Or not dialup

We tried the 900 number for dialup last night, but neither computer could communicate with its modem. They've both been formatted since either was last asked to do anything modem-y, so we're figuring they probably lack drivers. I've downloaded some at work here, and we'll have another go later on.

Also, and unrelatedly, this is a presidential election year in Costa Rica and I heard a political ad on the radio this morning:

Voiceover: Who are you voting for this year?

Citizen #1: Eh, what's the difference? I'm voting for the least worst.

Citizen #2: I don't like any of them. I'm voting for the least worst.

Citizen #3: Politicians are all the same. I'm voting for the least worst.

Voiceover: Fishman. The least worst.

Today in things that make me want to look at a map to see if perhaps San Rafael lies on a direct line between Panama and Honduras

We've had rather more US Army AH-64 Apache* attack helicopters flying directly over the house this week than you usually see in a quiet suburb of Heredia.

* Or possibly AH-1 Cobras, which is Bob's theory.

Today in Things You Don't See Every Day

"An enduring Cold War relic," now serving drinks on a hillside in Manuel Antonio. Really really not what I expected to see when looking up the website of the hotel at which we'll be attending (and setting up a booth at) a trade fair next month.

Such a cool game, in fact...

That I really need to go to bed early tonight. Because I kind of didn't, last night.

So for now I'll just say Happy Birthday, Mr. President, and also share a link I found apropos and highly wonderful today. (Warning: It'll really only make sense if you had heard of Raxacoricofallapatorius before the kitten came along.)

Good on you, ColorVision

That billboard only sat vacant for a few days. It's been replaced with a different sign...advertising the same product.

I would conclude that it was removed due to complaints, and that Detektor was prevailed upon to come up with some way of advertising their "Lo-Jack" GPS products that didn't make light of international terrorism.

I know, right? Some people with their demands and expectations.

Good riddance

I am happy to report that the billboard for "Detektor"--some sort of presumably GPS-based car tracking device--which I pass on my way to work every day and can see from about four blocks away right up until I pass it, was removed last week. It wasn't even replaced, just pulled down and the space left blank.

I hope it wasn't just that its run was up and nothing has been booked to replace it, but that it was removed because the billboard agency realized how inappropriate it was.

The entire right half of the thing was a picture of Osama Bin Laden. The left half said simply, "Detektor would already have found [him]." I can't even muster the will to parse all the layers of wrong in that.

He's a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively

Margie the morning show DJ just happened to play The Kinks' A Well Respected Man right before reading off the headline news today.

Is it any wonder the man stopped composing songs?

The Wiki page on Tom Lehrer says he lost interest in writing political satire back in the 60s.

Maybe he just ran out of material.

Remember this one?



Something about this post makes me think of it. Maybe it's the CNN "poll" (in the video at the link), which asks:

Are you concerned that President Obama seems compelled to continue to apologize for the United States wherever he travels?

I'd like to suggest a poll topic for next time: "Are you aware of the term 'leading question'?"

Kids' minds: A peek at the process

I cleaned the parrot cage just now.

The clean newspaper I put in was one I found on a table at the pizza place and perused while the girls played in the play place when we went there on, apparently, January 24. (Yup)

The article now positioned squarely under the parrot's favorite perch is about stem cell research. I probably pointed it out to the girls at the time, although I don't remember doing so. It's been in the stack of old newspapers in the laundry room ever since.

Julia saw me putting it in, and said, "Quick! Before the bird poops on it! Who's that guy?" I told her he was a scientist working to help sick people.

"Yeah. Obama let him. And the other one ..."

"Bush," I prompted.

"The other one ... what was the first President of the United States?"

I told her the President before Obama was Bush.

"No, what was the first President of the United States?"

"The first President was George Washington."

"Yeah. And George Bush didn't let them and lots of people, I think lots of people died, and that was mean."

I'd like to say it's worth commuting two hours each way to a part time job, just to see this mural every day. But now I have a picture, so...

Respect for diversity: it's the new sane.

Breakfast Invocation

Dear Robin and Julia,

I imagine that "change" isn't your favorite concept right now, and I get that.

Some kinds of change, though, are well worthwhile. Remember a couple of months ago, Election Day? I hope you do. I tried to show you that it was important in ways that you would understand. Eating pizza and staying up late to watch the early returns. Getting up even later to see the speeches. Ice cream for breakfast the next day - if that doesn't say "this is a big deal" I don't know what does.

Today is just as big a deal.

* * * * *
...So, I wrote that some time last week, and intended to expand it into a whole big Thing for Quaker Dave's Alternative Invocation. But you know how life is. It tends to be like this, a lot of the time, right?

Anyway.

The girls know what today is. Not to put too fine a point on it, I've told them it's "one of the most important things that has happened since either of you was born."

We talked (well, okay. It was 7:00 a.m. I talked and they ate their Cheerios) about Barack Obama and how he is different from the man who is president for a couple more hours.

About how, now...today...in 200NINE for cryin' out loud, there are STILL people who think women and girls are somehow less than men and boys. And how there are people who think men should only be allowed to fall in love with women, and women only with men. ("Why, Mommy?" ... "I have no idea, sweetheart. It makes no sense.")

And also about how I'm not going to like everything Barack Obama does. I already don't like everything he's done, but the man has pledged to listen, even when we don't agree. Especially when we don't agree. I can't conceive of a more important thing.

And, the logical question when I said that: "What has he done that you already don't like?" So we touched on Rick Warren and why that was a bad idea. Showing you're listening to the other side is one thing. Giving someone who stands in opposition to basic rights, acceptance and diversity - who, for crying out loud, thinks his personal brand of religion should, quite literally, take over the world - is really not the person to call on and give an international platform at this particular moment.

* * * * *
So, anyway, girls. All of that.

I'm sure you'll come to understand the importance of today. Hopefully with the help of some creatively deployed pizza, ice cream and after-the-fact YouTube coverage, I can help you remember the day itself as well.

See you after work.

Love,
Mommy

In the mood for donuts? Choose carefully.

Now, I have a soft spot in my heart for Krispy Kreme. But I think even if that were not the case, I might still find this a teeny tiny bit absurd.

It seems that Krispy Kreme, as is its wont on certain occasions, will be giving away free donuts on Inauguration Day. See, here's their press release:

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies -- just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet "free" can be.

How subversive is that?

What?

You don't see it?

They're celebrating freedom of choice. By giving away a free doughnut of choice.

So, naturally, the American Life League responded (in part) like so:

The next time you stare down a conveyor belt of slow-moving, hot, sugary glazed donuts at your local Krispy Kreme, you just might be supporting President-elect Barack Obama's radical support for abortion on demand - including his sweeping promise to sign the Freedom of Choice Act as soon as he steps in the Oval Office, Jan. 20.

I mean, in my opinion it would be good if they really did mean that. Well, a rational version of that. But from what I've heard about Krispy Kreme and its corporate philosophy...not so much.

(Total kudos to Bob for the title. Nicely done.)

Top of the head

(Which, incidentally, is not at all what you want to be typing with.)

I just realized, consciously, that the inauguration is taking place at noon (11:00 a.m. to us) on Tuesday. I had already done the math and was glad that the girls would be with me. But they won't be. They'll be home with a sitter or a neighbor and I'll be at work.

Sad.

We can watch it online in the evening, I guess. Hope it's nearly as good that way.

I write letters

Dear Mr. Sanzio, I understand that Campbell's is receiving complaints related to its ad in The Advocate, featuring a lesbian couple. I would like to express my appreciation that you would run such an ad, and my hope that representations of alternative family structures in advertising become more common, entering mainstream publications as well, over time. I am a single, straight woman, mother to two young daughters, and it is my desire that they come of age in a world that recognizes the full range of human diversity, not just traditionally scripted roles. Thank you and thanks to Campbell's for taking this step toward an inclusive world. I live outside the United States, so imported Cambell's products are expensive enough to be considered a luxury item on my budget, but I will be buying some the next time I have the opportunity. Thank you, Jennifer Tucker

Thanks to Liss at Shakesville for the heads-up.

Here's the ad in question. It was run in The Advocate - a gay publication. Nevertheless, the company has been deluged with complaints, largely coordinated by the conservative Christian American Family Association.

If you'd like to take a minute to offer some positive feedback, you can contact Anthony Sanzio, Group Director for Corporate/Brand Communications for Campbell's, by email or call 1-800-257-8443.

The things I miss, living where I do

I know of Ann Coulter, but I've never actually seen her on TV or read anything she's written. But I know her by reputation and she, apparently, has a thing or two to say about me.

And my kids.

Shakesville's Paul the Spud cites a Media Matters post that runs down a few of the more charming passages in Coulter's upcoming book.

Most intriguing to me, of course, was the fact that choosing to leave a relationship that wasn't working did not, in fact, result (as I believed) in me being happier with myself and my life, and consequently being a better parent to my kids (among other things).

Not at all.

Coulter calls children whose parents divorce "future strippers" in a chapter titled "Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother": "In any event, divorced mothers should be called "divorced mothers," not "single mothers." We also have a term for the youngsters involved: "the children of divorce," or as I call them, "future strippers." It is a mark of how attractive it is to be a phony victim that divorcées will often claim to belong to the more disreputable category of "single mothers."* [Page 36] Later in the chapter, Coulter writes: "Single motherhood is like a farm team for future criminals and social outcasts." [Page 38]

Apparently, it was all about career advancement for the girls.

It's a perplexing world, where a book such as this (if you liked the single mother bit, you should see the excerpt on which Democratic presidential candidate was the biggest pussy -- to say nothing of the Nazi parts*** -- it's all really rather stunning) is destined to become a New York Times Bestseller, rather than (well, okay - perhaps in addition to) garnering the ridicule it deserves, or simply being dismissed out of hand by, one would have assumed, most rational adults.

* So the simple, factual term "single mother" is disreputable. Bummer. I guess I could switch to "divorced mother whose children Ann Coulter has determined are to become strippers** and/or criminals"...but that's so very cumbersome.

** I suppose any discussion of "stripper" as a potentially legitimate and profitable profession is a bit beyond the scope of this post.

*** There's actually a passage reverse-conflating**** Nazi Germany and the writers of Murphy Brown. I kid you not.

**** Presumably to nullify Godwin's law by preemptively assuming that the other side will be making the Nazi comparison...I have to admit, I got a little lost at the end there.

Upheaval

It's just everywhere
A lot of it for the best
Some of it jarring

New undertaking

Just like Malia
Harry Potter at bedtime
We're on Chapter Three

Or, you know. Not.

It was exciting to hear that NC was actually counting absentee and provisional ballots, and I went into the state board of elections website to see how many of us there actually were. There were 3997 overseas votes, which doesn't sound like that many, and is obviously nowhere near enough to turn the thing. I guess that'll come down to the provisional ballots.

It was cool to see real information and even cooler to find a "check the status of your absentee ballot" link.

Yeah. Shouldn't have clicked that.

The ballot I cast was a Federal Write In something or other. It included (in my case) a change of address and a request for a full state absentee ballot. Right there on the same page, in the same envelope. The ballots were sent to the United States through the embassy and, I believe, put into the US mail.

That was five weeks ago, but my address (which, awesome privacy practices, you guys. All I put in was my first & last name and the county I'm registered in, and BAM, there's my [last known] address. No offense, Jennifer Ann Tucker from my same county. I didn't mean to look up your address on the Internet.)

...Where was I? Oh, right. My address still comes up as the apartment I lived in seven years ago, and the site informs me that no absentee ballot request was received.

You know, I never once, in all these years, really truly believed my ballots were getting there, or being counted. Much less making a difference.

But it sucks to know for sure.

Pinch

IsObamaPresident? [.com]

Maybe it did

So I got them up, but we'll save the sundaes for breakfast. I wasn't going to go whipping cream and miss all the good stuff.

We were watching CNN, and they kept their various stats rotating on the bottom of the screen during the speeches. Robin kept watching for the national map to come up, and commented on North Carolina's ongoing yellow status.

I explained that the votes were very close there, and that they were still counting them, but that Barack Obama was still the winner, either way.

So Robin said, "Maybe they're still counting it because your vote, your vote, made a difference."