The new Aaron Burr

So you're smart, witty folk. I need you to help me. I was watching the news last night and when I heard about this, I busted out laughing, and LITERALLY, could not stop for five minutes. Time five minutes; it's a long time. [OK, maybe it was more like two minutes. NONETHELESS.] I could not stop laughing. It wasn't a chuckle, it wasn't like I guffawed and then changed the channel. I'm hoping that the Daily Show tonight will shed enough light on what it is, exactly, about this that I find so amusing, because I'm actually mildly horrified at my reaction. Still. Can't stop laughing every time I hear the story.

My favorite part of the all of this is that the press can't get an answer as to why the incident wasn't released the day it happened. Yeah. I can't imagine. I'm sure the folks in Cheney's camp weren't completely flipping out and trying to think of what they could possibly say about the fact that the Vice President of the United States shot a man in the head.

Anyway, I think part of what struck me about this was that this administration struggles right now, and adding this to the pile, is, obviously so, so bad for them, to the point of absurdity. But I think maybe it's also that he's just come across as such a hard-ass, that this huge statement of fallability is somehow humorous.

Does that sound right? Whatever. Let me know if you have a theory.

[ETA: The shooting victim has apparently had a heart attack due to one of the pellets migrating to his heart. So. Not really funny anymore. But the post stays b/c I still wonder at why it was so funny initially.]

We're gonna need to replenish the kick-assery

So in the last week we've lost Betty Friedan, Wendy Wasserstein and Coretta Scott King. Ouch, y'all.

Edited to add: go here for an interesting article on this at AlterNet.

Frakking A

OK, I have to confess something, and ... it's not pretty.

I watch Battlestar Galactica.

Right now, everyone who's ever watched that show: (wounded) "Hey!"

Everyone reading this who's never watched the show: Just crossed me off their list of cool friends. And don't think I don't know that you have those, and don't think I don't know that I was HIGH on said list.

But that's fine. Cross me off. Because I am not kidding you when I tell you that this show is seriously one of the best I've seen in at least the last five years. It's the second season of West Wing good, and I think we all know that season two was phenomenal.

So, now I have another show that I'm setting up on the DVR, and now I have more recaps to read on TWoP. [Speaking of TWoP: if you love TV and don't know about Television Without Pity, go here immediately.] Anyway, Mary McDonnell is in BG, and she has this preternatural glow and earthiness playing the president of all mankind that makes me oh so proud to have already been a fan of hers. And she has serious chemistry with Edward James Olmos. I know. But she does.

Anyway, I want you to go watch it. It's on the SciFi Channel, Fridays at 10pm. Go watch it and then tell me what you think. And I'll explain it to you, you'll watch it again, and you'll love it. Promise.

Death or Rebirth: TWW Denouement

Shout out to the lovely Amanda P. We miss her like she left yesterday. [Ha. OK, I just read that? And it totally sounds like I meant that we don't miss her that much, cause it's like she was just here yesterday. No, no. I meant, you know. We miss her. Shut up.] Peeps, seriously, get your ass out here for a visit.

So, Amanda suggested in comments below that I peruse the Slate article that ran recently about my beloved West Wing – which I had just read when I saw her note; great minds and all that. Now, for those of you who don’t pay attention to TV news (I know there’s a couple of you out there), NBC officially announced that this is the last season for TWW, and the last episode will run May 14th. This is not surprising, my friends. The show’s been on its last legs for a while now -- moving it to Sunday nights was really the nail in the coffin -- and although this season is, in my opinion, the best of the Wells’ years, it’s not enough to justify another year. They moved up the election in the world of the show by a year, thereby insuring that the Barlet team would be gone after this season. At that point, I knew I was done after this season. No more Barlet, no more Toby, no more Charlie, no more Abby, nor more CJ, and *sigh* no more Leo.

Well, we know now that there can be no more Leo anyway, since we lost John Spencer in December. They’ll be dealing with the death of Leo in the same episodes that the election plays out, which should make for some very compelling television.

But that also brings us to why the suggestion brought forth in the Slate article is a nonstarter -- at least in respect to this show. They bring up the idea that eventually we’ll see television shows produced solely for subscribers, and they play out the math of having the 8 million still watching TWW cough up 2 bucks per episode, and that finances the production costs. It’s an interesting approach, and I can see that in order for that to happen, they’ll have to use a show with a proven audience (with an older, more disposable-income-spending core) as the pilot. But this isn’t the show for that. We’re done after May 14th, especially now that we have such a strong bookend in the death of Leo. The writers are ending the series with the upcoming episodes, wrapping up characters, showing where our favorites end up. There’s just no where to go from there.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, what about whoever wins? They’ll have a White House to explore.” As much as I enjoy Alan Alda and, at times, Jimmy Smits, the characters created by Aaron Sorkin are the core of the show, and with them gone, there is no West Wing with which to continue.

I'll never Woo-Hoo again

Went to the taping. Have you ever been to a talk show taping? They are exhausting, people. They basically beg, cajole and bribe you to clap and laugh for well over an hour. It’s even less fun than it sounds.

Ms. Janney was charming. She talked about Our Very Own, the film that she did with my lovely, lovely friend Maggie, so that was exciting to hear about. They don’t have distribution for the film yet, but Allison got an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role, so I think they’re hoping to parlay that attention into enough heat to launch the film. She also mentioned that this is her first film nomination, which is cool.

I got a chance to see an early screening of the film last year, and I really enjoyed it. Beth Grant is also in it, and I can’t say enough about our wonderful Beth. She’s always a joy and completely unsurprisingly stole every scene she was in. Love Beth.

Anyway, moral of the story: Liked getting to sit twenty feet from someone I idolize and be reminded that she’s a normal person (who drops her mic pack and then sits on it, and makes at times awkward small talk, bless her heart). However, I’m never going to another talk show taping again -- unless it’s Conan. Because seriously, you can only go woo-hoo so many times without meaning it before you begin to lose a little bit of your soul.

Christmas Church Story

OK, real quick. As referenced below, I missed church while I was home due to a self-fulfilling illness and this, for obvious reasons, sucked.

But what made it worse? They had a man dressed up as Noah who gave all the kids an impromptu little Bible lesson. Yes, you read that right. Noah. What the heck does Noah have to do with Christmas? Yeah. Nothing. Which, how much fun would I have had making snide comments about Noah and his outfit with my cousins and sister during the service? So much fun.

So I bring up this possibile Biblical character disconnect with my six-year-old cousin Madison. Here's what was said:

Me: So, I hear they had Noah at church for the kids this morning.
Maddie: (somewhat irritated tone) What?
Me: Noah? They had Noah there this morning, huh? That's kind of random, right?
Maddie: Ohhh, well, they had a man dressed up as Noah.

Yeah. She totally thought that I just didn't get that it was a fake Noah. Six-year-olds freaking rock.

I'm going to worry about winning a million dollars

So the Tuesday after Christmas, I’m supposed to fly back from the homeland (Lubbock, baby) and go straight into work. My flight is scheduled to arrive in at around 10:15am, and I can still pretty much put in a full day after that. Well, a full day for me, anyway.

Now, I did the whole fly in and still go to work thing after the DC trip (with a throbbing, aggravated right knee, no less). When you’re booking the flight, it’s basically a way of setting up your trip so that you get the most time at your destination as possible before returning home. It seems like a good plan. In theory. Honestly? It sucks. You’re exhausted, smell like plane, and really don’t feel like getting in your car and fighting the 405 for an additional hour. It’s just not something I recommend, kids.

So, knowing this, the week before Christmas, I had been saying, I’m just going to call in “sick” on Tuesday and go home from the airport, unpack, rest up and start the week on Wednesday. And yes, I used those stupid air quotes while I was saying “sick” and no, it never occurred to me to do any sort of anti-jinx mechanism while saying it, like spitting or going outside and turning around three times, or whatever.

Sure enough, I wake up Christmas morning with a raging chest cold and no voice really to speak of. Christmas morning, people. And even worse, it’s a Sunday Christmas. Church on Christmas! Yeah, totally missed church.

So I bring this up because of something I’ve thought a lot about lately which is this: how susceptible are our bodies to suggestion?*

Here’s another for instance that’s really getting to me. Peter Jennings. He quit smoking (I’m assuming to avoid carcinogenic-related illnesses) and dies of lung cancer. Another man I heard about this past year who also quit smoking six years ago, he recently passed away while battling lung cancer.

Isn’t it possible that both of these men (as evidenced by their vocal quitting) were worried about getting cancer and somehow invited that possibility in by focusing on it?

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking the cancer sticks they were smoking for decades were probably the biggest factor in them getting, well, cancer. But I think about the idea of worrying about something or focusing too much on bad possibilities and by doing so, you could, in effect, be inviting them in. It’s a really awful thing to contemplate.

So, now you’ve read this, and I’m not the only one contemplating. I feel better. Here’s hoping that translates to my aching right knee.



*No, no. I still think Christian Scientists and Scientologists are smoking crack. This isn't about false illness.

Picture Time -- Don't Laugh!

OK, you can laugh. I did.

I know it looks like I wandered into the shot, but I promise I was actually supposed to be there. Interpret my expressions as you will.

Mourning John Spencer

The actor who plays Leo McGarry on TWW died Friday of a heart attack. NY Times has an obituary here. LA Times here.

These comments sum him and his effect on others the best, I think:

He was "one of those rare combinations of divinely gifted and incredibly generous," said Richard Schiff, who plays Toby Ziegler on the NBC series. "There are very few personal treasures that you put in your knapsack to carry with you for the rest of your life, and he's one of those," Schiff said.

"He was my brother; that is the most I can say," said Martin Sheen, who plays the president, when reached at home yesterday. "I just adored him. It's too big a hole."

When the cast of The West Wing received an ensemble award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2002, Spencer praised his colleagues at the ceremony. "I'm always better depending on who I'm dancing with," he said, "and these are the best partners I've ever had."

The Hill

OK, so let’s discuss the DC trip.

I went to the land of our Founding Fathers this past weekend in order to both celebrate my sister’s birthday [*coughTHIRTIETHcough*], and to attend the White House Christmas party with said [*cough30-year-oldcough*] sister. Both events? Very fun.

Here’s what was not fun, kids. While in our nation’s capital, I sure did lose my drivers license. And yes, it’s as obnoxious a thing to lose as you expect it is. And yes, I lost it after the party. So I got into the party just fine (more about that later, when I get the pics back), but the event that this loss threatened – besides, you know, getting back on the plane – was the upcoming West Wing tour that Jenny was planning to give me on Sunday.

So, to be clear: party on Thursday, lost ID on Friday, tour coming up on Sunday.

I think anyone reading this blog knows this about me already, but I’ll state it for the record: I enjoy an occasional viewing of a little show called The West Wing. So, you could safely say that this tour was, well, it was a significant aspect of the visit for me. So, we’re sitting around on Saturday, brainstorming about how to get my ass in that tour, and I am absolutely in tears. No, *sigh*, I’m so not kidding. Tears, y'all.

I’ve been watching the show for seven years, people. It’s a part of me.

So I get Jenn to call the security office, she gets a hold of a Secret Service sergeant and gives him the sitch. He tells her that because I was cleared for the party already, that’s what’s going to save me. [He also says to tell me that it's just a show and I should chill.] So, he promises to send an email to all the guard supervisors that I’m coming the next day and to let me in. And they do! I love that man.

Can I tell you what this experience was like? Imagine that you dearly love a television show based on the workings of the power hub of the country in which you live and you got the opportunity to visit this actual location. The place upon which every one of the 100+ episodes you’ve loved has been based? You get to go there, you get to see, and it has the added bonus of being one of the most culturally, socially, politically and historically significant buildings in said country. It felt something like that.

You want to know the best part? I totally got to stand behind the podium in the press room, on a step ladder, and pretend to be CJ. How cool is that?

As soon as I get pics, I’ll post them here.

The Expectation of a Positive Outcome

My Newsweek subscription just expired. It expired, I'm not kidding about this, the week before the issue with the cover: "How Women Lead." Great. It's like they knew. "Jessica Gray in Los Angeles, CA just let her subscription lapse, move the women leaders issue up and get that on the stands. We need her $17.95."

I'm standing at the Ralph's checkout and debating, and despite the fact that it has Oprah on the cover *, I paid $3.95 for it. And, yes, I felt stupid about that, and yes, I'll be renewing my subscription now.

So, the articles are interesting enough, I guess. The whole oeuvre of the thing is a little "Wow! Women can do stuff!" but yeah, what'd I expect. There was a sidebar (LOVE sidebars) with the results of a study done by Fortune Magazine. Here's some highlights (or lowlights**) if you like.

Percentage of the workplace that's female: 46%
Percentage of MBA slots at top schools filled by women: 30%
Percentage of corporate officers: 16%
Percentage of women in both houses of Congress: 15%

And this one, that I'm remembering off the top of my head from a different source, and I'll check this later:
Percentage of women members in the DGA: 11%

So, wah, wah, we can vote, we can buy our own cars, we should shut it. Yeah, I know! My point is not that these statistics suck, we know they suck. But here's what I found interesting in connection with these facts. Toward the end of this section "Leadership for the 21st Century" (I guess implying that the ladies are getting ready to just take over at some point in the next 95 years) was an article w/ the head "Vote of Confidence."

In it, Rosabeth Moss Kanter discusses how confidence affects women’s decisions to lead, strive, etc. It's interesting, she gets into how sports engenders confidence, and Title IX was important for that with girls, blah, blah, I tuned out cause it's sports. But she gets to the point that as a professor she has to be sure to call on women as much as the men because men tend to raise their hand and talk until they find a point, whereas women tend to only raise their hands if they are positive they have something to bring to the debate. Her POV of this, as the professor, was that it was a bad thing.

But wasn't your first thought reading that, like, yeah, damn straight? There's integrity to only speaking when you're contributing and to keeping your piehole shut otherwise. But she goes on to point out that confidence comes from the "expectation of a positive outcome." And you're only going to get that by speaking, receiving the confirmation that it was worthwhile, and filing that info away for the next time you think of something worth voicing.

OK, so those of you not raising your hands? Yeah, you, the one in the back with something to contribute, but you're afraid the popular boys will make fun of you? Raise your hand.

Those of you waiting to speak until you have something to say? Good on you. But take that moment right before you do raise your hand, and remember it. Remember how you had that little thrill of fear and did it anyway, and apply that elsewhere. We’ll all benefit from it.

*Not a huge Oprah fan. All that yelling, man, it just gets to me.
**I'm thinking about getting low-lights this weekend! Good times.

Inaugural Post! (And, where the blog title comes from)

So I've just sealed my fate at work. Starting a blog. Man, there is just no way I'm ever getting any work done now. Sweet.

The name of my blog comes from this poem I received from my funny friend Michelle, on a day where I was feeling particularly obsessive. There are copyright issues here, I'm sure. But I plead ignorance.

God Says Yes To Me
I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

~Kaylin Haught