Taking it seriously

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Tuesday July 08, 2008 · 7:42 PM PDT

2008/07/08 · 19:42

Out here in the real world, I have a bit of a reputation, I think. Not that kind, as far as I know. And, no, that's not an attempt to capitalize on the recently-departed primary meme. Rather, my reputation is for being ... fussy, I suppose. A bit serious-minded. I mean, I'm not a complete stick in the mud. I don't even know that I'm a stick in the mud at all. I'm just not bubbly. I'm not the type of person who regularly guffaws. I do like a good laugh. Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Eddie Izzard: sublimely funny. The ringtone I use for my niece? Beaker, from the Muppet Show. "me me ME me me meeeee!" Not meant to be a commentary on my niece, mind you (uh, as far as I know), though she is 15, so, uh...

Poll

29 votes Show Results

The most evil:

29 votes Vote Now!

The most evil:

Fashion

1 vote

Diamonds

6 votes

Disney

11 votes

Non-"organic" food (other than Twizzlers, which are awesome)

1 vote

Bradford pears

2 votes

Car culture

6 votes

Other (please describe in comments)

2 votes

My, ahem, belated "Why Obama?" diary

socratic

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Thursday May 29, 2008 · 7:17 PM PDT

2008/05/29 · 19:17

This seems almost silly to discuss at this point, since I haven’t exactly hidden my support of Obama for, like, ever. But a very decent person emailed me today to ask me why I support Obama. Not accusingly. This individual simply wanted to know what it was about Obama that appeals to me.

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday May 24, 2008 · 10:45 PM PDT

2008/05/24 · 22:45

I figured our thousands of kossacks who have more direct experiences with the meaning of this important Monday in May would cover the topic. I figured that we would see a flood of diaries remembering the dead, celebrating their lives, and calling attention to the suffering of our veterans who come home scarred and broken. I figured that this Memorial Day would be covered well by our fine diarists, so I could sit it out and read all of the moving tributes.

But then I saw this. (via metafilter)

socratic

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Wednesday April 30, 2008 · 7:36 PM PDT

2008/04/30 · 19:36

Now there's a diary title I never thought I'd use. I mean, I've written diaries about squirrel conspiracies and baby-making, but ... arugula?

Well, today I saw on Salon.com that John Boehner has laid out his grand strategy for a Republican resurgence in two-double-ought-eight, and it requires that the Republicans tie Democrats to ... arugula.

By November, it will be clear that Obama's appeal is limited to arugula-eating college professors, hard-core liberal Democrats, and the residents of Nancy Pelosi's Congressional District.

Poll

128 votes Show Results

Arugula?

128 votes Vote Now!

Arugula?

Yay

60 votes

What?

15 votes

What did you say about my mother?

16 votes

Bless you.

25 votes

Troglodyte!

12 votes

My buddy made a baby [and politics are discussed!]

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 08, 2008 · 8:13 PM PDT

2008/04/08 · 20:13

[Edit: tweaked the title a bit.]

A good friend of mine became a dad tonight. His wife did the hard work, of course, but I heard the news from him. And it's wonderful news.

He's a friend of mine from law school, an all around good guy. The birth was apparently not an easy one, but all fingers and toes are accounted for, and everyone is recovering.

Oh, and this will be a political diary.

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday April 03, 2008 · 6:27 PM PDT

2008/04/03 · 18:27

From the Journals of the Chickenhawk:

It was a cool, quiet morning in Atlanta. An early spring day. Commuters driving to work, young lawyers sitting in a conference room, a city coming awake. That's when the squirrel decided to strike.

Poll

36 votes Show Results

Greatest threat?

36 votes Vote Now!

Greatest threat?

Squirrels

14 votes

Raccoons

5 votes

Wasteful production of refuse that ties us to needing secure trash cans

17 votes

Democrats Everywhere

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 23, 2008 · 8:41 PM PDT

2008/03/23 · 20:41

How many of you, oh dear kossacks, have had some variant of this conversation with people you love, like, respect, or otherwise have positive feelings towards:

Buddy: I could never vote for a Democrat
You: Really? Why?
Buddy: They're all immoral peacenik hippies who drive Volvos.
You: Ok, let's step back. What's the most important issue to you?
Buddy: Health care. I don't have any.
You: Both Democratic candidates have great health care programs.
Buddy: Yeah, but it's Hillary. And Obama.
You: So? If they've got plans that will make your world better, what's the problem?
Buddy: Democrats are all immoral peacenik hippies! Starbucks! Turtlenecks!
You: sigh

Poll

59 votes Show Results

I am

59 votes Vote Now!

I am

immoral

8 votes

a peacenik

12 votes

a hippie

8 votes

all of the above

31 votes

Talking About "Watching Obama with Strangers" with Strangers

socratic

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Wednesday March 19, 2008 · 6:00 PM PDT

2008/03/19 · 18:00

First things first: I promise that the title is the only part of my post yesterday that I'm going to parody.

Second, thanks everyone for the great response. I was happy with the way the account turned out, but you never know what kind of response you're going to get when you hit the Publish button. And, wow, y'all made the gamble of putting it all out there on the Internet worth it.

But that's not what this diary is about.

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday March 18, 2008 · 6:09 PM PDT

2008/03/18 · 18:09

UPDATE - Thanks for the recs folks!

I haven't had that many "standing around with strangers watching events unfold" moments in my life. In roughly chronological order, the Challenger explosion, the OJ verdict, 9/11, the Red Sox winning the World Series. Maybe one or two others scattered through my 33 years. But not many. Most events are, I suppose, not big enough, not loud enough, not important enough to make people stop and just watch. Today was another one of those days.

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 13, 2008 · 9:45 PM PDT

2008/03/13 · 21:45

My niece called me last night to ask me a very interesting question. "Uncle," she asked, "is nationalism good or bad?" Turns out her history teacher asked his students to collect statements from friends and family about nationalism. It was an interesting exercise to be put on the spot to answer the question. So now, kiddos, it's your turn.

Poll

71 votes Show Results

Nationalism is

71 votes Vote Now!

Nationalism is

Always bad

10 votes

Sometimes bad

26 votes

Irrelevant

5 votes

Sometimes good

25 votes

Always good

0 votes

Pie, as in apple pie

5 votes

Europe wins $40b USAF tanker contract

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday February 29, 2008 · 8:12 PM PST

2008/02/29 · 20:12

The NY Times (among other places) is running a story about the surprising result of the United States Air Force's rebooted air-refueling tanker competition. The Air Force announced today that the winner of the competition was Airbus A330, submitted by EADS in partnership with Northrop Grumman. The contract will be worth at least $40 billion over the next couple of decades and perhaps as much as $100 billion, as the Air Force replaces its enormous but aging fleet of tankers.

socratic

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 16, 2008 · 7:27 PM PST

2008/02/16 · 19:27

[poll added]

This is not a substantive diary. Far from it. But it's Saturday night, and I'm sitting on my deck slowly recovering from a bout with the alien bird ebola that's going around. So I'm going to use up one precious space on the recent diary list -- a list that moves so fast these days that it might serve as a valid testing ground for the old "could an airplane take off from a conveyor belt?" question (which, of course, it could) -- for whatever this diary turns out to be.

Poll

117 votes Show Results

name for the f*#$ing cat:

117 votes Vote Now!

name for the f*#$ing cat:

kos

8 votes

shithead

4 votes

rush

0 votes

attilla

9 votes

mojo

19 votes

nameless

5 votes

sherman

4 votes

armando

27 votes

bird flu

0 votes

grendel

17 votes

cheese eating surrender monkey

8 votes

trucker

4 votes

other (add to the morass below)

12 votes

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RSS

Taking it seriously

My, ahem, belated "Why Obama?" diary

I wasn't going to write a Memorial Day diary

... Arugula?

My buddy made a baby [and politics are discussed!]

Struggle Against Squirrel Furrorism

Democrats Everywhere

Talking About "Watching Obama with Strangers" with Strangers

Watching Obama with Strangers

Nationalism

Europe wins $40b USAF tanker contract

name my f#(*ing cat, kos!