Election season in a small town

The first sentence of the front page, above the fold story in Friday's Aspen Daily News:

Pitkin County sheriff's candidate Rick Magnuson made a video last year that shows him masturbating in the Mojave Desert and the 41-year-old Aspen patrol officer said yesterday that he is proud of the film.

Since Magnuson announced his candidancy, it has been my contention that this is simply a publicity stunt. Magnuson has long been a publicity hound and this is yet another in the list of escapades in which he has engaged to put his name before the public.

He allegedly stole his own piece of "artwork" which resulted in newspaper coverage. He drove around the roundabout for over 6 hours (more than 1000 times), filming a gold fish bowl on the dashboard which resulted in newspaper coverage. (Of course, it is a small town so the bar for meriting newspaper coverage is pretty low.)

He has even returned campaign contributions which, in my mind, bolsters my conclusion that he's not running with any intention of trying to win, but just to increase his name recognition.

He's running as the ethical, honest candidate but he used "pretexting" (can you say Hewlett-Packard?) in order to try to trick Bob Braudis, the incumbent, into revealing that he was away at a spa/rehab center.

Braudis for Sheriff!

Where were you four years ago today?

Four years ago, I was in the midst of my honeymoon. This year, my espoused and I are thousands (?) of miles apart, me in Colorado, he in Hawaii. He asked me the other day to provide him with our honeymoon itinerary so he could remember each day where we were 4 years ago.

Here it is:

Tuesday, October 8, 2002 - The Galisteo Inn, Room Cottonwood, Galisteo, New Mexico
Wednesday, October 9, 2002 - The Galisteo Inn, Room Cottonwood, Galisteo, New Mexico
Thursday, October 10, 2002 - The Galisteo Inn, Room Cottonwood, Galisteo, New Mexico
Friday, October 11, 2002 - The Frontier Inn, Room 140,Roswell, New Mexico
Saturday, October 12, 2002 - camping in the Lincoln National Forest near Alamogordo, NM
Sunday, October 13, 2002 - The Copper Queen Hotel, Room 318, Bisbee, Arizona
Monday, October 14, 2002 - The Copper Queen Hotel, Room 318, Bisbee, Arizona
Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - Plaza Las Glorias, Room 337, Puerto Penasco, Mexico
Wednesday, October 16, 2002 - Jeffrey & Chris' house, Encino, California
Thursday, October 17, 2002 - Jeffrey & Chris' house, Encino, California
Friday, October 18, 2002 - camping at Parson's Landing, Catalina Island, California
Saturday, October 19, 2002 - camping at Paradise Cove, Catalina Island, California
Sunday, October 20, 2002 - camping at Paradise Cove, Catalina Island, California
Monday, October 21, 2002 - Zane Grey Pueblo, Room Call of the Canyon, Avalon, Catalina Island, California
Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - Jeffrey & Chris' house, Encino, California
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - Jeffrey & Chris' house, Carpinteria, California
Thursday, October 24, 2002 - camping in the Warm Springs Wilderness near Battleship Mountain between Oatman and Kingman, Arizona on the Kingman side of the Sitgreaves Pass.
Friday, October 25, 2002 - Wigwam Hotel, Wigwam 12, Holbrook, Arizona
Saturday, October 26, 2002 - Kimbe's house, Taos, New Mexico

Journal entries:

Wednesday, October 9, 2002 A.M. -- Although I wrote in Steve's journal yesterday as we were driving, I didn't have the energy to write in mine last night. We're here in Gallisteo (oops, that only one L in Galisteo) and I'm drinking champagne at 11:15 in the morning.

Except for the fact that I was exhausted (having been up at 4:10 am), yesterday was very cool. We left Aspen at approximately 3:45 pm on a clear sunny day, drove over Independence Pass (from Independence Place), stopped at the top to look at the fresh ski tracks. On the way up, I looked down upon a raven flying below me but still so far up off the ground. We had a rainbow somewhere near Poncha Springs and we're making a list of places to return to, like the yurts at Mineral Hot Springs, the UFO Watch Tower down the road and the alligator farm in Hooper. We stopped in Taos at Melissa's father's restaurant, The Trading Post Cafe (actually in Rancho de Taos) and had the most wonderful dinner. As Steve said, the filet was so tender, if it was anymore tender, it would have been soup. Melissa's father generously comped our dinner which was unexpected. We thought maybe he'd buy us drinks or dessert.

We got to Galisteo for the first time at 11:56 pm and drove out at 11:57 pm, turned around and got to the Galisteo Inn at approximately midnight. We'll explore today after our breakfast of champagne.

Thursday, October 10, 2002 A.M. -- After lollygagging around for most of the day, we went on a bike ride through Galisteo yesterday, following the map of the artists' studio tour that's taking place here October 19th and 20th. We were on old beater bikes and mine was a cross between a town bike and a mountain bike, mountain bike tires with town bike handle bars and seat, that was too small for me, mainly because we couldn't raise the seat. Steve said I looked like a little girl. It definitely made the hills challenging.

We drove up to Santa Fe, saw the Loretto Chapel with its Miraculous Staircase and walked the neighborhood around the Plaza. We had dinner at a brick oven pizza place called Jesse's in the Hotel Plaza Real on Washington. Our entire meal last night, including tip, cost what our tip cost at Melissa's father's restaurant. The potato pizza was delicious. Then we drove back to Galisteo and Steve made a fire which we fell asleep watching. He tried to make one Tuesday night but had not been supplied with the correct tools, i.e. kindling. Last night we had a fire log which burned beautifully. In Santa Fe, Steve was a bit discomfited by my propensity to walk into shops. He feels like this is a side of me that he's never seen which, of course, he hasn't so he didn't know it existed.

We were supposed to switch out of our room, the Cottonwood, to the Spruce for our last night here but they had a cancellation so we get to stay put. I had been thinking that if I had made the plans, I would have taken the room where we didn't have to move but, lo and behold, Steve's strategy paid off.

Today, we're supposed to hang out around Galisteo, have lunch here (Jerry's grandmother's Sicilian pasta recipe) and have dinner here. We're playing with the idea of going to Albuquerque tomorrow to see Aunt Pat, Mary, David and their daughter (whose name escapes me right now) and then on to Vaughn and Hagerman. The Balloon Fiesta is ongoing right now and that is tempting also. I have a hankering to stop by Walmart to pick up a few things but I know that is nowhere near Steve's agenda.

Three days into the marriage he says, "What are you going to do, divorce me?" And four days into the marriage, he loses his lovely new bride at breakfast.

Wedding day recollections: sleeping late at the Jerome, shipping for a wedding card for Steve at Carl's, walking to Paradise Bakery with my veil in my hand (after going back to my room twice because I forgot, among other things, my veil), sitting with Leah, Rachel, Lily, Nancy & Lisa getting our hair done, being a half-hour late for my make-up, taking pictures in Room 204, watching the courtyard fill up with people, waiting for the call to come down, almost running into Steve by Jacob's Corner, (rewind - stopping in to see Bruce, Melissa, Annie, Deb, Rich & Donna in the Wienerstube), watching Steve walk up the aisle, almost walking up the wrong walkway myself. I have no idea where Lily went when she finished her flower girl gig. Walking up the aisle with Dad, Dad kissing me and shaking hands with Steve, not knowing we were supposed to sit down, the gorgeous warm bright sunny day, Tom's improvising wonderfully, Steve and Rachel's vows (blowing in her face, the tibia, the wreath), looking into the sun as I tried to watch Steve read his vows, repeating after Frank, kissing my husband for the first time, walking down the aisle, finding Rachel on her knees in her dress testing the water in the hot tub, pictures, pictures and more pictures, being announced, Steve not letting me feed him the cake, our first dance (everyone said we looked like pros), the Electric Slide (two things I can't control, the weather and the Electric Slide), the patrol picture, the night winding down, Steve seeing his gift, more champagne . . .

It's a blur with moments of clarity, trying to grab onto it all before it totally fades.

Ron helping Mary Sue.

Monday morning, Steve going to breakfast in his tux (I should have worn my wedding dress too) because he forgot a change of clothes.

Friday, October 11, 2002 A.M. -- So yesterday, we did hang around Galisteo all day. We went for a walk before lunch, after taking pictures in front of our private hacienda. I took Steve down below the bridge and over to the property across from the firehouse with the ruins where Steve got lots of pictures.

Break for breakfast . . .

We came back to the Inn, had a wonderful lunch (a sweet Sicilian tomato sauce) and then walked around Galisteo some more. We laid around in the hammock while we waited for sunset so Steve could get some more pictures in the best light. Then an awesome dinner, sea scallops, tuna (me), tenderloin (Steve), mousse and creme brulee.

So now we're off to Santa Fe to stock up and then to Vaughn and Hagerman (unless we change our minds . . . )

Friday, October 11, 2002 P.M. -- We may have made our first mistake of the honeymoon. We're in Roswell, New Mexico in what we've taken to calling the junkyard dog room. We're at the Frontier Inn, the cheapest place in the AAA book and there's a school bus full of kids (high schoolers) here on a field trip (or maybe a track team). Our room is on the end, next to another property, with a dog tied in it. As the kids run around the parking lot, yelling, the dog barks incessantly. But, since it's only 9:45 pm, there's still hope.

We're in Roswell because, well, either because we got to Vaughn too early or too late. We left Galisteo and went up to Santa Fe to stock up. After some minor bumps, we set off down the Turquoise Trail, stopping first in Los Cerrillos and then in Madrid for lunch. In between, we stumbled upon Tiny Town, otherwise known as the Bone Zone where Steve almost adopted a cat. After Madrid, we motored to Vaughn, taking the turn-off for San Pedro which led up an excellent little mountain road. In Vaughn, we found the train station took some pictures of the property across the street, which may or may not have once been owned by my grandfather. Of course, this presumes that the train station is in the same place that it was some 60 years ago.

Since it was only 6 pm when we left Vaughn, we felt it was too early to stop. However, Roswell was the next closest place and it was at least an hour away, at which point it would be dark. Since we didn't want to locate a camping place in the dark, it was either camping in Vaughn or a motel in Roswell. So here we are. We shall see how it turns out . . .

Roswell, UFO museums and Hagerman tomorrow.

Saturday, October 12, 2002 P.M. -- "Resistance is futile." The new wedding motto Steve learned from a bumper sticker in Roswell.

Let me just say that it's cold! We're camping for the first time on our honeymoon in a lovely spot outside of Cloudcroft off Hwy 82 near Alamogordo. All the campgrounds are closed so we turned off on a dirt road 5661 (?) and found a large flat clearing up off the road to the left. We built (actually Steve built) an awesome campfire. We had one almost four foot long log that burned spectacularly. It actually had liquid fire dripping from it.

We went to the Crash Site Cafe for breakfast and had the worst coffee in the tackiest place I've e ever been. After that, we went to two horrid UFO stores and one semi-decent museum in downtown Roswell. We are so done with Roswell.

And I'm about done with that pen.

After Roswell, we made our way to Hagerman and met a nice former police officer. Hagerman is still very economically depressed and it wasn't hard to imagine it in the Depression. I left with a strange feeling about the fact that my grandparents lived and worked there.

After (okay now I'm on my third pen) Hagerman, we decided to head west. After one back track due to a dead end, we made our way to Hwy 82, New Mexico Hwy 82 that is. We took a wonderful scenic road, 130 and are now here! (sleepy grass turn off, off of Hwy 130)

Sunday, October 13, 2002 P.M. -- I've given up on my colorful pens. It's hard to have your thoughts flow when your pen keeps dying. I think those pens are defective. I should return them to Walmart but I'll probably never get to it.

We're in the Copper Queen Hotel, a 100+ year old Victorian grand lady in Bisbee, Arizona. Our plan is to stay here for two nights then motor on to L.A.

We got up this morning in the Lincoln National Forest, made coffee and broke camp. We drove through Alamogordo and stopped at the White Sands National Monument. After doing the driving loop under threatening dark skies, which contrasted beautifully with the incredibly white dunes, we took I-10 west, past Lordsburg to Roads Fork where we picked up Hwy 80 South. We were sorely tempted to stop and camp in the Chiricahua National Monument but decided to press on to Bisbee. We'd like to come back and visit the Chiricahua along with the Fort Bowie site. Although Chiricahua would have been great, it'll be nice to be in two nights in one place.

Rachel called last night while we were camping. The reception there was better than in Galisteo or here in Bisbee. It was great to talk to her and she thought it was cool that we had gone to Hagerman.

The motel in Roswell ended up being fine. I think the track team had a curfew. There was some sort of bit event going on Saturday at the New Mexico Military Institute so maybe they had something to do with that.

We're traveling with Dylan Hazzard's GeoBear and I've sent him two postcards and haven't sent Rachel one. I'll remedy that tomorrow.

so far my least favorite place has been Roswell and my most favorite has been, I can't decide. I guess it's a toss-up between the town (village?) of Galisteo and the camp site in the Lincoln National Forest.

Tomorrow, we'll see what Bisbee holds . . .

Oh yeah, today we saw our first inclement weather with some scattered showers and high winds.

Fun at dinner feeding the feral cat.

Monday, October 14, 2002 P.M. -- Today, Steve got up and went for a walk while I took a shower. We had coffee at the Bisbee Coffee Co and breakfast here at the hotel. We then walked around town, went up by the church and met Betty and Grace painting in the church basement. We also stopped and helped a woman clear ivy for the stair climb next Saturday at the Quality Hill walk.

After that, Steve and I split up for a while, Steve going further up the hill and me coming down to shop a little. I found a coffee pot and a carafe in an antique store and poked around a used bookstore.

Since Bisbee is built into the side of a pretty major hill, it has stairs where most towns have sidewalks. There are stairs as walkways to front doors, stairs as footpaths, stairs as sidewalks. They short cut between streets. A lot of them date to the Depression or earlier. It makes for a visually exciting town, though not very handicapped accessible (predates the ADA!).

We had lunch at Ken's Pizza Place, which we at next door at St. Elmo's Bar. We walked in the blazing sun out to the Lavender Pit, then came back, got the car and drove to Naco where we walked across the border into Mexico. My first time in Mexico. It's much easier to enter Mexico than it is to enter the US (altho neither was difficult at all). Leaving the US, we just walked through a turnstile and didn't speak to anyone. It felt like no one even noticed us. Returning to the US, we had to go into the Customs building where a Customs officer asked us if we were US citizens. We said yes, he said are you sure, we said yes and proceeded on our way. It is amazing what a visible presence the Border Patrol has n Douglas and in Naco. There was a sign in Naco that said, "If this was Scottsdale, the National Guard would be here." It's a situation the rest of the country is really out of touch with.

When we got back to Bisbee, we were sitting in front of the Copper Queen when all of the sudden, Nicholas Devore appeared. He was with his girlfriend, Margaritte, another artist named David and a guy who scammed $10 from us yesterday. Nicholas was quite intoxicated and when he threw a bag of Margaritte's clothes in our direction (after Steve told me who he was), I pointed out that he had already made Steve's acquaintance in Aspen. After I blew his mind by knowing Margaritte's name and after we chatted for a while, I tired of his drunken antics, harassing the people checking into the hotel, and excused myself. It was a very interesting encounter and I'm glad to have initiated it, but I can only tolerate him in very small doses. This may be true of everyone.

Dinner at the Bisbee Grille, good but expensive ($53 for 2 apps and 2 Caeser salads). One last stroll through town, now bed.

Attention deficit disorder????

What I'm reading (an almost complete list):



on page 9 of 210


















on page 109 of 445










on page 45 of 236

















on page 107 of 397


















on page 113 of 312

















on page 311 of 397

















on page 132 of 491

















on page 47 of 301



















on page 9 of 392














on page 239 of 435














On page 83 of 255.

Nervous yet?

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

Sinclair Lewis

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. (emphasis added)

Hermann Goering

As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

H.L. Mencken

former Columbia University Professor Robert O. Paxton defines fascism's essence as:

• "1. a sense of overwhelming crisis beyond reach of traditional solutions; 2. belief one’s group is the victim, justifying any action without legal or moral limits; 3. need for authority by a natural leader above the law, relying on the superiority of his instincts; 4. right of the chosen people to dominate others without legal or moral restraint; 5. fear of foreign `contamination."

Lawrence Britt's Fourteen Common Threads of Fascism

You're welcome

On Bob Edwards' last day with NPR's Morning Edition (when he was forced out in April 2004), he said something fairly innocuous that comes to mind almost every day. I'm not sure why it stuck with me so strongly. I do know that, at first, I just considered it with an "Oh, that's an interesting comment" attitude. Then, as I thought about it more, it started to diminish my respect for Bob Edwards. I've come to feel that his comment was rather arrogant.

What did he say, you ask?

I'm not going to be able to recall his words exactly but the gist was that it annoyed him when he was thanking people at the end of interviews and they thanked him back. He was being interviewed as a Morning Edition farewell and he concluded with that statement and a "You're welcome."

As I said, at the time, I noted it with a sort of idle curiosity. But here I am 2 1/2 years later and still, every time I hear the end of an interview on NPR, I listen for whether the interviewee says some form of thank you or you're welcome.

Now, I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed that he would be so judgmental regarding what is a essentially a gesture of appreciation and I'm annoyed that I can't let it go.

Discouraged

I was quite disappointed to discover that my Democratic senator (we have one of each here in Colorado) voted for the unconstitutional suspension of habeas corpus and expansion of the powers of the king, I mean, chief executive.

At least he voted against the ridiculous Republican security act, AKA the border security fence.

Below is his attempt to explain himself. I'd love to know what his real motivations were. Given that Colorado is a fairly Red state, I wonder if it wasn't pure pragmatism. Did he vote his conscience or did he vote his future?

U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees
2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202
702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

For Immediate Release
September 28, 2006
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director
303-455-7600
Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary
202-224-5852

Sen. Salazar Votes for Legislation Authorizing Military Tribunals

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement after voting for legislation that would create a military tribunal system.

“The bill I voted for today was the best bill we could reasonably expect in this highly charged political environment. I am relieved that Senators McCain, Warner and Graham, former Secretary of State Collin Powell, and others helped preserve the fundamentals articulated in the Geneva Convention; a cornerstone to preserving America’s moral high ground in the global efforts against terror.

“Due to the many controversial and far-reaching implications of this bill, I believe it would be appropriate to force Congressional review of this bill in five years. I have concerns with this bill, but on balance it meets my personal view of what America needs to get the job done.”

Ken's brother, John Salazar, my Democratic representative, echoed his brother's votes but, unlike Ken, John seems to be avoiding explaining himself.

Political Theater

As I listen to and read about the craziness that our government is engaged in, I am constantly reminded of Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. When we're in the midst of what later will be seen as idiocy, can we see it? Can we stop it? I want to put my head in the sand, hold my breath for 3 years and wait to be rescued. If we're all waiting, who's rescuing?

There was a time, a time I remember, when it was cool to be an American. America wore the white hat. We were the good guys. Not so much, anymore. We were the shining example; now we're just the bully.

Wil Wheaton:

a statement of conscience

As I write this, the United States Senate is engaged in a bit of political theater, while they pretend to debate whether or not they will make torture an American value. They are pretending to debate whether or not to give one person -- in this case the president -- the ability remove rights that we've all taken for granted under our Constitution for over two centuries from anyone he (or she, someday) identifies, without any accountability or oversight. They are pretending to debate whether our Democracy even matters, any more.

The legislation before the Senate today would ban torture, but let Bush define it; would allow the president to imprison indefinitely anyone he decides falls under a wide-ranging new definition of unlawful combatant; would suspend the Great Writ of habeas corpus; would immunize retroactively those who may have engaged in torture. And that's just for starters. . . .

Today's vote will show more clearly than ever before that, when push comes to shove, the Republicans who control Congress are in lock step behind the president, and the Democrats -- who could block him, if they chose to do so -- are too afraid to put up a real fight. This is far too much power for one person to have, and is antithetical to everything America and freedom and Democracy stand for. In fact, this is the sort of power that someone like, say, Saddam Hussein had. Or Stalin. Or Pinochet.

I haven't written much about politics here in recent memory, because there are others who say what I want to say and they do it much better than I do: Glenn Greenwald, Josh Marshall, John Cole, and Digby, for example. But even though I've become entirely disgusted with what used to be my government and I don't have a whole lot of faith in the congress or the president to listen to me (actually, I don't have a lot of faith in the president listening to anyone who doesn't tell him exactly what he wants to hear,) I still believe in the underlying principles of Democracy. I still believe that it is the responsibility of every American, whether they feel adequately represented by the current congress or not, to stand up for their beliefs, even when they speak them to deaf ears in the halls of power. Even -- no, especially -- when those beliefs are unpopular.

My government is supposed to represent me, and as an American citizen, I must accept responsibility for the things my country does in my name. It is with that responsibility in mind that I feel compelled to write the following, not for congress who have already ignored my calls and letters, but for my own conscience, and for my children, should they one day ask me, "What happened then? Why didn't anyone try to do anything?"

What the House did yesterday, the Senate looks to do today, and the President will surely enact as soon as possible, is a direct assault on American values, and contrary to everything our country stands for. Though cynically and cowardly enacted as a purely political tool during an election, those who supported this bill do not speak for me, do not act in my name, and do not reflect my values.

Torture is not an American value. Torture is a totalitarian, sadistic value. Suspending access to courts and the right to face your accuser is not what Americans do. It is what tyrannical dictators and despots do, not a democratic republic like the one I was brought up in and love. Time and again, torture has proved unreliable to prevent or solve crimes, and it reduces our country to the level of the very terrorists we are supposedly fighting.

I believe in the right to a speedy and fair trial for everyone, even the most repugnant of defendants. No, especially for the most repugnant of defendants, because if we, as a society, can't guarantee the most hideously accused among us that right, what is it worth to the rest of us?

George Bush and his enablers in the congress -- Democrat and Republican -- has done more damage to our country, and our once impeccable moral standing in the world than all the terrorists combined. President Bush and his Republican allies in congress like to say that "they hate us for our freedom," but President Bush and his Republican allies in congress have spent the last five years working very hard to take that freedom away from the people they supposedly work for, and vest that power in something they call the Unitary Executive. If the Democrats won't stand up to stop torture, what will they stand up for? If Congress won't do its constitutional duty now, then when?

I am disgusted with, and ashamed of my government.

Shame on President Bush. Shame on his Republican allies in congress, and shame on the spineless, cowardly Democrats who did not stand up to them. Shame on them all, and shame on all of us if we do not turn out by the millions in the next election to put men and women into congress who will have the courage to do their constitutional duty, and defend the Republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Fighting with books

"Now you're talking! I would be wonderful with a 100-year moratorium on literature talk, if you shut down all literature departments, close the book reviews, ban the critics. The readers should be alone with the books, and if anyone dared to say anything about them, they would be shot or imprisoned right on the spot. Yes, shot. A 100-year moratorium on insufferable literary talk. You should let people fight with the books on their own and rediscover what they are and what they are not. Anything other than this talk. Fairytale talk. As soon as you generalise, you are in a completely different universe than that of literature, and there's no bridge between the two."

Philip Roth

I was poking around on the internet and came upon this quote from an interview with Philip Roth. Later that same night, after reading the first chapter of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, I read the introduction by Jay Parini and immediately wished that I hadn't, or at least that I had waited until I read the whole book.

Parini has some very strong opinions about Steinbeck's unvoiced reactions to his travels and experiences:

" . . . there is beneath its surface a sense of disenchantment that turns, eventually, into anger. Steinbeck is never quite able to bring himself to say that he was often disgusted by what he saw on his journey, but the reader is left with that impression."

I would have liked to have had the opportunity to discover for myself whether or not that was my impression, to "fight with the book on [my] own and rediscover what [it is] and what [it is] not." Would I have been able to tease out Parini's assessment on my own? I'm disappointed that I won't be able to find out.

Backlash

I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention or what, but I have to say that I was surprised by the backlash against Studio 60. I realize that I shouldn't have been but there it is.

Being an Aaron Sorkin fan who owns the DVDs for Sports Night and West Wing, I have been anticipating this season's Sorkin/Schlamme effort. I watched the premiere early on AOL and rewatched it on TV last week. Perhaps because I don't disagree with Sorkin's criticisms of fundamentalist Christians (anymore than I disagree with criticisms of fundamentalist Mormons or Muslims, etc.), I was caught unawares by the whining of some participants when perusing the transcript of the live blog Sorkin and Schlamme participated in on premiere night.

It was as if they were intentionally underscoring Wes' (Judd Hirsch) point for those viewers who might have missed it the first few times. What did he say? Something to the effect of getting positively horny at the thought of a boycott? That's exactly what one of the live blog participants threatened, even before the season premier had concluded. How prophetic is that? I guess it's not really all that much of a feat, given that the reaction is fairly predictable.

I do appreciate Sarah Paulson's character, Harriet Hays. She reminds me of a friend in college whom we called the Preacher, one of the most spiritual people I have ever known but quite unassuming about it. We all really respected his beliefs. Quite the opposite of another friend who became born again during that time and was positively overbearing.

I'm not quite prepared to wholeheartedly endorse Studio 60. It's early and the hype was so intense. I can say that I really enjoyed the "cold open" at the end of the second show, to such an extent that I recounted it to my husband on the phone the next day.

Your Ticket to Freedom

2006 BBW; Read Banned Books: They're Your Ticket to Freedom

This week is Banned Books Week so I was glad to see that Rachel had just finished reading Of Mice and Men, the fourth most challenged book of 2003, for her Lit and Comp class.

According to the American Library Association, a challenge is "defined as formal, written complaints filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness." It's kind of amazing to look over recent years' lists of most challenged books.

I'm happy to say that I've read many of them! I still clearly remember the impression Go Ask Alice made on me when I read it in high school.

I encourage you to poke around the ALA website for a while. You'll be surprised.

Then again, maybe you won't be.

Making it up as they go

Two stories which I read the other day caught my eye, both involving hospital errors.

In one story, a drug cabinet was incorrectly stocked with heparin instead of hep-lock and as a result, three preemies died. As the mother of a preemie, this story hit home. For the whole 51 days she was in the neo-natal intensive care unit, I, her mother, had so little say over what happened to her every day. As an employer in the medical field, I can imagine the anguish the pharmacy tech and nurses must be experiencing.

In the second story involving a fertility clinic, a man who provided a sperm sample to be used in his wife's fertility treatment found out that the sample had been mistakenly given to another woman who was supposed to receive sperm from an anonymous donor. The man is now suing to find out if a child resulted from the mistake. Two couples and possibly a child are all victims of this error and what a mess it will be to sort it all out, if in fact a child was born. During my first year of law school, we had to do a case study on the state of the law regarding surrogate mothers and their rights. It was readily apparent that technology was outpacing the law's ability to keep up. The courts, for the most part, are forced to make it up as they go.

Happy Fall - Part II

Here's what we woke up to this morning.

Should be a fabulous day!!

Happy Fall!!

This picture was taken this morning, the first day of Autumn (according to Wikipedia). There was even more snow on the last day of summer.

But tomorrow, it's supposed to be 58 degrees so it'll all be gone.

Four years ago this time, I was planning an outdoor wedding in less than two weeks. How stressed would I have been if the weather had been like it is this year?

According to Aspen SkiCo, the mountains got 13 inches yesterday. For the first time in its 28 year run, the Golden Leaf Half-Marathon, scheduled for today, was cancelled and Independence Pass closed last night, the earliest since I've lived here. I don't know if it's closed for the season or not.

It'll be interesting to see how the ski season plays out. Not sure there's much connection between early season snow and how good the ski season is. But, it certainly adds to the optimism.

Wheel of Change

I've been giving Sunday's post a lot of thought and something disturbing has occurred to me.

It has been 4 years since my most recent major change. In my adult years, I can't recall ever going this long without moving or changing jobs or changing relationships or doing some combination at the same time.

Have I been practicing frequent change as a way to keep myself engaged? Or as avoidance?

I don't think I want to keep repeating my past patterns. It's so disruptive. I think (?) I want to stay in one place.

But that then forces me to face a more difficult question. If I don't have semi-constant change to distract me, where do I find the challenge?

Is this some sort of middle-age conundrum? Should I be reading Gail Sheehy? Geez, I remember seeing Passages on my mom's night stand when I was in high school . . .

This one I agree with . . .

You Are 55% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Wow, these things crack me up!

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's" Your Hidden Talent?

And they got all of that from one picture!!

Inertia vs Dissatisfaction

You'd be amazed what opportunities exist here.

The catch is that they are very outside of the box opportunities which intimidates a middle of the road kind of person like me.

I'm sort of dissatisfied with my job responsibilities, though, let me be clear, not with my co-workers or my place of employ. I'm very appreciated and enjoy a position of much authority, independence and responsibility. However, I've been here for 7+ years and the problems all seem to be cyclical. Dealing with the same staffing issues and the same patient issues over and over again is getting old.

But, right now, inertia is a more powerful force than dissatisfaction. If I could get past my fears, I might be able to fashion a new direction. There's a physician in this area who would probably be amenable to a creative arrangement whereby I could handle his receivables while still doing those for my current office. This would have the attraction of setting me in a new direction while not totally abandoning my current employers.

I also have a personal recommendation for an executive assistant position that might be quite challenging and high paying:

Office/Clerical.

Executive Assistant Local business person is seeking experienced Executive Assistant to support Family investments, Foundation Projects (school/orphanage in Africa). The ideal applicant will have strong office and project organization skills, a good understanding of accounting, a high level of initiative, strong attention to detail, and outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Applicant must be independent, a motivated self starter and capable of prioritizing multiple projects while efficiently working under pressure (with a smile) to meet deadlines. Required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding financial and personal matters. Min. 3 years administrative experience w/college degree.

A friend of mine was in a similar position more than a year ago. She was the general manager of a lodge here in Aspen and was getting burnt out. She was good at her job, was paid well but was over it. At the same time, she couldn't imagine what she would do if she left. For her, things came to a head when she had to be away due to her mother's illness. She quit and was able to stay home for a short while because of her husband's salary. Options seemed to drop into her lap and since she wasn't encumbered by current employment, she was much more open to considering them.

While I don't have the luxury (or at least I don't think I do) of quitting one job before I have something else in place, I could still attempt to benefit from my friend's experience. It does appear that options are there; I just have to be open to them.

An Incomplete List

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (if I ever write a book that's released to paperback, I want it to feel like this one)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (inspired me to go back and reread Genesis Chap 28-35).

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund (weaves together the story of the whaleship Essex and Moby Dick from an oft-ignored perspective)

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (a window into living in a world plagued)

Mountains or Ocean?

The classic conundrum, brought home especially these days since my espoused is spending 2 months in Hawaii working.

He called me last week and I could hear the waves lapping through his cell phone (shades of "can you hear a pin drop"?). I got off the phone feeling quite envious of him being there while I was stuck . . . wait a minute, let's just ponder for a minute exactly where I was stuck. Hmmmm.

So, I took the dog for a walk through town to remind myself. It was Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, gorgeous and sunny. I was wearing shorts, a tank top and flip flops (altho I did carry a fleece, just in case). I ran into friends, watched world class volleyball, and window shopped the sales.

I pondered my preferences; if I was in Chicago and had a choice of going to Aspen or Hawaii,which would I pick?

Aspen!

Now, don't get me wrong. Hawaii's awesome. But I'm much more comfortable in the mountain climate. Sunny, warm during the day, cool at night, few to no bugs, no humidity, no sand. Rivers, lakes and streams give me my water fix. Lots of physical activities mixed with a dollop of cultural activities.

So, why am I still envious? Is it just human nature? The grass is always greener phenomenon?

How many times in the next 8+ weeks am I going to go through the exercise of checking airfares only to decide that I'm not going to go . . .

No such thing as bad publicity

Recently there have been a spate of Letters to the Editor in our two local dailies alternately condemning and praising two of our most popular local eateries, Cache Cache and The Big Wrap.

As usual in the Land of Unintended Consequences, these exchanges, initiated in both cases by dissatisfied customers, have had the opposite effect from that the original writers envisioned.

Take, for example, my recent reaction. Casting about for dinner ideas to suggest to visiting friends and not having been to Cache Cache since that fateful 1999 New Year's Eve, the flurry of letters were just what it took to move Cache Cache to the top of my list. I can assure you that Cache Cache did not appear to be suffering any drop in popularity when we were there last Wednesday night.

Likewise, all the talk about The Big Wrap simply served to make me crave my favorite, the Mr. Potatohead. And, as if to add further insult to the original letter writer's injury, last week, the Big Wrap got voted Best Cheap Eats for like the 100th year in a row in a local poll.