new drinking game!

Every time anyone on CNN says "the best political team on television," take a shot. Every time Wolf Blitzer says it, two shots. Play this on any election night, and you'll get wasted by the time all the votes are counted.

Slate magazine agrees with me that this little slogan of CNN's is ridiculous.

so here's something creepy ...

and really coincidental ...

A mere three hours ago or so I was reading a story in the San Francisco Chronicle about the debate raging over the Associated Press' pre-written obit for Britney Spears. Now, a lot of newspapers pre-write obits; this is no secret. But most write them for old people of renown in the region or nation, whatever the coverage area is. You get the idea. VERY FEW -- and I would say almost none -- write obits for really young people. But apparently the AP feels there is a need to be prepared as it was NOT when Anna Nicole Smith died.

Generally, I think it's a good call to be prepared no matter who you're obitting (is that a word?), but I also have concerns about how you would go about choosing "disturbed celebrities" who might die. By pre-writing their obits, is the paper pegging the person as a danger to oneself or others? Would that lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy?

This is the story about the raging debate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/22/MNM2UILKO.DTL

In any case, what's creepy is that three hours after I read that story about the big debate about the Britney obit, I read that Heath Ledger had died at age 28.

This is the obit: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-na-ledger23jan23,0,2214665.story?coll=la-home-center

painting

I feel an urge to paint. I think I'm going to start painting this week. Acrylics on canvas, probably. Abstract, most likely. Just dabbing on paint as the mood fits me. These urges to paint/draw come and go, and I haven't had one since London, when I bought a sketch book. But it is time to go back.

Barack Obama meets SF Chron editorial board

So I've tried to avoid bringing politics to my blog, but I think this one is interesting because this is the first time I've come across video of a meeting between an editorial board and a 2008 presidential candidate. I know that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama met with the Des Moines Register board before its endorsement, but I didn't see a video of it. In any case, I'm not saying that there aren't video of other editorial board meetings with candidates; this is the first one I've personally come across. And I don't know why I put in so many qualifiers just now.

Members of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board met Obama the Thursday before the Nevada caucuses. They talked about experience, policy, "internal fortitude," race relations in the United States, etc. The sound is a bit low because the board didn't have mics; it's about 50 minutes. (And I don't know how to resize that video player.)

Sarkozy to wed Bruni

So The Associated Press is reporting that French President Sarkozy (is he a modelizer?) is engaged to be married to his girlfriend Carla Bruni next month. They've been dating for only about a month. Isn't it a bit soon? And he just get divorced? I'm not raising this question in terms of morality -- I'm raising this question in terms of practicality -- shouldn't they see each other more before they decide? Anyway. I have my doubts. And his approval ratings are dropping as the economic situation decreases. Link to Le Journal du Dimanche's story.

[EDIT: I embedded the links because they ran off the page.]

grammar is important!

Holy geez. There is more here: http://www.themishmash.com/2008/01/flunked-signs-y.html

my very first vote!

I cast my very first vote (ever!) today. It was for the South Carolina Democratic primary. yay! I should've gotten them to make a copy of it for me. So exciting!

2008!

Happy 2008, everyone!

New year resolutions:

1. Keep a daily journal of: things I ate, things to do and things I bought. Hopefully this will help me eat healthier, procrastinate less and control spending. I need specific goals and expectations.

2. graduate with a master's degree.

3. pass the MTEL and MELA-O test

4. find a long-term job so I will no longer be just an intern

Four goals. Very simple. And very achievable. :)