit that had me literally crying with laughter. Jim just might be the very first person ever to comment at my blog so he'll always have a special place in my heart, no matter where he's blogging.

Pithy and/or Lame Thoughts and The Huh? Files: For these Rubrics, it's Dawn Summers again. Mistress of the one-liner. Dawn, I bequeath to you my flashing Drudge style gif. Use it in good health.

Science & Technology: I like TechEBlog for product reviews, robot blogging and/or weird inventions. You never know what you'll find there.

Sex Please: No one did it better than Wegglywoo, and now that she's gone, nobody else is worth reading.

Sports: Humbug is my baseball muse, and the only blogger ever to give Annika's Journal a square on the periodic table. Besides having his picture in the dictionary under the entry for "blogger," Tony Pierce deserves to be hired by the L.A. Times sports desk, and sit in Jim Murray's chair. Ontario Emperor is the coach I wished I'd had when I was a kid. And Greg Cotharn won the A's J Fantasy Baseball league a few years ago. I owe Greg an apology for never giving him the trophy I promised. I think he's got one of my coffee mugs though!

I'd also like to thank my wonderful co-bloggers throughout the years: my oldest friend Franci; the lovely Ginger working hard at some fancy law firm I'm sure; James Finch and Coyote, wherever you guys are; the late Lynn Carrier; my smoking buddy Matt Scofield, a real man of genius; and especially Victor who is a dear friend, a fellow Seventies movie and Eighties music junkie, and who carried the tradition of Poetry Day so long and faithfully.

And to those who hooked me up to Munuviana: the aforementioned Victor; Susie who's still blogging strong; Ted, the Elder Statesman of Munuviana; and especially to Pixy Misa, the wizard behind our Oz, to whom I am indebted forever for this great platform to spout off and make nonsense, a very very sincere thank you.

I actually didn't plan to mention anybody by name in this final post because I didn't want to leave anyone out. I said it before, so forgive me if it's starting to sound trite. But I do have the best commenters in the blogosphere. My fellow Sacramentan Blu and Reagan80 and ElMondoHummus who each had my back always; the incredible Col. Steve who is way too smart to have been reading this thing; Strawman, who taught me the virtue of civility; and Will who's also got too much brains to come here; Radical Redneck, who kept me laughing and on my toes with all his NSFW shit; not to mention Kevin Kim; and Kyle and Amy and Mark Nicodemo and Joules and Spanky and Roach and Robbie and Calvin and Physics Geek and Otto and Matt Rustler and Law Fairy, and D-Rod and Mike C and Spork and Dave J and Zomby whose great comments were never often enough for my tastes.

Well now I've named lots of names, and no doubt I've left somebody out. But I can't not acknowledge the friendship and love of my two greatest blog benefactors, Casca and Shelly. Your friendship and encouragement has meant the world to me, even though we've never met. I may someday meet Shelly in a courtroom, and truth be told, I may meet Casca there too either as a client or a defendant — who knows? What else can I say about the two of you, except God bless you both — because He has blessed me with your friendship.

Well, if this were the Oscars, the music would be playing by now, so I better go because I'm getting all ferklempt.

Posted by: annika at 11:22 PM | Comments (73) | Add Comment
Post contains 1663 words, total size 13 kb.

1 I'm going to be low for a while. You see, my heart is still aching to seek, but my fingers will question "whither"? I'm a little misty writing this, since few days in the past five or six years have not had Annika as part of them. Today we have to kiss you goodbye, because time and tide won't wait, and you are young, smart, and beautiful with the main course of life before you. One day, you'll kiss your child goodbye, and understand how I feel today. Reluctance OUT through the fields and the woods And over the walls I have wended; I have climbed the hills of view And looked at the world, and descended; I have come by the highway home, 5 And lo, it is ended. The leaves are all dead on the ground, Save those that the oak is keeping To ravel them one by one And let them go scraping and creeping 10 Out over the crusted snow, When others are sleeping. And the dead leaves lie huddled and still, No longer blown hither and thither; The last lone aster is gone; 15 The flowers of the witch-hazel wither; The heart is still aching to seek, But the feet question ‘Whither?’ Ah, when to the heart of man Was it ever less than treason 20 To go with the drift of things, To yield with grace to reason, And bow and accept the end Of a love or a season? -Frost

Posted by: Casca at May 20, 2007 11:46 PM (2gORp)

2 Well, it was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the memorable experience you provided us here. I wish you the best of luck. Farewell, Annika.

Posted by: reagan80 at May 21, 2007 12:06 AM (8/tWk)

3 Audio of Bob Hope and Shirley Ross singing "Thanks for the Memory" Thanks for the memory Of sentimental verse, nothing in my purse And chuckles when the preacher said "For better or for worse" How lovely it was [...] We said goodbye with a highball Then I got as "high" as a steeple But we were intelligent people No tears, no fuss, Hooray! For us So, thanks for the memory And strictly entre-nous, darling how are you? And how are all the little dreams that never did come true? Aw'flly glad I met you, cheerio, and toodle-oo And thank you so much.

Posted by: gcotharn at May 21, 2007 12:30 AM (Ucsqp)

4 Sublime You Tube of Hope and Ross. The comments thingy remembered my name and email address! Wow and farewell!

Posted by: gcotharn at May 21, 2007 12:56 AM (Ucsqp)

5 You're the best. Take care and good luck in everything you do!

Posted by: Mike C. at May 21, 2007 02:32 AM (2nDll)

6 You have broken my heart funny girl. Please drop by to my little site from time to time so I don't feel so lonely. Thanks for all the laughs and good fortune to you in all your endeavors.

Posted by: kyle N at May 21, 2007 03:41 AM (FGS1L)

7 You do know that you'll be back, don't you? You have been a joy.

Posted by: Rodger Schultz at May 21, 2007 04:38 AM (GG5st)

8 Well, if you HAVE to end this, at least you're shutting down on a high note. All the best to you in your real life.

Posted by: Gordon at May 21, 2007 04:50 AM (rPX2a)

9 Best to you, Annika, and thank you.

Posted by: DBrooks at May 21, 2007 05:31 AM (fE/DD)

10 I don't want to say goodbye, so I'll just say See ya at the Buffet...

Posted by: Sarah at May 21, 2007 05:34 AM (vrR+j)

11 I'd like to think that if you post again under a different name, I would know right away who you are. Whether you are being Jekyll or Hyde at the time there's a lovable core to your personality.

Posted by: Mark W at May 21, 2007 06:08 AM (4x8W0)

12 An excerpt from mourning poem from Stephen R. Donaldson: Be still, heart: Make no expostulation. Hold peace and grief and be still. _____________________ I appreciate the final shout-out and all the good times, A. Have a great life! No goodbyes here: we mourn, yes, but the story never ends. Kisses, tongue, and blind, clumsy groping, Kevin PS: You'll remain forever on my sidebar, of course. May the light of Eärendil never fade!

Posted by: Kevin Kim at May 21, 2007 06:08 AM (VhMXe)

13 And I see that I have bequeathed you a typo as well. Ha ha! As I said-- the story never ends. And now: onward! Kevin

Posted by: Kevin Kim at May 21, 2007 06:12 AM (VhMXe)

14 Oh, and one more link for blu.

Posted by: will at May 21, 2007 06:21 AM (z62e3)

15 "confession: Annika isn't even my real name!"\ NO! Say it isn't so! OK, actually know that "she's" finished with this blog, I can let the secret out: "Annika" is actually a CalTrans road worker named Bubba who used this blog to let out his intellectual and feminine side without letting his drinking buddies know. They just wouldn't understand... Farewell Bubb...er...Annika! And seriously...we will miss you. See you on the other side...

Posted by: Billy at May 21, 2007 07:05 AM (JQe3J)

16 Later, kid. I'm sure I'll find you commenting on a poetry blog somewhere, and I'll be sure to say, "hi!"

Posted by: Victor at May 21, 2007 07:18 AM (1oGDT)

17 Annika, Looks like your Lebanese fans are so pissed they have broken out fighting! The best of luck to you, thanks for the ride, it was fun!

Posted by: Otto at May 21, 2007 07:45 AM (czVLs)

18 Right now, I kinda feel like I did when I was watching Carson for the very last time: Sad. Thanks for keeping it real and interesting, Annika. You had so many loyal readers because you were loyal to us. We could count on you for consistent thoughtfulness and entertainment. You've been the ideal hostess. Best of luck, amiga. Along with Ms. Annika, I'm going to miss all the amazing personalities that also made this site special. Thanks for the post that made it worth coming here day-after-day. There are too many brilliant people to name. Casca, you are a funny mother f*cker. Straw, thanks for the passion and the courage it took to show up knowing you were going to get hammered from all sides. Will, you are wrong but undeniably bright. (BTW, thanks for the final link - I'm sooooo in your head, dude! Reagan80, nearly every time you wrote something, I wish it had been me. And The Law Fairy, you didn't write a lot, but when you did, I always read it. A smart young attorney you are;-) Rock on, Annika!

Posted by: blu at May 21, 2007 08:09 AM (YIU3p)

19 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Posted by: dawn summers at May 21, 2007 08:14 AM (SOf9N)

20 Blu, you were an immense help to me when it came to dealing with the interlopers. Thanks for your support. After the diaspora, I guess we'll rally at 6MB.

Posted by: reagan80 at May 21, 2007 08:39 AM (bSS5O)

21 The best of luck to you. You'll be missed.

Posted by: Mark at May 21, 2007 08:44 AM (2MrBP)

22 Damn... the good ones all go away... and the bad ones just continue to despoil the ground they occupy. Farewell, Anni. One enjoyable stop on the blogosphere just disappeared for me. Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only! Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me; For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

Posted by: ElMondoHummus at May 21, 2007 08:57 AM (xHyDY)

23 You were the very first blogger to ever link to me, back in August 2003. I haven't forgotten, and I won't forget you. All the best, and I'll see you at a Cal game... Much love.

Posted by: Hugo Schwyzer at May 21, 2007 09:50 AM (yLeev)

24 Wow. I'm sad to see such a good thing come to the end. In a way, ending a blog is sort of weird; what becomes of those strange meta-relationships we form with bloggers who we never know personally, yet with whom we have constructed a sense of association and camaraderie? The "relationship" is suddenly ended, and the blogger returns to the background, not to be seen or "heard" from again (like the character of Roy in 'Blade Runner' who, as he lays dying, says to Harrison Ford "All those moments will be lost in time....like tears in rain.") A bit melodramatic for a blog that's come to an end, I suppose, but the sentiment is sort of the same. I'll miss the Wednesday poetry, and secretly will never forgive Annika for not having included one of my favorites, the following gem from Edgar Allen Poe. It seems somewhat apropos, so I'll part with a "kiss upon the brow," and say thanks, Annika, for having shared so much with all of us! A Dream Within A Dream Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow- You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand- How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep- while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?

Posted by: Dan-O at May 21, 2007 10:15 AM (yMnY4)

25 \"The Annika you know is so much funnier, sexier, friendlier, smarter and cooler than I could ever hope to be in real life.\" Wow. The Annika I know is none of those things, so God help the person behind Annika.

Posted by: Sporty at May 21, 2007 10:35 AM (0Xdf/)

26 You are what you post baby.

Posted by: Casca at May 21, 2007 11:37 AM (Y7t14)

27 This'd suck a lot more if you weren't headed to 6MB in the near future. So I'll just say see you there and leave it at that.

Posted by: Matt at May 21, 2007 11:46 AM (10G2T)

28 I'm glad the smell of turkey soup simmering on the stove is filling my house right now because it's comforting. Say good-bye to Annika's Journal and then overdose on turkey soup, falling into a turkey coma. Sounds like a plan. I'll pray that you ace the law exam. After watching "Bleak House" on PBS recently, I want to stay out of courtrooms, especially Victorian ones, forever--good old Charles Dickens--but I believe you'd be the anti-Evil-Victorian-Lawyer whose long name I can't remember.

Posted by: Joules at May 21, 2007 12:35 PM (u4CYb)

29 So long, Annie. I remember at your blog's one year anniversary when you hinted that you'd thought about ending your blog then. I consider the last 3 years as bonus time, all of which I enjoyed. Take care, and see you around the Intertubes.

Posted by: physics geek at May 21, 2007 01:20 PM (MT22W)

30 Annika, we'll miss you. You're the greatest. Good luck on the bar, in life, and in love. You really were one of my favorite blogs, one of four or five I checked daily after I paired down my selection to the best of the best. Seriously, take care.

Posted by: Roach at May 21, 2007 02:31 PM (1BjlW)

31 You'll be back. They always come back!

Posted by: Jim Treacher at May 21, 2007 04:06 PM (0jtcT)

32 I'm so bummed you're leaving. I really am. But selfish thoughts aside: I wish you the best of luck. You're terrific!!

Posted by: sheila at May 21, 2007 05:13 PM (J1ELb)

33 In the immortal words of Webb Wilder: Work hard, rock hard, sleep hard, eat hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em. Don't be gone too long whoever you are. Some of us still need to be disabused of our notions about Fred Thompson.

Posted by: smantix at May 21, 2007 05:50 PM (1SFdZ)

34 You were one of the very first bloggers I ever read, so I suppose I just assumed annika's journal would ALWAYS be here. I'm sad to see this place go, but I know we all take comfort in knowing we're not seeing YOU go. Not by a long shot: you're going to take the world by storm. Good luck on the Bar, Annie. You know there's this teensy 95% of the profession that make the rest of us look so bad: you'll not be a part of it. And best wishes in everything you do. "May the light of Eärendil never fade!" I so wish I'd been the one to say that, Kevin. To be outdone in one's Tolkien geekery...it's devastating. :-p

Posted by: Dave J at May 21, 2007 05:57 PM (PEbS4)

35 Thank you for sharing yourself with readers like me. As a recent visitor to your journal and one-time commenter, I enjoyed thoroughly your efforts. Best wishes and God Bless You (whoever you really are), Annika.

Posted by: RobS at May 21, 2007 06:18 PM (vkrRz)

36 Annie, Sorry to see you close shop, but quitting at the top is always the best way out. Your blog was one of the inspirations for my humble effort, and always a terrific read. Good luck to you, and good bye. Best regards, Pursuit

Posted by: Pursuit at May 21, 2007 06:54 PM (N155d)

37 Heh, this is/was one helluva party, only I'm sure we're all a lot uglier in person. Speaking of ugly, there's someone who is conspicuous in their absence, and I'm not talking about that supercilious dipshit LF. Considering that he usually sends me fifty-five emails a day, and today I only got two can only mean one thing. He's at a place where we hardboiled assholes hate to be; i.e. moved beyond words. He's probably sitting in his car down the block waiting for the right moment to make his entrance.

Posted by: Casca at May 21, 2007 07:51 PM (2gORp)

38 :-(

Posted by: Radical Redneck at May 21, 2007 07:55 PM (cOyko)

39 "He's at a place where we hardboiled assholes hate to be; i.e. moved beyond words." You speak of Clint Eastwood, of course. Kevin

Posted by: Kevin Kim at May 21, 2007 07:59 PM (1PcL3)

40 Y'know, Cas, for a trained killer you are really pretty much of a blubbering pussy. But I have to say, the Frost piece was right on the clit. Sorry I'm late, but I had a long day today, won a long motion for summary judgment that took three hours and then an indeterminate Airport meeting that kept me until now. Annie, I hope we never meet in a courtroom, because that means I'll be trying a case next year, and my plans are to do nothing but lobby from now on. It's already 90% of my practice so I'm making it 100%. I will be a fully recovering lawyer. But I am going to watch for you. I have my spies, and the rules are over since you are no longer a blogger, so you know where to find me when you need some help with the bureaucracy that is the Bar. I may even visit the exam in July and tap you on the back or something (naw, just kidding, I wouldn't do that). Seriously, I envy you. You are a young, bright lawyer about to enter into the world's second oldest profession, and you have the world by the tail. Just hold on tight, because it is a great ride, really. Just never, I mean NEVER, sell your integrity for any client, no matter how important or how much money. Those that do, never sleep well again. We all wish you well on the exam, but I'm not worried, even a little bit. I'd bet the farm on you.

Posted by: shelly at May 21, 2007 08:27 PM (JQe3J)

41 Annie, we're having a party in your honor! Come and join us! :-p

Posted by: Radical Redneck at May 21, 2007 09:20 PM (cOyko)

42 Thanks much, you are kind and fun. this has been going on for more than a bit now hasn't it? makes me jealous for somethin new for me as well seeing you actually do it. Whatever has happened here, annie has revealed that she is well put in being "sin egen kvinde". My best for you going forward, do hope to c ya around

Posted by: Scof at May 21, 2007 11:37 PM (nE8Mg)

43 LMAO, nothing but love from a homo-erotic Trojan fan.

Posted by: Casca at May 22, 2007 12:25 AM (2gORp)

44 Just never, I mean NEVER, sell your integrity for any client, no matter how important or how much money. Those that do, never sleep well again. Wise words, I will vouch for them. Odd, though, that they come from someone who is becoming 100% lobbyist. Yep, we Americans are proud of the fact we get to vote, though the real corridors of power are patrolled by those who seek to redirect the attention of our representives to the vested interests of their corporate sponsors (unless the lobbyist is working for a non-profit). Of course, there will be a stout defense of this short circuit of American liberty and democracy; odd that we are focused on spreading democracy around the globe when it is slipping from our hands here.

Posted by: will at May 22, 2007 04:16 AM (z62e3)

45 Will: Knowing what you can change and what you can't is simply part of growing up. Don't worry too much, not much important gets changed; just a few contracts, etc. people chasing after the mighty buckaroo. I've changed a lot of things in my day; I like to think I made a lot of changes for the good. But, yes, they were for clients for pay. I don't take on issues with which I disagree anymore, a luxury that comes later in life, after you've succeeded and everyone wants your help. But in my earlier days, it was not so easy, and once in a while I was not 100% on board with my cause. That is a lawyer's plight, to be sure, and because everyone is entitled to a defense or a lawyer, we defend it as being a part of the advocacy system. But for the lawyer with morality, it can be trying. Annie will not have to face this too often, and I am confident that when she does, she'll make the right decisions. She has a true moral compass.

Posted by: shely at May 22, 2007 06:55 AM (JQe3J)

46 I will miss you. I probably shouldn't blog, either, as I don't have time to do it well or often. Good luck in your career. I guess my dream of someday seeing you in your clown costume and your cute little clown nose will never happen. I wish you the best of everything.

Posted by: Joints at May 22, 2007 06:56 AM (Dh/a/)

47 Annika, Your blog was the ONLY blog a visited religiously, and even though I didn't comment all that frequently, I want you to know I enjoyed it each time I surfed your way. You inspired me to give bloggin a whirl, and are probably the only blog out there that links to mine. Maybe your leaving will spur me to continue my blog in a new light... My most sincere wishes for luck and success in your future... Take care, Rob

Posted by: Rob at May 22, 2007 08:28 AM (wJxri)

48 I don't know about the Carson comparison above. I don't want Bette Midler to come out and start singing. But the Eagles comparison may be appropriate. Or the Sugar Ray Leonard, or Michael Jordan, or any comparison of someone who emphatically quit, and just emphatically came back. We can only hope. "Coach" (heh)

Posted by: Ontario Emperor at May 22, 2007 01:06 PM (BSx9z)

49 Shelly demanded that I come say a proper goodbye. And you know how I love being bossed around by women. You will be sorely missed, young lady.

Posted by: Preston Taylor Holmes at May 22, 2007 01:14 PM (/aK2z)

50 Annika recommended me to the Munuvia universe and to www.stripcreator.com, which gave birth to Peter Pumpkin and my Pierre the Peacemonger. Thanks!

Posted by: Mark at May 22, 2007 02:19 PM (2MrBP)

51 Although you certainly won't need it, good luck on the dreaded bar exam! Thanks for having such a great blog... I'm sorry to see you go (even though I don't comment as often as I used to, I still enjoy your blog very much). I wish you the best in your life, career, etc. -- and while I would love the challenge, I'm a little nervous at the thought of ever being up against you in court

Posted by: The Law Fairy at May 22, 2007 03:05 PM (XUsiG)

52 Good Bye Annika (or whatever your name is) Sorry I'm late, was in College park MD Monday. My son graduated (aero space engineering) and is on to a GE internship and U of Cin. for an advance degree. I am a proud dad. On to the matter at hand! I will miss you and your sneering harpies. Some of them are good natured and others less so. Blu Ray gun and I have a nice understanding. Shelly and Kascha less so. RR is obviously out of his gourd but friendly in a shit kicker way, LF and Mondo, and many others I am glad to have met. I am grateful to you for providing the forum and the always thoughtful and sincere ruminations on things important and sometimes not so important. I appreciate you letting me say my piece and ruffle a few feathers. I think, like most institutions, this place was a tad better for the diversity of opinion. Imagine if you all just sat around rehashing your constricted views of reality patting each other on the back. Some fun that! I will take the civility remark at face value, dismiss the irony and say it was my pleasure. I wish you well and I know you understand that BMWÂ’s and F-18Â’s are just different kinds of transport. Knowing where you want to be and what you want to do when you get there is what matters. Good Luck. Strawman Ps: And if you come to the Big Apple give us a call and let us take you out for a fine meal.

Posted by: Strawman at May 22, 2007 04:52 PM (et8nf)

53 For posterity's sake, one should note that no individual was more loathed, or loathsome than this ass. Don't be fooled by his momentary guise of civility. His vile comments about my son, and our men in uniform are out there in the archives. He, and no doubt his progeny, if he truly has any, are the kind of parasites who feed off the good in this country made possible by better men, much as he did on this blog. To quote Kirk Douglas in In Harms Way, "Bums like him are with us always."

Posted by: Casca at May 22, 2007 05:39 PM (2gORp)

54 Now that you mention it Cas, the very tone is reminiscent of Commander Neal Owynn, about whom the remark was made. This is the only part of this blog I really won't miss. In fact, I'm sorry I came back to check out of habit. With any luck at all, he won't find the new blog we settle on.

Posted by: shelly at May 22, 2007 06:15 PM (JQe3J)

55 Finis!

Posted by: strawman at May 22, 2007 08:16 PM (et8nf)

56 Annika: To quote from my alma mater And when our work is done Our course on Earth is run May it be said "Well done, Be thou at peace." And though your course is not done, as you start another chapter, may I simply add "Well done." And having grown up near Robert Frost's home, let me add that "knowing how way leads on to way/I doubted if I should ever come back" -- I hope you consider coming back at some point. Thanks for an always interesting diversion from the campaign of life.

Posted by: Col Steve at May 22, 2007 09:49 PM (gh4H5)

57 Damn, I'm going to miss you.

Posted by: zombyboy at May 23, 2007 10:40 AM (5eHst)

58 Goodbye, Godspeed, and good luck. And let us know (say, via Skippy) when you come back, wherever that might be.

Posted by: Sigivald at May 23, 2007 11:53 AM (4JnZM)

59 I'm so bummed! Your blog was often where I came for an insightful look into what "the other side" (heh) was saying/thinking about current events (the games and pop culture stuff was fun too); and I must say it's been very helpful in broadening my personal point(s) of view and understanding from where others were coming. You completely RAWK and I'm sure you'll be met with great success in all that you do. Best wishes!!

Posted by: Amy Bo Bamy at May 23, 2007 01:32 PM (+MIbX)

60 This is the only part of this blog I really won't miss. In fact, I'm sorry I came back to check out of habit. Me, too! So much of it is posturing, anyway, and really unworthy of our best selves. My 10 year old autistic son just began reading last week. Now there's something to get worked up about.

Posted by: Joules at May 23, 2007 01:52 PM (u4CYb)

61 like george bush regarding Iraq, im in denial about your retirement. email me and lets do a farewell im interview

Posted by: tony pierce at May 24, 2007 10:41 PM (vpBPb)

62 My son graduated (aero space engineering) and is on to a GE internship and U of Cin. for an advance degree. I am a proud dad. Straw, stop lying about your offspring! WE know the REAL story!

Posted by: Radical Redneck at May 25, 2007 01:05 AM (A5rvF)

63 Ah, Tony Pierce takes time out from the intellectual rigor of the LA echo chamber to leave a turd on Annika's doorstep. Wonder what he'll blog about about when Aquavelvajad and Osama pop the nuke at Long Beach. Oh yeah, "George Bush is an idiot", brilliant stuff that.

Posted by: Casca at May 25, 2007 07:52 AM (2gORp)

64 RR, You let me down, I was expecting to see that parthenogenetic shark! Next time.

Posted by: Spawnman at May 25, 2007 09:39 AM (Vt2oz)

65 Gee RR, I though for sure you would go for the parthenogenetic shark! You are so unpredictable.

Posted by: Spawnman at May 25, 2007 09:49 AM (Vt2oz)

66 delete either one....

Posted by: Strawman at May 25, 2007 09:51 AM (Vt2oz)

67 Always nice to hear from the lunatic fringe.

Posted by: Casca at May 25, 2007 11:13 PM (2gORp)

68 Hey I just discoverd you blog today and I am sad your finishing it up.

Posted by: Nola at May 26, 2007 07:49 AM (ARw8X)

69 Here's an old saw: "If you love something wild, let it go free; if it comes back to you, it will love you forever." So folks, it is time to let go of Annie. If she comes back, we'll have her forever.

Posted by: shelly at May 26, 2007 08:51 AM (JQe3J)

70 So, you wait until now to come out of the closet?

Posted by: Casca at May 30, 2007 09:08 PM (2gORp)

71 Casca, pleez come to 6 Meat Buffet. We miss you.

Posted by: Joules at May 30, 2007 09:48 PM (u4CYb)

72 Spam & cockroaches, both go on forever.

Posted by: Casca at June 05, 2007 07:24 PM (2gORp)

73 I figured "annika" would like this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=459729&in_page_id=1773 check out that ass! and those thighs! yummy cottage cheese!

Posted by: Scof at June 06, 2007 08:45 AM (a3fqn)

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Gigantic rock concerts are good for hearing crappy live renditions of old songs, seeing the backs of a lot of people's heads, getting wasted and dehydrated, and later on wearing a t-shirt so you can say how fun it all was.

But if they couldn't even get Kerry elected, how can they be expected to save the world?

Daltrey and Geldof, veterans of just about every big charity concert in history, apparently believe as I do.

THE WHO's ROGER DALTRY has blasted the big Wembley gig Gore is organising to raise awareness of global warming.

The huge concert - which features performances from the likes of MADONNA and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - is taking place at Wembley on July 7 and in other countries around the world.

But Roger, who played with U2 at Live Aid and Live8, reckons the whole thing is a waste of time.

Speaking exclusively to Bizarre, Roger said: "Bo***cks to that! The last thing the planet needs is a rock concert.

"I can't believe it. Let's burn even more fuel.

"We have problems with global warming, but the questions and the answers are so huge I don't know what a rock concert's ever going to do to help.

"Everybody on this planet at the moment, unless they are living in the deepest rainforest in Brazil, knows about climate change.”

The rocker, who used to sing about my g-generation, added: "My answer is to burn all the f***ing oil as quick as possible and then the politicians will have to find a solution.”

Here's what Geldof said:

Roger's comments come hot on the heels of SIR BOB GELDOFÂ’s equally scathing views.

Last week the Live Aid hero lashed out, saying: "Why is Gore actually organising them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect?

"Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all f***ing conscious of global warming."

Again Roger complains that unlike the original Live Aid in 1985, where the money went directly to famine relief, the follow-up 20 years later had no achievable aims.

Roger moaned: "What did we really achieve at Live 8? We got loads of platitudes and no action.

"Who were we kidding there?"

h/t Cranky

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The final post is coming later. No "blaze of glory" or anything like that. I won't have time to do it until later today though.

Meanwhile, watch Phil Stacey show how it's done:

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Many of you enjoyed the rubric "American Skankwomen," which was originally designed to poke fun at Brittany, then morphed into an anti-Lindsay Logan category.

When Annika's Journal is gone, do not despair. Let me recommend that you subscribe to Michael Buckley's videoblog, What The Buck? He is brilliant!

Watch Michael crack on Brittany, Paris and Lindsay.

"The gays can rejoice in their new Liza." LOL, that is too funny.

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Say it ain't so.

My parents, I'm sure, have pictures of seven-year-old Annie sporting the Madonna net vest, the dangly beaded earrings, the pleated skirt with dance tights, and most importantly the day-glo tanktop with matching socks and L.A. Gears.

[Those pictures must never see the light of day.]

But now I hear day-glo is making a comeback!

the current revival of black tights, black vests, winkle-pickers, porkpie hats, white-rimmed Ray-Bans, skinny jeans, skinny ties, skinny belts, crimped hair, asymmetrical hair, lace gloves, shoulder pads, pleated pants, bandage skirts, metal mesh and checkered Vans should have made the point that the Â’80s was a decade rich in ideas so bad they were good enough to repeat. But neon? WasnÂ’t that the color of Boy GeorgeÂ’s hair in 1984?

...

This spring smartly dressed women are taking their cues from the bursts of daffodils and tulips that make the drab concrete of city streets seem pleasingly vibrant, as if they were outlined with a highlighter. Their recipe is quite simple, in that they have taken Coco ChanelÂ’s adage about accessories and turned it backward: Pile on all the beige, cream and navy you like, look in the mirror and then add one more piece in neon.

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[On August 28 and 29 of last year, I interviewed the famous Skippy Stalin of the blog Eat Every Sandwich. What follows are some highlights from that interview.] more...

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Twenty-five bucks will get you this device, which will do what you might normally do by counting "one hippopotomus, two hippopotomus" for free.

Comes in blue or red! What will they think of next?

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Remember when overpopulation was all the rage?

Okay, this was just an excuse to do one last Goldie Hawn post.

Update: More overpopulation humor at 6MB.

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After Tuesday night's performances I said to Chris, "If I were scoring tonight, it'd have to be Blake 2, Jordin 1, Melinda 0"

The fact is, Melinda Doolittle never had a bad week on American Idol. So how could she lose? I think it's because she never had a bad week.

Americans love the underdog. But to be an underdog, you have to lose a little and she is such a superior talent it was impossible for her to give a bad performance. So why did I say she scored a zero? Because I got used to her. She'd raised her own bar too high. She peaked too early.

Plus, Nutbush City Limits?!?! wtf was that? Somebody needs to find the producer that picked that song and kick him in the shins. I get the whole Tina Turner thing, but couldn't they have picked a song with an actual hook in it? Or maybe one with more than three words to the lyrics?

Melinda will be fine. Winning AI can be like winning the Heisman anyway. For every Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood there's a Taylor Hicks or Ruben Studdard. I know, who are they?

Personally, I hope Melinda goes the jazz route rather than the R&B route. Her rendition of My Funny Valentine was one of the classic Idol performances of all time, in my opinion.

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...how can we expect her to make the life-or-death decisions concerning national security?

Hillary wants you to pick a song for her.

Update: I just realized there's a write in spot at the bottom of Hillary's voting list. Go stuff the ballot box with The Bitch Is Back!

h/t 6MB

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1. c.a. Marks of Alabama Improper asks: "Farewell tour? Wha?" Yes, Farewell Tour is what I'm calling this series of posts, which are intended to tie up the loose ends of blogging before I quit. Also blogging about blogging is as easy as pie.

2. Beth of My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy asks: "So why are you quitting, dammit?!!!" The short answer is that I need to take two months off to study for the bar exam. The long answer is that I've been thinking about quitting for some time now and this two month break seems like the best time to do it. I suspect that living life without constantly judging every waking thought as blogworthy/unblogworthy might be incredibly refreshing for me. Also I haven't been really proud of anything I've written here since the Pepys post, and even that was derivative. Finally, I might quote Woody Allen, who said "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. . . . It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark." Blogs are not dissimilar.

3. Maximum Leader of Naked Villainy asks: "So after six months of inactivity I should de-link Annika's Journal? Is that what you are saying?" No one must ever de-link Annika's Journal lest bad karma erupt. See my related post here. Regarding the supernatural power of this blog, see also here and here.

4. Why don't you just take a temporary leave of absence. You won't be able to stay away permanently. On the contrary, I have committed to quitting Annika's Journal, which I think has achieved all I set out for it, and more.

5. So does that mean you will blog again someday, just not at this place? The plan is that after the California Bar Exam (on July 24, 25 and 26) I might occasionally post at the two other blogs where I have privileges, which are Six Meat Buffet, and A Western Heart.

6. What will happen to Peter Pumpkin The Spectacular Pumpkin? Preston has agreed, quite recklessly, to give Peter Pumpkin a new home at 6MB.

7. Why won't you blog about the Bar Exam experience? I know of some excellent bar exam bloggers, who have passed. I also know my own limitations. The California Bar is the hardest one in the country, so I plan to follow a strict study schedule. Most people take one review course, but I've signed up for three. I don't want to have any excuses for not passing. The cost of failing is enormous. I already spend countless hours each week blogging, and so I know the only way to avoid the distraction is to quit cold-turkey.

8. Ed asks: "Can you dedicate your last days by writing a LOT about the democrats running for POTUS?" I would, but the Republicans running are so much more interesting right now.

9. Radical Redneck wonders why I didn't call one of his e-mails my favorite. The answer is that most of the time I was too afraid to open his e-mails.

10. ElMondoHummus asks "Where are the Lindsay fans gonna post when you're gone?" I would suggest they go here!

11. SkippyStalin is too polite to ask, but I know he's thinking: "Hey what the hell happened to that interview you said you were going to post?" I interviewed SkippyStalin back in August and never posted it. I suck, I know. It was a really fun interview, but long. Maybe I'll at least post the highlights before I go.

12. Publicola asks: "Which Stacy Adams would go best with a retro 1911?" This is not technically an end of the blog question, but I'm happy to answer. I'm not too familiar with Stacy Adams, so I perused the website. If you're talking retro, I'd line the contemporary shoes right out. Now when I think retro guns, I think film noir, and that means snubnosed .38. But Publicola wants to know about which shoe to match with a 1911, so that's a totally different look. After much thought, the answer is obvious. The Madison, in black or cognac, would be perfect for Publicola's needs.

I would be happy to answer any other questions anyone might have in the few days left, just ask.

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