So, I've been watching a lot of television since my most recent knee-related surgical intervention (the Demerol allows me the temporary delusion that I don't USUALLY watch several hours of television per night) , and since I watch almost nothing but cabl--specifically TNT, USA, Bravo, MSNBC and truTV--, I see a lot of second tier advertising, and the product of the moment seems to be Barack Obama plates and coins. Who, pray tell, is buying the multitudes of dollars, half dollars and other Liberian legal tender brandished with full color images of Barack Obama? I say multitudes, but that might be hyperbole on my part since the ever-so persuasive voiceover man assures me that there will only be "65 firing days before the molds are destroyed"--this has such an air of finality to it, don't you think? I suppose it's supposed to make me frantically pick up the phone and get my order in before the chance has passed...hold it. I just took a moment and did the math and the 65th day passed sometime around January 8 or 9...that makes the end of days for ordering seem that much nearer.

Sidenote: I'm not very good at exact numbers, which should demonstrate exactly why I suck ass in the math department, forgive me, Joy Parker, please, forgive me. It's not your fault. I blame Mr. Anthony and his constant threats about "building a barn" as he thwacked his paddle menacingly his hand that basically caused me to go into total mental shutdown when I walked into math class in 5th grade...and wtf did "building a barn" mean, exactly?

Anyway, middle school moment aside, what to do, what to do. I'm as big a fan of Obama as the next person...okay, not Kari because she harbors unclean thoughts about him, but the average fiscally conservative, socially liberal, almost-middle-aged, suburban America old, fat white chick, and for the life of me I can't figure out what the draw is. Not even the promise of receiving a signed Certificate of Authenticity AND an attractive bonus display stand can make me take the plunge and plunk down the $19.99 required to hang Obama on china on my dining room wall. This is me assuming, of course, that one displays decorative political dishware in one's dining room. And does the certificate ensure the plate will hold its resale value on the resale market? And is there a viable secondary market for Obamania plates and coins? I can't help but feel that I'm missing out on the present-day equivalent to the Apple IPO. Will I be kicking myself for not securing a piece of American history?

Sweet Jesus, hold the phone, I've found the motherlode! A website that sells both 'collectibles of the highest quality", the coin AND The Historic Victory Plate, which features

a priceless work of art featuring the triumphant President-Elect surrounded by the American flag and spectacular fireworks celebration.

Well, if the fireworks don't seal the deal for you, then you're just unAmerican (not a big threat for many of you since according to various folks on FOX, you're already unAmerican because you voted for Obama and against the constitution, the flag (pins and all) and Jesus). Keep in mind that "due to the unprecedented demand there is a strict limit of two per caller, so give your kids the CC# and a phone so they can get their orders in quick, too. Oh, damn, all sarcasm aside, I see that the website has the "As Seen on TV" logo and that gives me pause. While others may mock and jeer, I'm a longtime fan of the ASOTV products...old-time friends may remember the Pasta Pro Cooker that Five gave me when he was about 7 and, say what you want, the most ingenious personal grooming product of the 21st century, the Ped Egg, is a staple in the ASOTV catalog of fine products. Could the plate and coin REALLY be that bad after all? Perhaps they ARE truly a deal to be considered?......oh, wait...

This first collectors issue plate celebrates with the inscription "Change Has Come" scripted in 22K Gold text. The back displays the seal of the American Historic Society and documents the historic electoral and popular vote totals on election day.

And like that, the bloom is off the rose. Dear Mr. Marketing Director for the American historic Society, if you can't use apostrophes correctly? Don't expect me to take your investment advice seriously.

Labels: burning questions, linkage, politics, television

Once upon a time, I was a Republican. I admit this now to offer hope to those who have not yet seen the light. I was not just a little Republican, either. I was a vote-the-ticket, Democrats-are-evil, hate-everything-about-Bill-Clinton 100 percent GOP voter. I did this because I was raised in a Republican household and because I was really a one or two issue voter--lower my taxes and quit giving my money to lazy people who use food stamps and welfare. All of this changed when I became a fan of reality tv...Survivor to be specific. An odd leap, you say? Well, yes. Yes it was, but I can say with absolute confidence that what turned my thinking around was the thoughtful and persuasive writing of some really smart Survivor watchers.

Many of my bloggy friends know what OT is because they have hung out there too, but for those who don't, it's the Off Topic board on Reality TV World. Like most off topic forums, a little bit of everything gets discussed and on OT, politics is somewhat of a bloodsport. I went in a staunch Republican and came away a moderate Democrat thanks in no small part to reading the postings--civil and not--from landru, tech noir, mistofleas, buggy, dave, history detective, wheezy and countless others. I was able, for the first time in my adult life, to really look at things from a different perspective. Over the course of a year or so, I found myself changing sides and now consider myself a Democrat, albeit a moderate to conservative one when it comes to taxes and money.

All of that is background to explain this: Rush Limbaugh is a big fat obnoxious dummy. Bill O'Reilly makes me want to scream. Sean Hannity scares me. And my parents watch nothing but Fox news...blech. I've been really disgusted to see how the talking nimrods have reacted to Obama's first week in office. It saddens me to see that some adults simply can't put away the childish things and work together to achieve a common good. Shame on them. Shame, shame, shame.

Labels: politics, rant, serious

Sarah Palin is as dumb as a box of rocks. There's just no.nice.way. to frame her. from suggesting that Putin is going to attack us via Alaska or that seeing Russia is adequate foreign policy education to not knowing a SINGLE Supreme Court case by name--let alone one that she disagrees with while railing against legislating from the bench--she is just to fucking stupid for words.

I have lost faith in our system. That she could even be CONSIDERED for president is just mind-numbing.

Labels: politics, rant

Reasons I am no fan of Sarah Palin:

1. Her gratuitous use of her children when it suits her needs. When others try to hold her to some sort of consistent standard, she balks. Any mother who would put her children under the intense media spotlight knowing that it was going to be a messy, torrid affair is selfish and pathetic

2. Her total bullshit lies about everything from the bridge to nowhere to her lobbyist hired to suck at the teat of the DC Cash Cow full-time. She is the personification of Pork Barrel Spending and doesn't have the guts to admit it and move on.

3. She references her state's proximity to Russia as some sort of resume item. I don't give a rat's ass if you can see Putin himself out your igloo window, it doesn't equate experience in diplomacy.

4. She lied about going into Iraq and presented a gas-stop in Ireland as an actual visit to the country.

5. She left Wasilla in debt to the tune of 20 million, despite her own crowing about being a fiscal conservative. She was a terrible personnel manager by many accounts, too. Appointing ANYONE to a state-level position based on her childhood love of cows is a complete farce. Palin embodies everything about cronyism that is wrong with political posts.

6. Being mayor of a tiny-ass town or governor of a sparsely populated state with little interaction with other states in the US is technically 'executive' experience, but hell, GWB had far more executive experience than she has and his presidency has been a total clusterfuck.

7. Not knowing the exact nuances of the so-called Bush Doctrine is fine, but looking as if you've never heard of it or even bothered to study it a bit? Unacceptable. That would be like me running for a school board seat and not knowing what NCLB's basic tenets are. It's part of the damn job, moron.

8. Whining about the mean old press bullying you is not impressive. It is wimpy. Are you going to go hide in Mooseville when you don't want to deal with dudes at the G8? And even the mere appearance of believing the lipstick on a pig comment was directed to a description of her is dirty politicking and old-school DC antics that she is allegedly against--she's a complete hypocrite when she claims to be against the regular politics as usual.

9. I'm all for religion, but when you belong to a church that believes people speak in tongues or one that offers to cure gay people, I think your religion is up for scrutiny and it shows a great deal about one's thought process and level of intellect.

10. I do not respect her sarcastic, holier-than-thou digs made at Obama and Biden simply because she has earned exactly zero right to throw out commentary on anything until she is willing to speak to reporters or be interviewed on her own ideas.

11. She says she was a PTA mom like it is equivalent to a poli sci degree. Sorry, two frigging years in the backwoods PTA when her son was in elementary school is not the type of experience in consensus-building that 99.99999 percent of the the thinking world would imagine when asked to list relevant experience.

12. She named her children Track and Trig. I can overlook a lot of things, but saddling her child with the name Track is just unacceptable. Forever.

Sidenote: if you're bored, you might go check out
Your Palin Baby Name generator. My name is Steam Fangs Palin. Catchy, eh? Thanks to

Other issues:
Troopergate
Her husband's ties to AIP as well as her own participation in their activities
Her ties to Ted Stevens
Her flipping and flopping on everything so that she comes across as believing in nothing other than being a shrill harpy shrew with a terrible hairstyle and glasses that are supposed to make people take her more seriously. Perhaps if she said anything that was seriously intelligent, she might not have to resort to appearing as Miss Beadle's older sis on Little House on the Prarie.
I'm an education snob and six colleges in five years is not impressive to me in the least.

That's it for now--I'm going to go find something other than political news and blogs to read.

PS" Thanks to Sasha for sharing the name generator. Love it.

Labels: politics, stupid famous people