Okay, I'm Back.

No, it wasn't the countless letters and e-mails that persuaded me to reactivate my blog. It wasn't the singing telegrams, or the handwritten letters by sick children, or the non-violent protests outside my place of residence. When it came right down to it, I guess it was just that briefcase full of small, unmarked bills. That's really all it took to get this blog up and running again.

Going Out of Business Sale

Not that this blog has ever had many readers--and not that I ever wanted it to--but I've decided to close up shop, at least for now (consider it just the latest casualty of our faltering economy). All blog entries are now 50% off, and if you purchase at least three, I'll throw the fourth one in for free.

Thanks for shopping with us!

Was Obama Responsible for the Success of Prop 8?

Well, maybe not directly. But consider this interesting argument, advanced by Farhad Manjoo in yesterday's Slate.com: Obama galvanized record numbers of black voters across the country, including California. The African-American community strongly opposes gay marriage by a much greater margin than any other ethnic group (and certainly more than whites). Had Obama not inspired historic numbers of blacks to vote, there's a very real chance that Prop 8 would not have passed.

Food for thought.

My Political Dilemma

Nearly two months after I donated to the Obama campaign, my magnetic bumper sticker finally arrived in the mail. Yesterday. The day of the election. So, do I put it on the car now, after the election? Or does that make it look like I'm gloating?

We had an election party last night. The kids got to stay up to watch the election returns come in and they enjoyed it as much as I did. Alex would cheer like it was a football game when states were called for Obama.

I must say I was really impressed with the careful attention the kids paid to the election. Simon's class had a mock election yesterday and he was one of the few that voted for President-elect Obama (sounds nice, no?). He said he talked to a number of kids and asked why they voted for John McCain. According to Simon, they all said, "that's who my parents are voting for." He was very proud that he had specific reasons for voting for Obama. First, "I like that Obama wants to help the poor people and not just the rich people." Second, that he thought it was good to have a black president. Third, "I really like Joe Biden." In fact, that third reason seemed to really be the clincher for him (and I don't think he was just picking up on my visceral dislike of Sarah Palin): he really loves Joe Biden. And, come to think of it, don't we all?

As for Eva, she didn't manage to stay awake until the election was called. So, the first words out of her mouth this morning were, "Who's the new president?" She ended up being very happy it was Obama (she had been a John McCain supporter before, but she seems to have switched. Apparently she was unfazed by all the William Ayers business).

Life is good.

It's Not Swan Lake...

... but it's certainly graceful and entertaining. This is a dance that Eva choreographed herself and performed with another girl from her dance class (I love that Eva is giving instructions during the performance itself). The video was made by Eva's dance teacher.

The Real Reason I'm Voting for Obama

(Make that: the real reason I voted for Obama. Three cheers for early voting!). No, it's not his cool intellect and steady presence. No, it's not his economic policies or the good will that his election would generate for the US throughout the world. Forget all that trivial stuff. It's this:

I vote for the guy who cleans up after himself after he gets some ice cream at the local burger joint. That's my kind of guy. (photo from http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/callie-bp.html)

If You Think My Taste in Music Is Abrasive and Pretentious...

... I'm generally quite happy to agree. However here's something that might be pretentious--it is "foreign," after all--but it's not abrasive. Souad Massi is an Algerian singer who relocated to Paris in 1999 after receiving death threats for playing pop music with a political edge. Her album Deb has been on my playlist recently; it's not exactly challenging stuff, musically speaking, but it's nice. Here's a track entitled "Yemma." As always, if you like the music, support the artist by purchasing a legal copy of their work (click here).