b l o g o r e l l i

Thank You for the Music

Hope, hope, hooray

Is Obama President?
(produces different type of stomach butterflies than the Bush countdown calendar)

Yippeee! We have a new president, he's got a new web site, and I think we're all looking forward to a somewhat new daily feeling in this bedraggled country of ours.

Here's to  H O P E.

Also, a neat tidbit via the SwissMiss blog: signatures from all of America's past presidents. I like Thomas Jefferson's and Lyndon B. Johnson's penmanship the best. Here's the John Hancock (tee hee) of our new Commander in Chief, very stylish:

A Change is Gonna Come

Ok, I've been MIA now for almost two weeks...and I'm starting to get some, um, constructive criticism. Truth is, I've just been going about
- day-to-day routine
- wedding planning
- trying to exercise
- contemplating what do now that our landlady is putting the condo where we currently reside on the market

Somehow, this blog got pushed aside in the busy shuffle. I'm about to head to NYC for a hopefully revitalizing weekend away visiting The Dairy Queen, and will resume posting full force on Wednesday morning. Consider 21 January 2009 a fresh start for our country and my commitment to writing.

Until we meet again, Inter-net, Obama yourself and, for goodness sakes, watch the inauguration on Tuesday!

The Village Petstore

Maybe not a place to take the kiddos for that first pet...

Finally, animatronics for the common people, courtesy of (naturally) Banksy.

More Obama-Era Miscellany

A few more worthy election links:

The Polling Place Photo Project (via NYT) is a "a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that "encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election." My co-worker participated in Somerville!

The front pages of 695 newspapers from 63 countries for November 5, 2008.

Obama babies -- did anybody make one in celebration? Hee hee.

Finally, even better than my puppies post -- "Dear Red States…A Letter from the Blue."

Welcome President-elect Obama!

When Obama wins...
oh, strike that

YES HE DID!!!

No Need to Pah-tee in the Yah-d, Bostonians

...head to one of tonight's Election Night Parties in The Bean! The Prof is cooking up a pot of jumbolya and we're planning to watch the returns, be comfy at home, and strategically planning our life as ex-pats...should circumstances lead to that end.

Don't Be Lame-o

V O T E !

(today)

You don't want everyone blaming you if the unthinkable happens, right?

How and where to vote:

• Find your polling place by clicking here or calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
• Voter ID laws vary by state, but if you have ID, bring it.
• Not on the list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
• If voting by machine with paper record, verify the record is accurate.
• Know your rights when you go to vote: http://truth.voteforchange.com/
• Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE

(via moveon.org)

19 More Days

...until The Prof and I possibly become ex-pats, depending on the outcome of November's election.

So, did everyone watch the third presidential debate last night? Thoughts, besides that John McCain resembles a maniacal robot more with each passing day on the campaign trail?

In other related news, a study of presidential logos shows that Obama's graphic identity has all the elements needed to ensure a blue victory. I am skeptical, however; graphic designers' own clients won't listen to us, so why would the entire voting public of America?

"A study by DesignBay assesses the 2008 campaign logos for Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton based on a quantitative analysis of past campaign logos. It finds there are five 'positive' pieces of symbolism associated with successful candidates: use of the surname; red stripes; use of the colors red, white and blue; use of the year; and use of a serif font. Obama's logo uses all five while John McCain's uses just two. In addition, two negative pieces of symbolism are used in campaign logos more frequently by unsuccessful candidate: emphasis of the first name and use of the phrase 'For President'. Interestingly, Hillary Clinton's logo used both."

(thx jenna for the link)

Craving more in-depth candidate coverage? Check out The CHOICE -- "WGBH's renowned FRONTLINE producer, Michael Kirk, has produced an important 2-hour election documentary about the candidates."

It is one of the most memorable presidential elections in decades. It is a race that pits the iconoclast John McCain against the newcomer Barack Obama; the heroic former prisoner of war against the first African American major party nominee. For two hours, the 20th anniversary broadcast of The Choice examines the rich personal and political biographies of these men and goes behind the headlines to discover how they arrived at this moment and what their very different candidacies say about America.

I only had the chance to watch half of The CHOICE (and I already know where my ballot falls,) but felt that both candidates and their histories were portrayed clearly and truthfully. That being said,

O B A M A   I N  2 0 0 8 !

B-I-N-G-Oh No

I missed the first presidential debate <hanging head> but I'm here to remind YOU (and myself) to watch the vice presidential debate tonight on CNN! The opportunity to see Joe Biden and Sarah Palin indirectly "talk off" is both irresistible and frightening to me -- a combination that works well for other must look events...like car crashes and reunion concerts of bands from the 1980s. If being "in the know" for the  jokes on this week's SNL isn't enough to coax viewership, I offer:

VP Debate Drinking Games
Palin Bingo

Glasses up and chips down!