B is Chris Farley

[B and I watching the Euro finals this afternoon]

B: Hey, dad: you remember when Darth Vader held his hand up and used the force to choke that guy from like ten feet away?

Me: Yes?

B: That was awesome.

Ann Richards Keynote 1988

Looking for other things, I found the audio of the famous Ann Richards keynote address from 1988. It's most famous for the line "Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." (Video of that line here.) But Ann was also famous for her invocation of her "nearly perfect" granddaughter, Lily as an inspirational representative of all future generations. Here's a snippet from the keynote, that could have been written for this election:

So, when it comes right down to it, this election is a contest between those who are satisfied with what they have and those who know we can do better. That’s what this election is really all about. It’s about the American dream -- those who want to keep it for the few and those who know it must be nurtured and passed along.

I’m a grandmother now. And I have one nearly perfect granddaughter named Lily. And when I hold that grandbaby, I feel the continuity of life that unites us, that binds generation to generation, that ties us with each other. And sometimes I spread that Baptist pallet out on the floor, and Lily and I roll a ball back and forth. And I think of all the families like mine, like the one in Lorena, Texas, like the ones that nurture children all across America. And as I look at Lily, I know that it is within families that we learn both the need to respect individual human dignity and to work together for our common good. Within our families, within our nation, it is the same.

Twee Primer (Last Tullycraft Post)

That last band wasn't bad, I just can only take so much twee.

--Tullycraft audience member downstairs at the Red and Black bar watching the Celtics lose game 5.

To explore Tullycraft is to run head long into the world of Twee. Although I have heard, and been tempted to use the term, I never really understood Twee. So riding in this morning, I thought I'd take the time to do some research on Twee and make a post. On Twee, I might call it.

Turns out that the Washington Post beat me to it, with a Tullycraft hook no less. So rather than make my own swing at it, here's a link to the WaPo Twee Primer.

Needless to say, my own experience with Twee starts, as Sean from Tullycraft does, with Jonathan Richman.

Holiday House Shout Out

Good on Scotty McClellan for giving a shout out to Tarrytown burger joint Holiday House in his tell some book about the Bush Admin. This was my local burger haven as well. Nothing beat going with childhood friend Monte Warden (he would pay) to grab a hickory burger and a Dr. Pepper at Holiday House on a summer afternoon. Going back as an adult, I realized the food wasn't all that, though my dad swore by it to the end. (I think Holiday House closed when the shopping center in which it sat was bought by an animal rights activist who disapproved of beef.) The Chronicle review fairly caught it:

Flame-kissed and floppy, Holiday House's signature cheeseburger stands up to its reputation as an old-fashioned burger of the drugstore variety.

Tullycraft Live Blogging

OK, not live. I just got home though.

Annals of Mr. Miasma hipness at rock and roll show:

Me [to lead singer of Tullycraft]: So, are you in the band?

He made up for it by being unfamiliar with "Baltimore."

Wow, though, what a show. I'm thinking it's time for a family vacay in Seattle planned around a Tullycraft show on their own turf.

Tullycraft Today in Our Nation's Capital

Here's another Tullycraft vid. This one, like most of the You Tube posts, shows pasty folks drinking beer and moving clumsily to well-crafted pop songs. These are my people.

Ignore the National Polls

So the nation-wide polls say it is a close race. According to yesterday's CNN poll of polls, Obama has a slight lead, 47-43. But if George Bush's elections taught us anything it is that the national popular vote doesn't matter, its the electoral college that is the real score card. So what happens when you break it down by electoral votes?

According to my favorite, electoral-vote.com, Obama is winning big, 304-221 [it takes 270 to win]. Note that the Old Dominion is the only state that is currently considered a "tie." This website simulates election day, awarding a state to whomever is leading, regardless of how slim the lead.

CNN has it much closer (and probably a more reasonable way of looking at it this far out)--Obama has 190, McCain 194, with 154 "toss up" electoral votes.

This is the race to watch, not those nation-wide polls.

Tullycraft - Sunday in Our Nation's Capital

Tullycraft, one of my fave groups of janglers, plays in DC Sunday at the Red and Black bar in DC. The song videoized above comes from their new record Every Scene Needs a Center.

Mmmmmm

J commenting on D's lunch, a mishmash of brown rice, fresh peas, and other mystery ingredients:

Seriously--it looks like she already digested it.

Sick of Myself

W.G. on the Texas Democratic Convention

Our favorite video reporter (are those new glasses?) video blogs on the Texas Democratic State Convention, and takes a shot at my Governor's eyebrows.

McCain in the Everglades? Huh?

Did I get this right: John McCain is touring the Everglades today, to call attention to his voting against funding for . . . wait for it . . . restoring the Everglades! I guess the point is that he's a fiscal conservative, but there might be ways to make him seem tight fisted without slapping the environment in the face. (One way would be to oppose the Bush tax cuts, which he once voted against, but now supports.) What's next, a tour of emergency rooms to highlight his opposition to heath coverage for all?

Adelante con Obama

Zing!

As I was absent-mindedly singing "Party in the Woods" by Jonathan Richman during clean up this evening:

J: What are you singing?

Me: Party in the Woods.

J: Why are you singing it?

Me: 'Cause it's in my head, I guess.

J: Um, could you keep it there?