I just got through posting a "congrats" to Sen. Franken for finally winning the election. It looks like Sen. Grassley's attitude needs to become our first project.
BTW, I work for the government. What a shame that my paycheck monies come, in part, from Los Angeles County and the rest from the State of California. My healthcare involves finding the one clinic somewhere in downtown L.A. that will provide service to In-Home Support Services workers.
Ooh, here's an idea, Sen. Grassley! How about you and I just trade insurance coverages? I could relieve that burden of having the Senate's health plan and you can explore the opportunity my coverage provides.
Oh, the land of politics from Southern California looks hazy -- kind of like the skies around here. Some of it has cut through.
First thing: Representative Michelle Bachmann and State Representative Sally Kern -- with all that you've been saying lately, you have convinced me (as if I needed much more convincing)
I will become more politically active and work to get out the vote!! Now, you may not be so thrilled with what kind of renewed focus I've found, but sometimes you have to get your message out and just let it do its work.
One more thing: Were it not for Mike Malloy mentioning this on his show yesterday (I listen on the Podcast, so I'm usually a day behind. Not a subscriber yet? Only 25 cents a show and it's brilliant therapy for frustrated liberals - sample as little or as much of the Podcast as you like.
Seems the Israeli Navy has diverted a ferry headed for the Gaza strip to deliver much needed supplies. I found the story on the BBC's website. Some questions beg to be asked:
If the ferry had just that, supplies, what's the need to divert it? What is it the Israeli Navy is ultimately hoping to accomplish by doing what they did?
And, the ultimate subversive question: Isn't it about time someone finds some way for Israelis, Palestinians and others to live within that part of the world without the tensions and violence? I know I'm asking a dangerously naive question; however, just blindly accepting the situation there and doing nothing, not even asking questions, is ultimately even more dangerous for all involved.
Sadly, it's hard to ignore the on-going news I walk past nearly every day. I have one last photoI took yesterday of the tribute to Michael Jackson at his Star on the Walk of Fame.
Today, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum's opening on the Boulevard next month was promoted with a presentation of, I'd guess, its first sculpture. You may not see it from the photo (the sculpture is in the background), but the sculpture is of suspense film director Alfred Hitchcock.
There is some odd sense of irony/coincidence of the unveiling of this particular sculpture nearby the tribute to a recently deceased popular entertainer. I wished I was more wide awake to spell it out clearly, but all the photography is getting me sleepy . ..
Well, I had little to worry about today as far as the Boulevard was concerned. There was even rumors of summer-like weather starting today. This didn't come to pass -- a cool breeze blew up and down the Boulevard all day. Someone was thoughtful enough to set up the metal gates so visitors could queue up on the left and passers by could walk more quickly on the right.
or, I suppose, somewhere for someone to leave a dog while the someone went who knows where.
I'll let the rest of these photos speak for themselves. Though the scale is hardly comparable, I kept flashing back to 1997 and the expressions of grief and support over the passing of Princess Diana.
I'll see how long this continues and, if anything changes, I'll take out the cell phone camera and . . uh, that sounds a little more like a threat. Or, maybe I'm being too hard on myself?
What the pictures may not capture is that, in spite of the t-shirt, button, flowers, concert photo book-styled publications being sold, there was a genuine feeling of visitors walking past a body lying in state on the Boulevard.
With the recent deaths of well-known infomercial king Billy Mays and impressionist Fred Travalena, it's enough to throw anyone off balance. Even I, who has a pretty even-keel philosophy on life and death, am not sure what to make of all of this.
While I chew on that, I suppose I need to dip my toe back into all things political. Slowly.
and I'm connected to the Internet again, I've got some catching up to do.
Well, that's not entirely true. I've been to the Mudflats (she is having way too much fun lately; however, it seems entirely too overdue for her. BTW, she just posted an update on the goings on in Eagle, AK. If you contributed, have a look at how your and others have done to help)
I've even visited the General. There's a lovely two minute clip recently posted which nicely meshes the nutty world of fundamentalist . . uh . . Christianity (?), no-neck knuckleheads and homoeroticism. I only wish I were that clever.
Maybe these photos from Friday on Hollywood Boulevard will help get me back in the blogosphere loop:
I knew that this pas
t Friday morning when the Brüno premiere magic had been packed away (well, almost. The Brüno carpets had been rolled and the last of them hauled up on onto a flatbed truck parallel parked on the Boulevard by the time I got there Friday morning), a whole new spectacle was going to begin. Folks were already snapping photos, blogging, standing guard, standin
g around, etc., This was as close as I was able to get all day to Michael Jackson's star on the Walk of Fame and, if you watched any of the coverage on the TV on Friday or yesterday or today, you'd see why.
Plenty of news vans parked on the Boulevard as well.
For the second day in a row, though, the ever evolving, tender and sweet tribute to Farrah Fawcett still draws me in. If you look a little closer, you may even see me trying to snap the photo below.
As I type, I've got 13 hours left before I make another 25 mile trip to Hollywood Boulevard. I've had Michael's music playing off and on in my car throughout the weekend. I was surprised at how many of the lyrics I remembered and, in spite of my age, how easy it was to find the higher notes and try to sing along.
As a dancer, I make a fantastic photographer, so I kept to the singing and tapping along to the beat on my steering wheel.
I'm not sure exactly what I'll see Monday morning on the Boulevard, or even during the rest of the coming week. No guarantees on the photos, though I may never take a great photo if I never press "Capture" on my cell phone.
Meanwhile, I heard this song for the first time this weekend:
I'll see how long this continues and, if anything changes, I'll take out the cell phone camera and . . uh, that sounds a little more like a threat. Or, maybe I'm being too hard on myself?
