Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Love to you and your families and may the new year bring happiness and peace.

Straight No Chaser = Beach Boys (sort-of)

Thanks for the wishes

And, to share, one of the best...

Cuban Beans

The Nanny Senator?

Now, this year has been loopy in politics. Really. Loopy. However, this might just take the cake. Fran Drescher wants to take Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat!

Actually, there is nothing more to say. It's the best Hollywood-political comparison ever made.

"She went over the bridge from Flushing to the White House door. She was there to sell make-up but Schumer saw more. She had style. She had flair. She was there! That's how she became the Senator!"

Et tu Brute?

Just because she happens to be one of my favorites, Sarah Palin was on CNN.com today not because she splattered herself on every television. Oh no. This time she was mentioned because McCain can't say whether he would support her in the 2012 Presidential bid. Ha!

Not that I am entirely surprised. I mean, would you want to support Palin if you didn't have to? This confirms, however, a sad truth about her candidacy. She really was a Barbie push. I mean, if her Presidential counterpart cannot say post-election that he would support her run for Presidency, why would we believe he did during the campaign?

Much like those bad Hollywood break-ups, it seems McCain doesn't want to pay alimony.

The Windy City

Just when you thought you'd seen the last of the corrupt, Chicago politician, laundering and lying strike again! Today it was discovered that the GOVERNOR of Illinois, Rod Blagojevic, was trying to SELL Barack Obama's senate seat. WHAT?! On God's green Earth...

Now, this seems to be a classic case of "What was he thinking?" Did he think he wouldn't get caught? Did he think no one would notice? That no one would leak? Did he think if he appointed himself to the position that no one would find it suspicious? (Slaps forehead).

Oh, and to add insult to perjury, he is back at work Wednesday (sans passport)...

Funny enough, this happens in Hollywood, and no one bats an eyelash. Actually they get a comeback tour or a book deal. Hmm...

Oh no... he didn't

I am currently watching Made on MTV. (Lose the judgment.)

And the 50s hep kid wants to become a hip-hop dancer. His dad says, "He's a young Republican. Maybe it would help him to be a little Democrat. A little Barack Obama."

Yes, he did.

Prop 8: The Musical

Yes.... they did it. Hollywood and Broadway came out in unison!

Keep it snappy, keep it happy, keep it gay!

The Front Page

Today I saw the front page of the New York Times, and the photo astounded me. There they were, President-elect Obama and (gasp) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an almost embrace, and there were no weapons, verbal or otherwise, involved! If you had asked anyone 18 months ago if this was possible, people would have scoffed and said, "Oh, Hillary will never play second fiddle!" But, there it was, on the cover of the NY Times.

Now, in keeping with my usual and somewhat mad pop-political comparisons, this seems like the Spice Girls reunion. Follow me here. Ginger Spice gets kicked out of/leaves the group, and Posh Spice becomes an international sensation. Then, the reunion tour comes, and Ginger can no longer be front and center the entire performance. The fan base now wants Posh, but Ginger still participates in the tour. Why? Oh darlings, it's simple. Who could blame her?

Fame. Money. Fans. Power. And a stadium full of supporters. Sound familiar? Except Ginger wore funkier clothes.

If you wanna be my lover...

Why can't we be friends?

In response to Ona's comments about the deaths in the NW and the news reports about the deaths in NJ, I would like to remind people that a sale is just a sale. Please, just break a nail. Don't break somebody's back.

Have we really gotten to the point that sans Tickle Me Elmo, we'll kill people for Christmas gifts? Chill the freak out people and know that life is not about Wal-Mart. God help us all if it is.

Next time we stampede, can't it be for a good cause like civil rights? Go stampede in California- that's where they really need aggressive shoppers. Except, there, the prize is fairness and equality. Now, that would be some kind of Christmas gift.

Surviving the Black Death

The number of people: innumerable. The number of sales: immeasurable. The collateral damage: painful.

Yes, folks, that's right. I survived Black Friday. This crazy lady went at midnight last night with her crazy grandmother, brother and brother's gf to a mall. Then, at 2am came home and slept till noon, got ready and went all afternoon to another mall with the same grandmother and Mom. Some may think this is crazy, but I call it tradition.

Now, the rain was setting in, and the mall was at full bustle. We commandeered the sales at Ann Taylor Loft, AE, Macy's and Nordstrom. The last one was less a sale and more a gift card run. We were suffocated with the lack of air at Ann Taylor Loft, and I was forced to run reconissance for a red sweater in my mom's size. Phew! I got it.

After several pit stops along the way, we made it back to the car around 7pm. I threw the packages in the trunk and promptly broke my thumb nail. Yes, broke it. OUCH!

Badaged and safely at home, I would venture to call this Black Friday a success. Oh wait, I opened a Macy's account to get the discount. Drat!

Milk

All I have to say is go see Milk! It was phenomenal. Learn why you should never stay a silent "us."

Hope everyone is in a happy turkey or tofurkey coma!

Turqui Day

First off, Happy Thanksgiving everybody! OR Happy Turqui Day! (in good Spanglish)

Lately I've been wondering why Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to blend together. This year, especially, it feels like the whole of the holidays brings with it a particular cheer. Everyone is losing their money, and every family feels like Christmas will be just that much tighter. However, maybe tighter is a good thing? (Follow me here...)

Sometimes we get so caught up in the shopping and the gift giving that we forget just how much it means to have each other for another year (month or even day). Maybe buying less will cause us to refocus and retool just what it means to be a family member and a citizen. Barbara Walters had footage of Obama handing out turkeys at a Chicago soup kitchen (like him and Michelle do every year), and it reminded me that it's those moments, the ones where we really connect to strangers, that are the true meaning of togetherness.

So, today, instead of my usual pop-political comparison (rant- however you choose to see it), I would like to simply remind you to give thanks for another year and for a new beginning. And, let's all remember to say a special prayer for the turkey who didn't live to see 2009.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Good Cheer!

The Boob Tube

Lately I've been watching a lot of TV. Now, TV watching prior to college was a daily ritual. I used to do my calculus homework in front of the TV. Cable-less college came, and I found myself online more than ever but rarely in front of The Boob Tube.

Funny enough, I was traveling recently. Crisscrossing the country, more accurately, and what do I spy on every TV in every airport? Sarah "the pitbull" Palin. Since when did losing become the new winning? I don't recall seeing a losing politician on TV since Gore came out with his An Inconvenient Truth. Even then, however, it was for an environmental crusade. It was socio-political not "look at me four years in advance."

Our friend, the Pitbull, seems to be another story. Since when did we get so fascinated by the lives of "ordinary" people? (I say this not to discredit her but rather to emphasize her own self-perpetuated identity as an "everywoman.") Oh, wait, I forgot. Survivor and Big Brother. So, essentially, Sarah Palin is the next great reality TV series. I can just see it now: Sarah and Todd's Alaskan Brood. The Alaskan John and Kate.

Just next time I'm traveling, which is soon, I pray to God that every channel is devoid of her folksy charm and now trendy glasses. I'd rather watch her in my own time on TLC.

This is a hard world...

So after speaking with several people, all jobless to some extent, it seems that this really is a hard time. You may be reading this and thinking, duh!, but it really is.

And my political musings continue in accordance with this. President Obama faces something of a perfect storm. To use a common Whitman metaphor, the "captain" is really on a sinking ship. The eye of the storm is approaching, a Christmas calm, and then 2009 will bring with it uncertainty and God knows, some important changes. Obama faces not only the burden of the storm but also that of navigating the ship. And much like the Flying Dutchman, this ship disappears and reappears in various iterations with various directions and courses. There is no telling who will fall victim to its reappearance. Recently, it seems, the whole world is (not just those ships in the Bermuda Triangle).

As all of us seek employment, stability and care in this time of great uncertainty, we should remember that just as ships pass in the night, land may be just beyond the horizon. In the meantime, pray that "the prize we sought is won" and that our new Captain steers this unpredictable ship to its charted destination.

Greatness

Rosa sat so that Martin could walk.

Martin walked so that Obama could run.

Obama ran so that our children could fly.


Puts it all in perspective.

Dancing, singing and acting

As I was watching a recent episode of Family Guy, I realized that musicals just follow me. I don't ask for it. They just do.

And I know you all now expect some analogy to current politics... this one doesn't have one. Perhaps that's just a sign of how when an election ends, other things still happen. People will still randomly break out into song and dance, and I'll remember every lyric and melody.

Wait, people don't actually break into song in real life! Oh well, I guess some realities are better as dreams and some dreams as realities. Thank God for politics and entertainment.

"Let me entertain you..." Name that musical!

Great Line

"Tacky Mexican stuff is so kitschy. What? I can say it. It's my heritage." -Ugly Betty

Say Yes to the Dress

So, I was sick of watching political pundits and reports and, instead, watched mindless TLC- Say Yes to the Dress. Let me tell you, watching a bunch of women and their mothers try-on and decide upon wedding dresses puts it all in perspective.

How? you ask. It's simple. By watching the ludicrousness of wedding shopping, it becomes clear that the circus that is a Presidential election is not so different from all the other circuses in our lives: A lot of people are invited. Everyone bickers on how it's supposed to happen. Tears are shed. Battles won and lost. AND in the end, the wedding still happens.

So stop complaining about Palin or the outcome or the cabinet or the madness, and just maybe, we should all just say, "Yes to the process" and keep on living. Just like the "perfect" wedding dress, a President-elect often loses his appeal after the Big Day.

Remember, it's just a dress.

A New, New Hope

To say I am still in shock is an understatement. I don't think I will fully comprehend last night until Inauguration Day.

Something I have seen echoed by many peers and is an age old mantra within the black community is that there is still so much work to be done. With this success comes great responsibility both domestically and globally. We have taken the first steps toward asserting change; however, we still have a long way to go.

"Nobody told me that the road would be easy. I don't believe He brought me this far to leave me."'

May we all remember that Obama is just a man. A powerful and transformational man but a man nonetheless. He will commit errors. He will have great successes. BUT through it all, we must, as a people, take it upon ourselves to better the Nation. He is just one man. We are many people.

Don't let the dream of Hope become a dream deferred.

The Gentleman from Illinois

I would like to share some thoughts:

Today a mixed race man. An African-American man. A white man. A Hawaiian. A Chicagoan. A Kenyan.

Is the 44th President of the United States of America.

A man who 40 years ago could not sit in the front of a bus. A man who would have been hosed in Selma. A man who would have been in chains 150 years ago. A man who would have been denied the right to vote because he could not "pass" a "literacy" test.

This man is the President-elect. This is the man who will move the country in a new direction. This is the man who invigorated an entire generation of cynical 20-somethings. A man who believes in something greater than himself. A man who understands his great responsibility. A man who understands his privilege.

Barack Obama. Mr. President. Welcome to The West Wing.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

Everyone- no joke. Do not speak to me if you don't vote. (International, non-citizens excluded from this threat)

No talking to me if you don't vote. I'm that serious. As serious as a heart attack. Tough love. Tough love.

See you out and about exercising your right!!

VOTE

So today's message is.... go VOTE! I don't want to hear any excuses. Tomorrow is election day, and this election is NOT in the bag.

Exercise your right. And please, drive safely.

Hallow-maddness?

Halloween is there again, and, although I'll be sporting my creative Nancy Drew outfit (basically a dated version of my wardrobe w a magnifying glass), today is about little kids eating more candy than they can all year and regretting it the next day. Oooo, tummy!

Well, the real trick-or-treat surprise will be when Obama wins, and everyone can retire those ridiculous Palin or McCain masks.

I hope.

Complain

Remember- you can only complain later if you vote now.

Go vote early, often and by the evening of November 4th. Change is what we need, no matter how you see it. And guess what? We get everything handed to us- good and bad. Particularly the bad.

See you at the polls, and, when you're done voting, do a little dance. Go ahead. Why not?

Christmas: Straight No Chaser

So, everyone... the day has arrived! Yesterday, Straight No Chaser, Indiana's premiere male a capella group released their first record on a major label. Check it out and buy it... mainly cause it's that warm and fuzzy Christmas sung by a group of nice looking 30 somethings....

i Tunes store or http://www.upped.com/Holiday-Spirits/A/B001G0LBXS.htm

Enjoy!

Obamanation?

As I continue my stay in the great state of Georgia, I have seen McCain/Palin signs in abundance, as expected. However, in my quite wealthy neighborhood, I have seen many Obama/Biden signs? Now, as I live and breathe, my neighborhood has never been a bevvy of Democratic stalwarts, but something has struck a chord somewhere, somehow. Who knew?

Now, if this biracial man can penetrate rich, mostly white and upscale GA, who knows what else can he do?

In the meantime, I will pray hard and vote harder. Remember that you can only blame the results if you voted...

Walking in Texas

So, in the closing months of W's administration, I have been wondering what President has ever had a film parodying his administration while still in office? Oliver Stone's film W. may not be the best film ever made...we'll leave that to Citizen Kane and Casablanca. However, the American public is so immune to the ridiculousness of the current administration that we can laugh at it before it ends, even though it's repercussions are being felt like an economic earthquake?

So, really, do we just laugh because we don't want to cry? Thanks W. for reminding us that we have a President who drove us to laugh in our own foolery.

Melts in your heart, not in your hand?

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE49N5QZ20081024?feedType=nl&feedName=usoddlyenough

I heard this on All Things Considered Thursday... Somehow, it makes perfect sense. So next time you go on a date, ask yourself, "Did we drink coffee, tea or something warm or did I have it iced?" Depending on your answer, it just might line-up with the outcome of your date. OR it just might have been alcohol. In which case, the temperature did not matter. ;)

Remember to enjoy a warm cup o' Joe in the next several months... Who knows? Maybe it will help you meet your soul mate or at least get you free coffee from the Barista Boy. (See link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXS0nEOx_20

Palin and Sex?

SO I was just sent this article by my good friend, Sergio. Thoughts? There is something troubling, no matter how ill-informed this woman is, about comparing a woman's success to her looks and ability to seduce men. I mean, come on, isn't that slightly degrading to any woman's efforts? I am a little unsettled....

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/mavericks_tragic_flaw.html

Betty La Fea

Thinking about high school and that ridiculousness... you leave believing, "Oh, yes, life will be different." And then you get to the "real world" and, somehow, it's still like high school. There are popular people, nerds, geeks, cheerleaders, jocks, goths, band geeks, drama dorks, those nameless kids (you know, that one in the corner you never knew his name), etc. Maybe who's in charge changes, but we still have to deal with every type from the cafeteria.

So, where do you sit or do you switch tables? Maybe you're a drama geek now friends with a former cheerleader... or that girl in glasses who finds herself with a lot of great friends. But then again, she's always had those.

Hmmm... maybe things haven't changed since high school.

Life in the left lane...

So I just read an article about how "offensive" it is that Family Guy had a Nazi soldier donning a McCain/Palin button in a recent episode. Seriously?! Would people chill out? The show has a talking dog and a genius, talking, British baby. Come on...

It's more serious when REAL McCain supporters yell that Obama is a terrorist and still think being Muslim is unAmerican. Cut me a break- If Stewie and Brian's song and dance with Nazi soldiers is being sensored then every person at a McCain/Palin rally who has yelled, "terrorist," should have a black "bleep" placed on them.

Just my two cents....

In other news, everyone searching for a job- keep believin'- HOPE is on the way. :)

And...

Colin Powell was the only good news yesterday...

Oh well, there's always next year...

Baseball and Politics

Let's go Red Sox!

Between Colin Powell and the Red Sox in Game 7- This has been an amazing day!

Feel the change.... any decade with (knock on wood) three Sox wins means it's time for CHANGE!

Race? Anyone?

So, in watching the debate, I can't help but ask a question that no one seems to want to talk about. Why is it that Obama always keeps his cool? Now, everyone claims it's what the American people need. We like stability in an unstable world. Yada, yada, yada.

Now, all of this is true, and Obama is generally cool. BUT has anybody ever thought of how he might come across if he DID get angry? Angry black man, anyone? It just seems that if Obama pulled a 3rd debate McCain, the American public would peg him as unstable as Jesse Jackson or Rev. Wright is perceived. He CAN'T afford to be angry. It's sad but true. It's yet another double standard. Being black and aggresive is a lot like being a woman and aggresive. It's taboo and unsettling. Now, I'm not saying it didn't work against McCain (it did), but I am saying that it's a strategy unfathomable to the Obama campaign. I guess "Yessir" didn't end with slavery or 1964.

Obama, way to play it to your advantage. You won. I'm just sorry that restraint is a necessity.

If all the world's a stage...

then I want a different part. This is a great spin on the old Shakespearean quotation. However, do we really want different parts or just a different scene?

In this election season, I often wonder if we ("Gen Y") are really concerned with where we fit but rather more concerned with the scene we've been cast in? It seems like a totalitarian director decided it would be best if we came-of-age in a time of war, dire economic straights and technological proliferation. Maybe it's less about who we are and more about where we are?

So, instead of this life search for "who we are," maybe we should be asking, "how can we change where we are or adapt ourselves to change our scene?"

Just some theatrical-political musings....

Oldies but goodies....

So, Motown may be my fav musical genre of all time. All I'm saying is that "nothing you can say can tear me away from my" music....

PS- Bradley Effect in 08?? Thoughts? Essentially, do you think people are lying to the polls about voting for Obama because they don't want to appear racist (thereby screwing with the poll numbers)?

An add-on: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/13/campbell.brown.obama/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Thoughts? It's a nice spin of the question.

Chris Rock

Can I just tell you all, if you haven't watched Chris Rock's assessment of the candidates....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX4ZMFY3aTA

Sometimes people need to hear the truth in jest....
JA

Latina

Can I just say how much I love my Latin Americans?... en serio, you all are mi gente and always have my back no matter what. This halfie quiere a todos ustedes en mi vida.

I realize everyday how much mi comunidad understands me and supports my every move. Never lose faith gente- you are greatly loved.

Un abrazo

Mmm...pumpkin

I just bit into a little piece of Heaven. I don't what the great bakery in the sky will be like, but I bet they will serve Starbuck's pumpkin loaf.

Everyone, enjoy your Saturday and remember to sip your coffee slowly and savor every bite. Saturday only comes once a week....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWxA3e9f6rY

Beautiful....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iajdUlQRgIc&feature=user

Just beautiful.... Buy their album on Oct 28th. Christmas will never sound better. :)

Went for a run

Yes, those of you who might know me... this. is. a. miracle. So, I put on that Celia Cruz and went huffing around the neighborhood. God. help. me.

Anyway, it's amazing how much a run can clear your mind and make you feel that much more balanced. Exercise nuts, I think you all are on to something... In the meantime, however, no one tell me who won Project Runway.....shhhhh.

Also, great article on cultural re-memory and invention: <http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/sep_oct08/features1>

Waiting game

Le sigh... waiting for job calls.... Ah, the real world at last. In the meantime, let's watch some youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnSXGTFQ0Ak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2wIjksLdCk

Moving to the writer's side

Well, who knew? The day I arrived to the blogging world. I know, I know... for a woman who claims that she is always "writing the next great American novel," the fact that I've never written a blog is not only kinda sad but also just self-deprived. So, here I am, a recent college graduate concerned about women in fashionable glasses from Alaska who think Putin rears his ugly head each morning and equally as concerned about "Dancing with the Stars" and Brangelina's UN of kiddies.

Since when is it okay for a woman to represent the US's future with comments like, "I read them all" instead of naming actual news sources? All I can say is that I pray that my female classmates, especially those I respect, don't give up on Presidential dreams just because a woman from Alaska reared her kinda cute head. Because as you and I know, every woman is held to a level of scrutiny no man ever is, and, really Sarah, if you wanted to represent women everywhere, you would at least be able to name The London Times or The New York Times as news sources.

Maybe one day, le sigh, I can vote proudly for a fellow XX-er. In the meantime, I will vote for the Illinois Senator with a "funny" name who proudly reads the NY Times.

PS- For your enjoyment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A2Ap3DyvLg