They really are. I really wish his mom was still alive. She sounds like she was a firecracker.

Right? I bet she and Joe Biden's mom would've loved each other.

Yep. (Also, she sounds like the crazy idealists I grew up going to annual quaker camp with. Closest I can imagining coming to my kinda people being in DC.)

Candy, in high school, as a band fundraiser, rocked, because yeah, people did buy it right in class.

The other fundraiser we did for band was we worked concessions at the Orange Bowl for UM and Dolphins games. The band members would work the stands selling trays of sodas or the bins of hot dogs. Each tray or bin sold was notched in our individual accounts, the money going to pay for our band trips expenses. For overall band expenses, the parents worked a stand in the concourse selling beer.

It was a wicked good gig, but again, we're talking kids who were fifteen and up. With respect to the kinds of fundraisers the PTO here has a tendency to ask the kids to participate in, it's stuff like gift wrap or those tins of candies or cookies and where you run into a problem is when you have multiple kids in one family, plus we live in a planned urban development with a ton of kids who all go to the same school. Being able to opt out by just writing a check is a good thing, from that standpoint.

(And hopefully, I regained karma points by doubling the suggested donation.)

Mine is quite tasteful in comparison: FCM Ozzie Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons.

Gene Simmons got a mention at my D&D game the other week. Led to a discussion that confused the hell out of me until I realised they were mistaking him for Richard Simmons.

Jesse, what was your varsity jacket for?

Soccer. They put me on varsity because I was a senior. Actually, I don't remember if the jacket actually has a varsity letter on it, but whatever. I liked playing JV my junior year better, because I wasn't quite as embarassing on JV, and I actually got to play.

Edit: Nope, not a "varsity" jacket, just a soccer jacket. Also in my closet, I found a Penn Field Hockey windbreaker, and I have literally no idea where that came from. Did I even know anyone who played field hockey? Srsly.

I don't think it's possible for us to become independent of foreign oil in ten years.

so, so good.

Yeah. Amazing.

I always wanted a varsity jacket. Then, in college, I got one. And it was so cheap and cheesy with the faux leather arms that got stiff.

Can I talk about how beautifully styled and color-coordinated the Obama family are? From his tie to the dresses... it's really well done. The repeating tones and colors are perfect - and purplish -- that great combo of red and blue!

I think that the classical stage looks a little like a West Wing set, the outdoor walkway area.