Snnnnnnnnlush! And Corn, and W&G ...
The first slush of the season has arrived. We knew it was coming, there's been a winter storm warning out for a few days already. Saturday was gorgeous, one of our usual unreal blue sky days, high of about 80, then yesterday it started to cloud over. It started to rain as we were driving over to the
Corn Maze, but that was OK since gloomy fall weather is what you SHOULD have when you're walking through dried up corn fields, right? Unfortunately, the lowest common denominator factored in and the Maze was closed down about 20 minutes after we went in - turns out that someone in the past has fallen in the mud and gotten hurt, so of course if there is any sign of slipperiness, everything must shut down. Stupid logic as I'm guessing that lots of unsafe activities have gone on in the maze - mostly after dark, if you catch my drift - but oh well. They were cool enough to give us our money back, so I was happy.
With some time on our hands, we decided to go check out Wallace & Gromit. At 95% on the Tomatometer, I figured it was a slam dunk. Plus, I didn't want to see Corpse Bride, after being underwhelmed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I wasn't about to get away from Helena Bonham Carter, though - she's in W&G too, doing the voice of Lady Tottington. Anyhoo, it occurred to me as we were walking into the theater that reviewers might favor W&G simply because it's supposed to be more intelligent, and that might mean that it's really just dull. The first half of the movie served well as proof of this theory, offering up only a few chuckles. After that, though, it tipped to the funny side and I woke up (literally - I leaned over on Bill's shoulders and closed my eyes a couple of times). There were quite a few roars of laughter from the adults during the second half of the movie, accompanied by looks of confusion from the kids who didn't know what had gotten into the parents. Bottom line - funny, but doesn't need a big screen, especially if you don't have kids.
So then about this snow. It's a messy sort of snow, not something that gives over to visions of sleigh bells and hot chocolate - more like dreams of car washes and mud room additions. One of our apple trees is now a goner, split down the middle from the weight of snow on branches that haven't lost their leaves yet, and our front yard tree (no idea what it is) will suffer some damage but will make it through. Most of the other trees in the cul de sac look like they got hit a lot harder than ours. Usually the snow would have stopped and even melted by now, but this front is stalled. There's none of our usual Rocky Mountain sun and dry air to suck it back up into the atmosphere until tomorrow, so the drive home will be a mess. Still, it's the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a kid, so it's not all bad, right?
Monday, October 10, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
Brain Freeze
This morning we got our first really cold night - cold being barely dipping below freezing - and it knocked me all out of whack. I didn't think to turn on the heater last night so when I got into the shower this morning, it was a brisk 58 degrees INSIDE. Uh, brr. Seriously need to work on insulating the house better. And then once out of the shower, I realized that this weekend will have to include a little clothes shopping, as I have no winter office wear, and my distraction with a lack of wardrobe caused me to completely forget to put on makeup. Not even a smidge, I am completely nature girl here today. I didn't notice until almost 11 and have basically stayed hidden since then. It's not that I'm hideous without makeup, it just implies a lack of care about my appearance that I don't want emphasized.
Definitely ready for the weekend.
This morning we got our first really cold night - cold being barely dipping below freezing - and it knocked me all out of whack. I didn't think to turn on the heater last night so when I got into the shower this morning, it was a brisk 58 degrees INSIDE. Uh, brr. Seriously need to work on insulating the house better. And then once out of the shower, I realized that this weekend will have to include a little clothes shopping, as I have no winter office wear, and my distraction with a lack of wardrobe caused me to completely forget to put on makeup. Not even a smidge, I am completely nature girl here today. I didn't notice until almost 11 and have basically stayed hidden since then. It's not that I'm hideous without makeup, it just implies a lack of care about my appearance that I don't want emphasized.
Definitely ready for the weekend.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Miers
It's hard not to be cynical when you're thinking about politicians, but the nomination of Harriet Miers is just so bizarre that you can't help it. Bush has always done exactly what he damn well pleases and as a lame duck, you'd think he'd throw that into high gear. Instead, he's nominated someone not nearly conservative enough for his hard right base, and unknown enough to at least concern and/or baffle his moderate base and the Democrats. He's once again being accused of cronyism - something that we know doesn't really bother him but now seems so aggressive that even his supporters think it's over the top.
I haven't read a ton of blogs or articles about her (yet) but a few things have jumped out so far - no comment on the already beat-to-death debates on the lack of judicial experience and materials that could be used to figure out who the heck this woman is and how she thinks.
1. Cheney headed up Bush's quest for a running mate and then became his running mate. Miers headed up his quest for a Justice and then got nominated. Surely this isn't the case - please let it not be the case - but it almost looks like the man just gets lazy and tired of the process. "Hell, you just go ahead and do it."
2. She's known Bush for 20 years - I wouldn't put it beyond Bush's ego to want a direct personal impact on the court after he's gone. Her devotion to him has been noted several times, and he certainly loves attention.
3. She could be a "win" for Bush whether she's confirmed or not. If she IS confirmed, I've no real doubt that she'll fall to the right. Certainly you wouldn't expect Bush to nominate otherwise. It seems unclear what she'd do with Roe v Wade challenges, but I think it would be unwise to focus on that issue. It's so EASY to focus on it, which is why I wonder if there isn't a longer end game with some other cases in mind down the road. But if she is NOT confirmed, it still might be a win. Bush will be able to say that he tried to nominate someone moderate so as to reach out across party lines, and darn those Democrats, they just wouldn't cooperate. They're obviously obstructionist. And as for the right that he's alienated with this nomination? Well, it may come to pass that there are several midterm candidates who will end up beholden to him for awakening the sentiment out there for the hard right (and maybe even some folks who are conservative but are losing faith in Bush) to keep control of Congress.
In general, I'm disappointed in the reaction and focus on the weakest chinks in her armor. There's more to this, and I'd like to see some experts dig deeper - I think I'm feeling all Pelican Brief-y here - into what is way out on the horizon and why she's Bush's choice.
It's hard not to be cynical when you're thinking about politicians, but the nomination of Harriet Miers is just so bizarre that you can't help it. Bush has always done exactly what he damn well pleases and as a lame duck, you'd think he'd throw that into high gear. Instead, he's nominated someone not nearly conservative enough for his hard right base, and unknown enough to at least concern and/or baffle his moderate base and the Democrats. He's once again being accused of cronyism - something that we know doesn't really bother him but now seems so aggressive that even his supporters think it's over the top.
I haven't read a ton of blogs or articles about her (yet) but a few things have jumped out so far - no comment on the already beat-to-death debates on the lack of judicial experience and materials that could be used to figure out who the heck this woman is and how she thinks.
1. Cheney headed up Bush's quest for a running mate and then became his running mate. Miers headed up his quest for a Justice and then got nominated. Surely this isn't the case - please let it not be the case - but it almost looks like the man just gets lazy and tired of the process. "Hell, you just go ahead and do it."
2. She's known Bush for 20 years - I wouldn't put it beyond Bush's ego to want a direct personal impact on the court after he's gone. Her devotion to him has been noted several times, and he certainly loves attention.
3. She could be a "win" for Bush whether she's confirmed or not. If she IS confirmed, I've no real doubt that she'll fall to the right. Certainly you wouldn't expect Bush to nominate otherwise. It seems unclear what she'd do with Roe v Wade challenges, but I think it would be unwise to focus on that issue. It's so EASY to focus on it, which is why I wonder if there isn't a longer end game with some other cases in mind down the road. But if she is NOT confirmed, it still might be a win. Bush will be able to say that he tried to nominate someone moderate so as to reach out across party lines, and darn those Democrats, they just wouldn't cooperate. They're obviously obstructionist. And as for the right that he's alienated with this nomination? Well, it may come to pass that there are several midterm candidates who will end up beholden to him for awakening the sentiment out there for the hard right (and maybe even some folks who are conservative but are losing faith in Bush) to keep control of Congress.
In general, I'm disappointed in the reaction and focus on the weakest chinks in her armor. There's more to this, and I'd like to see some experts dig deeper - I think I'm feeling all Pelican Brief-y here - into what is way out on the horizon and why she's Bush's choice.
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