An email conversation:
Holly: So, I (obviously?) haven't watched any Battlestar since I saw you last. Where are you in the series now??
Courtney: I have one episode left in season 2.0. It is so good!!!
Holly: I am behiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [waaaaaaaaaaail] Don't tell me anything!!!
Courtney: Starbuck has a mid-mid-life crisis, dyes her hair brown, and marries a deep-space ranger named Paylen. Tigh then chooses her to be his running mate in an electoral attempt to overthrow President Roslin, which he promptly loses when Kara Paylen proceeds to fly away in a newly acquired Viper named Rogue that looks suspiciously similar to a snowmobile, in search of Earth, which she swears she can see from her house. ...Oops! Well, it’s still worth watching. :)
Holly: Curse you.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Kaboom.
I just spent the evening at my parents' talking about politics and the economy, which is what we ended up talking about the last time I was there as well. I think we need to get it out of our system before Thanksgiving... because Thanksgiving brings with it, as usual, the potential for the perfect storm. This year's cast includes the extremely conservative in all things religious and political with a short fuse Uncle, and the extremely liberal in all things religious and political with an even shorter fuse (and louder voice) Friend of the Family. As the catalyst, we have the three members of Holly's family who are used to not having to worry about what they say around the dinner table.
My dad is particularly good about zeroing in on exactly those topics one generally avoids at dinner parties; it's not a good conversation if we don't talk about religion and/or politics. (Which, to cut him some slack, are I admit the things I find most interesting to talk about, too... but we sometimes disagree on when one should and shouldn't bring them up.) However, he's trying now. Serious snaps for effort. When I was a kid, he'd set'd off rounds of familial fireworks practically for kicks and giggles, and I remember more than one summer at the grandparents' where I was told to pack up, we're going home early.
But the last few times someone's blown up or stalked off, it's generally been triggered by something small and only vaguely related to the economy (or insurance, or the environment, or affirmative action) which someone (usually not my dad) has accidentally said without thinking. People's fuses are getting shorter and shorter these days, including mine, to be fair. I'm so very very glad I'm not dating Ex-Boyfriend-of-the-Crazy-Politcs anymore. I still tend to project all of my political frustrations onto him a year later, and I think I'd have murdered him or had a coronary by now if we were still dating. (Or, y'know, be engaged to someone I have little respect for, but that's a completely different blog post.) At any rate, think peaceful thoughts for the Holly Household on Thanksgiving if you think of it.
My dad is particularly good about zeroing in on exactly those topics one generally avoids at dinner parties; it's not a good conversation if we don't talk about religion and/or politics. (Which, to cut him some slack, are I admit the things I find most interesting to talk about, too... but we sometimes disagree on when one should and shouldn't bring them up.) However, he's trying now. Serious snaps for effort. When I was a kid, he'd set'd off rounds of familial fireworks practically for kicks and giggles, and I remember more than one summer at the grandparents' where I was told to pack up, we're going home early.
But the last few times someone's blown up or stalked off, it's generally been triggered by something small and only vaguely related to the economy (or insurance, or the environment, or affirmative action) which someone (usually not my dad) has accidentally said without thinking. People's fuses are getting shorter and shorter these days, including mine, to be fair. I'm so very very glad I'm not dating Ex-Boyfriend-of-the-Crazy-Politcs anymore. I still tend to project all of my political frustrations onto him a year later, and I think I'd have murdered him or had a coronary by now if we were still dating. (Or, y'know, be engaged to someone I have little respect for, but that's a completely different blog post.) At any rate, think peaceful thoughts for the Holly Household on Thanksgiving if you think of it.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Open dissent may be our only recourse. Unless they didn't notice. In which case, playing it cool works too.
As you may be aware, Sarah Palin came to the GRap today for the kickoff signing of her new book, Going Rogue: And Other Phrases McCain Came Up With For Me to Use. A good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) works at a Christian publishing company here in town that I'll call Z... Evangi... books. Now, whether due to the political and religious culture that Evangibooks has the deserved reputation for cultivating, or the fact they've done a book on Palin in the past, Palin paid the company a friendly visit while she was in town this afternoon. This inspired a twitteresque chain of email updates from my passionately liberal friend, the essence of which I will try to reconstruct below:
A formal request, folks. From an employer to its employees that they show support for a political figure. With possible consequences for failure to comply. Can my friend possibly let this lie? Should s/he not stand up in the streets and fight? The gaping maw of justice must be satiated! Does my friend have grounds for a lawsuit, o my readers???
In case the good company of Evangibooks somehow finds this post, I should point out that my friend would never actually sue over something like this. Even if my readers and I decide it's deserved.
Friend:
2:58: SARAH PALIN IS IN THE BUILDING.
3:02: SEVERAL OFFICES DOWN FROM MINE.
3:07: SHE IS GETTING CLOSER. I CAN HEAR HER VOICE.
3:08: I AM HIDING UNDER MY DESK.
Me:
4:27: Update? Have her eyes turned you to stone yet?
Friend:
4:43: She's gone now. They issued a formal request that all employees line the driveway and cheer for her on the way out. I... may not have complied. I suspect I will be yelled at.
A formal request, folks. From an employer to its employees that they show support for a political figure. With possible consequences for failure to comply. Can my friend possibly let this lie? Should s/he not stand up in the streets and fight? The gaping maw of justice must be satiated! Does my friend have grounds for a lawsuit, o my readers???
In case the good company of Evangibooks somehow finds this post, I should point out that my friend would never actually sue over something like this. Even if my readers and I decide it's deserved.
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