Plasma -- Blood not TV.

This is my first week of donating plasma. I used to do this regularly but it's been about two years since I've been there. Apparently I left an impression, because on Monday I was greeted by several familiar faces with a "nice to see you back" as if I'd been gone for only a few weeks. I can't decide if that is a good thing. As a teacher, I know that "memorable" doesn't always mean fond memories.

The plasma removal process hasn't changed at all... except my weight has so I'm now in a weight bracket which requires them to take more from me. Guess who now has MORE motivation to lose some unwanted pounds! Sheesh.

The intake process when you arrive at the center has changed considerably and now is much more streamlined. They've also increased their dollar amount and so each week I can walk away with $60.00 if I donate twice. Not only do I get to help science and sick people, but I get paid to do it.

I remembered two things about the process that made it easier for me:
1. It's FREEZING cold in there and the saline they put in you is room temp rather than body temp so that makes it worse. Thankfully, I brought my blanket.

2. It's a great time to catch up on reading. I am soooooo looking forward to all the great books I'm going to get to read while I'm hanging out at BioLife plasma services. (It's pretty sick when the best time I have for reading is while hooked up medical equipment designed to suck the blood out of me)

It's Very "Lost in Translation" (which I happen to like...)

Scarlett Johansson has an album coming out May 20th--Anywhere I Lay My Head. Who knew she could sing? Apparently it's comprised of Tom Waits covers. I'm even more intrigued. You can get an advance listen here.

Wake up, World! It's Time for a New Perspective.

Happy Earth Day!

Raise Your Hands!

You've got to love the binoculars and beer being thrust in the air to the beat!

the freakishly large crowd... it was either 20,000 or 25,000 ....
Either way it was a LOT of people.

Well, one thing I learned at the Bon Jovi/Daughtry concert last Saturday at the Fargodome is that Jon Bon Jovi is in incredible shape. That man never stopped moving once. Seriously, I am expecting to see the Bon Jovi Concert Workout DVD released any time now. I went to see Bon Jovi, but enjoyed Daughtry too. I didn't think I really knew their music but I recognized some of the songs. Despite the fact that I have only somewhat perused the two latest Bon Jovi cds I knew nearly every song. I wouldn't call myself the biggest fan... as you can see he's not on my all time favorite bands list on my profile page, but I do like his music quite a bit. Favorites? "Living on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and my all time favorite Bon Jovi song... "It's My Life." That song was my mantra when I went to Spain all by myself a few years ago and hearing it again reminded me that you really do only get one life and it's time to start living it. I find I hold back, cautious and timid. It's time to really take some chances and go crazy. I'm not getting any younger and the opportunities aren't always going to be there for the taking.

The Irony.

Yesterday, I received this gem in the mail from my friend Emma. She discovered it at Value Village and couldn't resist. The very best part? That she mailed this to me BEFORE my most recent Mini-pops post. I love it. I immediately ran home and jammed out to it. It's awful, horrifying, and yet it makes me crack up with how much I loved the other album as a child. What a treat. Emma you rock. Even when the mini-pops fail to.

In support of a McCain-Free America. Vote Clinton.

The following, not so little, article explains things better than I can... Why those who can still vote, should vote for Hillary. America cannot afford, literally, another four or eight years like the last ones. Let's truly put an end to terror in America, and say goodbye to the Bush Administration and any promise of more of the same... ehem, ehem.. McCain, cough. It's time for change and I believe Senator Clinton is the one who can actually pull it off.
--------------------------------------

What Clinton Wishes She Could Say

Politico: Candidate Won't Say Publicly What She Says In Private About Obama

April 14, 2008

Democratic Battleground

Hillary Clinton Clinton-and-Obama-Economic-Plans Mar-08 is on the offense in Pennsylvania, after Barack Obama's controversial comments about small town voters drew criticism. Dean Reynolds reports.

(The Politico) This story was written by Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris.

---

Why, ask many Democrats and media commentators, won’t Hillary Rodham Clinton see the long odds against her, put her own ambitions aside, and gracefully embrace Barack Obama as the inevitable Democratic nominee?

Here is why: She and Bill Clinton both devoutly believe that Obama’s likely victory is a disaster-in-waiting. Naïve Democrats just don’t see it. And a timid, pro-Obama press corps won’t tell the story.

But Hillary Clinton won’t tell it, either.

A lot of coverage of the Clinton campaign supposes them to be in kitchen-sink mode-hurling every pot and pan, no matter the damage this might do to Obama as the likely Democratic nominee in the fall.

In fact, the Democratic race has not been especially rough by historical standards. What’s more, our conversations with Democrats who speak to the Clintons make plain that their public comments are only the palest version of what they really believe: That if Obama is the nominee a likely Democratic victory would turn to a near-certain defeat.

Far from a no-holds-barred affair, the Democratic contest has been an exercise in self-censorship.

Rip off the duct tape and here is what they would say: Obama has serious problems with Jewish voters (goodbye Florida), working class whites (goodbye Ohio) and Hispanics (goodbye, New Mexico.)

Republicans will also ruthlessly exploit openings that Clinton-in the genteel confines of an intra-party contest-never could. Top targets: Obama’s radioactive personal associations, his liberal ideology, his exotic life story, his coolly academic and elitist style

This view has been an article of faith among Clinton advisers for months, but it got powerful new affirmation last week with Obama’s clumsy ruminations about why “bitter” small-town voters turn to guns and God.

There’s nothing to say that the Clintonites are right about Obama’s presumed vulnerabilities. But one argument seems indisputably true: Obama is on the brink of the Democratic nomination without having had to confront head-on the evidence about his general election challenges.

That is why some friends describe Clinton as seeing herself on a mission to save Democrats from themselves. Her candidacy may be a long shot, but no one should expect she will end it unless or until every last door has been shut.

Skepticism about Obama’s general election prospects extends beyond Clinton backers. We spoke to unaffiliated Democratic lawmakers, veteran lobbyists, and campaign operatives who believe the rush of enthusiasm for Obama’s charisma and fresh face has inhibited sober appraisals of his potential weaknesses.

The concerns revolve around two themes.

The first is based on the campaign so far. If the voting patterns evident in many states in nomination voting continued into the fall they would leave Obama vulnerable if McCain can approximate the traditional GOP performance in key states.

The second is based on fear about the campaign ahead.

Stories about Obama’s Chicago associations with 1960s radicals Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers landed with barely a ripple. So, too, did questions about whether he once backed a total ban on handguns (he says no but in a 1996 state legislative race his campaign filled out a questionaire saying yes.) Obama’s graceful handling of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy may have turned that into a net positive.

But all this was in a Democratic contest. What about about when Obama’s running against a Republican?

Let’s take the first point: Obama’s electoral coalition. His impressive success to date comes predominately from strong support among upscale, college-educated whites and overwhelming support from African-Americans.

Assuming he is the Democratic nominee, it seems virtuallycertain he would bring turnout of these groups to historic levels.

But there is reason to question whether he would be able to perform at average levels with other main pillars of the traditional Democratic coalition: blue-collar whites, Jews and Hispanics. He has run decently among these groups in some places, but in general he’s run well behind her.

Obama lost the Jewish vote by double-digits in the battleground state of Florida-where this constituency looms large--and that was before controversy over the anti-Israel remarks of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

He won only about one-third of Hispanic votes on Super Tuesday - and did even worse a month later in Texas. A Democratic nominee needs big margins with Hispanics to win states like New Mexico, California, Colorado and Arizona. In the fall, Obama would be running against a Republican with a record on immigration that will resonate with Hispanics.

Then there’s the lower-income white vote. Does it seem odd that a woman with a polarizing reputation would be rolling up enormous margins among some of the country’s most traditional voters? Three out of every four blue-collar whites in small-towns and rural areas of Ohio voted for Clinton over Obama on March 4. The reality is, this is already an electorate with deep, racially tinged divisions-and that’s in the Democratic Party.

Cornell Belcher, Obama’s pollster, says most of these voting blocs will unite when the Democratic fighting is done. “You get a snapshot at the height of a battle within the family but after the family squabbles history shows that the family does come back together,” he said.

Fair enough. But McCain would be challenging Obama on a range of issues that would complicate this coming together---issues that Clinton did not use or used minimally because they would not be particularly effective.

McCain, by contrast, would have a free hand to exploit a paper trail showing Obama’s evolution---opponents would say reversals--over the past decade from liberal positions on gun control, the death penalty, and Middle East politics. He would exploit Obama’s current position in favor of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants and beginning diplomatic talks with U.S. adversaries like the dictators of Iran and Venezuala. Will those issues help lower-income white voters “come back together” with Obama?

Those issues are all in-bounds. What about the issues that most journalists and probably McCain himself will consider out-of-bounds but that, if recent history is any guide, will echo nonetheless in the general election?

The last two Democratic nominees, Al Gore and John F. Kerry, were both military veterans, and both had been familiar, highly successful figures in national politics for more than two decades by the time they ran.

Both men lost control of their public images to the right-wing freak show-that network of operatives and commentators working mostly outside of the mainstream media-and ultimately lost their elections as many voters came to see them as exotic, elitist, out-of-touch, phony, and even unpatriotic.

Obama is a much less familiar figure than Kerry or Gore, with a life story that is far more exotic, who is coming out of a political milieu in Chicago politics that is far more liberal.

The freak show has already signaled its early lines of attack on Obama. Many Americans already believe---falsely-that he is a Muslim. Voter interviews already reveal widespread unease with minor and seemingly irrelevant questions like why he does not favor American flag pins on his lapel. Nor does it seem likely that voters have heard the last about Jeremiah Wright.

Obama’s advisors said they are not naïve about freak show politics. Their response is that Obama’s appeal to a new brand of politics, and his personal poise and self-confidence, will allow him to transcend attacks andcaricatures in ways that Gore and Kerry could not.

Obama is indeed poised and self-confident. But the current uproar over his impromptu sociology lesson in San Francisco about “bitter” voters in Pennsylvania raise questions about his self-discipline, and his understanding of how easy it is for a politician in modern politics to lose control of his public image.

Clinton has her own baggage, to put it mildly. But it’s been rummaged through for years, so what Democrats see is pretty much what they would get.

The frustration and even anger emananating from the Clintonites comes from being unable to say in public what they think in private.

Little wonder why. Bill Clinton’s comments comparing Obama’s support in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson’s may have been rude and they were certainly impolitic. But it’s absurd to contend, as many Democrats indignantly do, that they amounted to a shocking low blow or to “playing the race card.”

The reaction underscored the essential prissiness of the Democratic contest so far. One can be sure the general election will not be such a delicate affair.

By Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
Copyright 2008 POLITICO

You can find the article here.

What I was Watching in February and March

On TV in Feb & March
Two and a Half Men
30 Rock season Two
The Office
Eli Stone
The New Adventures of Old Christine
Lost

My proudest accomplishment of March is that I got my friend Marcia hooked on Lost.. she's watched all of seasons 1 and 2 and is now working on three. I can't wait for it to be back in a couple weeks. This jury of one is still out on Eli Stone. It is getting better the more I watch but I have only really been watching it because there is simply nothing else on.

On DVD in Feb
Jane Austen Book Club
Across the Universe
Inside the Smiths
Arthur
Venus
Eloise at Christmastime
Gone Baby Gone
The World is Not Enough
Russian Dolls
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Martian Child
The Darjeeling Limited

In Theatres in Feb
There Will be Blood
Atonement
Michael Clayton

I rather enjoyed the Jane Austen Book Club and it inspired me to want to read some other Austen books besides Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately the "to read" stack of books is nearly toppling over.

Across the Universe and The Darjeeling Limited were greatly anticipated films by me and I have to say neither of them quite delivered. I liked them each well enough but neither are ones I feel an urge to own or even watch again. I DO love the soundtrack to the Across the Universe but that's about as far as I get with that. It seemed reminiscent of Hair which I liked quite well. The Beatles music was delightful and I wanted to love the film, I just couldn't quite get there. I found the Darjeeling Limited to simply be a bit flat.

I didn't have any expectations for Martian Child beyond the idea of seeing more of John Cusack and in that regard I wasn't disappointed. He's a lovely man. When is he going to discover that I could be his soul mate?

My documentary of the month was about the band The Smiths, about whom I know little. Now I know a little more. It wasn't a great film. I guess I'd only recommend it to die hard fans.

My foreign films were Russian Dolls and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. The latter is a grim Irish film depicting the rebellion in the early 20s in Ireland. The fight for independence from Britain. Like most stories about the little guy fighting back, it has moments of triumph, but for me, it felt desperate and sad. I am thankful I have not lived through any such times. I pray that will always be so. Russian Dolls is a sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole. I think I liked this one a bit better. Neither of the films were my favorites, in part, because I didn't love the protagonist... the central guy. He was a bit of an ass.

Venus turned out to be far better than I expected, though I would guess some people I know might still be disturbed by it. Peter O' Toole was terrific in the film. This one was nominated a year ago for an Oscar. It's taken me this long to get around to it. Sheesh.

Arthur is the Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli pic that is filled with quirky delights. She has great presence and if you've not seen it, you should.

Gone, Baby, Gone was an Academy Award nominated film for Amy Ryan's performace which I did think was quite good. I liked this film and thought Casey Affleck did a stand up job. I didn't see the ending of this one coming either and in some ways the film reminded me of The Departed or even Mystic River (written by the same author) in tone or setting, if nothing else.

All of my "in the theatre" films were all Academy Award nominated films: There Will be Blood, Atonement, Michael Clayton. I really enjoyed Michael Clayton. His final speech to Tilda Swinton just nailed it so perfectly. I thought Clooney was terrific and so was "Shiva, the god of death" :)

Atonement was not unlike the book. In some ways the film exceeded my mental images as I read the book. I enjoyed the book and was quite glad I'd read it first so as not to have the ending spoiled for me. Yet, watching their version of the ending was terrific as well. It seemed to have excellend cinematography. The grown version of Briony wasn't quite how I pictured her, however.

There will be Blood was a bit crazy. first of all it was interesting to see who they did the early oil drilling. The first few minutes of the film pass in utter silence and that stylistic choice seemed to work for me. I found the Eli and his brother bits to be confusing. I had to go home and try to solve this by looking at reviews and discussions about the film. The ending was completely shocking to me. And it did just seem to "end" abruptly. I felt a similar response to the ending of No Country For Old Men.

On DVD in March
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Citizen Ruth
Feast of Love
Beowulf
Dan in Real Life
Sleuth (2007)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
My Kid Could Paint That
We Are Marshall
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
War

In Theatres in March
Penelope
National Treasure: Book of Secrets


I think I prefered the first Elizabeth movie. This one was good, but it didn't blow me away.

Citizen Ruth is a Laura Dern film that depicts a drug addicted pregnant woman caught between the struggles of two opposing groups: the pro-lifers and the right to choosers. It was quite good. Ironic. Satirical.

Feast of Love has a great cast (Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and is basically a nice movie about life and love. I enjoyed and would recommend it.

The recent graphic novel of Beowulf I read made it necessary to watch the film. The extras on the DVD explain ways they differ from the regular story and why. I find the whole Beowulf story to be intriguing anyway. i thought it was pretty well done, though a little gross at times.

For some reason Dan in Real Life seemed a lot like The Family Stone. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't wholly original or even as good, in my eyes at least, as The Family Stone. Nevertheless, Steve Caroll pulled off the role and didn't remind me of Michael Scott, not even once.

I watched the original Sleuth film last year and so I was eager to see the difference between the two. I think I prefer the original. Maybe it's because I'd already seen it and was anticipating things from the 2007 version.

My classic film for March was Around the World in 80 Days. Though a remarkably LONG film, this one was quite fun. David Niven always is. I would never have recognized Shirley Maclaine in that film. Now I want to ride in a hot air balloon.

Mr. Magorium's Emporium is about a dreamy toy shop and its owners. Dustin Hoffman is the perfect owner and is delightful and the whole plot line is nicely done too. I am not sure I agree with the choice of Natalie Portman as the lead actress. Sometimes I just find her grating. This film had enough charm to compensate. I think kids would like this one.

My March documentary was recommended by my friend Kristine: My Kid Could Paint That. I found this film intriguing and I felt really bad for the family. The film depicts their journey in the discovery of their daughter and her artwork.. their rise to fame and favor.. and their fall as suspicions rise. I believe it's her work. Not that it matters.

I watched the typical sports drama, We Are Marshall. Of course the situation faced in their town was anything BUT typical. Yet, not unlike Remember the Titans the team rallies and so forth. It was pretty decent though. And I did like Remember the Titans too.

Into the Wild and The Kite Runner were both books I've read. I felt that Into the Wild got a little long for me and I prefered the experience I had while reading the book. It almost seemed like extra things were added in. The Kite Runner was a nicely done PG13 version of a book with some very powerful and potentially R rated scenes. I enjoyed the book and I enjoyed the film. It gave me insight into Afghanistan.

I watched War, not because I am a big action film fan. I am, however, a fan of Jason Statham, first seen by me, in the Guy Ritchie film, Snatch. I was unimpressed through much of this fairly graphic, brutal film. The ending was a nice twist. That was its only redeeming factor for me. Not sure it's enough to recommend it to others.

My theatre views were pretty scarce in March. No time, no time. I did see National Treasure: The Book of Secrets and it was not unlike the first one. A fun little adventure flick. If anything, it just made my mouth water for that next Indiana Jones film. Yay. Penelope was sweet and charming and highly enjoyable. Watch this one. James McAvoy is really starting to grow on me. I found almost every character interesting and while the story was predictable in many ways, it had a bit of a modern fairy tale feel.

What I was Listening to in February and March

Wincing the Night Away by The Shins and The Very Best of the Smiths. I had to try out some of The Smiths after watching the documentary on them. That was the one thing I thought the film lacked. Their music. I'm not sure if that even makes sense, but it did feel like there could have been more footage of them as a band doing performances.


a random sampling from my MP3 player
here are my posted shuffles:
Feb.8

Hello Goodbye by The Beatles
Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando & Dawn
Samson by Regina Spektor
Ain't Got No Home by Clarence "Frogman" Henry
All by Myself by Eric Carmen

March 19

Boogie Shoes by KC & the Sunshine Band
Goodbye's All We Got by Steve Earle
Promises Promises by Lynn Anderson
Salvation by The Cranberries
Right to be Wrong by Joss Stone

March 27

When You're In Love with a Beautiful Woman by Dr. Hook
I'm Always True to You Darling by Ella Fitzgerald
Good by Better Than Ezra
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out by Bruce Springsteen
I Can't Help Myself by the Four Tops

What I Was Reading in February & March

Since I've waited too long to do these reviews they are far too long for one post. I'll split them into categories... so here's the first bit.

Suite Francaise by Irene Demirovsky
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Stop Forgetting to Remember: The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz by Peter Kuper
Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
Until they Bring the Streetcars Back by Stanley Gordon West
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

February feels like it was ages ago. Events in Feb. and March have dictated my reading choices. Suite Francaise was a book club pick for February and I really enjoyed this one. It was a great complement to Atonement, read in January.

March is always the UND Writers Conference month and so we read a book by Junot Diaz for book club in preparation for meeting him. Some folks read both his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and his collection of short stories, Drown. I only had time for the novel, but I've been told the stories are great. I sure enjoyed meeting him. And it's been an even richer experience considering this past week his novel won the pulitzer prize. Woo Hoo! Peter Kuper is a graphic novelist and artist who also appeared at the Writers Conference and though his wasn't my favorite graphic novel of all time, it was engaging.

I had to read a couple books for school, to determine if they were books I wanted to teach. I found The Stranger to be a bit too grim and philosophical for my purposes. I have been encouraged to try some of his other titles. Until They Bring the Streetcars Back was not something I would recommend. While three different teachers I know read and loved it, I did NOT have that same reaction. I thought the writing was amateurish and the subject matter a bit stomach turning. Of course I can see their perspectives in why they liked the book, but it's nothing I would choose to teach. The world is too full of better books.

Plum Lucky, Tropic of Cancer, and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman are all self-selected books. I found Plum Lucky to be a little bit sparse, as are most of Evanovich's between the numbers novels. The Murakami book is a collection of short stories and I only finished about half of them before the library threatened to revoke my card and I had to return it. I expect to finish it sometime soon and to possibly try out on of his novels. I've only managed to read the Karl Shapiro preface of the Miller book so far. I expect that will be an April read for me.

You've Got to Sleeve it to Believe it.

This really cracks me up.

Check out the Sleeveface site to see more great examples.

This is Not a Post.

Peter Kuper presented at the UND Writer's Conference a few weeks ago. Salman Rushdie was only one of many great authors who visited Grand Forks. Kuper is an artist and graphic novelist. I have to admit after reading one of his books I was wondering how he was going to do a "reading." Of course, it wasn't your traditional appearance and instead he displayed art in a slide show/power point format... art from books, his political comix magazine WWIII that has been around for about 20 years etc... much of it was political and there was a definite perspective and message being put forward by Kuper. Of course the theme of the conference was "Revolutions" and so his work and choices tied right in. There were no bunnies and puppies and so forth. This poster I have displayed her is one of my favorites. I would have considered buying a print but they were out of my price range. Yikes. Still for more of his work, click here.

More Minipops Tribute.

Oh, Minipops, how you've expanded my world. I was searching for trivia ideas online and something reminded me of the song "Brown Girl in the Ring" from the Minipops album I had a child. I find it hard to believe there is a song called that. But, it turns out it's a popular Jamaican game and the song has been covered by Raffi as well. The popular version that would have been on the airwaves when the folks at K-Tel and Minipopland decided to add that to the song line up was by a group called Boney M. These folks really know how to dress. Wow. If you liked this you can hear them perform another hit from the Minipops album called "Daddy Cool" right here.

It's Official.

The lines were long. We got there right before the line tripled in size. Still, it took an hour to get in. Rumor has it there were 17,000 people there. But waiting didn't matter. Nothing could dampen my spirit. The air was electric. And I felt hope all around me.*

a glimpse of the crowd from our crappy seats

Obama speaking

Hillary on the Big Screen

Senator Clinton speaking
and what a speech it was.

Yep, it's official. Hillary Kicks Ass.

*Until today when I read some dumb ass political comments on the Internet and I was reminded of the ignorance that abounds in our country, in our region. And what makes them "dumbass" is not that they differ from me, it is the way they seem to bitterly scream their views, dripping with vitriol. I sometimes forget there are people who voted for Bush in 2004 and some of them still believe it's working. Sigh.