Drive-By Thinking.

quick shots.

Only 'cause I've got a crapton of stuff to look up for other purposes today. I may make another rant later.

For the record, I didn't watch the SOTU address last night. I preferred to exercise my right to tell him to STFU instead. I read some of what was written about it, and I'm convinced I made the right decision. There'll be enough commercials running for the Anointed One between now and November and I don't need to give him dedicated air time in this house.

I'm likely to throw something heavy at the teevee by accident, and I can't afford to replace the set right now. Economy, don't you know. (That and I haven't seen a flat-screen that's really convinced me it's worth the money yet. I'll lose the traditional sets when they die, and not before.)

But to the headlines:

Mr. Blatt points out that it's not the Republican-controlled side of the legislature we should be bent about. He's right, as usual. While I'm not entirely pleased with what the House has done, (but when am I truly satisfied with anything?) the Senate has rested itself firmly on an excuse of gridlock and neglected its duty. They should be fired. I expect they'll be re-elected instead.

 

Kudos to one helluva goalie. Sure, it'll cost him some fans, but he's staying true to what he believes. 

What? It only counts when it's some left-wing actor or singer mouthing off on an approved main-stream network about something they know nothing about? Pfah. Go Timmy.

I've got opinions on military cuts (what? me? opinions?) but I don't have much save for gut instinct about it. I don't know whether Mr. Caruba has all the facts either, but neither of us think that what's being planned and done passes the smell test.

And finally, I kind of wish I still lived a little further north. At least when it comes to things like this. I ask my northern peeps: did you see it? Was it really fabulous?

Now I'm off to get some real work done. K out.

but i'm too stupid to know any better.

At least, according to Newsweek I am. (No, I'm not linking you directly. If you want to read such a ridiculous piece of tree-destroying excrement, look it up yourself. I refuse to enable you.) 

I dunno. I expect I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but even I can call bullshit without too much trouble. 

Take this Keystone business. No, really. Take it. Elsewhere, that is. It's apparently not welcome in the United States, according to The Anointed One.

According to WaPo – among other sources – The Lightbringer refused to cave in to Congressional pressure and outright rejected a Canadian application for a permit to build and operate a pipeline that would stretch from the oil sands fields of Canada to the refineries of Texas.

But it's not his fault. It's Congress' fault, for imposing an "arbitrary […] deadline" that prevented the State Department from making a thorough study.

*coughbullshitcough*

You see, there's already been studies and proposals and information gathering. For quite some time. So what's the real reason?

"The administration will allow TransCanada to reapply for a permit after it develops an alternate route around the sensitive habitat of Nebraska's Sandhills."

I read this as "The administration will allow TransCanada to reapply for a permit when they bend over and take one from His Holiness the President."

"Industry officials and analysts said they expect TransCanada to submit a new route proposal for the Nebraska leg of the pipeline within two weeks. TransCanada declined to comment on the matter Wednesday."

Wonder why? Oh, I dunno. I just read this article from Bloomberg, though, which gives even stupid little ol' me some pretty good insight as to why. 

"Canadian policy makers reacted to President Lightbringer's decision to deny a pipeline permit by pledging to rely less on the US for energy sales and export more oil to Asian markets."

Nice move, fuckhead. (No – not you, Mr. Harper. The fuckhead in the White House.)

Look, according to Heritage, this is a project that would have created 20,000 "shovel-ready" jobs right off the bat. It would have brought somewhere around 700,000 barrels of oil daily into the Gulf states' refineries, creating nearly 180,000 jobs by 2035.

Those are sorely needed jobs. And that's one of the reasons why this project had the backing of several large labor unions. (Imagine us all on the same side. I think I hear birdies singing.)

"At a time when unemployment remains unacceptably high, Iran is threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and Canada is looking to take this oil elsewhere, it is difficult to understand how the President could say no to thousands of jobs and an increase in energy supply from our ally."

And as far as environmentalist lobbyists and their opposition to this project – and it's there – even nutcase Secretary of Energy (!) Stephen Chu grudgingly supported the project. He's among several of The Anointed One's staff, appointees, or allies who gave it a green light.

Me, I think it's more of a pissing contest than a valid dismissal. The Anointed One has to mark his territory.

WaPo's article on the second page tries the Newsweek approach to downplaying how this will affect the Emperor's electability. 

"There is no – we repeat no [sic] – polling on how many people are even aware of the pipeline (or the debate over it), a fact that suggests that it's not penetrated anywhere close to broad public awareness."

The reporter has a valid point in that; I've not seen any polls, but the mainstream liars-for-hire aren't doing much to push the issue in front of people. So who would care about answering a poll about it? Though I agree that the mass electorate honestly wouldn't care, mostly because American Idol is on tonight and OMGWTFBBQthatsoooooooooooomuchmoreimportant!!!!!!1!!!

Yet there should be a reason for His Assholyness to worry. When even Jennifer Rubin sees hay to be made of this ridiculous decision, one should assume that any Average Joe can put two and two together and see who to blame. 

And when gas prices hit $5 a gallon, you'll know who to thank. At the ballot box, preferably.

what i did on my autumn vacation.

(Also known as being basically underemployed.) So here's the thing: I've got this sidebar thingee that shows what I've completed over the past year. And I'm noticing that there's things missing from it. (Also, that it's pretty sparse compared to past years. I'm not sure why.) Anyhoo, thought I'd post one for the knittahs tonight, showing off some of what I've accomplished but forgot to track.

If you're not here for the knitting, move along. You'll be bored in 5… 4… 3…

In no particular order, I present the following:

om nom nom.

Pattern: Feeteaters, from Knitting Mochimochi
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (body, teeth and eyes) and Berroco Vintage (sole)
Needles: US 8 dpns
Notes: The medium (supposedly suggested for female adults) fits HSH perfectly. Either girlfriend's got some powerful huge feet or the sizing is a little optimistic. My gauge, for once, was spot on. HSH put them on and ran around the house yelling, "They've got me! Arrrrrrgh!"

Next, I give you

varme hender.

Pattern: Norwegian Mittens, by Beth Brown-Reinsel
Yarn: Dale of Norway Heilo
Needles: US 3 dpns
Notes: The thumbs are a little short, but otherwise these are fabulous. Thick, warm, fun and fast to work (you don't get bored when the pattern changes every row). Yes, that is a tag visible; I had these on display in the store and since it got cold, I brought them home. Forgot to remove the id tag and have been doing a slightly modified Minnie Pearl imitation ever since. And yes, my colorwork tension has gotten much better.

Next on our tour,

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.

Pattern: Fallen Leaf Shawlette, from Cotton and Cloud
Yarn: Kid Seta Noir by Cascade, color #18
Needles: US 6 circs
Notes: I used a little more yarn than listed in the pattern, but I also used a larger needle size, so that figures. This also went very fast, until you get to the eleventy billion stitches in the ruffle. It took me two days to bind off, if that's any indication. Also, it's definitely a shawlette, not a full-sized one. The pattern is well written, and the author has a good sense of humor, too.

I also finished (but have no photographic evidence of) 20 (twenty. 2-0. two times ten. four times five.) tiny knitted snowmen, complete with scarves. You can check out the pattern here, in Mochimochiland (click to see her great knitted art exhibition; I assure you mine weren't as violent). They were fun to knit and incredibly cute, but I am – understandably – over the snowman temporarily. I hope the kids in HSH's class enjoyed them.

So what now?

I have four five projects in the fire: the Java socks for Hizzoner, about 25% done; the Vancouver Olympic sweater, due to be completed in time for the Sochi Olympics; another pair of Glittens, nearly 50% complete; Amineko, a crocheted (gasp!) cat; and a project for the store – and me – the Oblique sweater. It'll be a knitalong. I'm just getting a head start. See?

look, ma! half a back!

I'll photograph the other stuff when it gets… well… to a photographable state. Really. I promise.

you need a fix, don't you?

Yes, you do.

It's that time of year again, y'all – the hills are alive with little girls wearing blue, green, brown and beige, covered with pins and colorful patches, hounding you about your preference for once-a-year special treats.

Allow me to add to your pile in this respect. Exhibit A: HSH.

She's primed and ready to sell Girl Scout Cookies. Thanks to your generosity (and complete lack of willpower), she not only met her own goal, but the troop as a whole set a sales record. They sent cookies to a Navy air wing, and are using their hard-earned money to fund various activities this year, both fun and educational.

Enter Exhibit B:

Yessssss… you know you want some. Eight varieties available, from the new Savannah Smiles (lemony wedge-shaped cookies) and Do-Si-Dos (peanutbuttersammichygoodness), to Thank You Berry Munch (which I swear taste just like Crunch Berries) and Thin Mints (order 'em by the case and have enough for your freezer).

If you don't have a Brownie of your own, you may borrow mine. She's fairly low maintenance. And she wholly appreciates y'all purchasing cookies. If you do have a Brownie of your own, thank you for supporting Girl Scouts.

Contact me if you would like a box or two. I'll cover the shipping.

 

new year. whatever.

So it's 2012. Ooo-rah.

Apparently my daughter is beset with fears about some sort of pending asteroid strike. I assured her that we have a better chance of me obtaining full-time work than getting hit with outer space road construction debris. That, oddly enough, calmed her down considerably.

I mentioned in a previous post that I would resume political commentary when it became more relevant. Well, apparently we have primary season upon us. While my personal belief is that primaries should be a national thing, with voting occuring on one day only in order to make it fair for all the states to choose from all available candidates (and not having the more craven cry off from their campaign before the public gets a chance to vote), we all know how my opinion ranks with those in power.

Thus, while Iowans and New Hampshire-ites (Falcon? What do we call you all up there, anyway?) get their chance to vote within the next few days, here in the Old Dominion we wait until March to cast a ballot. 12 states get to vote ahead of us. 

whiner.

No, none of that. I want a fair crack at all the candidates. Worthless or not. Besides, I have bigger beefs – like with this loyalty oath that the Virginia GOP wants to thrust down voters' throats again. It makes perfect sense to make the voter sign a statement vowing to remember to support the eventual candidate in November, doesn't it? Especially since we all know that the eventual candidate will forget all about the promises he made to get elected in the first place. 

Methinks we should make them sign something similar before we bother voting. Turnabout's fair play.

But fair is fair. As much as I don't trust and don't like the field that's left (since the left and their minions in the MSM have already run out my personal favorite) you know as well as I do that by the time a lot of us get our primary/caucus dates, that our choices have already been narrowed.

that's not a bad thing.

Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it is. In any case, the field of candidates is for a national election, not a regional, local, or state one, and my belief is that all registered party members should get a chance to choose from all the available candidates. At the same time. Not in a trickle-down effect.

i still think you're a whiner.

The Wall Street Journal thinks the fight will drag on, contrary to my whining. We'll see, I suppose. 

In the same article (brought to my attention by the aforementioned Mr. Falcon), they mention the slogan from Reagan's 1980 campaign: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

If the GOP of the 21st century had half the testicular fortitude of its late-20th century predecessor, one might expect it to nail the current occupiers of the White House with a similar strategy. Played right throughout new and old media, they might make it stick.

Note the use of a conditional.

The WSJ points out the obvious: the GOP has yet to learn from its mistakes, or play the game the way it ought to be played. Ergo, the masses of the great unwashed blame it for the debacle visited upon them over the last four years.

Not that there isn't plenty of good reason for that. However, since the Republicans have only held a small fraction of power since the Lightbringer's ascension, and that only for the last year and a half, the blame is not so much on what they've done, but what they've failed to do, and more importantly, how they've managed to portray or allowed themselves to be portrayed.

After all, it's all about appearances. And if said appearances don't change – soon – it ain't gonna matter what order the states vote in.

best wishes

… for a wonderful, merry Christmas.

"For behold: I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

May you all find your own great joy today and always.

for your entertainment.

Tonight HSH participated in her very first school concert. (I'm not counting the preschool graduation show, which showed 4-year olds in total confusion over why they were onstage in the first place.) I was very proud. Firstly, she looked stunning.

too good for america's next top model, i think.

She picked it out herself. Sparkles are very "in," I guess. I blame Hizzoner for the gene pool, because I was never that pretty.

This photo bothered me in a way only a mother can be bothered.

look, ma -- earrings are back!*

I don't know if it's the fact that she's lost that baby roundness, or that she just appears to be way older than eight, or that she's showing signs of having definitely inherited my nose. In any case, it bothers me.

The concert itself featured this very small school's very small music program: the 3rd graders, the upper school choir (all 23 of them), and the mass band (5th graders, middle school, and upper school). I won't say it wasn't painful to listen to at times, but they all did their best.

The band played a lot of non-holiday fare, including some Herbie Hancock, and of all things, Freebird. I don't know if that was a special request from the Claus or not, but it wasn't half bad. The music teacher has to direct and play trombone at the same time (there's some holes in the band that need filling), but I suppose it's not that hard to keep time with a trombone slide.

the third grade. hsh is top row, extreme house right.

The choirs sang a lot of decidedly religious music. (The privilege of a private school, I imagine. I think that's great.) The 3rd graders got their own slot, singing four different (and unfamiliar) songs. They did a really good job. I'm being totally honest here. The upper school choir sounded sick by comparison, despite learning a lot of nice pieces, though, including a comical medley from O Brother, Where Art Thou? featuring the only six guys in the school with the cojones to sing in public. Then they brought the little kids back on stage and all sang together.

our heroine is center front, paying attention to the conductor just as she should.

Again, I didn't know the song, but the kids did very well. HSH sang her little heart out. One of the ladies from the bus stop remarked on it, with a smile so big you'd think it was her own grandkid on the stage.

I look at these kids, most of whom I've known for at least four years now, and it's kind of scary. I feel like I can tell you who the troublemakers are going to be; who the cheerleaders and the jocks are; who's going to be on the fringe. Yeah, they're only 8 and 9 year olds now, but how quickly they grow up.

I don't think I like that.

_____

*Oh yeah. Earrings are back in after the great Lost Back Fiasco; had to essentially repierce one ear but so far the sterling wires are being tolerated, and I didn't have to consult a professional.

things get a little dusty

…when you're busy. So I'll just highlight some things that have been rattling around here at Casa DBT:

• Rumors of my demise are highly suspect. I have considered taking down my shingle, just because in two months I've not had the time nor the desire to write anything. Political posts require me to get pissed off and other posts require me to be either witty or verbose, and both take energy I don't have right now. So there. However, the radio silence is deafening in its own way, and I'll do my best to be a little better at updating this space.

• I have been working on stuff. Eight of 20 wee snowmen are knit, and I'm going to finish the other 12 if it petrifies the muscles in my hands. Yes, I'm well aware that I'm crazy, but I've committed myself, and so it will be done.

I finished this before the great snowman invasion:

Yes, that's the famed Alan Dart jultomten. I used all manner of odds and ends, and he's quite content to hang about the house. I accidentally attached his nose off center. It adds to his personality.

• I don't know who are giving me the bigger headache: the talky tweenies in the troop, or their parents. The girls – who are mostly very good – are most bearable when they're very busy. The parents can't be trusted to follow simple instructions, don't check their email, and think they can monopolize valuable – and limited – meeting time with questions that could be easily answered if they followed instructions and read their damn email. I sent home a nastygram with the girls this week that, if read, should minimize future issues.

Oh, calm down. It wasn't "nasty" nasty. It was just … firmly worded.

• The suspension of Mr. Cain's campaign was disappointing. I don't put a lot of credence into the allegations against him. But it doesn't matter what I believe; it matters what the mainstream media can get the average, miseducated American to believe. And apparently the average Jane and Joe swallowed the bait. Thus, the MSM and their leftist allies successfully put down a black man who dared publicly step off the plantation. Note how they've also cleverly put forth into public notice the least conservative members the pack to lead the race for the GOP nomination.

Aaaand the RNC does nothing but stick to the tired old formula of shuffle up the heir apparent while not fighting back. Fabulous.

I'm reserving further analysis until after primary season actually starts. 

• The holiday season has been going well. I drove around the neighborhood to check out the lights, and yes, my whacktastic neighbor has his full show going. He's broadcasting a variety of carols on his own little loop (107.3, if you're driving about), complete with elf voices reminding you not to block the other driveways. Apparently the penguins have developed a notoriety. He's billing them as the [neighborhood name] Penguins.

• I was a bit disappointed with The Sing Off this season. Not that I didn't watch; not that I didn't sense real moments of brilliance. The problem lies in refusing to let a'cappella music shine as its own genre. The producers have evidently decided that it needs to be pushed into existing drawers of the musical card catalog, and the artists should follow suit. Also, allowing groups that have formed for the sole purpose of this teevee show to compete, without a track record or history proceeding them, has dragged down the level of artistry. 

The audio mix isn't helping. It's impossible to tell if what the teevee viewer is hearing bears any resemblance to what the judges are hearing. I have to believe there's either a marked difference, or the judges have suffered marked hearing losses since last season.

That having been said, the winning group was head and shoulders above a lot of its competition and I wish them well. I want the album when it's released.

• And that's about it for this post. I will do my best to not let cobwebs collect in this corner of the innerwebs from now on.