a good day

so today, p, z and i went down to the national mall and witnessed, with two million other people, the inauguration of our new president. good for us that barack obama is who we chose to represent and lead us.
we were at the wwii memorial, nearly two miles from where the action was. but we were in a huge crowd that stretched another mile behind us, i'd guess.

mr. obama's speech was amazing. i watched it on the jumbotron, and heard it echoed down the mall with a few second time lapse.
hurray for better times.

here's a picture of aretha franklin singing (from way back where i stood). she almost made me cry, and her hat is sweet.

yuck

i have not yet seen it happen, but now we are all subject to search when riding the metro.

flexyourrights.org, of unknown authority, has put together a list of how to refuse to be searched. the only one i may employ is leaving and coming in another entrance or another stop.

Hurray for voting

The poll workers said that 11,000 Alexandria City residents have already voted absentee. The city only has about 130,000 residents, and about 90,000 registered voters. I think November 4 is going to be over the top.

one for old snaggle-tooth

do you like this poem? i read it every few years, and am not sure. but i keep re-reading it.

(Charles Bukowski, from Love is a Dog from Hell)

one for old snaggle-tooth
I know a womanwho keeps buying puzzles
chinese puzzles
blocks
wires
pieces that finally fit
into some order. she works it out mathematically
she solves all her puzzles
lives down by the sea
puts sugar out for the ants
and believes
ultimatelyin a better world.
her hair is white
she seldom combs it
her teeth are snaggled
and she wears loose shapeles
scoveralls over a body most
women would wish they had.
for many years she irritated me
with what I consider her
eccentricities -like soaking eggshells in water
(to feed the plants so that they'd get calcium).
but finally when I think of her
lifeand compare it to other lives
more dazzling, original
and beautiful
I realize that she has hurt fewer
people than anybody I know
(and by hurt I simply mean hurt).
she has had some terrible times, times when maybe I should have
helped her more
for she is the mother of my only child
and we were once great lovers,
but she has come through
like I said
she has hurt fewer people than
anybody I know, and if you look at it like that,
well, she has created a better world.
she has won.
Frances, this poem is foryou.

i need new music but have no leads. please help.
the problem is that i normally go for folk music from the 60's and 70's, or severely depressing indie rock. but for the last two weeks, all i've wanted to hear is outkast, and i only know/like three of their songs. and generally, the people who i rely on for music recommendations aren't go-to people for anything outkast-esque. and why should they be? what's wrong with me, anyway?


in the spirit of fair exchange, i offer you the only music video that will ever contain this in its subtitles:"...the curious yodeling scat singing of the group's flautist..." (thanks, dad!)