This is a wonderful tribute to Obama's grandparents, and includes a photo of them as young people which shows how much Obama looks like his grandfather (and helped me see his resemblance to his mother, as well).

There's a klezmer band playing on the street, right outside my building.

Fun!

(Am I the only one thinking "Ok, but what about in a squash court?")

Of course not.

I just had the worst black humor conversation with my mother. We were dying laughing, and it was SO WRONG. But so right.

What a great piece, Kathy.

Speaking of dark humor, I'm loving the Daily Show bit on the Real America, sitting as I do Well Outside Real America.

(Am I the only one thinking "Ok, but what about in a squash court?")

Nope.

Jessica have you seen this?

Cool blog about a woman who cooked her way through the French Laundry cookbook?

Wow, the Veloute of Bittersweet Chocolate with Cinnamon Stick Ice Cream looks insanely good.

On Friday, for the first time in ages, the UPS deliverybeing checked the "signature required" box where you can sign on the back to have a package left. They NEVER use that box anymore! So on Monday I signed to have it left. Monday night, there was a second notice next to the one I'd signed, and this time the "signature required" box was checked and circled for emphasis, like, "No, dumbass! I said I need a signature!"

So this morning I left my signed notice up again, and this time I underlined the part of the instructions where it says "the driver must receive a signature either in person or by signing below." Because maybe the driver didn't know about that part, or maybe he meant to check a different box.

Came home, found a final notice with the same "signature required" checked and circled several times.

I AM FOLLOWING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, ASS!

I just sent UPS a long email about how I'm going to start contacting the online companies I order stuff from and tell them that they need to offer FedEx and/or USPS as delivery options if they want my business. Because I do a lot of my shopping online, and I have fucking had it with UPS.

HATE.

This is a mailing from a Christian group back in Sept. 28th, so who knows what's happened since....

Block African witchcraft curses against McCain and Palin NOW!

(Emphasis Bold asscaps in the original)

Minutes ago I spoke with friend Dr. Norman G. Marvin, M.D. and he is so concerned at what he has learned about Barack Obama's family in Kenya that he is calling a special prayer meeting in his home to pray against the witchcraft curses attempted by them against John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Dr. Marvin sent me the below e-mail from Flo Ellers. Flo is credentialed with the International Fellowship of Ministries which is based in Washington State. She is also a member of EndTime Handmaidens and Servants of Jasper, Arkansas.

IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE, PLEASE PRAY TODAY AND CONTINUALLY THAT ALL SUCH CURSES BE BROKEN AND SATAN'S PLAN FOR AMERICA BE DEFEATED, IN JESUS' NAME. PRAY AND COVER MCCAIN AND PALIN WITH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO SPIRITUAL WARFARE, IT IS TIME YOU LEARN!!!

And now we know why McCain did so poorly in the debates:

The occultists are "weaving lazy 8's around McCain's mind to make him look confused and like an idiot". Bree K. said we need to break these curses off of him that are being sent from Kenya.

Apparently, as the GOP faces utter humiliation at the ballot box on November 4, it has become the fashion to tar, smear and slander their fellow Americans.

Can I just say, I am astounded at the McCain campaign's ability to shoot itself in the foot. Pre-debate three, he was headed for ignominious defeat. Since then, the race actually tightened. He finally found something that resonated with the voters - hammering Obama's comment that he wanted to spread the wealth around, raising fears of the combination of a liberal Congress and a liberal White House. (Not nearly enough of a shift to turn the election, but made things look more respectable.)

But since then, this line of attack has produced a progression of people nursing a self-absorbed persecution complex charging that pretty much half the country hates real Americans. Palin had to apologise, Hayes has had to retract (more or less), Bachman turned a safe re-election into a real fight (her comments are my personal favourite), and the McCain campaign is again the story. Its message has once again stalled while it tries to defend itself from charges of dividing the nation.

The latest tracking polls show Obama building on his lead again.

I think most undecideds are people who are unhappy with the Republicans and don't really like McCain, but are afraid of Obama. So that's why Obama's campaign has been purposefully designed to show Obama as calm, approachable, cool under pressure, and reassuring. And I think most of the undecideds have tipped towards Obama because of the success of that campaign.

I thoroughly agree. Especially with the debates, Obama has shown himself to be calm, steady, dependable. (Especially next to McCain.) After each debate, the numbers of people saying Obama showed the right leadership qualities rose, and rose into the comfort zones. It's a self-help candidacy - if the electorate can conceive it, Obama can achieve it.

At the same time, McCain's wrecked his own brand. He went into this with people really believing he was a different kind of Republican. I tend to think his greatest asset was that the Republican base didn't like him. But then he appointed all these ex-Bushies to run his campaign, he's spent too much time pandering to the core that elected Bush (and given his voting record, the reality never quite matched up to the hype anyway). And he's spent the last few weeks giving the impression that if people don't start voting for him soon, someone's going to be very sorry.

On an unrelated, and deeply unhelpful note (as far as ending the culture wars is concerned), the Republican anti-elite base reminds me of (whitefonted for current season House) that bezoar they gave Breckin Meyer in episode 3. It's impacted, indigestible, unshiftable and whenever you poke it, it starts spewing half-digested toxins. Or maybe I just hate the real America.

the whole "real American" thing pisses me off to such an extent I may actually be turning red. FOR FUCK'S SAKE!

I want a wounded soldier from NYC to get up in the grill of these assholes and make them repeat their assholey refrain and I want it to be televised and then I want the assholes sent into exile in the east village.

I'm attempting to bake my first ever apple pie tonight. Between that and living in a red state, I guess that makes me a Real American.