Thursday, November 6, 2008

Thoughts

Sorry about the light posting, but the great man I've referred to on here as "my other conservative grandpa" suffered a severe stroke and a minor heart attack two weeks ago and passed away Sunday morning. I was able to fly and drive out to visit him last weekend, but was unable to attend his funeral yesterday morning. I'm finally to the point where I can talk about him without balling my eyes out (most of the time), so I thought I'd say a few things.

First, above all else, my grandfather was a farmer with a poet's heart. Lorraine, a friend of the family, received from my grandma the poem he'd written for her birthday a few weeks before while she was at the hospital. She and Grandma had a good cry reading the typical Grandpa poem with the usual reference to her nickname of "Hillary." She and her husband were "Hillary and Bill," while my grandparents were "Al and Tipper." My grandpa got such a kick out of pillorying the Clintons (much to his wife's brothers' dismay) that this year's primary battle was practically gift-wrapped just for him. Lorraine told me she had a book at home, full of Grandpa's poetry. I'm told that many of his poems were displayed at the funeral home in full glory. He passed on a bit of his poet's heart to my dad, leading to some hilarious exchanges after certain games in October (involving a blue dust pan). If you met my grandpa, you might not immediately think that a sheep farmer such as him would love coming up with clever rhymes. But having gone back to the farm out in the middle of nowhere, I can't see why he wouldn't be inspired by the pastoral scenery to craft verse. The last time I saw him, he was craning his neck to see out the window at the trees in full color. I'll never forget that.

Having grown up outside of Chicago, my grandfather had more than a passing interest in those lovable losers, the Cubbies. My father's defection to the Yankees may have solidified his passion even more, causing a good chunk of the monthly calls to the farm to be back-and-forth between the two, especially late in the year. When my brother moved out on his own, the tradition continued between them. Grandpa was a faithful NL fan, always rooting for whatever team they put in for the World Series. The day I left the hospital, I was telling him about the last game of the World Series this year, that it had been rain delayed and the Phillies might win the series. "We'll root for the Phillies, won't we, Grandpa?" I asked. In reply, he nearly broke my hand squeezing it. He always kept the faith, saying "There's always next year" when his Cubbies would go home in defeat. As a gift, my uncle carved a bear cub wall hanging out of several diffent woods with that phrase on the back. I teased my grandpa about "picking a winning team," but I do wish the Cubs had pulled it off this year, of all years.

He was a staunch conservative, even when (or maybe because) it drove his wife's family nuts. I've told the story here about what he thought of Fred Thompson, and I'm reminded of how much he admired "Ronnie" Reagan. I think the cesspool of Illinois politics offended his common-sense approach to life and helped cement his firm place on the right. Even in his age, he never stopped keeping up on politics (a real feat, given the daily indictments at the local level), and it rubbed off on my grandma, who asked that the TV in the hospital waiting room be turned to FoxNews. He'd be glad to know his family, despite the timing of his funeral, was able to cast their ballots in absentia (almost all to the right).

What I'll miss more than anything is simply the way he said things. He called my grandmother either "Mother" or "Grossmutter" (the latter when she wasn't listening). I was "Sadie-doo" or "Squirrelly" until I went to college. Even after that, he'd catch himself calling me the nicknames that I can't even remember the origins of. He, like Grandma, knew German, but neither of them used it often. Whether that's a legacy of the second World War or not, I'll never know. His humor was inherited by us all, and when all his children and some of their children were in the waiting room, more often than not we were having a good laugh.

These are just some of my impressions of my grandpa. Words really can't describe the images I've been thinking on the last few days: seeing him work on the farm, riding his Minneapolis Moline tractor, being swarmed by grandchildren (and later great-grandchildren), hooking in my nephews with his cane, and the sly grin on his face in throwing two surprise birthday parties for my grandma.

I'm going to miss you, Grandpa.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth

For my beloved Dodgers allowed the Phillies to win the pennant after five games. I watched it to the bitter end, and called my poor husband late in the night for consolation. He thought it was cute (insert eyeroll here). My takeaways from the series: Rafael Furcal should not get the Golden Glove award for this year (4 errors in the series, 2 in one inning in the last game), Brett Myers should keep whatever lucky rabbit's foot he's managed to pick up, and Manny Ramirez needs to stay with the Dodgers. He was a consistent hitter, and the blame for the losses cannot be laid at his feet because the Dodgers kept stranding him. I hope, as he's considering all those $25+ million contracts, that he remembers the club and the fans that welcomed him (MAN-NY! MAN-NY! Plus the dreadlock hats) after he left the Red Sox. Speaking of the Sox, last night's game was very interesting. Whoever wins that series, I hope the Phillies stomp all over them. It may sound strange, but I've found my father's saying to be true: If you're going to get beat, get beat by the best.

I've found this past week to be fascinating in the political world. The polls (the reliable ones, not the ones with a 40-20 sample in favor of the Dems) are tightening, McCain won the debate Wednesday night, and Obama was revealed as a socialist. Seriously, "spread the wealth around" as a campaign slogan?! What I found interesting was the Obama and (as Ed Morrissey calls them) the Tanning Bed Media reaction to the quote. They didn't defend it, they went after the man who dared question The One. Good grief, do you have to be a saint to ask a question of a potential elected representative? He didn't consent to appear in a campaign commercial, he didn't volunteer to be on anyone's political payroll, he just asked a question when Obama came to his neighborhood. It just sickens me that Obama and his minions have no qualms gunning for an average American.

Pooky's coming home tomorrow! I had to call the airline this morning to change his reservations, but once you say the magic word (military), things flow smoothly. I've got to wrap the last of his birthday presents and do a little housecleaning, but I'm definitely ready for him to come home. Apparently he misses his wife's cooking. And maybe, just maybe, his wife as well.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Alas, Alack

For my beloved Dodgers let the Phillies squeak by last night, 3-2. It all came apart on Lowe in the 6th at once, with Furcal's error and Utley's and Burrel's homers making Torre take him off the mound. Park, Maddux, and Kuo kept the damage to a minimum, but it still wasn't enough. I'm glad it's just the first game, though. We've got plenty more chances to make this right, and Billingsley is pitching tonight. The news that Saito will not be pitching this series saddens me, though. He's a fantastic closer who's really trying to rehabilitate that elbow of his.

I also watched the CSI premeire last night, which I never do. I prefer Spike's tactic of two regular CSI episodes a night, with a CSI:NY right afterwards. But Shanananamah's dad had told me I should watch it, and so I did. (Spoiler alert) I think it was a good one, despite the fact that they killed off one of the main characters, Warrick. I'm not really sure why they felt the need to do that (other than ratings), but since they got rid of Sara and are getting rid of Grissom, I guess they thought they needed new faces or something. I'm not a huge fan of the direction the CSI writers have taken in the last few seasons. They've tried to spice things up in all the wrong ways, and that can spell death for a show. They might get new fans, but the old ones will get disgusted with the character abuse (something I either picked up or coined: When writers deliberately make their characters do something out of character to sell more stories) and leave. I, for one, specifically stopped watching the new CSIs when Grissom and Sara hooked up because it violated one of Grissom's biggest principles: professionalism. And then the realists took over, and Sara was forced to leave. Bad writing decisions force you to live with unpleasant consequences. I know fredrin agonizes over this, and I do too. Character abuse is one of the worst sins you can commit as a writer, and I try to avoid it at all costs.

Enough shop talk. I was pleased to hear McCain and Palin bringing down the house yesterday with their criticism of Obama over Ayers and the financial crisis. It was fantastic, and one of the biggest signs that the media is panicking that we might not elect The One is that they're starting to make things up (more than usual). One kook at one McCain rally may have insulted the media there, and suddenly it's an "ugly trend" that magically spreads to all the rallies McCain's held this week. Funny how quickly those things spread, isn't it?

That should be enough ranting and raving for today. Pooky's getting off early this afternoon and doesn't have to be back until Tuesday (hooray for federal holidays!), so he's heading up to see his family and mine. I'd call him a lucky dog, except he got off at 11 last night for his second shift that day. Hopefully he can recuperate this weekend, if my nephews don't run him ragged!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Are You Ready For The NLCS?!!

I am. And to prove it, I'll even post a negative campaign ad against my beloved Dodgers. It gets the Phillie slams in, but its real comedy lays in the fact that you could confuse it for a real ad. Don't let it confuse you, though-this is our year (apologies to 90% of my family, naturally, but you need to pick winning teams for once!). Lowe's pitching tomorrow night, and I'll actually be able to watch the whole thing without worrying about sending Pooky off to bed. Maybe him being gone in October isn't such a bad thing after all....

They're still making noises about keeping him an extra week, but of course his career field never plays by the rules, so we probably won't know until that first date arrives. There are days that being a maverick isn't quite what it's made out to be.

In the exciting domestic front today, I decided whoever designed our commissary had never done a demographic study of the customers. Three-quarters of the people I see at all hours of the day in the commissary are retired people doing their bimonthly shopping, often pushing more than one cart down narrow and obstructed aisles. Perhaps my taxpayer dollars were being saved by not doing a study, but all they had to do was look around. It's probably the same people who designed the death-zone of a parking lot in front of the store. Geniuses!

Okay, I should be concerned about Wall Street and its trickle-down effect and the bailout and the subprime crisis and.... But I've given up. If I called my Senator, well, he'd know my parents, but that's besides the point. What's done is done, and I'm not happy with it, but my spending habits won't change, our house is guaranteed until we move to another guaranteed house on another base, and gas prices are dropping like flies down here. So, Suzy Q. Citizen is just going to quietly accept her husband's annual raise and keep plugging away at that silly novel she's been working on for years. No light at the end of the tunnel on that one, but it keeps me busy.

As I've said before, the political game has become instantaneous, and there are new angles to old issues coming out every day. The Ayers issue that Hillary brought up this spring now has a new twist to it: An intended victim of one of Ayers' bombs was about the same age as Obama when his family was targeted, and the McCain campaign is making sure his story is told. Put aside your feelings about the crazy 60s and the botched Weatherman investigation for a moment, and chew on the two outcomes of that bombing. One boy escapes with his life, and another later joins the bomber as a comrade-in-arms. I use that term deliberately, because it has come to my attention from Powerline, HotAir, Ace, and RedSate that, according to their reports, Obama solicited and received endorsement by a third party which had its roots in the Democratic Socialists Party. This is not youthful indescretion, as Obama was 35 at the time. Real journalism, as evidenced by these bloggers, is what we have been lacking for most of the campaign. I think in the next few weeks, as the media does its best to slime McCain with all sorts of lies, a lot of people will wonder, for the first time, who is Barack Obama? McCain is right to be pushing that theme, because as more facts come out (I know, liberals aren't concerned with facts, but they're not who we're trying to sway), more people will be astounded at the wolf in sheep's clothing the left has tried to shove through the electoral gate. Rush had an excellent quote yesterday and today: "Obama and bin Laden have one thing in common: They both have friends who tried to blow up the Pentagon."

Sorry for the vent-like post, but there is a lot of stuff going on in these last few weeks before the election that I feel I need to get out there. Granted, as I said last night, my vote's in the mail, but I'm an addict. ;)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Dishwasher's Running, So I Got Out Of The Living Room

And went into here. No, I'm not watching the debate. I might catch a few liveblogs of it, but I can't stand live pandering, especially to Ponytail Guys (If you don't know, ask your parents. They'll roll their eyes appropriately, and if not, tell them that they should). I'll catch up with the soundbites later, but since our absentee ballots are already mailed, changing my mind isn't going to change anything at this point. Although I guess I could call ACORN and have them get me a new one. They're nice like that. It might be a problem if every office is shut down, though.... Hrmmm....
I knew I smelled an overly large rat this morning when I saw CNN cover the Obama-Ayers angle. Granted, Sarah Palin sort of held an AK-47 (yeah, I know it's a Photoshop, but to quote Dan Rather, it's "fake but accurate") to their heads about it, but the cynic in me said, "When has the media ever asked real questions about Obama?" Sometimes even I hate it when I'm right: The Obama campaign is now linking McCain to Iran-Contra, saying he helped finance "right-wing death squads." Does it surprise you that the AP got its story verbatim from the DailyKos? I wish it did, but I swear, most reporters have it or Democratic Underground as their first stop in the morning. I'm pretty sure Andrew Sullivan does. Anyhoo, the story's got a lot of holes, and since when do liberals care about terrorists? Oh, right, when they're trying to overthrow their beloved communism. Forgot about that part...
When I saw the now-infamous SNL skit online, I nearly busted a gut, especially with the George Soros impression of "Your wife is physically attractive. Sell her to me, please." If you know anything about Soros, you know he's basically trying to buy the election. No good deed goes unpunished, however, and now they're editing the online version so it doesn't offend real people with money who might hold sway over NBC. Heaven forbid the truth of the subprime mess might get out! Horrors!
Pooky's working the night shift tonight, which will be a pretty bad shock to his system. I'm sure it'll be rough on mine, too, when he calls me whenever they're done. The joy of strange hours, I guess. It sounds like he might get a break Thursday and Sunday, so that'll be nice. I just need him to come home so he can help kill all the creepy-crawlies that have suddenly decided to invade our house. Ick ick ick....

Monday, October 6, 2008

In Which Wife Keeps Busy

It rained briefly this morning. We haven't been touched by water falling from the sky for weeks, including Ike. Boy, what a anticlimactic dud that turned out to be. The evacuees affected us more than the actual hurricane. We gave them shelter on the base, and it was fortunate that the whole mess happened over the weekend so that the private companies on the Kelly side could house them in their hangars. Oh, by the way, if you ever want to see an oil prince's 737 being pimped out, let me know and I'll hook you up. Don't tell me that those guys don't live like kings!
Exciting militant suburban happenings: The neighborhood newsletter was politely delivered and the Lackland ISD representative appeared at my door again to ask if I could put my driver's license and phone number on the check I gave her. That cookie dough had better be earth-shatteringly delicious.
Pooky's been calling off and on all day. I found him a nearby Magic store online and directed him to it after he got done with initial training. He's starting work tomorrow, and still no one can tell him if he's going to Eielson in less than two weeks. Note to managerial people who actually take vacations: Please don't take them when there are very important annual things going on at work. It'll make everyone and their wives a lot happier. But at least Pooky's DoD travel card is working fine.
Politics? Oy. This cheered me up today. It's good to see someone finally put the moonbats in their place with civility. The debate tomorrow night sort of snuck up on me, because even the hardened junkie can't find a nice, easy-to-find schedule blaring: "THIS IS WHEN THE DEBATES ARE AND WHO WILL BE MODERATING THEM." I hate it when news outlets assume everyone's on the same page, like how they assume everyone will blame a Republican Congress for the financial mess when..... Democrats control Congress. Brilliant!
Well, the cell phone's done recharging and I need to get to bed, so off I scoot.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Kiwifruit, You Inspired Me. Shame On You!

My cousin has a fantastic blog that she updates more often than I do (so does the rest of the interwebs!), so I decided it's time for an update. Plus, I need something to keep me busy while Pooky's gone.
Yes, Pooky is on a 2-3 week TDY (errr...... not sure what the exact meaning is, but it's the military version of a business trip) to Offut then possibly Eielson. He's very excited for this, since it means more good things to list on his performance review, which means that he may get promoted early with all the great things he's got on there. Exciting for the husband, not so much for the wife. Wife had to come home to a power outage and figure what she's going to do with herself for all the time Pooky's gone. No ABUs to wash, no Magic cards to trip over, no books to constantly put away.... I'm sure I'll find something to obsess over.
Besides the election, of course. I'm a political junkie of the highest order, but even I'm worn out. I think it's the long election season and instantaneousness of it all that's really worn me out. Oh, and the fact that Fred's not running. That sort of put a damper on things. But when you honestly have to check every few hours how a certain speech or soundbite has resonated within the political sphere, it gets to be tiring. I took a "vacation from politics" in June (not that I had reliable access to the internet anyway), and I might need one again right after November 4.

Kiwifruit's blog reminded me of something. The Blue Angels and the F-22s are coming here in November. We saw the Thunderbirds (this is the last year they'll be F-16s) in March:

Friday, July 18, 2008

What?! I'm still alive?!

Yeah, yeah, yeah..... You try living in a base hotel for six months, moving to a new base, having your hubby not check his voicemail in a timely fashion and therefore totally throw off the timeframe in which TMO delivers the rest of your stuff. Note to anti-socialites: Yes, I know you don't know the number, and it might be a wrong one, but it might be important, ok?

First up, to lighten up the day, we have a rare glimpse into the artistry behind MegaTokyo. Fredrin does just one character, but it's fascinating (albeit a bit long). Ping is a robot, but Fred does a great job of exploring just how human her feelings can be. Kimiko's my favorite, but my husband insists I'm like Miho. Since legions of fans adore Miho, I guess I'll take that as a compliment.

Global Warming might be a hoax? Say it ain't so! I figured the scientific backlash would be coming, but not this soon. Powerline briefly covers it here, HotAir here, and the disagreeable paper is here.

Three stories highlight the woe that has befallen us due to the gun-grabbing culture: Chicago is now a war zone, bureaucrats don't know how to write well-informed policies, and even suburban Midwest theme parks aren't safe anymore.

Good news! Our enemies are more crazed than smart. And, unsurprisingly, befriending Israel pays off. Note the part where all hell might break loose. This could have more ramifications than the usual pooh-poohing of assassination attempts from the Left.

Barack Obama has finally earned my husband's ire by vowing to disarm the U.S. of its nuclear weapons. "We could cut back all the way to 10% and still blow the world up, but (string of swear words indicating Obama's an idjit)!"

Could the media get any more idiotic when it comes to basic (and I mean basic) economics? The steep drop in oil prices could not be because Bush lifted the ban on offshore drilling or because the Feds opened up 4 million acres of drilling in Alaska. No, it's because the average American, believing what our dear media says about the economy, has cut back on his oil use. Never mind those Chinese and Indians who are going through oil like candy...

Ending on a good note, a story about how the Alamo might have gone differently. I'd love to see Purple Hearts handed out for this one.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Historical

I am marking this day in history, because I... have made Powerline.

w00t! fr00t!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Back in the saddle

Heeeeyyyy kiiiiids! It's Binky the-oh wait, it's just Pooky's Girl. Now New and Improved as Pooky's Wife! I still like Girl, though. It seems more possessive.

Greetings from our new home in Texas, where the state motto should be: "We're just the bigger version of Iowa!"

Alright, for the sake of clarity and possible conflicts of interest later on, I am now going to give a run-down of my opinions (and a few links) on Republican candidates, starting from the least to the greatest:


Ron Paul: Yes, I'm probably going to get comments for the first time in my Blogger life for saying this, but you, sir, are a kook. Or at the very least, a Libertarian who does not belong in the Republican party. Powerline linked to this article a few days ago, and Dafyyd ab Hugh picked it apart, but the bottom line is that when a prominent KKK member endorses you as a candidate (and mind you, I'm deep in Klan territory as I write this), I do not consider you to be a viable GOP candidate. Go form your own little party and stop trying to corrupt mine. (Cringes for the Ronulan onslaught.)


Mike Huckabee: Liberal in red sheep's clothing. I despise a person who not only uses his religious identity (and, in this case, former occupation) to try and get votes (same goes for you, Paul!), but also hides behind his religion to duck substantive questions. There's a reason people are beginning to evoke another person from Arkansas when speaking of him. Do we really want that? I highly doubt it.


John McCain: I am fully aware that he is a war hero, and I praise him for that. I respect a man who suffered and nearly died for his country, all the while keeping his loyalty. But that doesn't give him a free pass to constantly betray his conservative principles and the Constitution (Gang of Fourteen, McCain-Feingold, the amnesty bill.... just read this link, please, before I get upset). Yes, I'd vote for him as the GOP candidate, but you're going to have to drag me kicking and screaming to the voting booth and promise me vodka afterwards.


Mitt Romney: I'll get this unsubstantive attack out of the way right now: I don't know if I can vote for a person who doesn't have a real first name. That being said, Romney really is a good guy. I know he always hasn't been conservative, but his speech on Mormon faith was awe-inspiring. I'm fully willing to admit that fact, even though I have literal Bible-thumpers in my family. (Seriously, never give my nephews heavy objects!) He'd be my second choice.


The real winner of my rock-ribs of conservatism is:


Fred Thompson: I'm going to quote my other conservative grandpa on this one: "Wellllll.... Good ol' Ronald Reagan... He was an actor. And Fred, there, he's an actor. Wellll.... I've seen him more on 'Law and Order' since he announced, but I'd still vote for 'im." (I love both my grandpas!) I respect a man who sticks by his conservative guns, and has class, but you know what I love most about Fred Thompson? He scares the Drive-By/Poll-It Bureau to death, and he would scare Al-Qeada if he were president. That, and when he gets going, he looks more presidential than the rest of the bunch put together. I can't wait for South Carolina. I really think he's starting to hit a chord with people who are fed up with liberals trying to act like conservatives.


As for the other side.... No blogging for you! And I'm a woman, so I can't be illegal in any fashion! (Ha ha, I couldn't resist my new favorite punchline!) Who needs 'em-they're embroiled in their own "Uncivil War" (1, 2) anyway!