2/9/06
I'm utterly exhausted from all the travel (and almost three hours of hoops tonight), so here's a few things on my mind as I collapse into the weekend.
- I spent close to four days downloading "Weeds" from various sources on the internet; we have a project that is tonally similar. The minute I finished, Showtime released the entire show at the iTunes Music Store. Grrr. And for those who think I'm stealing, let me just say I pay for Showtime in TWO DIFFERENT PLACES, so lick it.
- We have an invitation to go to Whistler Mountain and ski. While it sounds hard to do with a 9-month-old, apparently they have had 10 FEET OF POWDER en route to the snowiest January in recorded history. Anyone ever been?
- Bush releasing details of the "foiled Los Angeles plot" to run airplanes into the cylindrical skyscraper in downtown L.A. (seen on every establishing shot of "Alias" and "24," ironically) seems a bit, I dunno, bullshit. My feeling is that normal government operations would have caught this plot, that is, if it was even serious (many intelligence people think it was nothing more than yammering). And they were caught by Asian authorities. And why tell us now? The whole thing smells like four-year-old halibut.
- Old friend and very talented photographer David Surowiecki has a photo essay of Fashion Week over at Slate.
- I am by myself here in Brooklyn while my wife and daughter are in Los Angeles. I miss them both so much that it is actually painful. Tessa put Lucy on the phone and just the sound of her little breathing and nonsense syllables strains my aorta. LFMD wanted a movie of her giggling, and while I haven't converted any of the recent video files, right-click on this link (Mac users, just click and wait a few seconds) for a lo-res movie we took in October during a road trip.
Man, I'm hopeless.
Posted by Ian Williams at February 9, 2006 11:36 PMweeds smells like four year old halibut. I do like that deaf girl though. she's a potent combination of hot and interesting.
ps -- they're also in dire need of writers of color on that staff. and if there are any, shame on them.
Sadly I have never been to Whistler, though it is not far from here.
Then again, I never learned to ski either. So sad.
Ian, please make a better effort at being happy. Your hatred of all things Bush is coloring your entire life. In the big picture, who really cares if the release of the info is political and who cares how or why or when they caught the buggers. At least they did catch the buggers. Shit, I would not care if it was Hillary who caught the buggers. You so often justify things with "as a parent." Well, as a parent of 2 young kids, I dont care if it was Bush, Hillary, or the Boy Scouts that caught the bad guys. Yes, I am as cynical as the next guy (just ask Greg if you dont believe me), but there must be times when you say "who cares?" instead of rushing to put on your anti-Rose Garden colored glasses.
Argh! I don't have any sound on my computer here at the Insurance Job! I will have to wait until I am home to hear little Lucy. Thanks for thinking of me! I can't wait to see/hear her!
Little baby voices are the best, aren't they? I still love to hear Helen's little voice on the phone. The way she says "Mama" (yes, I am still Mama. . . I hope that she calls me that forever!) melts my heart. In my opinion, the best sound in the world is the sound of children laughing, and the sound of my daughter laughing is my daily medicine.
"My feeling is that normal government operations would have caught this plot..."
Normal government operations missed a certain something about four and a half years ago.
Back stage photography at a fashion show? I am so going to check that out... though maybe not at this work station.
Today is my birthday and my 4-year-old padded into the bedroom this morning, put his chin on the mattress with his nose about 1.1 micrometers from mine. I could feel and hear his breath as I pretended to be asleep. He did not notice my struggle to keep me joyful grin off my face. Then, in an unsolicited whisper, he repeated the final words I said to him as I laid him down to sleep last night: "I love you so much." Yes, my fingers quake as I type this note. He (and my 1 year old) are the reason I walk this earth.
Ian, I love you from afar because you have the same adoration for your Lucy that I have for my Braden and Bennett.
Oh, and by the way, after Braden whispered his greeting to me this morning, I swooped him off his feet and covered his face in so many smooches that his cheeks are now chapped.
Aw, you're not hopeless. You're a daddy.
Lucy's laughing video: priceless.
You want to know what George Bush looks like every time he speaks in public, especially extemporaneously? Like that frat boy in your Core Literature class, who gets up to speak and it's obvious he hasn't done the reading, and is trying to get by on bullshit and charm.
I'll say it before and I'll say it again: The War on Terrorism is a complete fraud, and it is only perpetuated by the Bush Administration to cynically manipulate people's fears. Since 9/11, there have been a couple of potential incidents -- the shoe bomber, and the guy trying to drive a carload of explosives into Washington state. The former was foiled by civilian airplane passengers, the latter by normal border scrutiny. Every 'sleeper cell' caught was a government fantasy.
Bush's bullshit cannot stand. And by the way, you TSA clowns, I want my fuckin Swiss Army Knife back!
Well, here's something you don't have to worry about:
"The War on Terrorism is a complete fraud, and it is only perpetuated by the Bush Administration to cynically manipulate people's fears."
Were the bombings in Bali, Spain and London frauds? Were the attacks on the USS Cole, the US embassies in East Africa, and the WTC in '93 frauds? The list goes on and on.
Congrats on being a sappy parent, Ian. The first time hubby and I tried a three-day getaway, leaving our then 3- and 2-year-old with our regular babysitter, I cried all the way to Vermont and back. They are teens now, and I still miss them if they stay overnight at a friend's house! Hopelessly in love, yeah, that's me. And yes, I do have a life. Enjoy your precious Lucy.
i went to whistler a few years back and had the most fun i've ever had skiing, which is saying A LOT. Usually I'm pretty miserable skiing, because i hate crowds and lines and being packed underneath so much clothing. but i felt like a real kid there; the trails go on forever and it wasn't so crowded--when it was i just went to a different mountain. also, if you'll be staying in a ski-in, ski-out condo (with a hot tub, hopefully), you'll be having all the more fun. i can't recommend it more highly; i'm very much looking forward to going back there, and i'm not even a good skier.
"The War on Terrorism is a complete fraud, and it is only perpetuated by the Bush Administration to cynically manipulate people's fears."
So Kent, the muslims that were in Florida learning how to fly commercial airplanes while Clinton was President; that was perpetuated by the Bush Administration, even though the Bush Administration had not even begun yet ???
Kent and Ian are caught up in their own lies again.
Wow. David Surowiecki -- Luckiest DTH Alum Ever.
Whistler- best all-natural ski area in North America. Best heli-skiing, too. Trust me.
re "foiled plt": don't let logic (B.D.S.) stand in the way of B.D.S (logic).
My husband and I went to Whistler with our kids a few years ago. We shared a ski-in, ski-out condo with another UNC couple and their kids so we could avoid the childcare cost. The skiing was fantastic. I usually get altitude sickness for the first 24 hours in Colorado, but Whistler is a lower elevation, and I didn't feel sick. The town is adorable, and the flight from LA to Vancouver is easy. You guys should go for it!
Dean, you almost made me cry! Happy birthday.
Happy Birthday Dean! My twin sister and I are celebrating our birthdays today, too! Yay 22!
And Ian, I would definitely recommend skiing at Whistler. My family has gone skiing at different mountains/resorts for years, and we really like Whistler.
I wish I could find the picture I have of my first ski trip. My sister and I were just under 18 months old, and my dad is trying to ski with both of us at the same time. He's got me on his shoulders and my sister tucked under his right arm, and he's holding the rope tow under his left arm with every ounce of strength he can muster! He still laughs about how it used to take hours to make one run with Megan and I. I think you, Lucy and Tessa would have a great time.
don' be wonewy, ian bloggykins. we R with yu.
Ah! The cuteness! The total and utter cuteness of little Lucy! Thanks for that clip. She is such a Cutie Cutiekins! I showed Lucy's clip to Helen, and she loved it -- we were all laughing along with her.
Can you believe that she is nearly a YEAR old? I still remember the day I opened your blog and you told us all that you and Tessa were expecting. That cute photo of you next to Tessa's tummy and all.
Oh, and I know that you miss Tessa and Lucy, but try to take advantage of the time alone, my friend! I am the kind of person who craves "alone time" . . . and if you value your solitary time as much as I do, do stuff that you wouldn't do/can't do when you are with your family. See movies! Go to a coffee shop, have a caramel latte and space out! Grab a book at the bookstore and read it cover to cover! Read some trashy magazines! Watch mindless tv without feeling guilty! Nap, sleep, go to the fridge, eat, and take another nap! Wander aimlessly around the city!
The thing that is so interesting and troubling about Bush's disclosure of his LA terrorist intelligence is that most administrations have avoided similar attacks -- without talking about it. It's not that heroic as US President, with more resources than anyone in the world, to keep Americans safe. That's the job of the US President. The fact that he feels the need to brag about is the problem. It's like he's saying, "Yeah, I know 9/11 sucked, but look what I could avoid! (Pay no attention to the fact that it's what any President can do; it's a big deal when I do it.)" Also, talking about avoided attacks in and of itself could be considered a security breach.
j boogie, you ignorant slut.
so anyway, that video was way cute, love that pre-talking vocal stage especially the laughing. those were the days when it was all fun and no back talk...
The War On Terror _Is_ a complete fraud, and here's what I mean by that:
The terrorists, like the poor, will always be with us. Yes, they have killed many innocent people.
But there are only two things that will stop terrorism: 1) Careful intelligence and police work. and 2) Removing the root causes. And still, a clever or lucky terrorist can still ruin our day, even if we do everything we should to prevent it.The Bush Administration has made a War on Terror the thing upon which all else hinges. They use it to justify erosion of civil rights. They use it to justify tens of thousands of civilian casualties. They use it to bankrupt our country with disastrous wars of choice.
What they haven't done is A) figured out how to make intelligence and policing work any better or B) Done anything to address the root causes.
In other words, we're just lucky that there isn't a large, coordinated, mobile force of terrorists that want to kill us, because we're every bit as vulnerable as we were on 9/11. The "War On Terror" is a myth, a catch-all justification for whatever it is the Bush Admin decides to do. How do you win a war with an emotion?
And they're dumb as hell about it. Teenage drug dealers won't talk on the phone about anything illegal, and they think their secret wiretaps are somehow comprimised by public scrutiny? I'd laugh, if it wasn't so completely awful.
I understand what you're saying, Kent, but where I'm coming from is: we ARE addressing the root causes -- as well as ensuring national security by removing a tyrant cozy with terrorist groups (See here: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/550kmbzd.asp) -- by doing something to change the diseased political landscape of the ME through democratization. I know many here don't buy into the beachhead of democracy theory, and that's fine, you may be right. But time will tell.
First: Yes, go to Whistler. I don't know how avid you are as skiers but their terrain is great and if they have lots of snow it will be worth it. I work in the ski club at UMD and we ran trips out there for a few years, but moved to Jackson Hole, WY, this year because Whistler hasn't been getting the snowfall that they used to get. I've also heard the town is *very* laid back and fun.
Second: I spent most of the past semester watching Weeds in every free moment I had, and then I discovered Huff! As a person who knows the TV game, what's your opinion? I haven't seen all the episodes yet, but the plot, characters, acting, and camera work all seem to be a level of complexity above Weeds. Anyway, I'm hooked.
whistler is great. my husband is a ski fanatic and he just loves the skiing there. i'm a shitty skier but there is enough terrain there to keep anyone happy. the ride from vancouver to the mountain is one of the most beautiful rides you can imagine. take one of those buses so you can watch the scenery. the ride is rather long but once you are there its great. the last time we were there some of our ski poles were ripped off when we were eating so if you have equipment you care about lock it up when you eat. after this happened to us someone told us that theft was rampant at the mountain - go figure. and although lucy is too young to ski you can get those little kiddy sleds and drag her around the snow and watch her be amazed by snow. in a few years you should teach her how to ski - i taught my kids when they were little and they are excellent skiers now because they learned so young. have fun.