History in the making June 4, 2008 ~ 9:54 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect, Technobabble , comments closedYesterday I upgraded the blog to WordPress 2.5.1 or whatever the hell it is. Suddenly, I have my editing tools back when I’m writing a post (yeah, I guess when you’re 3 versions behind the latest release, they start to take fun toys away from you as a means of spurring you into upgrading). I also have many other tools that I have no idea how to use. I will learn them, slowly but surely, but today I’m just going to ignore them. At least until later this afternoon when I’m bored - that was yesterday’s pattern: install something, become irritated with it, ignore it for a while, come back to it and figure it out. If anyone saw the seventy times I changed the blog template yesterday afternoon, you will understand what I’m talking about.
The cold is manageable now, the fever is gone, and I am back at work. Wearing an Obama ‘08 sticker. Because hey, how ’bout my boy Barack? There were times along the way where I had my doubts, but now he’s the presumptive nominee and I am a very happy girl, enjoying the day. Hillary’s speech pissed me off a little until Tim Russert’s commentary helped me understand it. My thought process last night went something like this: “Seriously, you’re not going to make a decision? Dude, you lost. Decision has been made. Start unifying the party by stepping down. Ohhh, wait. If she plays this very, very carefully, she might convince all of her supporters who were saying they were going to go over to McCain that Obama is okay, especially if she goes for the VP slot. We might have a united party the easy way. She is either Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, or just someone who can’t admit that she’s lost. I am hoping for the Coyote route.”
And then I started to think about things from an historical perspective (there are a lot of ifs in this scenario, by the way). Let’s say Barack offers Hillary the VP slot, and the Dems take the White House in January. Let’s say Barack serves 8 years as President, and then Hillary is elected President in 2016 and she serves 8 years. If that happens, then Hillary Clinton will have been in the White House in one capacity or another for 24 years, if we count the Bill years. I am not sure whether this is very cool or very scary - we do have term limits for a reason, after all. But the idea of it is mind-blowing, isn’t it?
Not an approved weight loss program. February 6, 2008 ~ 11:42 am
Posted by Julie in : Assorted Ailments, Politically Incorrect , comments closedI lost five pounds on Monday. And while I am always happy to lose some weight, having the flu is not my preferred weight loss plan. I would rather avoid anything that leaves me with zero energy, lying in bed waiting for my body’s next betrayal, and seriously wondering if death would be better. And hey, I’m lucky because I had the flu shot! This could have been so much worse! I would have had it for days on end or multiple versions of the flu! It’s true, if there’s a way to puke, my body is going to go for it - it’s a serious difference of opinion between my body and my mind, but ever since I was little, I’ve been a puker. It is apparently my lot in life, and I’ve accepted it. I do consider it a major accomplishment that I finally figured out how not to puke out my nose while praying to the porcelain god, however. People, it’s the little things that count in situations like mine.
Yesterday I was no longer contemplating death, I was able to hold liquids down, and I was even able to stagger the block down to my local polling place and back. (And I never want to hear an excuse from anyone about why they couldn’t vote again. If I could drag my sick ass to the polling place, you all can get up and vote. I feel strongly about this.) I sat up watching returns, and I was encouraged. It was not the blowout that had been predicted. In fact, although the whole “super delegate” concept still eludes me, the Democratic race was pretty close. And the Republican race, well, wasn’t that entertaining? I don’t really like Huckabee’s platform, but anyone who causes Mitt Romney to scream foul at McCain? He hath served a purpose. Thank you, Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris!
Today I managed to make it into work, but I am still achy. And tired. And I might go home early. So there.
The case for Obama. February 1, 2008 ~ 11:50 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect , comments closedDid anyone catch the Democratic debate last night on CNN? Rick and I saw something interesting, which was later voiced by Keith Olbermann in his analysis of the debate: for the first time, Clinton and Obama were not picking at each other so much as they were picking at the Republicans. It was as if they looked around and realized “Hmmm, we’re the last two standing, we don’t have to do the backbiting anymore, let’s focus on the Republicans.” It looked like a Democratic ticket, people. And while I would still rather have an Obama/Edwards ticket, as Rick said “I wouldn’t mind an Obama/Clinton ticket with John Edwards as Attorney General.”
Bear in mind that I said an Obama/Clinton ticket, not the other way around. I still like Barack more than Hillary for several reasons. One, he is one of the most inspirational speakers I have ever seen. He makes people excited about getting involved in politics, especially young people. With him as president, I really feel like America would be a forward-looking nation again, the kind we haven’t seen since JFK was in the White House. I could be proud of that country and be proud to be an American again instead of somewhat embarrassed or at worst, defensive about it. Two, while I remember the Clinton era with fondness, I am a little wary of having the same two families in charge of this country for the past thirty years. We kicked the English out of this country two centuries ago because we weren’t fans of dynasties. Three, Hillary’s latest health care plan is what they’ve done in Massachusetts. Rick lives in Massachusetts, I know about that system and how it doesn’t work for the middle class and the poor. I don’t think that taking it national will get rid of those problems. And four, perhaps most importantly, Hillary supported this war and voted against the Levin amendment, which would have required Bush to go back to Congress for approval before actually going to war. And she has never once said that it was a mistake. She has sidestepped about that relentlessly, saying “With the information I had…” I hate when people don’t admit they made a mistake. Just own up to it and get over it. I would find it much easier to get behind her if she could just do that one little thing, like John Edwards did. “Yes, I made a mistake. I should not have voted that way, I admit it” sounds like a grown-up, and a responsible leader. “With the information I had” sounds like someone who can’t admit their mistakes. We’ve had that in the White House for the past seven years, and look where that’s gotten us. I worry about four more years of that.
That last paragraph was a lot longer than I originally intended, but what the hell. Yes, if it comes down to it and Hillary is the Democratic nominee, I will vote for her in November. I am a yellow dog Democrat at heart, and I cannot abide McCain or Romney (why I can’t deal with McCain would be another very long paragraph, and we just won’t go there right now). I cannot abide any more years of Republicans in charge of this country in general, watching my rights and civil liberties be eroded before my eyes every day. But on Tuesday, when I get to vote for the candidate closest to my heart, I’ll be voting for Barack Obama. And I will be proud to do so.
Our insectile president January 10, 2008 ~ 12:50 pm
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect, Random Insanity , comments closedTwo posts in one day (yep, there’s another one I wrote this morning right below this one)! It’s a banner day at EvilJulie.com! But this was too good not to blog. In fact, it’s the kind of thing that was the main reason I started a blog.
Lori and I are talking about politics, about race and gender and how that plays into this Primary season for the Dems, about Gloria Steinem’s op-ed piece in the Times yesterday, and I said that I am seeing women of a certain age (Steinem’s generation, basically) who are basically saying “I’m voting for Hillary, I’m tired of men running this country!” (actually, those were my boss’s exact words about a half hour ago), and that propelled us into this:
Julie: I’m not tired of men running this country per se, I’m tired of stupid men running the country. At this point I wouldn’t care if a freakin’ cockroach ran the country as long as it was reasonably intelligent and cared about the American people and got us the hell out of the middle East.
Lori: Cockroaches are not good public speakers though.
Julie: This is true. And as many people are swayed by the candidate’s looks, that would be two strikes against the cockroach right there.
Lori: The little one doesn’t have a prayer.
Julie: Yeah, someone will bust out a can of Raid and assassinate our insect president.
How I learned to stop worrying and just play arcade games. January 9, 2008 ~ 10:55 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect, Random Insanity , comments closedLori and I fell into the trap known as Dave & Buster’s last night. There is one in Times Square, and we’d been meaning to go forever. Last night we finally got our acts together and went. And anyplace that lets me play Skee-Ball while drinking beer? That’s my idea of heaven. We’re planning a return trip as soon as possible, this time just to play arcade games and drink. Because while the food was excellent, if we eat at Lori’s before we go there we can afford more games. And that means we can win more tickets. And that, my friends, that means that we can redeem the tickets for more cheap crap like the stuffed animals we got last night. We all know I need more cheap crap at my house.
Last night’s New Hampshire returns were a bit disheartening until I realized this morning that despite the 3% difference in popular vote, Barack and Hillary got the same amount of delegates out of it. As Rick keeps telling me, it’s only one primary. I don’t hate Hillary, but I think her time on Capitol Hill has affected her - she’s had to change her stance a bit in order to get places with the good ol’ boys on the Hill (like her vision of a health care program, and the war, and…well, we’ll leave it at that). If in the end, she is the Democratic candidate, I’ll vote for her because I fear all the Republican candidates. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be pulling for an Obama/Edwards ticket until the very last minute. And since New York is going to be voting on Tsunami Tuesday with half the states in the union, I’ll actually get to voice my opinion before it’s all decided for once.
Until then, though, you’ll find me at Dave & Buster’s. With a beer in one hand and a skee-ball in the other.
Notes from the Couch January 4, 2008 ~ 11:20 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect, Technobabble , comments closedI have learned how to shut off the commentary on the Tiger Woods golf game. Not coincidentally, my game has significantly improved. And yes, I am playing golf, because on the Wii, all games are fun! There is a game where my character rides a knitted cow and knocks over scarecrows, and believe it or not that is the most entertaining game I have ever played. Golf, while not involving knitting, cows, or scarecrows, actually becomes interesting on Wii.
Rick especially likes the Wii because it is his accomplice in his evil plan of getting me to go golfing with him. When he mentioned that maybe I could take a lesson or two when we’re in Florida, the word “okay” might accidentally have dropped from my lips. I blame the Wii and the beer I was drinking at the time. Beer goggles: responsible for making you believe that ugly people are shaggable and for making golf look like an acceptable pastime.
On a totally non-Wii related note (I know, go ahead and gasp, I’ll be here when you’re done) the Iowa caucuses? Turned out exactly as I would have liked on the Democratic front. Barack Obama in the lead, John Edwards in second. I have been saying for months that I’d like to see an Obama-Edwards ticket, maybe it might actually happen. I am noticing a huge division about it in my office. Everyone in their thirties and younger is for Barack, those above are for well…everyone else. Biden, Edwards, Hillary, you name it. If Barack can capitalize on the young voter demographic though, I think he might have it. In the meantime, I went over to his website and downloaded a ringtone so that every time my phone rings, I subliminally spread the Obama message. “Obama, Obama, O, O, O!” It’s downright catchy.
Neo-Con Job December 7, 2007 ~ 10:29 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect , comments closedWe all know I loves me some Keith Olbermann Special Comments, and this one is no exception:
Friendly July 3, 2007 ~ 11:38 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect , comments closedWow, I wish I had a friend in the White House who would commute my sentence when I committed a felony.
On second thought, when I think of having Asshat as a friend and the favors Scooter is going to have to perform to make up for this…well, maybe being someone’s prison bitch is preferable to being someone’s White House bitch.
Clarification. May 21, 2007 ~ 10:37 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect , comments closedI would like to salute Jimmy Carter for calling Asshat’s administration the worst in history for its impact around the world. And I would like to shoot the chick on the radio this morning who said “Well, Carter’s approval rating as President was just as bad.”
Let’s review: Jimmy Carter was President when Iran and Iraq had shut off oil production, raising gas prices to new highs. Um, not his fault. Gas prices reached all new highs today because of…oh yeah, that war Dubya started. Completely Asshat’s fault.
Carter was President during the Iran Hostage Crisis. And he worked tirelessly to get the hostages released, even when he knew that he wasn’t going to get anything political out of it (in fact they were released just minutes after Reagan was sworn in), because he is a good human being. Our people being held hostage now? Oh yeah, they’re in that situation because of that war Dubya started. And you don’t see him working for their release.
Economics under Carter, not so good because of OPEC slowing production and residual payments for the Vietnam War, neither of which were his fault. Economics under Asshat, pretty crappy (yeah, sure the job situation looks good - if you want to work at Wal-Mart). Because of that war he started.
Although I was very small when Carter was President, and don’t really remember his term so well, I don’t think there was a war that he started in a place where no one wanted us to begin with killing our people and that country’s people. Whereas Asshat…well, you get the picture. In short, Jimmy Carter = decent President who meant well but had a lot of shit go against him, Asshat = worst President ever entirely through his own doing.
History lesson over.
Come on out, Tinky Winky! May 16, 2007 ~ 10:58 am
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect, Rants , comments closedYou can show your purple triangle antennae again. And bring your purse! It’s the end of an era, kids. A bigoted, small-minded era, but an era nonetheless.
In other news, I am shopping for a new bank. Because those morons at my bank, HSBC, sent my new debit card to one of their branches halfway across Brooklyn instead of to my house. Where my landlady was waiting all day for the DHL guy to show up. I have no idea why they would have sent it to a bank branch that I have never ever been to, and the supervisor I talked to couldn’t tell me either. So now I am waiting until Monday for the new card to show up, because apparently HSBC doesn’t understand the concept of overnight delivery, those fuck ups. I have lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and flat out told the chick that I talked to that they had just lost a customer. I also told her I will have her head on a fucking pike if I don’t get the card on Monday.
I would like to warn all of you that if you have HSBC? You should get the hell out and find a bank who cares about your security. Because HSBC obviously does not if they will not only allow my debit card number to be stolen twice in two years, but then deliver a replacement card to somewhere I have never been and allow it to be signed for by someone whose name was not anywhere on the card or the envelope (I had them place landlady’s name on the envelope just in case - fat lot of good that did me).  I will say it in big capital letters:
HSBC IS THE WORST BANK ON THE PLANET.
I’m switching, even though it’s going to be a huge pain in the ass with the direct deposit I have at work. I’m thinking WaMu. They seem to value customer service and security.
