Election Day

I just got back from voting @ Adams Elementary School which is @ the end of my street. Solstice & Aiden came w/ me, & we had a great time. I love bringing them w/ me so as to get them used to the process so by the time they're 18 it will be 2nd nature & they'll look forward to it. I remember registering to vote on my 18th b-day back in the summer of 1992. I was so excited that after years of following politics, I'd finally get to participate in the democratic process. I may be a nerd, but I'm a nerd for the left. This morning, there was absolutely no line which kind of freaked me out ("Where is everybody?" I asked myself, "Is on one getting out to vote?"), but they said there'd been a huge line earlier between 7:00 & 8:30... we got there about 9:00. Overall, the process went smoothly w/ no hanging chads & the volunteers were friendly as usual. We were even able to document the entire process w/ the trusty old camera. As you can see, we had a beautiful morning for an election. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a General Election Day as nice as this one. As for my fashion choice, I went w/ the new tweed slacks, a white shirt, & a McPherson Hunting tie. The entire ensemble has now been brought together nicely w/ my "I Voted" sticker. For this evening, we've gotten a bottle of Cider, a couple cans of Guinness, some nice Triple Cream Brie and some fig spread to top off the cheese. My friend from Plum is going to be @ Aubree's for an election night party so I might go up there for a bit too... & I imagine there'll be something happening @ the Corner Brewery too.
Obama/Biden Home Page
Statewide Ballot Proposals
NPR Election Map
Election Results from CBS
BBC Election Night Guide Before we went in
Aiden in the midst of the signage
Getting my Ballot
W/ Solstice
W/ Aiden

Holiday Post # 6: Weekend Stuff

Halloween Wrap Up
On All Hallows' Eve, which doubles as Stacey's b-day, we went to her for dinner and trick-or-treating. Everyone had a great time wandering the old 'hood after a nice pot-luck dinner. Once the kids were done going door-to-door, we went back & they all sat around the living room trading candy & watching Young Frankenstein while the adults were in the other room checking out a sweet sweet puzzle that Stacey is giving to Evan for X-Mas. Shockingly, no one threw up or received any candy w/ razor blades so it went pretty smoothly over all.

The Kramer
The following night, Elizabeth & Dan had a costume party. Solstice spent the night @ her friend's so it was just the 4 of us. Aiden in his Mutt Jones outfit, Isaiah as a pumpkin, Stephanie as Ma Ingles, & me as Cosmo Kramer. The problem w/ the costume was 2-fold. First off, other than the shorn face, no one thought I looked any different than I usually do. (Except for some guy @ Burger King who thought I was dressed as an English professor... that was pretty funny). Secondly, I hate not having a beard. As it turns out, I should have gone as Kramer w/ a beard. If you feel the need to see me w/o a beard, you'll have to check out the soccer photos because no Kramer pic exists. Dan's friend Jeff /w IsaiahLast Night
The Dark Green team had its final game of the season, beating the Blue team 9-1. Usually, a scoreline that big isn't a very fun game, but this team beat us 7-2 earlier this fall & they've been total assholes, so it was nice to teach them a lesson. They were trying to start fights & a couple refused to shake hands... it was fantastic. When the game started, the other team only had 5 people , but rather than taking some of ours, they thought they could take us 5 v 11... after our 3rd goal, they admitted it was ridiculous. It was a stupid, cocky thing to try though, none-the-less. Your friendly neighborhood blogger got 2 goals & 2 assists (all after they borrowed some people & were @ full strength). The 1st was mainly due to strong play down the right wing by Roger who crossed it to me behind the goalie so all I had to do was tap it in. The 2nd, however, was pretty sweet. I beat a defender about 16 yards out before turning & sending a rocket of a shot into the left corner. These were my only goals of the season, & just as Elizabeth was destined to score last week, I vowed to score this week. I also vowed to nutmeg someone & make a nice backheal. No one was nutmegged, but my backheal was an assist to Juan... beautiful futball! We finished the season 7-1 which meant we were on the top of the league table, a 1st in a few years. Afterwards, we had our little pizza & beer time @ The Crow's Nest in Canton... pics (including ones of me w/o a beard) are up on the team blog.

Halloween Post #5: His Hair was Perfect

I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking thru the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Gonna get himself a big dish of beef chow mein
A-hooo, the werewolves of London, A-hooo

If you hear his howling around the kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated last night
Werewolves of London again
A-hooo, werewolves of London, a-hooo

He's the hairy-handed gent
Who ran amuck in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him,
He'll rip your lungs out Jim
But hey, I'd like to meet his tailor
A-hooooo, werewolves of London, a-hooo

Well, I saw Lon Cheney walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Cheney Jr. walking with the Queen
I saw a werewolf dringing a pina colada at Trader Vic's
His hair was perfect Stephaine's Obama Pumpkin My Owl Pumpkin

Halloween Post #4: The Halloween that Almost Wasn't

Before watching Mad Monster Party last week, I thought it was going to be this special instead, but the fact that i got the stop-motion thing was pretty cool too. However, this one has something extra-special... something even better than Phyllis Diller: Judd Hirsch as Dracula & Mariette Hartley as some sort of witch. It must be said that her role in the Star Trek episode, "All Our Yesterdays" was even cooler than this, but I now give you The Halloween that Almost Wasn't aka The Night Dracula Saved the World. Much like Mad Monster Party, we have a collection of horror movie baddies but this time it's Dracula who organizes it in an attempt to make them realize that by 1979 they'd become comic buffoons rather than the scary monsters of their glorious past. His plan is to save Halloween by convincing them that the schlocky depictions they'd been dealt over the last 20 years needed to change if Halloween was to remain a viable holiday... or something like that.

Final Thoughts on the Kids' Soccer Season (Mainly for Jean)

Solstice & Aiden wrapped up their fall seasons the way they began them: Solstice's team went an undefeated 6-0 & Aiden's team failed to win any, ending 0-6. Solstice's team won by 6 or 7 goals every week & Aiden's team lost by the same type of margin usually; however, he really grew as a player, moving to space & playing w/ his head up looking to pass all the time. Once the other kids are more able to pass to the space where he's running, things will turn around for them, I think. Next year I may put them on the same team though (like before) because it was a hectic 2 months & I think he'd be better served by playing w/ older kids. I'll never have her play down again though so I guess we'll have to wait & see how it works out. The big news of the final matchday, however, is that Solstice notched up her first goal of the season... not to mention the fact that she got 2 assists as well. That'd be 15 points if she were on my fantasy team. Her goal was hilarious too. A defender had a handled the ball about 15 feet from the goal which in their league is an in-direct kick. Solstice's teammate (known for scoring many, many goals) stepped up looking like he was going to shoot. I hollered repeatedly for him to pass it to Solstice, & for her to face the goal rather than the ball. They finally got the message & she knocked it towards the goal. I had told her before the game that she was going to get 1, but based on the strength of her shot, I didn't think this would be the 1 in question. It trickled past 2 defenders & under the goalie before said goalie rolled over & stopped the ball. From my vantage point, it didn't really look like the ball crossed the line, but apparently it did as the ref awarded a goal. Along w/ the previous 2 assists, this did wonders for her confidence as she even volunteered to go in goal in the 2nd half.Speaking of confidence builders, another Peltier lass got her 1st goal in years & years & years. After Solstice's game, I told Elizabeth that she would score too & that I'd put her up front until she did. She didn't like playing as an out & out striker, but after pulling back a bit into a more supporting role behind Charlie & me, she connected w/ a nice cross from Ben & slotted it into the back of the net. Just as I didn't think Solstice's would make it all the way to the goal, I had a bad feeling that LP's would go over the bar & I was again proven wrong. Daniel-san played the whole match in goal conceding only once when an elderly defender who will remain nameless slipped allowing them to catch us on the counter-attack. Charlie then finished off the match w/ a winner @ the death after Juan worked hard to hold up the ball @ the end-line & then drop it back to Charlie who was crashing the goal. There was a hint of off-sides as the other striker, Shaun, was in the goal mouth, but I think the defender who'd been marking Juan played him on-sides.With Arsenal getting 3 points @ West Ham & both Chelsea & Man U dropping points this weekend, it was an overall great 2 days of soccer. If only I'd decided to keep my fantasy team as it was I'd have moved above Demir too, but the 2 changes I made (Delap in for Fletcher & Lampard as captain instead of Adebayor) cost me 16 points. Other than that fantasy league blunder, my coaching decisions really seemed to pay off this weekend as everything went as planned. We'll see how The Dark Green team does this coming weekend in the final match as we're playing the only team who has beaten us thus far (a 7-2 drubbing a month ago). It seems like we need a speedier defense against these young kids which bring us to the final thought. Jean, (here starts the personal message to my brother) if you're thinking of coming up any time soon, this weekend would be good. There was even a little idle talk last night about pitching in for an Amtrak ticket. I like the idea of you stepping off the train wearing your shin-guards & boots. Besides, Elizabeth & Dan are having a party Saturday night so you could attend that too.

Halloween Post #3: Family Movie Night

I love crappy old horror films. Recently I've watched House of Wax, The Frozen Ghost, & The Blob, but to top them all, Holly introduced me to Nightmare Sinema a few weeks ago. Every Saturday night at midnight they show an old horror flick hosted by a skeleton puppet & a dude in a werewolf costume... it's pretty fantastic. I've recorded a few & watched them w/ the kids; we saw King Kong vs. Godzilla a few weeks ago & then this week we watched Mad Monster Party, a Rankin/Bass stop motion thing from 1969 which features the voice talents of one Mr. Boris Karloff as Baron Boris von Frankenstien, president of some sort of international federation of evil who plans to retire & leave all his stuff to his nephew after he hosts one last party w/ Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, Dr. Jeckle, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Igor & some super cute red-headed puppet chick... oh, and obviously Phyllis Diller.On a seemingly different note (it'll come back around, just wait), I showed the kids the Karate kid movies this week, or @ least the only 2 that matter, I & II. It turns out there's a lot less fighting than I remember & they're a bit far fetched. Solstice loved them & I caught Aiden-San trying to do the Crane Technique on the couch. After seeing these movies again, I have to say that the 2nd one is the better of the 2 films (Elizabeth Shue notwithstanding). I like the romantic imagery of Japan in contrast to the hustle-bustle of the modern world... plus the Drum Technique kicks major ass. I don't think I'll bother showing the other 2 films to them though... that'll spoil the 1st 2. I was forced to see the 3rd 1 in the theater w/ Adam Madjewski, a total nozzle-head my Dad thought I should be friends w/ when I was 14. I won't subject them to that shit. I don't think I ever saw the 4th 1... the 1 w/ Hillary Swank. I hate Hillary Swank. At least w/ shitty actresses like Halle Barry &Heather Graham they have the looks to make up for lack of talent, but Hillary Swank doesn't even have that.How does all this relate to Halloween, you ask? Well, I IMDBed Ralph Macchio who incidentally suffers from the same problems as Hillary Swank... ugly & untalented & it turns out he's in the upcoming film, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead. The Wikipedia entry about this film makes it sound absolutely fantastic. You need to read it, but here's the basic overview: A New York production of a new version of the play leads people to realize it's a true story & the new version is actually written by Horatio who is a vampire & has been battling Hamlet who is also a vampire for over 400 years, ever since he tried to make Ophilia a vampire & she threw herself into the moat. It turns out Horatio is also responsible for getting Shakespeare to Hamlet, Gilbert to write Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, & Stoppard to write Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead making this the final installment of a 4 play cycle that will explain their situation. Got that? There may be a quiz later. What else could we ask for in from a new version of Hamlet? Mortality issues, plays w/in plays, intertextual referencing, & Ralph Macchio. Oh, and apparently there's some sort of Grail Quest too... I guess vampires can't kill other vampires & the only way to become a non-vampire once one is a vampire is to drink from the Grail, which means even if Indy had been bitten by the giant vampire bats in India, he'd be OK now.

Halloween Post #2: Pumpkins

Yesterday afternoon, my parents came by & we took the kids to a pumpkin place in Dexter, Jenny's Dexter Farm Market. We've been there a few times in the past, but this year it was by far the most crowded I've seen it. It's a great place w/ lots of delicious canned food like fancy salsas & pickles, but we might need to find a less crowded place next year. If you go, I definitely recommend the horseradish pickles & of course the cider & donuts, but the bees are a bit out of control near the picnic tables w/ all the sugar from the cider & donuts around.We got a couple pumpkins & the kids had fun playing in the hay stack tunnels for a while before we left. Then, on the way home, we made a quick stop by the old Plum Market to pick up stuff for dinner. Usually, when my parents are over, we order in pizza or Chinese, but I decided to make some sweet, sweet chili for Coney dogs. I even splurged & got turkey dogs for my parents so they wouldn't have to suffer through Smart Dogs. My love for chili dogs goes back to Super Bowl XVI (Cincinnati v San Francisco @ the Silverdome). My parents had friends over for the afternoon, we all went cross country skiing, & then came home for the game & a mountain of chili dogs. Of course, this was also the day that my brother (who was 4 months old @ the time) fell off the counter. The reason he was on the counter has been lost to history, but the overall goodness of a chili dog will never be forgotten. Ironically, he's been a bigger proponent of chili dogs over the last 20 years than anyone else I've ever known.

Halloween Post #1

Since the publication of The Sketch Book by Washington Irving in 1820, which signaled the dawn of the American Renaissance, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" has been an Autumn tradition. For those of you less familiar w/ 19th Century American literature, the American Renaissance lasted more or less until the begining of the Civil War & lead to the publication of Walden, The Scarlett Letter, Leaves of Grass, The Narative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Moby Dick, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Two Years Before the Mast, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson & Bronson Alcott, & the poetry of Emily Dickenson (though that was actually published later). I first read "Sleepy Hollow" when I was in college & though I've never taught the story... I've always gone w/ "Rip van Winkle" instead because it deals w/ the founding of America fitting in well w/ the time frame... it's become a sort of Autumn tradition for me too. I've seen a few film version including the Johnny Depp one that actually suggests the Headless Horseman really exists & the Scooby Doo version featuring a horseman who was beheaded in the American Revolution, decades after the Irving story takes place. My favorite has always remained the Disney animated version though, complete w/ its fantastic romantic depictions of Colonial life in the Hudson River Valley. The full version also has The Wind in the Willows so the film here is only 1/2 of the movie & only about a 1/2 hour long. Check it out... you won't be sorry.

Music and Politics

Last night, the Allman Brothers & the Dead played an Obama rally @ Penn state. From most accounts, the music was sub-par, but I'm about 1/3 of the way through the stream right now, & overall I'm diggin' it. The video-taped Obama speech was good & he name-dropped a few dead songs. Bobby fucked up the "Truckin'" opener, but that is to be expected. Phil's vocals on "US Blues" are much better than expected though... making a boring song tolerable. The playing on "Help on the Way" is fantastic, but Bob's vocals leave something to be desired. "Slipknot" is fun & jazzy as always. Phil's vocals on "Franklin's Tower" are great as is the music., & I usually prefer "Help" to "Frank," but not this time. "Playin in the Band" has a great slow jam that goes for about 10 minutes. It's nice & even Bobby's guitar is high enough in the mix to hear. Possibly the shortest, most boring "Dark Star" of all time though... as if getting to "St. Stephen" was their main priority. it's understandable though as getting to "St. Stephen" is 1 of my main priorities too... & so far it's been well worth it: definitely a highlight. "Unbroken Chain" is also a highlight of the show w/ some amazing jamming. Many of the fan-based reviews claimed there wasn't much impovisiation last night, & while "Dark star" left a shit-load to be desired, "Unbroken Chain" more than makes up for it. That's as far as I am @ the moment, but I'm in hurry to get to the end... it's fun, the intro to "The Other One" sounds good so far & from what I understand, the ABB set streams after the Dead set. This should keep me busy all day while I'm reading Quicksand. I'm excited for the ABB set too because there are a couple songs I'm not familiar w/: "Who's Been talkin'" & "Anyday' are new to me. Revival
Statesboro Blues
Who's Been Talking
Midnight Rider
One Way Out
And It Stoned Me
Dreams
Don't Think Twice
Anyday
Melissa
Trouble No More
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
Jessica
E- Whipping Post

Obama Speech Video
Truckin >
US Blues
Help on the Way >Slipknot >
Franklin's Tower
Playin in the Band>
Dark Star>
St. Stephen>
Unbroken Chain >
Other One >
Throwin Stones >
Playin reprise

E-Phil rap >
Bobby rap >
Touch of Grey>
Not Fade Away

While Jerry Garcia rolls over in his grave upon hearing Bobby's vocals, in other musical news, we can assume Hank Williams Sr. is also rolling over as Hank Williams Jr played a McCain/Palin rally yesterday, debuting his reworked version of "Family Tradition," "McCain/Palin Tradition." He does a nice job of getting all of last week's Palin talking points in there including Obama is a terrorist, but I wonder if he wrote it himself or if her people did it for him. I'm sure they @ least fed him some basic ideas. He even goes so fr as to blame Bill Clinton for this month's economic problems. Talk about poetic licence. I don't know Hank III's politics, but I can't imagine he'll be stumpin' for the GOP anytime soon. In actuality, I don't know much about Hank Sr.'s political views either, but he seems like he would have been an active New deal Democrat... when he could stand up anyways. What ever happened to drinking & smoking pot being the family tradition...

Stink... Stank... Stunk

Last night, after soccerfilled Saturday that included the kids' games, the England v Kazakhstan game, the EMU v Ferris State game, & the USA v Cuba, Stephanie & Isaiah were going to bed early while I sat up watching MST3K on-line. (You can stream 94 episodes here for free!!!) I was watching Lost Continent w/ Caesar Romero featuring the line "They're pantsing kids up there... they're grabbing kids' butts up there) & enjoying a snack. Stephanie got up because she heard some rather loud eating & while she knew I was eating something (peanut butter & jelly), the snacking volume was obviously non-human. Apparently, she originally thought something was in the room w/ her, but as she looked outside, she saw a raccoon which had just tipped over the garbage can, sitting there enjoying the remains of an old granola bar. W/ no landscaping stones in sight, I decided to worry about it in the morning, but little did I know we'd be dealing w/ it sooner than I thought.W/ Solstice out of town w/ my mom for the weekend, we played a bit of musical beds. Stephanie & Isaiah have been sleeping in Isaiah's bed, but Aiden didn't want to sleep upstairs alone so I took the couch, he took Isaiah's bed & Stephanie & Isaiah took our bed (I have a weird thing about sleeping w/ him. I'm afraid I'll crush him or that he'll push me out of bed because that little dude takes up a lot more room than 1 would expect; we had a similar sleeping arrangement when Solstice & Aiden were babies). Anyway, around 2:00ish, I smelt some skunk stench emanating from the back yard. My guess is that the skunk & the raccoon got into a little scuffle over the remnants of the garbage can. It might as well have sprayed in the kitchen because there was no getting away from it. I tried to sleep, but it was difficult w/ that stinky nastiness in my nostrils. Stephanie then came into the living room hoping the smell wasn't as bed as in the bedroom... it was. She ended up in Solstice's room which meant I then went back to our bed. The smell never seemed to clear up though. We had to go out to breakfast just to get away from it for a while. Now, @ 2:45 in the PM, after airing out the house all day, turning on the fans, & burning enough incense sticks to trick visitors into thinking we're running a head shop, the smell has lessened. We'll see this evening after my game if it's possible to say it's completely gone. I won't hold my breath though... but I want to. Ribery, Domenech, & ZidaneSpeaking of stinking, France drew w/ Romanian in Paris. PARIS! Maybe if they'd been in Bucharest a draw would be acceptable, but @ home??? in La Ville-Lumiere? Come on! Raymond Domenech needs to be fired. I called for it a month ago, & I'm reiterating it now. They've got too much talent to be sitting so far down in their group. Boumsong & Toulalan were in the starting line-up & Mexes was on the bench. Those 3 fucktards shouldn't even be playing the game much less playing for the national team. Not to mention Diarra. W/ people like Clichy, Flamini & Nasri waiting in the wings, Domenech needs to look to the youth. Gallas & Vierra were injured, but they're old as dirt anyway. The way to fix the problems in the French squad in to use the vast talent that is coming up. Don't leave Benzema & Ben Arfa on the bench. To look @ Domenech, you'd think he's hanging out w/ Vincent Descombes, Julia Kristeva & Luce Irigaray, but apparently he is too stupid to be given the responsibility of scrubbing their toilets... which brings up a whole new smell that I may get into @ a later date.

2 Recommendations

While grocery shopping yesterday, we came upon a new (or @ least new to us) snack food that needs a mention here: Osem Bassli Falafel. They're little wheat sticks w/ cumin & garlic. It's pretty crazy how much they actually taste like falafel. If you like falafel, you'll dig these fun little snacks. Give 'em a try. You won't be sorry.You may recall my review of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film from August. Well, the animated series began last weekend & Aiden & I watched the 1st 2 episodes last night (& will watch the next 2 this evening). The Australian Clone Trooper is a bit odd; I keep expecting him to bust out a Fosters & call Yoda "Bruce." It doesn't seem likely, but Aiden's undying dedication to this show is pretty likely. In fact, I'm digging it too. It's obviously no Empire Strikes Back, but it's fun & really, aside from the really odd animation, what else can one ask for from a George Lucas show.. maybe a few musical numbers, but that still isn't out of the questions because Star Wars musical numbers, of course, are the promise of the tree of life.

Groovin' all week with you, or Another piece of the puzzle falls into place

I have very few memories from my time as a wee lad in Walloon Lake, MI. We moved to Petoskey when I was 4 years old, & what I do remember is often filtered through what I've been told by my parents. I do remember watching Land of the Lost w/ Robbie Zinkle. I definitely remember my Batman beach towel that fit over my head like a cape. There were certainly a lot of bikers who hung out @ the far end of the beach leaving the pop-tops to their beers all over the place. I remember morel hunting & berry picking & the book about pirates I got from the library which was actually just a table set up in the fire station w/ a few books on it. I remember playing w/ my Weeble Wobble Cowboy Ranch set while Mable watched The Price is Right in the other room... & the moment when I saw that Weeble Wobble set under the X-mas tree a few months earlier. I also remember Ray Burdett sitting Ray Burdett style (backwards) on a chair in the kitchen drinking his 6 of Löwenbräu. (He is also the name-sake of "Uncle Ray's Dressing," a salad dressing my mom makes for spinach salad.) Of course there were also his niece & nephew from whose parents we rented our little house & w/ whom (18 years later) Stephanie, Elizabeth & I almost saw our very last Grateful Dead show). Pontoon boats & the path through the woods, behind the old high school are pretty foggy, but there was the party @ Jane & Russ's where I didn't know anyone but ate a shit-ton of orange push-ups, a party that has always remained pretty clear in my mind. And of course, the time my arm went out of socket @ the general store & I screamed bloody murder. The 2 television memories I have involve M.A.S.H. & Happy Days. M.A.S.H. my parents watched... Happy days I loved, which is why the dream I had last night about Ritchie & Potsie stood out & needed a post. In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night & said to myself, "That's bloggable."

The dream went like this:
As the 1st 6 or so seasons of the show revolved around Ritchie & Potsie trying to get laid, the fact that this made it into the dream isn't so strange, but the rest is. I was watching the show (but occasionally, I floated into the show & filled the role of a slimmer, more handsome Tom Bosley). On the episode, Ritchie & Potsie announced they would only date African American women & then started to talk all "gangsta," as Ritchie said things like, "What's for dinna, by-atch?" to Mrs. C. & Potsie came correct w/, "I'mma smoke dem punks @ Jefferson High, Nigga!" There were even times in the episode where Little Ronny Howard nearly broke character because he was well aware of the ridiculousness of the lines he was expected to recite. Furthermore, while watching the episode in my dream, I marveled @ the fact that Ralph Malph wasn't involved in this plot-line because his character was more often the type to do these sorts of things. It wouldn't have contradicted his character as much. It seems like Fonzie should have stepped in & told them they were being uncool, but that didn't happen either. I just don't know what to make of it, or how it relates to my childhood in Walloon.

Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad

I went out on my lunch break today to score a couple tix for the Springsteen/Obama rally @ Oestrike Stadium this afternoon w/ John, the dairy buyer. We were only allowed 2 apiece, but his wife couldn't go so he gave me his extra which in turn meant both of my kids could get in. (As it turns out, they had extras outside so it would have been fine anyway.) We went straight from their school to the stadium & walked in while Kitty Donahoe was playing. Apparently, we missed Dick Siegle... I dig him, but it was not to be. After she finished & the sound dudes screwed around for a few minutes, some local minister said a prayer & then an ROTC guy led the Pledge. After that, the EMU Gospel Choir did an amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner... they are fantastic! Debbie Dingle spoke next... & not so coherently I might add, but then John Dingle topped her awkwardness w/ some strange claims about defense attorneys. Solstice & Aiden found some friends so they were running around in the outfield while everyone was talking. Next up was Diane HAthawy, a canidate for State Supreem Court. She seems super cool, so I'm going to take this moment to put up another Visions of Ypsi Endoresment... Vote for Diane Hathaway! By the time The Boss came out, I was checking my watch because Aiden's team had practice @ 5:30 We got to see a few songs though as I hooked up w/ more friends from work. There was even a nice scent of pot in the air. The set-list was fun, but Aiden refused to believe a guy w/ a harmonica & an acoustic guitar was playing Rock & Roll. He might be right, but even if he is an over the hill folkie, he's doing a damn good job getting people revved up... of course, between 5 & 7 students in each of my classes hadn't heard of him. Here's the Detroit News recap, which is basically just like my recap but quicker because Susan Whitall presumably didn't have to coach a soccer practice right afterwards. The practice was good though & I think these kids will become a good group of players if they stick w/ it. Which is kind of how I feel about Springsteen's songwriting... he shows promise, but the jury is still out.

The Boss @ EMU

I've never been a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, but he's playing a free 1/2 hour Obama rally @ EMU's baseball stadium tomorrow afternoon so I think I'll drag the kids up there after I pick them up from school. I don't have tickets & doors open 45 minutes before I can get there, but I think we might @ least be able to stand outside the fence & hear him. He played Philly yesterday & here's the speech he gave before his acoustic performance:
"Hello Philly,

"I am glad to be here today for this voter registration drive and for Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.

"I've spent 35 years writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The Promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

"I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful.

"I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years, we need someone to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel the world, and occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I've continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people's hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

"They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don't know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back.

"So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising."

The setlist yesterday was as follows:
The Promised Land (not the Chuck Berry song)
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Thunder Road
No Surrender
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street
The Rising
This Land is Your Land

Pregame: The Horror

Claire Kahane, among others, has claimed that Kurtz's "The horror,the horror" should be seen as homonymic of "The whore,the whore." I don't want to dwell on that thought too much, but it's an interesting quote to use introducing this montage of Palin quotes. Of course, if Marlowe misunderstood Kurtz's dying words, my interpretation differs slightly from Kahane's who suggests Kurtz is blaming women for his fall & the fall of mankind in general. He's too complex for that. When Marlowe asks him if there is a message to deliver to his fiance, the possibility that Kurtz refers to her as a whore suggests, to me anyway, his acknowledgement that she is whoring out her religious beliefs as well as her naivety in an attempt to cover up the major problems of colonialism. If anything, he is the pimp to her whore, using the Occidental perceptions of the non-European world to accomplish his own goals.Regardless, I didn't mean to log in today to discuss "Heart of Darkness," you've all read it; the mini-analysis isn't necessary. I logged in to hype up tonight's debate. I was a bit underwhelmed by Friday's Obama v McCain, but tonight should be something special. On Friday, I felt like I so often felt while seeing Dead back in the day. I didn't want to look away because of the possibility that some sweet, sweet moment might be just around the corner. As w/ the live music, it wasn't often the case the other night. Tonight, though, as Biden & Palin enter the metaphorical octagon, we may be in for greatness. I mean, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" greatness. Unfortunately, while the polls are suggesting a spike in Obama's popularity this week, we can't forget that Benson's remark to Quayle didn't help Dukakis win the election. It should be fun, but let's not count our bridges to nowhere before they're built. When she loses tonight, there will inevitably be some misplaced sympathy for her. when people feel she's "just like them, unable to withstand the assaults of a Washington insider," some will certainly want to support her more. These are the people we call the douchebags, & when this happens & McCain wins in 5 weeks, we will have to deal w/ a horror the likes of which Kurtz could never have imagined.