Why, Exactly....

did I agree to teach a 3-day, 8-hour-per-day class, where I am on my feet for the whole time and talking, in a location almost an hour's drive away each way......over a weekend?

I can go on about keeping up to date on the material, doing a favor for my professional organization, collecting an extra honorarium, networking, and so forth.......but while sitting here after the first day, soaking my poor swollen feet and sucking on a cough drop to ease my air-dried throat, the answer "because I am a nitwit" is looking better and better.

I Think I'm in Love.....

and it's only been one night.

A Simmons Beautyrest Vanderbilt Exceptionale "Ashton" Extra Firm, to be precise.

California King, of course.

Live and Let Live

Does one ever get tired of the namecalling?

Such is the premise of a piece linked today by GayPatriotWest in which it is speculated that Andrew Sullivan's multi-year funny turn is a matter of avoiding social and entertainment isolation.

It is virtually impossible - in my experience with ex-friends who happen to be gay and live in D.C - to have any sort of social life, let alone a sex life, as a gay man within that community while espousing "conservative" - or indeed anything less than rabidly anti-Bush views. This is a sad commentary on that particular community, but a fact as far as I can see.

My own suspicion is that Andrew has sold his soul to the Devil - so to speak - in order to maintain both friends and sex partners he is unable or unwilling to let go.

Not a bad hypothesis, given that even Andrew himself, as GPW previously pointed out, has ranted about how he "actually risked something for my conservative ideals - friends and some colleagues, estrangement from the gay establishment, and even my job". And it's not as if there's a shortage of other examples.

But, when all this is considered, does it really matter?

I think not.

Whether Sullivan's change of heart is a matter of dedication to his core principles or of excoriation fatigue, I can certainly speculate and postulate upon, but when all is said and done, a Legilimens I am not; even with a study of what Sullivan has said, what I have are little better than guesses, and perhaps not even good ones. As with the practice of outing people, I send thoughts and rationales hurtling out into the mental cosmos like errant comets, but they invariably return into the same tight and regular orbit around a defining point: ultimately, my behavior is determined by my own priorities and decisions, and not those of others.

Given that, even if Sullivan is descending into the depths of Bush derangement syndrome for the sole purpose of scoring, that really is only his issue and his issue alone; I choose not to do so myself, and I see no reason to care what his reason is -- or to indulge in public speculation about it.

My First Holiday Wish

That a law be passed to do the following:

1. Outlaw the playing of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" in any form other than as part of a performance of The Nutcracker in its entirety, and especially for use in commercials for over-chromed and ugly gas-guzzling cars.
2. Provide penalties for violating the first of having over-ear headphones attached to an iPod stuck on "Repeat Track" of the same taped to one's head for no less than ninety days.
3. Establish leniency in sentencing for those who inflict damage and distress upon inanimate, soulless objects that perpetrate such criminal behavior, including radios, televisions, cell phones, and advertising executives.

Tomorrow's Menu

First

Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Spanakopita with fresh Tzatziki
Hummus with a selection of Vegetable Crudites
Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
Caviar and Water Crackers


Main

Roasted Garlic Stuffed Pork Loin with Prune and Apple Compote
Steamed Green Beans with Sauteed Onions and Portobello Cream Gravy
Fresh Kernel Sweet Corn with Sweet Bell Pepper


Final

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Whipped Garnish
Dreyer's Mocha Almond Fudge or Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Sharon's Raspberry Sorbet
Selection of San Francisco Origin Chocolates


Liquids

Ice-Congealed Ketel One Vodka
Hess Wineries Reserve Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Heineken
Miller Lite and Genuine Draft

Cranberry Juice

Selection of Hansen's Natural Diet Sodas
Gerolsteiner Sparkling Water
Hetch Hetchy Original (aka San Francisco Tap Water)


And mind you, this is for six freaking people.

I keep reminding myself that the cardinal sin in Judaism is letting people leave hungry.

This Is One of Those Things.....

that generates a lot more questions than it answers.

Headline of the Day

Just read.

But She Followed Me Home (In a Metaphysical Way)

I suspect this is some sort of fiendish plot by John of Caulk is Cheap to make us all kitteh freakz.

According to the official site, a Daemon is the manifestation of a person's soul, an animal spirit that reflects their character and nature and accompanies them all through life.

Which, in this case, will do wonders for both my husbear's allergies and the NDT Mascot's general sanity.

But, in all of this, let's not forget the real reason we should be seeing this movie.

(h/t QJ)

Who's With Stupid, II

And the hits just keep on coming from Obama and associates.

Obama also invoked his friend, billionaire Warren Buffett, who Obama said has expressed concern that he pays less in Social Security taxes than anyone else in his office.

"And he has said, and I think a lot of us who have been fortunate are willing to pay a little bit more to make sure that a senior citizen who is struggling to deal with rising property taxes or rising heating bills, that they've got the coverage that they need," Obama said.

Fine and dandy.

So why are you raising taxes on everyone else, instead of just giving them the money yourself?

Who's With Stupid?

It's the little things that continue to amuse me about Barack Obama.

Under the pension plan Obama spelled out this week, employers would be required to enroll workers in a direct deposit retirement account that invests a small percentage of each paycheck. Workers would have a choice of opting out or adding to the account. The account could be taken with the worker to a new job.

Incredibly innovative, yes......if we didn't already have 401(k) plans, SIMPLE plans, and IRAs that do the same thing. Indeed, you can set up IRAs that are direct-deposit from your paycheck without even having to have your employer sponsor it. Furthermore, as of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, employers are allowed to institute mandatory participation and contribute a fixed amount of each employee's paycheck to their 401(k), SIMPLE, or IRA plan.

It sort of begs the question: is Obama that clueless that he doesn't know these things are there......or does he think that voters are so dumb that they don't realize what he's proposing already exists?