You know if someone was going to make fun of this cover, it would be Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report.
Here are a few items from the interview that I thought was interesting...
COLBERT: One of the reasons I think politicians are very easy to interview is because you know what they're going to say. I can write the entire interview before I even meet them. STEWART: We write a lot of our convention coverage before we even go out there.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You guys regularly make a mockery of the 24-hour news networks. Do you see anything good about the format? JON STEWART: It's Muzak now.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Is this election any different from the last two you covered? JON STEWART: I was convinced an Obama/McCain campaign would be measurably different on almost all standards. And to watch it become Bush/Kerry, Bush/Gore, has been one of the most dissatisfying experiences. STEPHEN COLBERT: That means it's not an Obama/McCain campaign. It's a Guys Who Work for Bush/Guys Who Work for Kerry campaign.
Yes, it did finally happen. Here are a few of my high points from the debate:
Obama: ''John mentioned me being 'wildly liberal', mostly that's just me opposing George Bush's wrong-headed policies...''
So what's so wrong with being labeled ''liberal.'' I'm really tired if it being considered a dirty word. It's just a point of view...like ''conservative.'' Anyway, is there anyone who's 100% liberal or conservative? I doubt that. I think all people are liberal on some issues and conservative on others.
McCain: ''How about a spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs, and entitlements?...'' Obama: ''The problem with a spending freeze is that you're using a hatchet when you need a scalpel.''
I guess I have to wonder what's considered an entitlement? Also, I think some of the worst spending offenses can be found in the Defense Department so it's curious that that would be considered a priority. Especially when we have natural disasters devastating towns and cities and man-made disasters based on a crumbling infrastructure. If we should be focusing on ''Country first'' then we should be applying that to our spending priorities. Focus on what needs to be done at home. If there's money still left over, then we can channel those funds overseas.
Obama: ''John, you like to pretend that the war started in 2007.''
Nice.
Obama: ''Jim, let me just make a point. I've got a bracelet, too.''
What's with all this jewelry? Over 4000 soldiers have died in Iraq. Can you image if Bush had to wear a bracelet for each of those sacrificed soldiers?
BTW, where's McCain's flag pin?
On an unrelated note, where did Jim Lehrer's lips go?
McCain: ''I have proposed a League of Democracies. A group of countries that share common interests, common values, common ideals and they also control a lot of the world's economic power.''
Sounds like the Justice League. I know who wants to be Wonder Woman! (Yes, I'm looking at you, Thommy.)
''Walk the walk and talk the talk.''
I just thought it was interesting that both men used the same phrase.
FYI: I got a call from the genetics lab. Preliminary results are in and so far the results show that everything's normal. Will know more in another week or so but things are looking good so far.
So the trip to the doctor seemed to do the trick. The night after the visit we could hear Dean complaining about being quarantined to the master bathroom (to restrict the hairball/puke activity to an easily cleaned surface)...something that we hadn't heard in a while. This morning, he was puke free so he's been giving free reign of the house once again.
I also spoke with Dean's vet. The blood tests are normal and, based on his current behavior, he seems to have turned a corner.
So today I visited to ultrasound guy. They took lots of measurements and it made me think all the data that's been captured of my kids before they've even been born. For both pregnancies we have data on femur lengths, head circumferences, kidney size, heart beats, and more. It's just kind of mind-boggling and weird.
With all the measurements taken of the little one, the doctor discovered that the kidneys appeared to be a bit inflamed, a slight indicator that the baby may have downs syndrome. Our genetic tests have been fine but this is pretty much our last chance to do an amnio (which, based on the odds, we had opted not to do last month) to provide more definite results. So I went for the procedure -- a needle inserted in my stomach to retrieve some amniotic fluid. By next Monday, we'll have the results so keep your fingers crossed.
Other than the kidneys, the baby looks fine. But with all the drama, we were not able to get any good 3D pics. But I think this ultrasound profile came out pretty good.
I went home early today because the doctor recommended bed rest for 24 hours -- ''bed rest as in sitting down or lying down,'' I asked. ''Lying down, preferable on your side,'' he responded. Pretty clear that sitting at work for the rest of the day wasn't going to cut it.
However, when I got home I did run one ''errand''. Dean hasn't been feeling well for the last week -- lots of puking and very little food going in the pie hole. Chris and I initially thought that it could be a result of a massive dog hair ball in the system (he loves to groom Frankie) or the jalapenos that he like to steal from the kitchen and bat around like a mouse toy. The vet, however, didn't seem to be too concerned about those activities. Instead, he felt it was more likely that Dean ate something that he wasn't suppose to -- like a small toy -- and it's blocking his system.
With that in mind, blood was drawn, x-rays taken, and fluids given. The x-rays showed nothing. Now, I have another set of tests results to wait on. In the meantime, Dean is on several antibiotics. So, another reason to keep your fingers crossed.
Saw my new OB-GYN today. He's very nice. Very high tech. All records were scanned and I guess I can check out my charts online...COOL!
He also has an ultrasound in his office so I got another pic of the little one. Actually, it's pretty funny because she looks like she's laughing and throwing a peace sign.
Aimee headed over to north county to go apple picking with me and Parker. Surprisingly, there are a lot of fruit farms near us. The big crop out here apprears to be cherries, which is now unfortunately out of season. However, peaches and apples are also plentify.
So we took a little drive over to Little Rock and started picking. Most of the low hanging fruit was gone but he had our arm extender...aka "Parker...to help us get the jewels that were out of reach. We just needed to make sure he picked the ripe fruit...not the cute little ones.
All in all, the trip was successful and I made a yummy pie out of all the fruit we picked. BONUS!
BTW, I found this recipe on Food Network's site. It was easy and delicious! The only tweak I did was use a mix of apples and pears.
Prep Time: 1 hr 45 min Cook Tim 35 min Level: Easy Serves: 1 (9-inch) pie
CHEDDAR DOUGH: 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cubed 4 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening 4 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated fine and chilled well 2 egg yolks beaten lightly with 1/3 cup cold water Milk
FILLING: 3 pounds (about 8) McIntosh apples 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
Make the dough: In a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until it resembles very coarse meal. Add the Cheddar and pulse until it again resembles coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the yolk mixture, tossing with a fork until it forms a dough. Add more cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Form the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, and dust with flour. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Roll out half the dough 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Fit it into a 9-inch (1-quart) glass pie plate and trim the edge, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Chill the shell and the remaining dough while making the filling. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel, core, and cut the apples into eighths. In a large bowl toss together the apples, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the flour, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the salt, and the lemon juice until the mixture is combined well. Transfer the filling to the shell and dot it with the butter.
Roll out the remaining dough into a 13- by 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the crust lightly with the milk and cut slits in it with a sharp knife to form steam vents. Bake the pie on a large baking sheet in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.
Chris, Parker, and Dean ventured into the garden today. Chris and Parker picked a bunch of tomatoes (which Geof will be turning into a delicious tomato pie later today) while Dean explored this foreign thing called ''outside.'' Good thing the great orange hunter was on the loose because he found a mole! Chris soon dispatched the intruder and the Trillo men continued with their gardening. The harvest now done, they focused on cutting away any dead stuff.
We watched Duma last night and at the very end, when the little boy had to say good-bye to his pet cheetah as he freed him into the wild, tears started to well in Parker's eyes. Yes, an emotional connection to the movie...even though, in true male form, he denied it, even as he wiped his eyes with the tissue that Chris had handed him.
Ahoy mate-ys! Pirate Parker's here and ready to get this ship a-moving. Just don't drive too fast, Mommy. Or make too many turns. I've got food to eat.
And now the question of the day...do pirates like bananas?
You've gotta love it that Sarah Silverman won an Emmy for this. I know that some people like Jimmy Kimmel's response better, but I have to agree with the Emmy's people...the original is far better.
On the way home we stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch. We hit a casual eatery on the pier and Parker got an introduction to peanuts still in the shell. The first one probably wasn't that great because he didn't know he was suppose to shell it. But after extricating the initial peanut remain from his mouth, he had a shelled nut...and loved it. He then proceeded to hoard the nuts, making sure the pigeons didn't get any of his treasure.
After lunch, we continued down the pier to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Ty Warner Sea Center. It's small but still pretty cool. Parker got to see a lot of marine creatures up close...and if he chose to (which he didn't), he could touch many of them. I think his favorite were the decorator crabs which pull elements from their surrounding environment to camouflage themselves. To demonstrate this, they had one crab in an aquarium with a ball of red yarn. Unlike the other crabs, that were covered in seaweed and other ocean debris, this one was covered in red fuzz. Totally adorable!
All in all, I would say that three out of three Trillos would agree...this was a great get-away weekend.
So the next day we had breakfast and then hit the road...but not before we stopped at the pier for last chance sweets. I had to get salt water taffy. Chris got his favorite fudge, penuche. And Parker got a lollipop that was calling to him.
Brilliant! Looks like Tina Fey now has a night job. "I can see Russia from my house!"
You know what? I also hate it when people Photoshop my head onto sexy bikini pictures, too!
In case the clip goes away, here's a transcript...
FEY AS PALIN: "Good evening, my fellow Americans. I was so excited when I was told Senator Clinton and I would be addressing you tonight."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "And I was told I would be addressing you alone."
FEY AS PALIN: "Now I know it must be a little bit strange for all of you to see the two of us together. What with me being John McCain's running mate."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "And me being a fervent supporter of Senator Barack Obama -- as evidenced by this button."
FEY AS PALIN: "But tonight we are crossing party lines to address the now very ugly role that sexism is playing in the campaign."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "An issue which I am frankly surprised to hear people suddenly care about."
FEY AS PALIN: "You know, Hillary and I don't agree on everything..."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: (OVERLAPPING) "Anything. I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy."
FEY AS PALIN: "And I can see Russia from my house."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "I believe global warming is caused by man."
FEY AS PALIN: "And I believe it's just God hugging us closer."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "I don't agree with the Bush Doctrine."
FEY AS PALIN: "I don't know what that is."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "But Sarah, one thing we can agree on is that sexism can never be allowed to permeate an American election."
FEY AS PALIN: "So please, stop photoshopping my head on sexy bikini pictures."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "And stop saying I have cankles."
FEY AS PALIN: "Don't refer to me as a 'MILF.'"
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "And don't refer to me as a 'FLURJ.' I Googled what it stands for and I do not like it."
FEY AS PALIN: "So we ask reporters and commentators, stop using words that diminish us, like 'pretty,' 'attractive,' 'beautiful.'"
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "'Harpy,' 'shrew' and 'boner shrinker.'"
FEY AS PALIN: "While our politics may differ, my friend and I are both very tough ladies. You know it reminds me of a joke we tell in Alaska..."What's the difference...
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "Lipstick."
FEY AS PALIN: "...between a hockey mom..."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "Lipstick."
FEY AS PALIN: "...and a pitbull?"
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "Lipstick."
FEY AS PALIN(AFTER A BEAT): "Lipstick. Just look at how far we've come. Hillary Clinton, who came so close to the White House. And me, Sarah Palin, who is even closer. Can you believe it, Hillary?"
POEHLER AS CLINTON: (AFTER A PAUSE)"I can not."
FEY AS PALIN: "It's truly amazing and I think women everywhere can agree, that no matter your politics, it's time for a woman to make it to the White House."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "No. Mine! It's supposed to be mine! I need to say something. I didn't want a woman to be President. I wanted to be President and I just happen to be a woman. And I don't want to hear you compare your road to the White House to my road to the White House. I scratched and clawed through mud and barbed wire and you just glided in on a dog sled wearing your pageant sash and your Tina Fey glasses."
FEY AS PALIN: "What an amazing time we live in. To think that just two years ago, I was a small town mayor of Alaska's crystal meth capitol. And now I am just one heartbeat away from being President of the United States. It just goes to show that anyone can be President."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "Anyone."
FEY AS PALIN: "All you have to do is want it."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: (LAUGHS) "Yeah, you know, Sarah, looking back, if I could change one thing, I should have wanted it more." (RIPS OFF PIECE OF PODIUM)
FEY AS PALIN: "So in the next six weeks, I invite the media to be vigilant for sexist behavior."
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "Although it is never sexist to question female politicians credentials. Please ask this one about dinosaurs. So I invite the media to grow a pair. And if you can't, I will lend you mine."
FEY AS PALIN: And as we say in Alaska...
POEHLER AS CLINTON: "We say it everywhere..."
FEY/POEHLER: "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!!!
Yesterday, we arrived in Morro Bay. After getting settled in our motel room, we headed out to dinner. Chris found a Parker friendly restaurant called The Flying Dutchman,which was sort of pirate themed. Nice!
The next day we hit the beach. First we went to explore around Morro Rock. Parker made ''mud castles'' and sand angels. Later, he and Chris explored the tide pools and found a hermit crab, which they brought back to Mommy, who was relaxing on the beach, reading a book. After Parker and Chris returned the crab to the water, we headed over to the other side of the Rock to check out the Strand.
On the Strand, Chris and Parker fly a kite. They did pretty well and were able to get all the string out. But after a while, the ocean called to them so they reeled in the kite without crashing it into the beach or into me. Then we took a walk on the beach.
On the beach we chased the waves, avoided slimy seaweed, and looked for shells. Chris found a live clam and we watched it bury itself back into the wet sand. Heading back in for the day, Chris also found beached jellyfish, to which Parker exclaimed, "Gross!" (Smart Boy!)
We decided to take a long weekend and head up north to Morro Bay. But before that, we HAD to stop in Solvang.
When I was a kid, my mom took my sister and me there and I remember it being kitchy and fun. A little bit of Denmark. No passport required!
That said, we had lunch under a windmill. I had a Danish meatball sandwich and came to the conclusion that the Danes aren't know for their food for a reason. On second thought, I guess we should have hit a smorgasbord...but that would mean a buffet and Chris HATES buffets.
I bought Parker a Viking helmet. Plus, we had to get a tub of Danish butter cookies.
I really wanted to reproduce a picture my sister and I took with a statue of a Viking who was chilling on a bench. But, after asking around, I discovered that when the town got a facelift a while ago they removed the statue since it was kind of falling apart and they didn't want to fix it. BUMMER!
Oh well, we did find a big clog for Parker to sit in...I guess that will have to do.
This made me laugh...even more so because I heard this speech while driving into work this morning. I guess McCain is saying that this comment that Obama made was sexist...
''John McCain says he’s about change, too — except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics,'' Mr. Obama told his supporters in Virginia. ''That’s just calling the same thing something different. You can put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change; it’s still going to stink after eight years.''
Now was Obama referring to Palin's pitbull/hockey mom/lipstick joke? Hell yeah. Was he being sexist? Not at all. Sexist would need to be a bit more objectifying...like the be the bumper stickers promoting Palin in Alaska (and proudly displayed at the GOP convention) -- ''Coldest State, Hottest Governor.''
I think this was just a clear use of a commonly used phrase. How common is it? Well, let's see...
''I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.''
McCain said that last year in October when criticizing Hillary Clinton's health care plan.
You have to admit...of the two who used the imagery...Obama delivered it best.
Click the headline if you want to read more about this in The New York Times article.
UPDATED 9/12/2008 Not sure if you saw this but I have to share it and give props to Papa Bear.
...could that be considered playing the race card?
But I digress. I like how the AP article opens with, ''John McCain and Sarah Palin criticized Democrat Barack Obama over the amount of money he has requested for his home state of Illinois, even though Alaska under Palin's leadership has asked Washington for 10 times more money per citizen for pet projects. ''
It goes on to say, ''Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year. Last year, he asked for $311 million worth, about $25 for every Illinois resident. Alaska asked this year for earmarks totaling $198 million, about $295 for every Alaska citizen.
Palin has cut back on pork project requests, but under her administration, Alaska is still and by far the largest per-capita consumer of federal pet-project spending.''
The Republicans really have stop relying on their standard crutches (McCain's service and Palin's ''executive'' experience -- no mention of whether or not the city and state are in any better position) and start focusing in issues. The Dem's need to stop worrying about hurting the feelings of a girl and attack the Rep's fair and square.
You know if someone was going to make fun of this cover, it would be Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report.
