dinsdag 31 augustus 2010

dinsdag 31 augustus 2010 Up at 3:50. Watch repeat of Countdown. It is not easy to find MSNBC. I wonder why. Switch to BBC America. Fall back to sleep while watching the news. Awake again at 7:31. Nice to sleep in. A little pasta with tomato salad for breakfast. Turn on CNN. I'm busy downloading Google Earth for mom and dad. Don't listen very much to the news... And then I start playing with Google Earth. I show mom this program, and she loves it. I tell her about Lisa's plan to take a trip up to Crocker Park. She wants me to find Leonard Maltin's 2011 Movie Guide for her.

In exchange, mom is going to do a load of laundry for me. Shower. Call Lisa to confirm our plans. Watch Stephanie Miller's appearance on Larry King Live last night. I envy Stephanie. She's quick, smart and articulate... Not like me. Check it out.

Lisa picks me up. She said that she read my e-mail about "Family & Politics" and liked the Larry King YouTube thing. She takes me up the scenic route along the Bradley Woods Reservation. We pose for some photos when we get to Crocker Park... which is a nice, big shopping center.


We have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - chicken salad sandwiches and mushroom soup. Wonderful. I take a sip of Lisa's mojito. MMMMMM. Good. Shop for mom's books. Over to the Apple store to check out the iPad. It's the first time that I tried to access the internet and type with it. I love it! I want one. We take I-480 back to Wellington. The heat drains us. It's 92° (while it's 58° and overcast in Seattle). Back at the house, I watch SyFy - Star Trek Enterprise: The Forge and Stargate Atlantis: The Siege. Dan has invited us to Fort's Olde Tavern for dinner this evening. My trip to Wellington wouldn't be complete without it. Dad, mom and Lisa order perch. Dan gets meatloaf and a bowl of chili for me. This is our table when we leave.

When we get home, I log-on to AirTran to check-in, pick my seats and print out my boarding passes. Turn on BBC America to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation - Future Imperfect. Interesting episode. It seems that Riker has lost his memory, but, in fact, a poor lonely alien needs his company. Chris Demetral - a promising young actor - plays (son) Jean-Luc and Ethan.

Ethan confesses that he had created the simulations, using sophisticated scanners to read Riker's mind and create the "reality" he experienced. Ethan's planet had been attacked and his people killed; his mother had hidden him in the cavern for his own safety, with all the simulation equipment, before she herself died; and Ethan, all alone, had been yearning for companionship. Riker realizes the peaceable intentions of Ethan, who reveals his true form as an insectoid alien named Barash, and offers him refuge on the Enterprise. Barash accepts, and the two friends beam onto the ship. Switch to Comedy Central to start a South Park marathon. First - Preschool. Poor pre-school teacher... Miss Claridge is burned so badly that she is forever confined to a sort of iron lung / motorized wheelchair, resembling Captain Pike in the Star Trek episode "The Menagerie". She can only communicate by using an electronic beep: once for "yes", twice for "no". That's funny. I'm getting tired. I conk out after A Million Little Fibers.

maandag 30 augustus 2010

maandag 30 augustus 2010 After the news, I turn on HBO to watch True Blood - Fresh Blood. I fall asleep with the TV on. In the middle of the night, I wake up to go pee. Switch to TBS to watch Austin Powers: Goldmember. Watch for a few minutes and fall back to sleep again. With the TV still playing TBS, I wake up again to the first episode of Saved By The Bell- King Of The Hill. I move over to the computer. Check Zap2It... Report - Emmy's 2010: Best & The Worst. I turn on France 24 and make some coffee. A little pasta salad for breakfast. Shower. Turn on Showtime Extreme to watch In God's Hands. It's about three surfer dudes who travel to Madagascar, Mexico, Bali and Hawai'i seeking the ultimate wave. I like Shane Dorian.

Lisa drops by at 11 to drive mom and me to visit Nana at Kendal. The drive takes less than 20 minutes. There's Nana. She tries so hard to stand up to hug me, but I pick her up to help her. I try to get a photo of us as soon as I can. I think that it turned out well. Nice smile, Nana.

We chat with Nana about our lives. She says that a gay couple who live in a cottage visit her from time to time. "They have so much love," she exclaims. Most of our conversation takes place in the present - What we ate for dinner, how the baby is, questions about what I cook at home, etc. But we eventually take trips down Memory Lane. She lasts for a good 2 hours, but I think that she's trying to keep herself awake for us. She needs to rest so we leave. We pick up some grub at the McDonald's in Wellington to eat at the house. I get the Southwest salad with crispy chicken. It's surprising good. Lisa hangs out with us a little while. I show her the photos that I've taken so far.

The thermometer says 92° outside. It's warm in the Florida Room, too.

Settle down to watch SyFy. Watch Doctor Who - Silence In The Library. Later, I watch Grease with John Travolta.

Dad makes scrambled eggs and mom makes toast and bacon for our dinner. As soon as I go into the Florida Room to watch a movie, mom turns on Bill O'Reilly in the kitchen. I wonder why. I found a great movie - Yes Man. I laugh my head off. My favorite scene is when Jim Carrey Sings Jumper!!! I"m having a hard time placing the character Allison, though. Oh, yes. She is actress Zooey Deschanel who plays Trillian in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Watch movie - Up. I conk out soon after the makeshift airship, using thousands of helium balloons, lands near a large ravine facing Paradise Falls.

zondag 29 augustus 2010

zondag 29 augustus 2010 Fall asleep while watching SNL News last night. Dad is still awake playing solitaire on the computer. Click, click, click. The clicking of the mouse wakes me up again. Search the TV guide for a funny movie. Found one - American Pie 2 on Encore. Dad goes to bed. I stay and watch. I get through 30 minutes of this silly movie before I go to sleep. Wake up to the light of a new day with Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo doing a bump-and-grind strip-tease on the TV. Today, my brother and his family come to visit. Wheeeeee!

I need coffee. Mom is up early. She wants to get ready for the Family Re-union. I fend for myself for breakfast - a little bowl of baked beans and macaroni salad. Watch a silly movie - Kung Poa! Enter The Fist. I need some fresh air, so I walk to downtown Wellington. Hi, there!

At 82°and high humidity, it feels like a sauna out there. I'm sweaty. I'm glad that my folks have air-conditioning. I plop myself in front of the fan. Dan and Lisa pop over, and The Millers from Eastlake arrive soon after. Here's our gathering.


My nephew, Alex, and my neice, Rachel, go to Willougby. "Willoughby. A stop at Willoughby." I remind the guys about the episode from the 1959 Twilight Zone - A Stop At Willoughby.


We chat about school, the future, recent trips, the wedding, food, Tinsel Talk, etc. I feel that I have well caught up with the family. Jayne makes lasagna. Very yummy! Lisa makes fruit salad. Mom makes tossed salad. We're celebrating a few birthdays including mine and Alex's.

It's funny, but we get distracted by the TV. It's the US Amateur Golf Championship at Chambers Bay in Tacoma, WA. Teachers and students have school tomorrow, so The Millers head home early. A long round of hugs when they go. I turn on the TV to watch Disaster Movie. Synopsis: Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events. It's supposed to be a spoof of disaster movies, but they work How does Juno, Iron Man, Batman, The Hulk, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Amy Winehouse and Hancock into it. Crazy! At least, Matt Lanter is in it. Switch to the 62nd Emmy Awards. I like how they include members of Glee, Tina Fey and others with Jimmy Fallon into the Opening Number... Then Jimmy becomes Bruce Springsteen!

'Mad Men' and 'Modern Family' Take Top Awards. Mom and dad obstain from the festivities of the Emmy's. I wonder why. They watch football in the living room. After the Emmy's, I stay tuned for WKYC News. Conk out soon after. Night, night.

zaterdag 28 augustus 2010

zaterdag 28 augustus 2010 Flying across the country all night long. My flight touches down in Milwaukee. Slowly but surely, the sun rises. I like General Mitchell International Airport. Lots of people-watching.

I'm hungry. Chili's is open at 5:30 to serve breakfast. The service is fast and friendly.

Next leg of my trip -- from Milwaukee to Akron-Canton Airport. We leave 5 minutes early and arrive 15 minutes early. Dan drives me to Wellington, Ohio. Hi mom. Hi dad. Hugs.
I'm all over Ohio today. I am ambitious! Fighting jet lag, I say, "Lets drive down to Delaware to see my new nephew, Ashton." I take a weird nap in the back seat of my sister's PT Cruiser. Look at that handsome young man. He's also in perpetual motion hopping, grabbing, scootching.

Crabby? I don't think so.

Their dog - Winnie - gives me a kiss... Lot of kisses.

Ashton seems to like the new books that I sent him. Amazon delivered them today. That was quick. Thank you, Amazon!

Drive back up to Wellington. Wow! The town is hopping. It's the Lorain County Fair.

It has the city all clogged up with traffic. We take the back streets to get home. No time for the 2nd biggest fair in Ohio. We settle down for dinner. WE chat about this and that. Humdrum stuff. The folks are watching football. I take a shower. Boy, does that feel good. Watch True Blood - I Smell A Rat. Watch sone WKYC News... then Saturday Night Live with Taylor Swift. conk out on the couch.

vrijdag 27 augustus 2010

vrijdag 27 augustus 2010 Up at 2:05 am. I think that I can go on-line now and get my boarding pass for my trip. It's easy. Thank you, Air Trans. Turn on France 24. Report - French Socialists Gather Amid New Sense Of Optimism. How the pendulum turns. Dominique Strauss-Kahn would take 59% of the vote, according to a poll. I fall back to sleep and have dreams with people speaking in English with a French accent. Up again with the alarm. Jimmy Dean breakfast entrée. It's ok.

Turn on Stephanie Miller. Associate Producer Rebekah's motion picture acting debut? Here it is, Secrets In The Attic - The Dollhouse Murders.

Check out this free video from Discovery.com.

The Dollhouse Murders: Video Book Report Wow!

Up to Kaladi for some of Luka's luscious coffee. Take it back to my place. Shower. Today, I play with Google Maps to explore Chelsea - Manhattan.

View Larger Map
Streetcar to work. 10 to 11:30 - Kitchen help. Tanja is taking over for Tracy. She's sick. So, I help with the snack and the dishes. I have some time to set up lunches for Dolphins. 11:30 to 12:30 - Jessica's lunch. Luke N. can't stay awake for lunch. He conks out on the futon. Elaine is O/C about doing the diapers. The kids sit at the table while I read some books. They're tired, but they listen anyway. I eat my lunch with the Dolphins. "Couscous! MMMMMM." 12:30 - A little break for myself. Then I fold some laundry. 1 - Elaine's lunch. The Dolphins sleep. Luke wakes up coughing and crying, but Jessica gets him back to sleep. There is a lot of coughing in the room. Emma wakes up, too. The rest sleep. 2 - Patty's lunch. The 7 Seahorses sleep well. Evanan wakes up. He looks at the Road & Track magazine with Charmaine. I hear him saying, "Ferrari GTO!" His eyes are intense with interest for the red sports car.

I walk off without my camera bag. I'm half-way home when I go DOH! I go back to get it. Streetcar to d'town. Drop off stuff. Turn on MSNBC then I switch to France 24. I hope that they can rescue the miners trapped in the mine in Chile. Report - Video Message From Chilean Miners.

Shower. Clean the apartment a little. Pack my bag. Get ready to go to Ohio.

donderdag 26 augustus 2010

donderdag 26 augustus 2010 Up at 3:15. Turn on France 24. France seems determined to re-make Les Bleus. Report - France's New Coach - Laurent Blanc - Names Squad For Euro 2012 Qualifiers. The French are desperate to move on from the World Cup fiasco. I just rest in bed listening to the news and weather. Hot Pocket for breakfast. Turn on Stephanie Miller. They talk about the not-very-funny conservative comedian Steven Chowder. Here's a sample. What a jerk.

Of course, the big news is... Ken Mehlman, President Bush’s campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay and now wants to be an advocate for gay marriage. There are a few nasty comments on the live blog about him. Good luck out there, Ken. Play with Google Earth to explore Ken Mehlman's new neighborhood in Chelsea. (They included this fact in the news for some reason.) Walk up Westlake to work. 10 to 11:30 - Planning time for Patty. Charmaine is out, and Michelle is subbing for her. We take the 7 Seahorses out to the playground. The kids prefer the Big Playground, so they're a little hesitant. Sorry, kids. No choice. It is rather chilly for me. The kids are wearing jackets but not me. We spend a lot of time watching trucks and cars coming out of Shurgard. We clap when the gate comes down. 11:30 to 12 - Lunch prep for Starfish and Seahorses. 12 - Renee's lunch. I eat my lunch with the 7 Starfish. Stella want to finish first. Velvet lingers. I help Stanley go to sleep. Cristin handles Piper with no problem. 1 - Cristin's lunch. Velvet doesn't want to sleep. She talks to herself in Mandarin. The rest sleep except her. Her talking wakes up her classmates very early. 2 - Escape to Seahorses where they are all peacefully sleeping. Alice stirs with the noise next door, but I got her back to sleep. Alex wakes up first. Patty and I browse car magazines together. Walk up to Capitol Hill to shop at the B'way QFC. Walk back to my place. Check e-mail. E-mail from some flounder? Yes! Steph is on The Ed Show to talk about Ken Mehlman. Wow! Fantastic job, Steph! Report - Ex-GOP Chair Comes Out Of The Closet.

Cenk Uygur interviews Stephanie on The Ed Show.

Switch to BBC News. It's the One Planet programme. Report - Hydrogen For Transport. Yhey explore the idea if hydrogen can ever realistically replace oil as the fuel for mass transport. It sounds like researchers in the United Kingdom and Germany have made a lot of progress with this technology. Banquet spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Turn on MSNBC for Hardball, Countdown and Maddow. Watch Star Trek The Next Generation - 11001001.

Quote of the day: Will the last gay Republican who leaves the party, please turn off the lights. --Randi Rhodes.

woensdag 25 augustus 2010

woensdag 25 augustus 2010 Up at 4:56. Lay in bed for a while. Turn on KPTK. Stephanie Miller has turned on her tractor beam to get Hal Sparks. They talk about Beckapaloosa - Glenn Beck's 'I Have A Dream' Rally. Oh! Hal Sparks has 666 viewers on UStream. Breakfast burrito. Walk up to Kaladi for some of Luka's lovely coffee. Walk around First Hill. Gonna be a sparkling day. Sparkling!

Back to my place. Turn on France 24. Sarkozy is speaking to the French ambassadors... live!

Switch back to the UStream. Steph and Hal are Walking On Sunshine.

I guess that Rev. Al Sharpton is organizing a rally of his own - Reclaim The Dream.

Streetcar to work. The streetcar is practically full. 10 to 11:30 - Planning time for Renee. Margot is subbing for Cristin. The 6 Starfish trot out to the playground. Austin and Piper hang out in the sandbox with me. We take a re-hydration break and get out the bubbles. Beck likes my song: If You're Happy And You Know It, Say It's Mine! He shouts out, "IT'S MINE!" And we laugh together. I wish that I had my camera for this. We really crack each other up. 11:30 - Inside we go for lunch. I set up lunches while Renee sets up an activity. 12 - Renee gets a lunch break. Austin doesn't want to eat. He's done in 5 minutes and he goes lay on his mat. The rest of the kids keep munching. Margot and I admire their works of art. Naps are easy, but Piper struggles. 1 - Margot's lunch. The kids keep sleeping, but Stanley is coughing a lot... pretty hard. Velvet wakes up scared and crying. The other Starfish wake up, too. 2 - Michelle is subbing for Charmaine. It's quiet in the Seahorse classroom. They sleep. Patty asks me if I filled out the survey. I tell her, "I can't." This is why:

Something about the survey... I didn't expect to react this way while looking through it, but the survey reminded me that I'm one paycheck away from homelessness. I've lived with this precarious situation for 29 years... just because I devoted myself to a career in child care.

As our friend Paul Figueroa would say, "Think 'big picture'."

Well, I put this subject as far away in the back of my brain as possible to protect my sanity. The survey - with questions about stress, professional development, financial priorities about our benefits, etc. - reminded me about my personal priorities. First priority - SURVIVAL. This is probably the most stressful factor of my life - an impending economic crisis. So, I put down the survey and walked away from it.

So, there. Walk home. Turn on KOMO News. The news is just there. Just listen to the weather report... barely. Walk up to M Street to get a few things. Back at my place to watch Star Trek TNG - The Game. Oh, Robin Lefler! Don't remind me...

Make some couscous for dinner along with some chicken salad. Watch some Rachel Maddow. Then Outer Limits - The Children Of Spider County.

The classic bug-eyed monster is disintegrating people. Gotta love it! Closing narration: "The wealth of a nation, of a world, consists in the number of superior men that it harbors, and often it seems that these men are too different, too dreaming. And often, because they are driven by powers and dreams strange to us, they are driven away by us. But are they really so different? Are they not, after all, held by the same things that hold us-by strong love, and soft hands?"

dinsdag 24 augustus 2010

dinsdag 24 augustus 2010 Up at 4:00. Turn on KUOW for BBC News. I enjoy the story for the Witness show. Report - Witness, Woodstock. Bell-bottoms!

If any one event is associated with the counter-culture movement of the 1960s, it is the Woodstock Festival. They say that if you were really there, you cannot remember, but Witness has managed to track down one Woodstock "survivor", Patrick Colucci. Before Woodstock, Patrick was training to be a priest, but then the festival opened his eyes to other ways of living. PATRICK COLUCCI MARRIED MARIA AFTER THEIR FIRST ENCOUNTER AT WOODSTOCK.

Coconut rice and Tandoori chicken for breakfast. Switch to Stephanie Miller. They talk about some health care issues, and a live-bloggers notifies us about a demonstration in Seattle. How did I miss this? State Insurance Commissioners and 1400 Corporate lobbyists meet in Seattle to discuss health care legislation. Single Payer activists ask "Commissioners, Which Side are You On?" Yeah! KPTK has a PSA for MEDICARE FOR ALL! Thank you!

Shower. Streetcar to work. A break for Margot, then I cover for Jessica's meeting with Michelle. 11 - Jessica's lunch. First, the 7 Dolphins play on the deck, then we take to the playground. Some of these kids are too young to hold for so long. They fall to pieces while Elaine does diapers and I set up lunches. Whew! This is an intense group. It's a full moon... and it follows me...

to the Sea Otters for Anne's lunch break at 12. Anne says, "Good luck," as she leaves. Oh, boy. Odin never goes to sleep. 1 - Michelle is subbing for Charmaine. I give her a lunch break. At least, the 7 Seahorses go easily to sleep. 2 - Patty's lunch. The Seahorses sleep. Evanan wakes up early, but he just wants to lay on his mat. Alex and Paxton wake up later. Streetcar to d'town. Bus up to Capitol Hill. Walk over to Elliott Bay Books to find Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy

and Good Night Seattle.

I want to give them to my grand' nephew. No luck at Elliott Bay Books. I can't find help either. I leave the store rather discouraged. Walk back down to my place. I order the books through Amazon and send them to Delaware, Ohio. Yay! I did it! Listen to podcast of The World. I enjoy the story about the Bulgarians hooked on Turkish soaps. Switch to Randi Rhodes. She's on fire! Randi: Good news for xenophobes who would like to get out more—a tea party blogger has put together a handy guide to Washington, DC for visitors who are coming for Glenn Beck’s rally this weekend. Burrito for dinner. Watch some Comedy Central. To bed.

maandag 23 augustus 2010

maandag 23 augustus 2010 Up around Midnight. Pop in a movie - Monty Python And The Holy Grail. I fall back to sleep soon after the Bring Out Your Dead, I'm Not Dead Yet scene. "I feel happy!"

Up before alarm. Turn on France 24. Live reporting of a hostage crisis in Manila. Report - Eight Hostages Reported Dead In Manila Bus Siege. Scrambled eggs and curried rice for breakfast. Switch to Stephanie Miller. An extra-crispy bucket of Christian calls into the show. Everyone on the live blog is saying Whoa! I feel my blood pressure going up. Excuse me? Apparently being a Christian is all about gay bashing. Abomination, really? Where does this woman come off? Yep. The Live Blog explodes... So many comments, too little time. Shower. Walk up to Kaladi for some of Lauren's lovely coffee. Walk around First Hill, then back to my place. Play with Google Earth to explore La Rambla - Barcelona. What a wonderful place. Walk through Rainier Square then over to Westlake to catch the streetcar to work. 10 to 11 - Planning time for Elaine. The teachers are arranging a walk with the strollers for the 6 Dolphins. Charity covers for Jessica. We walk along the lake for 30 minutes. Then we let them loose on the playground. 11 - Charmaine's lunch. Patty is out today, but Michelle subs for her. We get the chance to hang out with the Rainforest Kids on their playground. Thank you, Rainforest for sharing with us. We head inside for lunch time. Maya decides to have a spontaneous potty time. She takes her own diaper off and sits on the potty. This is going to delay lunch prep... No worries. Charmaine is back and I head upstairs to the Moons & Stars. I eat my lunch with them. I sit with Aki, Rowan and Emily at their table. Easy-going hour. 1 - Cristin's lunch. Eight Starfish sleep. Margot is subbing for Renee. Austin is the first to sleep and the first awake. 2 - Margot's lunch. When the Starfish wake up, they want to make noise. Toby can climb up the furniture to turn the light on-and-off. Whoa, Toby. Run to catch the streetcar. D'town at 3:12. Nice timing. Get my Monday Mondo Burrito. Up to my place. Load of laundry. Listen to All Things Considered on the radio during the Drying Cycle. I like this report - Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' Of Social Brains. An autistic college student has an interesting point of view with the social behavior of people she calls "neurotypicals." Daxer records her observations about neurotypicals in a blog called Reports From a Resident Alien. It's a really interesting story. Oh... I do some laundry. I hear the people are stealing laundry, so I hang out during the drying cycle. It's ok. Use only 24 minutes to dry my shirts and pants. Turn on Rachel Maddow. SCARING WHITE PEOPLE STORIES by Rachel Maddow. Rice and chicken for dinner. Watch a little My Fair Lady before I conk out.

zondag 22 augustus 2010

zondag 22 augustus 2010 Up 6:18. Just rest in bed. Eventually, I turn on France 24. A couple reports of interest - Ahmadinejad Unveils Iran's First Unmanned 'Bomber Jet' and Australian Leaders Woo Independents As Hung Parliament Looms. The Australians had a close race. Curried scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Watch Sliders - As Time Goes By. Our guys slide into 3 different worlds with the same characters in each different scenario. They jump into Nueva España, Lions' World and Reverse World. Quinn's old girlfriend - Daelin - appears in each world. Quinn tries to convince her to slide with him.

I almost believe that this guy is 90210 star Luke Perry. But it's actor Matthew Flint who plays the character Dennis McMillan.

Shower. Look through some of my old photos. Walk up to Whole Foods to get some things. Drop off stuff at my place. Turn on A Prairie Home Companion to hear again their Seattle Show. I hear Guy Noir say: There just is a spirit in Seattle that makes you think the secret of happiness is precipitation. I write a letter to Nana. Lisa calls me as I close the envelope. We chat about 10 minutes. Walk down to the Post Office to mail my letter. Leisurely walk back to my place. Rap up with PHC. Watch Sliders - Invasion. Wade... The Kromaggs... They're Sliders.


After accidentally shooting down a spacecraft, the Sliders are pursued between worlds by the eye-eating Kromaggs. They eat human eyes as a delicacy... and we see that Prisoner / Conrad Bennish Jr. had his eyes eaten. Ew! Next - The Greatest American Hero: Hog Wild.

A crazy motorcycle gang discovers how Ralph's suit works, and they want it for themselves. Of course, it doesn't work for them. They need the suit to attack the peaceful town of Tecolote. (Tecolote is Nahuatl (Aztec Indian) for owl.)

Coconut rice and Tandoori chicken for dinner. Watch movie - History Of The World, Part 1. Empress Nympho is one of my favorite characters played by Madeline Kahn.

zaterdag 21 augustus 2010

zaterdag 21 augustus 2010 Up at 5:55. Connect with KEXP.org. Something catches my eye - The cover of Icarus Himself, Mexico. Really interesting style. "Sounds of folk, disguised as electro-pop, disguised as psych rock, disguised as indie rock propel the release into a strength that's never foreboding..." I love Digging Holes.

But I need to make way for Alternative Radio. They devote the whole month to Howard Zinn. Today - Artists In A Time Of War. To my surprise, I doze back to sleep again. Just a short nap. I'm awake in time for Counterspin. It seems that the media goes a little Orwellian especially about the Iraq War. War is Peace. Up is Down. Oy! Report - What Do War Critics Think? Ask One. Garlic and cream cheese omelet with toast for breakfast. Ride my bike along South Lake Union.

I admire the cute little houseboats along the lake.

My objective - Gasworks Park.

I continue up the Burke-Gilman trail to the UW Farm. Sun flowers and tomatoes are growing. Most of the tomatoes are green.

What time is it? The sundial can't tell me because it's too cloudy.

Back to my place by the same way. But where did the geese go? Turn on France 24. It's THE WORLD THIS WEEK. Of course, they have short discussion of the floods in Pakistan. Twenty million people displaced.

But then... They have a good argument about the pullout of the combat troops from Iraq. Finally, someone tells it like it is. We were pushed into this war on the basis of lies and no one--not George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld--has been held accountable. The "think tanks," journalists and pundits who perpetuated the lies have not been fired. Most of them can be found today cheerleading for the war in Afghanistan. In Iraq, there are terrible shortages of everything--electricity, food, water, medicines, even gasoline. Most of the educated people have fled the country, and those who remain look back longingly to the days of Saddam Hussein. The Iraq war has left a terrible toll on our troops. Over 4,400 have been killed and tens of thousands severely injured. There will still be 50,000 troops left behind, some 75,000 private contractors, five huge "enduring bases" and an embassy the size of Vatican City. Yes, France 24! Merci beaucoup pour la verité. Listen to Rick Steves' program on the radio. This week, with the help of two expert guides to Spain, they explore trendy Barcelona. A caller from Worthington, Ohio talks about his experience of visiting the Black Madonna of Montserrat. Riding up the mountain in a cable car.

Spain has the newest high-speed trains. The official opening of the high-speed line between Barcelona and Madrid took place 20 February 2008. The journey between Barcelona and Madrid now takes about 2 and a half hours. Then, Rick chats with Angela K. Nickerson about her book - A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome. She seems to be quite passionate about the subject. I didn't know that the Pietà was his first work. He was only 24. Amazing.

Watch some Rachel Maddow. She talks about life in Iraq - life on the street, corruption, private contractors, safety, etc. Report - Even The Cold Water Can Burn You. Hash browns and chicken for dinner. Watch movie - Spider-Man 3.

vrijdag 20 augustus 2010

vrijdag 20 augustus 2010 Toss and turn. Weird dream about motivational speaker Paul. He's working with the Wildflowers, and one of the girls throws up on his hands. Paul asks me, "Where are the magical papers?" I ask him, "Do you mean paper towels? Wet wipes?" Greek omelet and hash browns for breakfast. Turn on Stephanie Miller. She reads some hate letters about her coming-out. Rush Limbaugh said something weird: "There might be reasons why some people think" Obama is a Muslim. Lots of people call in to criticize Rush. Up to Kaladi to get a cup of Jeremiah's delicious coffee. Walk around First Hill. I love the smell of the marine air. Back to my place. Shower. Switch to France 24. Oh! Hi, there. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is live. Report - Israelis And Palestinians To Resume Peace Talks.

Walk up Westlake to work listening to Weekday on my radio. Topic - Shades Of Green: A Listener's Forum. Callers tell us their stories of guilt about not being ecologically correct. One caller - so smart - says we have the solutions, we just need to employ them... "We're like a dog chasing its own tale." 10 to 12 - Planning time for Jessica. Starr and Michelle covers for Elaine. We gt set for a walk along the lake with the 5 Dolphins in strollers. We see a mommy heron at South Lake Union with her babies. From the strollers, we head into the playground with the Sea Otters and Starfish. At 11:30, he go inside. Gregory wants wants to wrestle with his classmates. Michelle does the diapers while I set up lunches. Relief for all when they all sit down for lunch. 12 - Renee's lunch. Some Starfish go down for naps. Some eat lunch with me. One-by-one, they all go to sleep. 1 - Cristin's lunch. The Starfish keep sleeping. 2 - Patty's lunch. The 7 Seahorses sleep. They stir a little when the Starfish wake up and make their little noises. Walk up 8th Ave. to my place while listening to The World. They talk about the Happy Country Of Israel. Pic of a beautiful Tel Aviv beach. Let's go to the La La Land bar.

They refer to Newsweek's interactive map: The world’s best countries. It's fun to play with it.

Watch KOMO News. Watch Sliders - The Good, The Bad And The Wealthy. Welcome to San Francisco, Texas. Quinn must show Priscilla's son Jamie that violence is not the answer, especially as he has no chance at winning a showdown with Drexel's newest attorney, one Billy "the Kid" Gates.

Move on to MSNBC. Countdown with Keith Olbermann's has the Worse, Worser, Worst. Funny. Chicken and rice for dinner. Watch movie - Leather Jacket Love Story. Our Poet/Hero - Kyle is distracted by Leather/Roofer hunk - Mike.