According to the USGS we had a 5.0 4.5 earthquake at 7:49 PM just south of San Bernadino.  That's about 50 miles east of here.

Not surprisingly we barely felt it.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:34 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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After our alloted two weeks of winter, it's supposed to be 75 degrees tomorrow and sunny here in Los Angeles.  Not to mention Santa Ana windy.

I think the SnowFolks of No Evil will be hanging around here a bit longer.  If nothing else, to remind me how the rest of the world feels (ok, ok, the rest of the Northern Hemisphere.  Sheesh, you people!)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:47 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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For Ben, who totally understands why:

I really need to get out those Planet Bob and Tom CDs. "The OJ Simpson Christmas Album" is appropriate for this Christmas, don't you think?

h/t GOC

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:40 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Two more days of rain and the car's interior is dry.  Guess I didn't get the sunroof all the way shut after all.

And on an unrelated note, randomly finding a webpage that calls a jackass from high school a "donkey fucker" is AWESOME *.

Getting ready for the annual holiday trek.  Today's task was to clean the house.  I hate coming home to a frigging mess after vacation.  Even when it is not vacation.  Tomorrow we'll start the odyssey of packing.  Making my packing list, gathering all the small things up, getting them organized. Figuring out how to fit everything in the car with TWO dogs for the first time, as last year our little Princess was waiting for us in Fresno.  At least we're planning on pizza so as to NOT make dirty dishes!

Work sucks, as usual, but I got a project complete that's been hanging over my head since August.  Finally.  Too bad it ended up the way I suspected: unusable.  But that was a probable outcome, and nothing I could have done would have changed that.

Oh well.  More later

* Seriously, he's a complete prick.  And his job is EXACTLY what you'd expect a smug, nerdy prick to be doing.  And that's why he got called such a perfect name.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:53 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Hmmmm, I was *so* hoping that the asterisk would lead to a clue for me

Posted by: ZTZCheese at December 18, 2008 01:01 AM (Iw+8+)

2 That's awesome!! About the donkey fucker, I mean... I bid you a Merry Christmas and safe travels!!

Posted by: Richmond at December 18, 2008 01:11 PM (Bn2/I)

3 I hope the trip goes well. We used to travel with 2 kids and a dog. I wonder if 2 dogs is about the same... LOL. I hate coming home to a dirty house too - so I really get that. donkey fucker.... ROFLMAO.

Posted by: Teresa at December 18, 2008 07:30 PM (smhqn)

4 Enjoy Fresno. I was raised there, and really don't miss it. Graduated from Roosevelt High, married a girl from Clovis, and lived in Fresno a couple of years after getting married. I still have family in the Fresno area, so I visit from time to time. Hate the traffic!! Have a wonderful Christmas!

Posted by: Alan at December 23, 2008 05:54 PM (kloCp)

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Here's the Atheism Song. 

For all those little atheist kids who have no songs of their own:

And of course, because I can, here's the original Chanukah song:

and Part 2:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:17 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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from PhD Comics:

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It just goes to show you never know.  I was planning on a really low key birthday full of meetings and rehearsal and maybe squeezing in a trip to the pool this afternoon.

I should have known better.  I woke up to an Instalanche here, and when I walked into my class, I found this:



My students conspired against me!

What's more, they got me a card and TWO cakes.  And they sang Happy Birthday twice.  I was floored.  I hope they don't think this is going to raise their grades....

Here's the Chocolate Oreo Cake:




and the Fruit Tart:



What a great birthday morning!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:14 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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1 That's so sweet!

Posted by: Nicki at November 10, 2008 11:21 AM (cVF1u)

2 Society has it all backwards. We make big deals out of children's birthdays, when really it's the adults who deserve a celebration. I've managed to cheat death for 40 years. A child turning 4 has nothing on me Hope your day continues to be wonderful.

Posted by: Stacy at November 10, 2008 11:22 AM (92p8H)

3 That's awesome....you deserve it! :-)

Posted by: Merri at November 10, 2008 11:22 AM (idf83)

4 That's awesome!! Happy Birthday!!

Posted by: pam at November 10, 2008 11:23 AM (l6NIn)

5 Happy Birthday!

Posted by: NAVY CPO at November 10, 2008 11:25 AM (v3pYe)

6 Awww! You must be a most excellent instructor, m'love. Happy Smurfday!

Posted by: Margi at November 10, 2008 11:53 AM (GlQq3)

7 The cake looks yum! Happy birthday again!

Posted by: oddybobo at November 10, 2008 11:59 AM (mZfwW)

8 Happy birthday, my friend. You deserve all that, and more!

Posted by: Amanda at November 10, 2008 12:20 PM (ay+rD)

9 WOW! Awesome! Happy birthday, CTG!

Posted by: Marie at November 10, 2008 01:50 PM (UunPp)

10 Happy Birthday!! Whoo hooo!

Posted by: Bou at November 10, 2008 01:51 PM (PyX9Z)

11 Happy Birthday! Glad you had a good day.

Posted by: Amanda at November 10, 2008 03:17 PM (cqrWD)

12 Happy Birthday!

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at November 10, 2008 03:41 PM (Yh9SA)

13 Yay! And Happy Birthday!!

Posted by: Richmond at November 10, 2008 05:18 PM (M6+VC)

14 Belated happy birthday, CTG! You know you've made it when TWO cakes show up.

Posted by: Kate P at November 11, 2008 08:19 PM (XcF7j)

15 How did I miss this??? Congrats and what a wonderful surprise for you!

Posted by: vw bug at November 12, 2008 10:12 AM (FPOeI)

16 Happy late b'day, Cal tech girl. I'm late because I was celebrating 11/10 with my wife and the Marine Corps at MAS Yuma. My grandson is stationed there, and had a four day weekend. Fun.

Posted by: Alan at November 17, 2008 08:57 PM (kloCp)

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A few weeks ago Instapundit posted an item about a bacon apple pie featured at Amazon's al dente blog.  The pie, which was originally created and made by Eli, of the EliCooks blog, is a somewhat traditional apple pie, except for the bacon crumbles inside and the lattice top made of bacon.

Ba-con.  Mmmmmmmm.  Here at Not Exactly Rocket Science, bacon is our favorite food, hands down.  Nothing beats bacon for tastiness or indulgence.  In fact, I prefer to eat bacon stuffed bacon with a side of bacon for breakfast if I can.  Yum!

Bacon is Meat Candy.

And don't tell me about the cholesterol and all that.  I know that.  That's why I only actually eat bacon every so often, and it is truly a special treat.

Anyway, as my birthday is coming up, and bacon is well and truly my favorite treat, I thought I'd give this one a shot in the hopes of coming up with some birthday non-cake sweets.  I modified the original recipe a bit, as I don't have any Cinnamon Bacon or scotch in the house and we're not big apple/maple combo fans....(see the recipe at Eli Cooks)

Here's my version, based on Eli's recipe:

CTG's Happy Birthday Bacon Apple Pie

1 9 in pie crust (I ended up making 2 pies because I had enough filling left over, YMMV*)
4 strips bacon, cooked crispy (NOT burnt) and crumbled (I used the microwave)
5-7 medium to large tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Pink Ladies)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (the original calls for nutmeg and cloves separately, but PPS is nutmeg, mace, cloves, and cinnamon. WAY easier)**
1/2 tsp cinnamon **
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
2+ Tbsp Butter, in small chunks
6-12 slices bacon***, halved lengthwise (make sure you get some fat in each half!)

*Your Mileage May Vary
** PPS and cinnamon are pretty subjective tastes, add more or less depending on your preference.  Taste an apple slice once everything is mixed and before adding to the crust.
*** you'll need 6-7 slices (12-14 halves) for the lattice of one pie, about 12 slices for 2 pies

Note from Eli: The quality of the bacon here matters. You want a bacon with a good flavor when fried and eaten alone, because that's almost what you have on top of the pie. I should also admit that I used store-bought pie crust. Honestly, I think the stuff you buy in rolls in the fridge case is almost as good as home made and a hell of a lot easier.

I concur. Save some time, buy a good pie crust. Trader Joes has a fine one.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the pie crust in a 9 in pie pan and leave about 1/2 inch overhanging edges. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the bacon crumbles on the bottom of the crust.

Peel (if desired), core, and slice the apples. Mix together the apple slices, remaining bacon crumbles, brown and white sugar, PPS, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch. Spread over the bacon in the pie crust. Break the butter into small chunks and place on the top of the apple mixture, spread evenly apart.

Butter plus bacon may be too heavy duty for some. You can leave this out altogether if it seems too fatty.  But the pie has a tendency to be drier than most because of the lack of a true top crust, so the butter helps. If you like the butter, be sure to add enough. 2 Tbsp may be less than optimal for your pie.

Arrange the half-strips of bacon over the top of the pie crust in a lattice, then fold the edges of the pie crust over the bacon and crimp. This is crucial because the bacon will shrink as it cooks.

Another Note from Eli: The bacon lattice really doesn't want to stay tucked in around the edges of the pie. Be sure to include extra bacon sticking off the edge of the pie and tuck it down the inside of the crust to help mitigate this. Also, having a larger rim of pie dough to extend a bit further toward the center of the pie would probably help.

Place the pie tin on a cookie sheet and bake in the center of the oven for about 50-60 minutes, until the bacon on top is crisp, the crust is golden-brown and apple slices are tender.  My two pies, on a dark cookie sheet, took about 55 minutes and were done perfectly. Again, YMMV*.

My yield was two pies, 6-8 slices each, from the above recipe.  Try it warm with GOOD French Vanilla ice cream.  You'll think you died and went to heaven.

Be sure you have enough bacon. One package wasn't enough for lattice for two pies, although the recipe made enough filling for two (or perhaps I had too many apples) but there should be plenty of slices in one package of bacon for just one pie.

Sorry for the lack of pix. The pie came out a bit ugly without enough lattice on this go-round. Maybe next time!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:44 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Stomach growling fiercely...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at November 09, 2008 06:23 AM (8l3lA)

2 Frankly, when I saw this on my Twitter feed I thought I was hallucinating! I MUST make this; we're HUGE bacon peeps! What brand of bacon did you use??

Posted by: pam at November 09, 2008 06:48 AM (l6NIn)

3 Sounds fabulous!! And Happy Birthday - to you and to me. Soon!

Posted by: Richmond at November 09, 2008 04:31 PM (M6+VC)

4 Just because I've been a dedicated lurker, lo these many years, and I hate to see any pie besmirched by a crust from Big Food, I'll pass along the greatest pie crust recipe ever (my mom's, of course). It's so simple, even a guy can make it successfully. Double crust pie Ingredients: 2 C - Flour 1 tsp - Salt 1/2 C + 1 Tbsp - Vegetable Oil 1/4 C - Milk (Note: Use whole milk, skim or 2% will pretty much ruin it) Single crust pie Ingredients: 1 1/3 c. flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Oil 3 Tbsp milk (see note above) Mix ingredients until moist. For a two-crust pie, divide dough in half, roll between sheets of wax paper. Note: Handle dough as little as possible. Oh, and Happy Birthday!

Posted by: Matt at November 10, 2008 06:22 AM (B/rH5)

5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Posted by: oddybobo at November 10, 2008 08:57 AM (mZfwW)

6 Mmmmmm!...dry cured English wiltshire bacon...one of the few foodstuffs I crave for when staying in America.

Posted by: thud at November 13, 2008 01:58 PM (KfygI)

7 I made one, havent tried it yet but here's a pic of it.

Posted by: Innoxx at November 27, 2008 12:55 PM (ZRc30)

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I've been thinking a lot about Prop 8.  It's the only ballot measure I haven't yet decided on.

My head tells me to vote yes and tell activist liberal judges to get a fucking clue.  That CA's registered Domestic Partnership law provides the same rights to gay couples who register as marriage does to straight couples.  That marriage is a construct not of the state, but of the church, and really the RDP law should apply to gays and straights both as a "civil union," a mere contract.  That "marriage" is solemnized and consecrated by your belief system, whatever that is, and abides by those rules.  God's rules.  Or gods' rules.  Whatever you believe.  Not the state's rules. 

I worry about the consequences for churches and ministers who are against marrying gay couples, for whatever reason.  Will they be breaking the law if they refuse?  Will they lose their 501 status? Will anyone be allowed to believe that homosexuality is wrong or state that belief?  It may be bigoted, but in this country, people have a right to believe as they choose.  We call it Freedom of Religion.

And you know, I just am so tired of all the in-your-faceness of the Prop 8 fight.  I just want to vote no to say HA!  Keep your "whether you like it or not" and all your Gay PDA on TV (for the record, all PDA on TV makes me sick, we've just seen a lot of it with this Prop 8 thing).  It makes me want to be perverse and give all the Prop 8 opponents the finger.

But my heart tells me differently.

As I've mentioned many times on this blog, one of my dearest friends is gay, and he married his partner about 5 years ago in one of the most beautiful, heartfelt weddings I have ever seen.  I was proud to be a "bridesmaid" and stand up for them, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I remember feeling so clearly the love between them, and seeing how precious they were to each other.  I could never take away from them the things that DH and I have, the comfort of knowing we are each other's first and last resort, that we make each other's life and death decisions, that we share the rights and responsibilities of our life together for better and for worse.

I received this today, via email.  I hope my friend won't mind me sharing it with you in part, and with the names redacted, of course.

Hi Everyone,

As you know, we're barely a day away from the most historic election of our time. But as you are also probably well aware, there's a lot more at stake than the Presidency.

Here in California, one of the most important -- and one of the closest -- issues you can vote on is Prop 8.

Prop 8 seeks to eliminate fundamental rights for one group of people. If passed, Prop 8 would take away something very close to Nick and me: our marriage. I trust you agree that eliminating fundamental rights -- from anyone -- is unfair and wrong.

...

If you want to help but don't have much time, here's something simple you can do:

The simplest thing you can do is to call everyone you know when you have a few free minutes on Tuesday and bug them to go vote if they haven't. Even if they say in advance that they'll vote, call them on Election Day to make sure they've voted. Even if it looks like the Presidential contest is over nationally by 5 or 6 pm our time, it's still critical that everyone goes to the polls to vote NO on 8. And even if it's raining, and even if the lines are long ... that shouldn't matter.

Finally, please modify and pass along this e-mail to everyone you know in California.

(And, no, you don't need to call N or me on Election Day -- we have both already voted by absentee ballot.)

Thanks so much for all your support!

Love,
A (& N)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:23 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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If you've never seen the Bunnies, you're in for a treat. Originally a creation of the Starz network, these talented little guys make it their mission to make sure that you never have to miss a movie just because you don't have time to go to the theater... they'll show you the whole thing in 30 seconds.

Here's some Halloween fun, Bunny-style!

Scream:

The Ring:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre:

Saw:

The Exorcist:

The Shining:

And last but not least, for RightGirl, Rocky Horror Picture Show:

There's lots more. Go here for more Bunnies Halloween, or here for all the 30 second Bunny goodness!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:17 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 i especially enjoyed rocky horror! thanks for posting those! happy satan's holiday

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at October 31, 2008 02:20 PM (0Pi1o)

2 yay bunnies!! Happy Halloween!!

Posted by: Richmond at October 31, 2008 06:35 PM (RCeqK)

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You are all a bunch of fucking hypocrites.  That's right.  I said hypocrites.  I call BS on you and, as they say in South Park, I declare shenanigans!

Some idiot with bad taste and a worse sense of humor hangs a Sarah Palin doll from a noose and you don't respond?  Dare I even suggest that you think it's funny because she's running against your Obamessiah?



Correct me if I'm wrong, but about 10 years ago you all were so mad about a BEAR in a noose that you forced USC to abandon a decades old student tradition of hanging bruins (the UCLA mascot) from tiny nooses.  LITTLE TINY TEDDY BEARS. In UCLA shirts.  You said it was racist.  You said that it was reminiscent of the lynching of black men by the KKK.  You said you were offended.  So we stopped hanging TEDDY BEARS.

I get your point, though.  Hanging people is not a joke.  It's MURDER.  And that's never funny.

And now, these people have NOT A BEAR, but a life-size mannequin of a woman, dressed as Sarah Palin, hanging from a noose in their yard and you say not one word.  Why?

I'll bet my house that if it was Barry Obama swinging from the yardarm you'd have had 3 press conferences already, and called the police out to arrest these homeowners for a hate crime.  Perhaps for racial intimidation.

And yet you say nothing about this.  I'm offended by it, and I'm clearly not black.  Not as a conservative, or because I am a woman, but because I think it's disgusting.  Hanging a bear, or a skeleton, or something clearly not representing a particular person is one thing, demonstrating by your Halloween display that you wish someone a painful death is quite another.

And I still want to hear your outrage.  If you all could muster that kind of vitriol for a few teddy bears, I bet you can come out and preach it about this Sarah Palin mannequin.

I'll be sure to be there to support you when you do.

Regards,
CTG

h/t Flap

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:08 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Of course they won't say anything. Just like that display someone had of McCain doing the KKK thing chasing BO. They are all hypocrites. BTW, I love it when you're so mad you curse.

Posted by: Stacy at October 27, 2008 08:16 AM (92p8H)

2 I can't believe the outrageous crap these idiots have been pulling! I'll be sooo glad when this election is over... except when I said that to my husband this morning he said: "even when it's over it won't be over". Spoilsport.

Posted by: pam at October 27, 2008 08:18 AM (l6NIn)

3 Just down the road from me a guy had a ghost hanging from a tree with Obama printed on it; everyone was up in arms, wanting to burn the racist's house, etc etc...good gawd people, get a grip! I agree, if this had been a black, male mannequin there would have been hell to pay, I bet!

Posted by: Michele at October 27, 2008 08:27 AM (Jplxy)

4 This is so disgusting that I am sick to my stomach. It's absolute BS to say its ok because its Halloween. Absolute BS. I'm sure people on both sides think this is disgusting.

Posted by: SBC at October 27, 2008 09:10 AM (5s6Ga)

5 Totally wrong. Only a fool can defend murdering and lynching effigies.

Posted by: Joe C. at October 27, 2008 09:53 AM (wKdud)

6 OMG, I am totally in love with your blog. Love your writing style. I must come back. I agree with you on this post, what is wrong with people? I have no answers, only further questions. It makes me sick.

Posted by: Leslie at October 27, 2008 03:30 PM (ovRlN)

7 Un-fucking-believable!

Posted by: Lauren at October 27, 2008 04:17 PM (Pt1kf)

8 He may not be your favorite person, but Keith Olbermann just named this idiot who made the effigy art the "Worst Person in the World" today. He repudiated it his show which I'm sure you can see eventually up.

Posted by: SBC at October 27, 2008 06:03 PM (JLqd9)

9 I'm sure you got their attention. Uh-huh.

Posted by: Pasadena Closet Conservative at October 27, 2008 08:40 PM (Q3iRb)

10 It's sick and disgusting to the nth degree, but not at all surprising. These idiots are so bigoted, racist, and downright stupid, I'm never surprised by how low they will stoop in pursuit of their goal. No matter which candidate it had been - yes even Obama or Biden hung in effigy - it's wrong. It's not art and it's not cute. We don't see this being done by the other side and if it were done, it would be roundly condemned. But at least we know the "enemy". We have seen what they accept without a blink. Remember this, know what you're fighting so you are never taken off guard or think they have anything resembling "feelings".

Posted by: Teresa at October 28, 2008 03:50 PM (mMa3+)

11 I think between the attack hoax in Pittsburgh and the recent ATF bust of skinheads plotting to assasinate Obama and a number of African Americans, there's plenty of crap coming from the conservative side too. These are the outliers that tarnish the political process that makes this country great. But pray tell, please inform me of who the "enemy" is. And how should a good American respond to such "enemies." Just curious. Really.

Posted by: SBC at October 28, 2008 08:03 PM (JLqd9)

12 I totally agree - it's an offensive display. How is it that women somehow escaped the "hate crimes" definition? I'm sure that many violent crimes are committed against women because someone hated their gender and wanted to exert control.

Posted by: Conservative Belle at October 29, 2008 03:29 AM (r0SN0)

13 You're right, see this: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081029/world/obama_effigy_6

Posted by: Contagion at October 30, 2008 04:42 PM (V7qLP)

14 Contagion beat me to posting the opposing story of someone doing the same thing with Obama's image.

Posted by: Amy at November 01, 2008 11:05 AM (IGC2m)

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Finally, I rant on the election (in stream of consciousness at 1am, so please excuse the grammar and typos and occasional lack of punctuation):

First up, John McCain.  I'm going to set aside any personality issues I have with him, and even issues with why he is the candidate, and grant, up front, that he is the candidate for the republicans.  He's tough, smart, clearly qualified for the job, and probably ready for it.  He's also plenty healthy or he wouldn't be jumping around the country like a 12 year old, so fuck off to all you twits who say that he can't live out the term.  I really have little else to say about John, except that I can't believe his temper hasn't got the better of him yet, and I wish we had a better candidate, rather than the default guy (Fred!  I miss you!  You would have stuck it to Obama every chance you got instead of smiling like a pansy!)

Which brings me to Sarah Palin.  You have all underestimated her.  All of you naysayers, Republicans and Democrats alike.  The woman is NOT stupid.  I repeat, NOT STUPID.  She is very bright, and like many clearly bright people, is counting on her intelligence to pull her through an experience she was NOT prepared for.  What you see is a classy chick trying to hold up her end of the bargain and do the job she KNOWS she can do as VP, even though maybe she wasn't clear on what this campaign would be like.

I have no doubt that she would be a good VP, and even, God forbid, a good President.  There's nothing wrong with her that can't be said of the 3 dudes on the tickets.  And seriously, all this hoohah over $150,000 for clothes and makeup?  Are you kidding me?  How much did Hillary or Barry spend on the same things?  I know he wears makeup; I can see it on the TV.  And how much were Biden's teeth and hairplugs?  I mean come ON. If you're going there, I can too. 

How fucking scared are the Democrats when all they can pull on her is that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant (but remember that according to them this is pregnancy #2 and she delivered Trig while knocked up with this baby) and her supporters spent a lot of money so she could look nice.  Give me a motherfucking break.  What about Obama and Bill Ayers?  What about the ex- Fannie Mae CEO that ran Fannie into the ground and left in disgrace (but $90 mil RICHER) before Obama asked him for advice.  Can we please put this in perspective?

Why does she scare you people so?  Is it because you can't remember how to deal with people like the Palins?  Or maybe that she's smarter than you?  Or (gasp) that voters see her as real, approachable, and sensible in the ways that your candidate is not?  And we're talking about the potential VP here, not the POTUS candidate.

Honestly, if Sarah Palin was really as much of a non-entity, in that milquetoast-vanilla-Dan Quayle way, as the liberals are foaming at the mouth to portray her, would it be WORTH all the effort?  I mean let's face it.  Dan Quayle was a fucking farce. A joke.  From DAY 1.  DAY 1. And Bush, Sr. knew it.  But he got away with it because Dukakis was a joke as a candidate too.  Sarah Palin is no joke.

Verily, I am amused at the sheer panic, the slavering, the need to get a dig in at her.  To make people feel bad about supporting her.  Why do that if she's Dan Quayle all over again?  Seriously, if she's a joke just let her shoot herself in the foot.

Let's step over to another Sarah issue: Trooper-gate.  This might have some teeth, and could be a real issue, but you notice no one in the media is pushing this very hard, even though hearings are taking place.  Why?  Because there is NO there there.  The person who asked for the initial inquiry isn't even the guy who was fired.  It's the sour grapes guy who lost to Sarah in the gubernatorial election.  Don't believe me?  Do the Google search yourself.  Look at the articles in the Anchorage paper and the verified supporting documents posted all over the internet.  The evidence is all out there.

I think the real problem with Sarah Palin is that a lot of smart people like to think they succeeded in life because they are smart, and they automatically assume that all the fuck-ups in this world are the not-smart ones.  People like President Bush, and Sarah Palin, who present themselves to the world as less than uber-intelligent, and succeed ANYWAY, threaten that world view. 

I can see some of you squirming.  I know you.  I went to school with you.  I work with you.  Hell, I AM you from time to time.  I know what I am talking about and there's no denying it.  I freely admit to having an occasional elitist moment.  Smart people often have a certain world view about intelligence and ignorance: tolerance and acceptance is intelligent, rejection and exception are not; Environmentalism is intelligent, questioning or denying global warming is ignorant; Getting a college education is intelligent, going without shows your ignorance.... I could go on and on.  Smart people are (or at least THINK they are) informed and tolerant, they want to give back and save the world and make everybody equal.  And if you don't agree with those simple, wonderful things, you're ignorant, too.

Well, then kiss my ignorant PhD-covered ass.  Because I don't agree. 

People are amazing, and intelligent without a college degree or a fancy job or shared beliefs.  That's the whole principle of Academic Freedom.  We learn from each other by sharing our diverse ideas.  Not by censoring, or dismissing out of hand the ones we think are ignorant.  Ignorance is bliss after all.  And the paradigm shifts born of ignorance have generally changed our world for the better.

Sarah Palin and George Bush clearly don't fit the paradigm.  And well, we fear that which we do not understand.

And another thing about this election, a question I am DYING to ask my students (but which would reveal my own political leanings, something I am careful NOT to do.  They pay me to teach Biology, not politics), or any democratic voter, is WHY do people love Barry Obama so much?  Do you know what he stands for?  Or are you only voting for him because of his position on the War?  Do you even understand the implications of THAT?  Are you voting for him simply because he's the Democrat?  Because he's not George Bush?  What did Bush do to you anyway?  Do you understand what that means (in a real sense, not linguistically)?  Do you even know what the Republican platform says?  Hell, what the Democratic platform says? When Obama says change, what does that mean to you?  How do you think that will work?  What can he change, how will that help you?  How exactly has Obama demonstrated to you by his actions that he is ready to be President?

As an informed voter, I can answer all of those questions with regard to why I am voting for McCain.  I would guess many McCain supporters can, but that may be a personal bias.  what the fuck, though, it's my blog, my opinion.

I would also guess that many Obama supporters can NOT.

Look, I think it's great Obama is running.  I love that our country has become so colorblind that any person of color could run for any office.  And yet, Obama's supporters focus on the negative: that racism is the only reason keeping people from voting for him.  Give me a fucking break.  Could it be that we disagree with him?  Are black conservatives racist, too, because they choose to vote for McCain?  I figure it this way if Obama wins, no one can ever pull the race card again.  I mean, is there any greater measure of how far we've come than to elect a black man as our President?  I mean holy shit, a black man and a woman running against each other! (yeah, yeah, I know, but you can excuse the conflation of the tickets to make my point)

I wish people wouldn't bring up race.  We'll always have racism until we stop talking about it.  My words included.

I wish I understood people's motivations better.  Hence the questions, above.  Maybe then I wouldn't be so angry at the political discourse that seems so full of invective.  More this year than I can ever remember.  Except for one occasion when I saw a young lady wearing a t-shirt that still haunts me.  But that's a rant for another post on why the electoral college is important.

I have a number of friends who are voting for Obama.  I am proud that some of them can actually answer the questions I have posed, and I respect them for making an informed decision, and politely disagree.  I just wonder what percentage of voters on both sides actually can.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:18 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment
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1 I love reading what the smart girl has to say. Bravo!!!

Posted by: Greta Perry at October 23, 2008 03:20 AM (Xl4tG)

2 http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/720xgfha.asp Loathing Sarah Palin Months Hate of feminists. by Joseph Epstein 10/27/2008, Volume 014, Issue 07 The liberal women I know--and most of the women I seem to know are liberal--loathe Sarah Palin. They don't merely dislike her, the way one tends to dislike politicians whose views are not one's own, they actively detest her. When her name comes up--and it is they who tend to bring it up--their complexions take on a slightly purplish tinge, their eyes cross in rage. "Moron" is their most frequently used noun, though "idiot" comes up a fair number of times; "that woman" is yet another choice. A wide variety of adjectives, differing only slightly in their violence, usually precede these epithets. Liberal men don't show the same fervent distaste for Governor Palin. They are more likely to say she doesn't come close to being qualified for the job of vice president and is frightening to contemplate as president. They might add that his choice of Sarah Palin is a serious sign of John McCain's flawed judgment, or of his political opportunism. The standard phrase "a heartbeat away" may come up. But then they let it go. They don't take Sarah Palin so personally, so passionately, as their liberal female counterparts do; the element of anger isn't there. During his presidential campaign Mike Huckabee expressed a set of opinions not strikingly different from Sarah Palin's, yet my guess is that if he were John McCain's running mate these same women would not despise him with the same vehemence they do Sarah Palin. Some of this is due to snobbery, some possibly to envy. Governor Palin is, after all, a good-looking woman with what appears to be a happy family life who has achieved a great deal in a relatively brief time. But above all Sarah Palin's opinions, because they are held by her, a woman, suggest betrayal. One might think that liberal women would have some admiration for Governor Palin's appearing to have solved the working mother problem that bedevils most contemporary American women. She is very feminine yet doesn't regard herself as a victim, and seems to be entirely at ease with men. Here is a woman raising five children who is able not only to have an active hand in the life of her community but actually win the highest political office in her state. As the governor of Alaska, moreover, she took on the corrupt elements in her own party, which requires courage of a kind liberated women especially, one would think, might admire. Perhaps Sarah Palin's having a pregnant teenage daughter permits these same women to feel that she hasn't really solved the working mother problem after all. Yet teenage pregnancy is something that anyone who has a daughter or a granddaughter lives in terror of, for it can happen, as they say, in the best of families. Yet Sarah Palin seems to be handling this, too, with a measure of dignified calm and tolerance that most of us, in similar circumstances, probably couldn't bring to it. But she gets no credit for this either, at least not from the women I know who so relentlessly contemn her. Strongly liberal women get most agitated over the issue--though of course to them it is no issue but a long since resolved matter--of abortion. Abortion, to be sure, is the great third-rail subject in American politics. But when a male politician is against abortion, these women can write that off as the ignorance of a standard politician, if not himself a Christian fundamentalist, then another Republican cynically going after the fundamentalist vote. A woman not in favor of abortion is something quite different. And it is all the more strikingly different when the same woman not only holds this opinion on abortion but acts on it and knowingly bears a child with Down syndrome, a child that most liberal women would have thought reason required aborting. What else, after all, is abortion for? A few months ago Vanity Fair ran an article about the discovery that the playwright Arthur Miller, with his third wife, the photographer Inge Morath, 40 or so years ago had a Down syndrome son. Miller promptly clapped the boy into an institution--according to the article, not a first class one either--and never saw the child again. Most people would have taken this for a heartless act, one should have thought, especially on the part of a man known for excoriating the putative cruelties of capitalism and the endless barbarities of his own country's governments, whether Democratic or Republican. Yet, so far as one can tell, Arthur Miller's treatment of his own child has not put the least dent in his reputation, while Sarah Palin's having, keeping, and loving her Down syndrome child is somehow, by the standard of the liberal woman of our day, not so secretly thought the act of an obviously backward and ignorant woman, an affront to womanhood. "Her greatest hypocrisy," proclaimed Wendy Doniger, one of the leading feminist lights at the University of Chicago, "is her pretense that she is a woman." The daughter of a dear friend of mine used to say of her mother, "I sense her rage." Of course when the daughter said this, my friend's rage would only increase. Suggesting that liberal women feel rage over Sarah Palin is, similarly, likely only to enrage them all the more. But rage in their reaction to Governor Palin is emphatically what I do sense on the part of liberal women--that and delight in any attempt to humiliate her. (Tina Fey, take a bow, and, hey, let's watch that Katie Couric YouTube interview one more time!) I wonder if the women who loathe Sarah Palin with such intensity oughtn't perhaps to reexamine the source of their strongly illiberal feelings. Joseph Epstein, a contributing editor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD, is the author most recently of Fred Astaire.

Posted by: CS at October 23, 2008 04:54 AM (wsSLm)

3 "People are amazing, and intelligent without a college degree or a fancy job or shared beliefs. That's the whole principle of Academic Freedom. We learn from each other by sharing our diverse ideas. Not by censoring, or dismissing out of hand the ones we think are ignorant." I agree wholeheartedly.

Posted by: Michele at October 23, 2008 05:52 AM (basue)

4 I love it, every blessed word!

Posted by: pam at October 23, 2008 06:44 AM (l6NIn)

5 Beautifully stated!!

Posted by: Michele at October 23, 2008 06:59 AM (Jplxy)

6 You, my friend, should run for president! ;-)

Posted by: Amanda at October 23, 2008 07:11 AM (ay+rD)

7 sam i so agree. well said. i especially identify with this part... 'I can see some of you squirming. I know you. I went to school with you. I work with you. Hell, I AM you from time to time. I know what I am talking about and there's no denying it. I freely admit to having an occasional elitist moment' smart chicks rock.

Posted by: kate at October 23, 2008 08:38 AM (Zq135)

8 You hit all the points perfectly. All the questions I've been wanting to pose to those who think slogans are enough on which to base a vote (for either candidate). Bravo!

Posted by: Da Goddess at October 23, 2008 10:02 AM (3OqvP)

9 This is of course if you want to hear what a liberal Democrat has to say. You raised a lot of questions here but I only have time to first address Sarah Palin. As for the environment, that can be a longer more scientific discussion given that our education is strikingly similar. There are two things that are striking of what you say. I certainly think 1) she is smart or she wouldn’t have gotten as far as she has in such a short time and 2) I think the American people and the Democratic party overestimated given her huge flips of positive and negative ratios over time and how strong the Democratic party had to work against her. I don’t think the DNC fears her at all…in fact, I think they’re salivating over the fact that McCain chose her now (much like I think Republicans did at first when Palin was chosen after Obama did not pick Clinton as a VP). I’ll tell you why I could never vote for Palin (or McCain for that matter). I don’t agree with her on any issue that matters to me: taxes, healthcare, research funding/earmarks, abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, creationism in school, gun control, and I would say international/foreign policy but I don’t think she’s clearly formed a stance on that but whatever she has said I’ve disagreed for the most part. Again, it’s not that I think she’s not smart…but I think she’s given off the impression that she’s not smart enough over time. When she spoke at the RNC, frankly I was pretty blown away. I found her charismatic and strong. I think she made a very telling, positive first impression to the American people. But the dust settled. You had mentioned previously that you didn’t think she should *have* to do the major network interviews. I watched (and still watching the Williams-Pailn interview obviously) every single one of those interviews. There were no “gotcha” questions. There were bad answers. Katie Couric, the queen of “soft news,” did not make her look bad or stupid. Palin did that to herself. And if you think she did well, I really don’t think you’re looking at her objectively anymore. The campaign did a BIG mistake by shielding her from the press because those interviews are scary, stressful, and tough and she needed practice. She floundered. And I feel this is what made the American public turn on her… Here’s the way I can best describe the letdown of her performance in a nice lab metaphor. Say someone came up to you for a postdoc position in your lab. The person wants to work at your level and in your field but doesn’t have specific training to your projects. But there’s some serious potential…say the person was a rising star as a graduate student. Well, definitely in science you give that person a chance. So the person comes to your lab and after a month the person not only can’t do a Western but couldn’t tell you the difference between HRP or AP as a substrate. Or hasn’t successful made their own clones, or still couldn’t troubleshoot a picky PCR reaction. You would reconsider your initial thoughts, I’m sure. You would probably yell at the person to get their shit together. So, you have lab meeting two weeks later. The results are a little better but when you ask the person why the PCR reaction is still having problems and it’s revealed that the person doesn’t understand what Tms are and that’s why he/she can’t troubleshoot it. At this point, your opinion of the person would be lowered greatly…hell you might have even kicked the person out of your lab at this point because why should you waste your NIH money on someone who can’t get their shit together. For this geeky metaphor, I think this is what people are feeling. And the VP role is a much bigger deal than a postdoc in a competitive lab. Frankly, I feel bad for her. It’s not that she couldn’t have learned the material she needed to know to show understanding and competency, she was just unable to do it in such a short amount of time. Again, it’s not that she’s not smart, but it now feels that she wasn’t smart enough (in the short time frame). As for the makeup/clothing thing – first of all, people did JUMP on Edwards for his $400 that he could AFFORD HIMSELF pointing to a potential hypocrisy of trying to be a populist candidate when you spend that much on a haircut. So, don’t think that the MSM is only jumping on Palin for that. And I’m sure Clinton and Obama put money in to present themselves…they should, as should Palin. I think the problem is that when you take GOP donor money to dress yourself up in Ferragamo and walk around as if you’re “Joe-Six-Pack.” Hell, I pay money to the Obama campaign and the DNC and get pissed off with how they spend it. If I donated to the RNC and I found out that 150K was spent on clothing and makeup (not just for her, but for her children) I would be pissed too when you’re down in the polls. I would be pissed that my money went to dress what is now being thought to be the #1 anchor for John McCain’s presidency. Even if I LIKED her, I would be pissed that the money wasn’t spent on, I dunno, OHIO. As for Troopergate, it wasn’t the scandal itself, but the “coverup.” First there was let’s have transparency and then it was a democratic conspiracy. And I’ve done the Google searches too. She was only found of putting unfair pressure on Monnegan and that’s against Alaskan law. In itself, not a big deal. It was, again, the way she handled it. It feels from my perspective that she had a promising start and she’s going to at best have a mediocre finish. I will not accept mediocrity (even from own party) for such an important job. But you know, you say it’s the democrats who are scared (which again, all I know is that we’re freaking happy that its become clear that McCain was pandering either to his base or trying to get disgruntled Clinton supporters as opposed to putting “country first” in his pick), I am curious to what you would call Kathleen Parker, George Will, and Christopher Buckley. These are conservative Repubilcans, with long track records, who risked their own party forsaking them while they stood up for their views. What would you say of them? And I feel I must say this: if you’re going to do that thing where you tie try and tie Bill Ayers to Obama – fine, but then do this. Call out the CONSERVATIVE Annenberg group for putting him on the committee with Obama for EDUCATION, also supported by a Republican governor. It was for a freaking education group and the “relationship” was minimal at best. But if you’re going to go there, then don’t forget McCain and G. Gordon Liddy. McCain has said said he was "proud" of Liddy, and praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great at the beginning of his 2000 campaign. Does that include Watergate then? Does that include his admiration of Hitler? Does that include telling people to kill ATF with head shots? Is it stupid to bring this up because there’s no way John McCain supports any of that ugly shit? Of course it is. Frankly, I am surprised you would lower your argument to this shit. It detracts from other points you could be making.

Posted by: SBC at October 23, 2008 10:03 AM (q1M21)

10 I'm unhappy with Palin, because she could be Fred. She could be better than Fred. But she keeps going back to a populist approach. And that's pissing me off. Oh, I'm still going to vote for Palin and McCain. I just wish she'd be the person I want her to be. (Yes, said with tongue in cheek). So, I think there are two issues with Palin, for the Democrats, that you sort of hit on. First, they are elitist. People really think that only people who go to Ivy League schools are smart. Or really smart. Or whatever. And she didn't, and Obama did. Now the same people can't step back and say that Bush is smart -- he must have cheated. Their logic makes no sense. But anyway, the left is credentialist. They will believe anyone with the credentials (Gore with a Nobel) because they don't actually think things out. They appeal to authority (Paul Krugman) instead of reading different sides and making any sense out of it. Also, people don't understand that there are more than three levels of intelligence. They see "dumb", "regular" and "smart". Not "smart", "really smart", "super smart" etc. in a nice happy little bell curve distribution with *many* happy standard deviations of smartness. So people who call themselves smart frequently don't understand there are levels of smartness above them. (See: gifted education They don't understand it either). THey are so used to thinking that when someone doesn't agree with them, it's because they are of lower intelligence. Because, frankly, if you're smart, there are a lot of people stupider than you. But a lot of moderately smart people have been told they're smart, and think that they're pretty much it, and there isn't smart above them. Surprise! There is! Now, I'm not saying Palin is super intelligent or not, I have no idea. I do not doubt she's at least a little smart. But I think a lot of Dems think that anyone they disagree with is stupid.

Posted by: silvermine at October 23, 2008 10:30 AM (qsBMy)

11 Ok, someone needs to explain to me the elitist argument to me. Why is it because that if someone excels at academics they are elitist? Are CTG and I elitist because we to Caltech? Why is that Obama, who actually went to Oxy first and then transferred to Columbia, elitist? Is Bush elitist for going to Yale? And as for Bush "cheating" in Yale...I don't think he cheated at Yale because even at Yale where the average GPA is pretty high he didn't do all that well (which btw, Kerry had a similar GPA to Bush's but guess who was called elitist). So, let me say this loud and clear -- just getting a degree doesn't make you smart (particularly at the Ivy's where they clearly reward the children of alumni). It's how you went about earning it and what you did with it. And that's where a lot of the criticism comes from. Instead of going, holy crap, Obama got into Oxy did well enough to transfer to Columbia and then he got into Harvard Law and was the first African-American to be editor of the Law Review is IMPRESSIVE in an academic sense, I keep on seeing this damn elitist word. This has NOTHING to do with being president -- plenty of smart people shouldn't be president, but why is it that if someone excels academically AND their liberal, they are elitist? Maybe its that stupid ass arugula comment Obama made a while back. Are you going to CTG elitist because she gets a lot of her food at Trader Joe's? Is McCain elitist because he wants to make a "commission of the smartest people" to tackle Social Security? My friends, he did not say ordinary people, he did not say Joe-six-packs, he did not say plumbers, he said smartest people. Is he elitist then, or is he just being smart and thinking about what might be best for the country? When someone points to me when someone is actually being elitist, I will call them on it. Damn right I will. Because I have had people think they are better than me for a variety of reasons, I feel that sting. But from anything else, how many of the undecided voters, how many of those independent voters, are elitist now because they might go blue? This elitism word is just the new "sexism" and "racism" card on both sides. I'm just tired of it.

Posted by: SBC at October 23, 2008 11:45 AM (q1M21)

12 To me, elitist is an attitude that some people have based on their blessings and not being grateful for them. I suspect some people might see you and I as elitist because we went to Caltech, and Obama the same for going to Oxy AND Columbia. But the thing is, and you know it, we're not all like that, but many are. And they look down their nose at people like Sarah Palin, and people who LIKE Sarah Palin, as if the ignorance they perceive is as catching as cooties. I reject that, and I abhor that. Because it's dismissive. And ignorant.

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 23, 2008 12:07 PM (IfXtw)

13 WOW! Good rant. Am I an elitist if I went to Fresno State?

Posted by: Alan at October 24, 2008 03:16 PM (kloCp)

14 "People like President Bush, and Sarah Palin, who present themselves to the world as less than uber-intelligent, and succeed ANYWAY, threaten that world view." I don't think anybody needs to look that hard to see plenty of people in various fields that have suceeded without overt "uber-intelligence" or formal higher education, and they're often actually praised for it. I'd suggest however that many would question actively recruiting somebody stupid to hold the highest political offices of a country. I'm British, but I'd suggest Sarah Palin (or her British equivalent) would not make it within a mile of 10 Downing Street, not because of elitism, but because of meritocracy. The need to ascend through the parliamentary ranks, and hold ministerial (or shadow) posts means that candidates are tested, and compete before their peers and the country. Those unable to name ANY newspaper, talk in coherent sentences, or demonstrate understanding of fundamental issues of the day just don't cut it. I guess we just expect more of them. I'm not sure what success you're talking about in the context of GWB. I suspect that he will go down in history as one of the worst Presidents the US has had, and possibly the one that presided over the transition of the US from pre-eminence to also ran. Good luck on Nov 5th. I hope it's not too painful a day. No doubt you will put "country first" and support whoever wins.......

Posted by: Spectator at October 24, 2008 11:27 PM (cfSni)

15 "So how can Bush be as bad as Harding? Or Grant? Van Buren? Buchanan? How 'bout Nixon or Carter, anyone?" Greatest economic crisis since the great depression, largest national debt in history, largest government in history, response to katrina/ike, two wars, gitmo, spying on Americans before getting proper permission, spying on army staffers having phone sex, cronyism in epic proportions, firing of justice department employees based on political beliefs, loss of standing on the international stage, substandard health care for veterans, excessive no bid contracts, government agents having sex and drugs with oil companies, and I'm sure I can think of many more... That's more than a couple warts. But of course I am thankful we haven't had another attack on US soil. But there have been plenty of people, including GWB's father, who have managed to protect our soil without sinking our prestige and prosperity too.

Posted by: SBC at October 25, 2008 05:55 PM (JLqd9)

16 This is long, but I want to give you a clear picture of what I believe the liberal and moderate response to Obama is, and pose some reasonable questions to your own commentary. Who do I think Obama is? At root, an inspirational figure at a time when this country dearly needs to believe in itself despite recent failures -- whether those failures are truly our own or were out of our control. Is he as awesome as he tries to seem? No. But he's going to try to be, and he fills out the inspirational role pretty well in my opinion. I'd say the same about JFK and RFK -- not perfect men by any means, but they tried to give us something to look up to and inspire us to be better, in positive ways, and I want that in a leader. Change? If it means getting more of his campaign money from individuals, then yeah, that's change. Ditto for stomping on corporate execs and businesses earning millions for skinning American wallets and selling jobs down the river -- both things Bush and his Republican Congress turned a blind eye to, despite their talk. Do I think Obama will win all those fights, or even fight relentlessly for them? No. But it'll be an improvement on what I think McCain will do. Obama will go to war if needed, but not without considering and planning for every contingency. He is more likely to catch bin Laden than McCain because by pulling out of Iraq he'll have the forces and funds available, and maybe even develop a few Arab (and European) allies as we go. Got plenty more, but I'll just move on to this: I don't need my Prez or VP to be approachable to me. Why do you? I want him to kick my ass in chess, then Global Thermonuclear War, and then beat Deep Blue and WOPR with one hand tied behind his back right before he suckers the Russians and the French into agreeing to pay us to store our nuclear waste. I want a charismatic brainiac (emphasis on the latter) that's on my side and will FUCK the next idiot to screw with us, who will take advantage of anyone on my behalf and WIN WIN WIN. I have seen reasons to believe Obama is on my side, and lots of reasons to believe he's fucking brilliant -- for one thing, he BEAT the Clinton machine! As for elitism, what does he need to do to show you he recognizes his blessings? In his stump speeches, Obama invariably brings up his grandparents and everything they did for him, and emphasizes how in no other country is his life story even possible. "Thinking they're better than me." Grrr. How is the Republican drumbeat on "heartland values" NOT exactly that? All I ever hear from the Reps is how the "heartland" has such better values, etc than the country's largest cities -- though they are home to our financial engines, our centers of learning, and so much more that it boggles the mind that any politicians can manage to insult millions of Americans time and again. Even if it's indirect ("I was praising them, not insulting you"), it's more blatant and constant than anything the liberal politicians do, that I'm aware of. (Yes, "cling to guns and religion" etc -- but that's not remotely as constant.) "I know he wears makeup; I can see it on the TV." Is this a serious concern? Makeup is in the nature of TV -- when McCain skipped out on Letterman for a spot with Katie Couric, Letterman cut to a live feed of McCain getting worked over by the makeup person. It's standard; to not wear makeup is stupid. Even Angelina Jolie looks iffy sans makeup on TV. On to Palin: If you think the only thing the Dems are bothered by is Palin's preggo daughter and wasteful spending on clothes, I'm simply baffled. Dems don't like her because of her stances on the issues. And if Bill Ayers is an honest issue, I'm a Republican. In this vein, is the Fannie Mae CEO thing an issue? Yes, and I do wish it was covered more in depth. But so are McCain's deregulatory votes and adviser, etc. Palin's misuse of language, hiding from the press, cronyism in Alaska, etc. I believe Americans want our leaders to be smarter and at least less obvious about hiding their mistakes. And the only people slathering to "get at" her are the comedians -- because she IS a joke. She is an easier target than shooting Quayles in a barrel. Ask Leno. And if you haven't seen her shooting herself in the foot time and again, then you're ignoring what she has had to say. Your defense of Palin seems more relevant to four weeks ago than to today. "And the paradigm shifts born of ignorance have generally changed our world for the better." Name two. Maybe I simply don't understand what you're trying to say here, but I'll give you a few counterexamples: Nazi paranoia about Jews; the Red Scare; internment camps for Japanese Americans; the first jackasses that landed in Africa and said, "hey, let's enslave these fuckers, they don't have guns".... "Sarah Palin and George Bush clearly don't fit the paradigm. And well, we fear that which we do not understand." I think you misunderstand the concerns many Americans have about Bush and Palin. For one, both act as unreflective "true believers" who refuse to acknowledge mistakes that were and will be made -- and therefore they will keep making them. They avoid the press and dissenting opinions, and hide actions and decision-making that should be public. This is wrong behavior, no matter who is doing it. For another, stupid is as stupid does -- and not anticipating the Sunni-Shia conflict that would erupt after Hussein's removal was STUPID. So many other examples, but that's probably the worst. "I would also guess that many Obama supporters can NOT." re: knowing platforms and believing crazy shit about their opponents. I have no idea why you think McCain supporters actually know more about Obama than vice versa. That's not my experience. I've seen a horrifying number of McCain supporters whose grasp of reality and truth is almost as hazy as a terrorist's -- and no American has an excuse for that. Obama is a Muslim? An Arab? I'm not even going to expect so much of these people that they understand it's bullshit to package an entire religion or race as Evil. I just want them to know truth that is so easy to find it's ridiculous. Maybe the press just covers the conservative crazies and not the liberal nuts. But even members of my own family have shared that unacceptable ignorance. And I've not seen the same level of blindness among Dems; thinking McCain will continue the war indefinitely is the most extreme belief I've seen there, excepting "The Man" conspiracies. Oh, some liberals do seem to think Obama will fix "everything" -- that's silly. As for the Rep hoaxer in Pennsylvania, let's call her a total outlier. "I figure it this way if Obama wins, no one can ever pull the race card again." Seriously? So if Obama wins, all the racist fucks I've met in my life will no longer discriminate? We'll never see a black man pulled over for driving while black? A white man can walk without fear through the heart of Compton? No one will see Latinos standing on a corner and treat them like they're illegals? WOW. He IS the Messiah! So glad you pointed this out!!! That had to be a joke, just as my response to it was a joke as well. Aaaand I'll just leave this at that rather than go on and on and on even more.

Posted by: Joe C. at October 25, 2008 06:34 PM (JLqd9)

17 Whoa, that's quite a rant, and a great one at that! I've said it before -- the gender bigotry and ageism exhibited by the Libs is disgusting and hypocritical.

Posted by: Pasadena Closet Conservative at October 25, 2008 10:52 PM (v5yjs)

18 Joe, did you seriously read that as "no one will ever be racist again?" that's the opposite of what I meant. What I was trying to say is that no one can ever again claim that the "system" is racist and that people of color are automatically at a disadvantage. How could that argument carry any weight in a US with a Black President? And really, I think you maybe saw too much of yourself in that, seeing as how you overreacted. I mean the Barry makeup thing was complete hyperbole, simply designed to point out that he has a clothing and makeup budget, too, Just no one ever asks how much he's spending.

Posted by: caltechgirl at October 26, 2008 03:56 PM (IfXtw)

19 In Joe's defense, I really could't tell when you're talking in hyperbole in this post and when you're being serious. It's harder obviously when we see text as opposed to talking to you in our living room. When we're in the same room its easier to know when you're making a joke or what you're placing emphasis on. I recalled you making some pretty spirited negative remarks about John Edwards wearing makeup before so even *I* thought you were making comments about the makeup issue (even though I'm pretty sure when you brought it up you were just going on about how much you dislike about Edwards). Clearly you weren't after you explained. But I would like you to elaborate a little further on what you think "the system" is because I'm feeling that both of you are missing each other's point. I think what you're saying is (and please correct me) that because a man of color reached the highest office of the land the system can't be accused of being racially unfair. If that's the case, I think you're being too broad. There are clearly a few big corporations where CEOs are of color but it is DISPROPORTIONATELY white. Or there are how many female scientists with professor positions but the number of female science professors versus the male counterparts are not close to equal. We BOTH know how sexist science and academia can be despite women having top positions. I think if Obama wins it will help erode racism a lot, but I don't think him being elected will automatically take the race card out of the deck. You mentioned that racism would stop when we stop talking about it. I think people stop talking about when there are different races at every level of society in an approximately proportionate number...not when one is only at the top and bottom. And I would like to see specific numbers out too on the what the DNC spent for makeup/hair if that matters. It's been noted that nothing on clothes have been spent but makeup and hair has but I haven't heard specific numbers either. I actually think its unfortunate for Palin and a stupid decision by the RNC. Like I said earlier, its not so much that the money was spent as in the context it was spent in, but in the mean time it detracts from real issues and frankly tarnishes Palin's image even more for no reason.

Posted by: SBC at October 26, 2008 06:32 PM (JLqd9)

20 Encore! Encore! Hot Damn Girl! YOU ARE ON FIRE! Well said. Well said.

Posted by: Lauren at October 27, 2008 04:25 PM (Pt1kf)

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If I see one more fucking commercial for another proposition I will rip out my eyes. Particularly that fucking Jamie Lee Curtis Prop 3 commercial. You are SO not conducting those kids, get off it.

And that fucking Gavin Newsom quote anti-Prop 8 commercial on the radio. It's highly effective. I hate him so much I'm thinking of voting yes just to spite him. Says the girl who stood up at the wedding of her(gay)dear friends. Legislating marriage is bad law, and I was thinking of voting yes for that reason, anyway.

And seriously, I notice that it's only the McCain/Palin signs and "Yes on 8" signs that are getting stolen and defaced. I thought it was the LEFT who were supposed to be the peaceful, non-violent, tolerant ones.

yeah, right. Just fucking kill me. Or at least put me in a coma for 14 days.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:08 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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DH:
Obama is a tool.
He's really a dick. 
He should go swallow a dick. Wait, he is a dick.
Go swallow yourself, Barry.

Me:
Hysterical laughter, choking, and tears running down my face

DH:
(with one finger raised, as a finger puppet; in a cartoon voice) I'm a tool.

Me:
Hysterical laughter, choking, and tears running down my face.  Pain in my guts from the laughing.

Obama (on TV):
blah, blah, vote for me (pauses)

DH:
(same finger puppet and voice) Because I'm a tool!

Me:
Hysterical laughter, choking, and tears running down my face, hiccupping, now running for the bathroom...

Perhaps you either have to know my usually mild-mannered unflappable husband to get it.  Or maybe you had to be there.  Either way, I am still giggling 12+ hours later.

I love you, hon!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:41 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The water heater works.  That's about it.

Tonight was bad though.  We had a fight.  A bad fight, the kind where one's parentage and sexual preferences are called into question.

I suppose the fight's over.  We were both sorry and apologized.  Hell, we were both terribly frustrated by some small carelessness that might lead to another large expense, but I think we can get it fixed tomorrow.  At least I think it can be fixed reasonably.  If not, well, just add another shitty and expensive bill to the pile.

And now I can't sleep.  He's out like a light.  I don't blame him, he's had a long hard day.  But I just can't shake the anxiety, the grouchyness.  I knew I would have trouble sleeping so I self medicated and put on a movie (Ratatouille, actually), but here I am at 20 after 2 AM.  Typing.

It's like I'm no longer waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Hell, the shoes just keep dropping.  So many rotten things have happened over the last few weeks to people I care about, I just want to put my fingers in my ears.  And there's more.  Lauren has to put down her puppy-boy, and Kate's FIL passed away. And there's more that I can't blog about because I haven't been given permission and it's not out on the interwebs.

Tonight's issue was just another stupid thing in what seems to be a rising tide of stupid things.  I am trying so hard to keep my head above water and stay positive because really?  I have it pretty good.  I have a job I could love, a wonderful home, a sweet and adoring husband that I heap much abuse on undeservedly, and 2 loving, healthy puppies.

I guess I just feel lost.  All of these posts are such downers, but that's where I am right now.  I'm not sure where I am or what I'm doing.  Lately it's just one fucking fire to be put out after another, with no energy left to do anything else.

And now it's 2:30 and I don't feel any better than I did when I started this.

Fuck.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:33 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 362 words, total size 2 kb.

But then I found THIS

And seriously, y'all, yuck!

I love bacon, and I love my Tiara sisters, but I refuse to combine the two and wear the "Pork Princess" Tiara....

h/t BoingBoing

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:52 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I had to steal this one from Jane.  It's genius.

Meet Broc Obama:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:21 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Damn cold medicine. It makes me loopy, so just a few quick takes for y'all

It has become increasingly clear to me that the Democrats are scared shitless of Sarah Palin. The sheer amount of vitriol being flung around (BTW, anyone know what vitriol REALLY is?) combined with the increasing hysteria about the fact that they can find any dirt that seems to stick is becoming increasingly laughable. Memo to the MSM: when hardcore BDS suffering Liberals begin to feel that the all-out, anti-Sarah barrage is TOO much, it's time to back off. And on a related note, so what if Sarah won't sit don for yet another hit-piece interview? Who said she had to let you piss in her sandbox? Or that she had to play your game? Especially when the rules change more frequently than Calvinball and the only thing that stays the same is that Sarah loses...

ESPN makes me happy. Not sure why, but there's really something comforting about being able to turn on something on the TV that sounds like the news, but won't make me scream and throw things at the TV. I need the "audio/visual wallpaper" when I'm working. Usually I have FoxNews or the local news on, but I just am so tired of knowing more about the story being reported than the editor or reporter who write and read the news scripts.

Anyone else think Kenley's dress on Project Runway last Wednesday looked like something Betty would wear on Ugly Betty? Yeah, me too.

Fake sudafed is for shit. It works about 1/10 as well as the real stuff, and they don't make the formulation that works for me with the real stuff any more. AARRGH. So I suffer. Benedryl ain't cutting it either, and I am sneezing every 5 minutes. Not to mention waking up every 45 minutes and sleeping badly in between...

Just waiting to see if shit rains down on my head about coming home early. I met all my responsibilities for the day, I taught my class and picked up HW and went to my meeting, where I also sat far away from everyone so I wouldn't give them germs.

I still have a hell of a lot of work to do, and a million small personal things to get taken care of. But I think it's nappy nap time.

Two quick links before I go:
1. Check out the investigative journalism done by the fine folks at My Pet Jawa regarding anti-Palin "viral" videos

2.wRitErsbLock went to see the Sarah Palin rally at the Villages, FL this weekend, check out her pictures.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:11 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 449 words, total size 3 kb.

It was a pleasure to have known you all.

You see, tonight, just before Midnight (PDT) the CERN laboratory in Switzerland is going to fire up its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for the very first time.  Some physicists argue that beam collision could be the very end of our existence...DON'T CROSS THE STREAMS, VENKMAN!!!!

But I don't see any stewardesses crying Caltech professors running around jumping out of airplanes and spending millions they don't have on fast cars and flashy bling, so I guess we're all gonna be fine.

So what is the LHC?  According to CERN (which stands for: The European Center for Nuclear Research, just in French):

The LHC is the world's most powerful particle accelerator, producing beams seven times more energetic than any previous machine, and around 30 times more intense when it reaches design performance, probably by 2010. Housed in a 27-kilometre tunnel, it relies on technologies that would not have been possible 30 years ago. The LHC is, in a sense, its own prototype.

Extensive studies have been performed to determine whether it's even SAFE to do these experiments, and hundreds of physicists agree that we won't vaporize the universe out of existence at 9:30am CEST (that's Central Europe Summer time).  You can see for yourself here.More on safety considerations here. (sorry, they won't let me embed the video)

If you're so inclined, you can watch the proceedings here, beginning at 8:30am CEST (10:30 PM Pacific)

And if you want to what on Earth they'd make such a thing for, try watching this:
 

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:31 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 300 words, total size 3 kb.

As I said previously, although I LURVE my Samsung Instinct, one of the biggest minuses is that it doesn't yet have instant messaging capability, except via the web, and that Google Talk didn't work at all.

Well, I just discovered that I was wrong. Instinct users who use Google Talk should go here: http://m.heysan.com/ from your phone, click GTalk, and login. It auto-refreshes, displays a custom status, and even uses smilies! Yeah, it's web-based, but I could care less! It looks like GTalk and works like GTalk.

WooHooooooo! i can haz google talk!

h/t icemanj5 posting on this forum

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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