Another burning question

Why must 9 out of every 10 movies Will Ferrell makes show him in 1970s-era shortie shorts and goofy hair? The guy has built his whole career on how funny he looks in these getups. I guess there's worse things to base a career on.

Burning questions

So at least according to one poll, George W. Bush's approval rating has dropped to 19 percent. Even if this number is off somewhat (most polls I've seen put his approval somewhere in the 20s) he still is undoubtedly one of the most reviled presidents of the modern age, certainly the most hated since Nixon. When will the mainstream media begin referring to Bush as "unpopular"? When will we see editorial page mea culpas from the major journalistic cheerleaders of the Iraq war?

And when will most of the average people who voted for this guy not once, but twice, finally admit they were wrong? Among the handful of Republicans I know, most just refuse to discuss politics anymore. It's hard to find former die-hard Bush supporters who will now publicly acknowledge they screwed up.

Also, what will the Republican party do with Bush at its next convention? Are they going to let him speak? How can they not have a speech from a sitting president in their own party? Only problem is everybody hates the guy. Will they put him on at 3 a.m. so nobody sees? That's going to be fascinating to watch.

Somebody help me

My previously sweet, adorable toddler is going through some hellacious Terrible 3s at the moment. Yesterday at school she got annoyed at another kid and poked him in the eye with a felt tip marker. Fortunately the little boy wasn't injured, but holy crap, this is coming out of nowhere. She never used to be like this! Now she keeps getting sent to the office for causing trouble.

She's not even three and a half yet! And Mr. Fraulein and I, having no previous experience with this kind of thing, can't figure out if we're dealing with it the right way. Our main approach so far has been the Counting to Three tactic ("I'm going to count to three, and if you don't stop jumping on the couch, we start taking away toys...") combined with revoking of TV privileges and "special treats" (chocolate, etc.) We'll see how it goes...

Compare and contrast...

Thousands upon thousands of energized Obama supporters of every age and color yesterday in Madison, WI, vs. McCain's few dozen bored looking white folks. I hate to even say this for fear of jinxing it but I think maybe, just maybe, the good guys are going to WIN this time. Only question is how big a rout it will be.

I'm beginning to suspect the Republicans won't even be able to try to steal it this time. Voter fraud is a lot easier in close elections, like 2000 and 2004, than it is when three quarters of the country are chomping at the bit for dramatic change.

I desperately wanted my boy Al Gore to jump in there this time, but given that Obama is starting to look more and more like (Bill) Clinton and JFK and RFK rolled into one, I'll take it. Especially when the opposition is (or appears to be, which is what's important) 1,000 years old and wants to continue every Bush policy that's been soundly repudiated by most of the country.

Change is good. Yes we can!

Blogs you should read

If there isn't some kind of Bloggers All-Time Creative Writing Achievement Award, then there damn well should be. And Laid Off Dad should win it.

Things you notice when watching high-def DVDs on a high-def TV...

The main thing you notice is: people on TV have the same skin problems as the rest of us. I'm having serious "Office" withdrawal, so I've been re-watching Season 2 on DVD. Apparently NBC films its shows in high definition now, and it's amazing how much detail you can see. Steve Carell has some serious wrinkles going on. None of this was visible on our prehistoric TV. It seems the science of makeup artistry hasn't quite caught up with the HD revolution.

Big questions

The Peanut, this morning in the car: "Mommy, when is the world over?"

Me: "Um, what do you mean?"

Peanut: "When is the world over?"

Me: "Well, hopefully not for a while."

Public showers, tights, and big sparkly rings

I decided to tune in to a teeny bit of the Super Bowl coverage so I'd have some idea what my co-workers were talking about today. (And oh, the wailing and the gnashing of the teeth here in metro-Boston after the Patriots loss -- you have no idea...) So here's what the Super Bowl looks like to someone who knows absolutely zero about professional sports:

6:20 p.m.: Didn't there used to be big, splashy Pre-Game shows with lots of has-been musicians performing? Apparently they don't do those anymore, or if they do it was over by this time. All I see is a panel discussion among a group of fat neckless guys wearing suits. Each and every one of them looks supremely uncomfortable in his suit. You get the sense they'd all be much happier in polyester jogging outfits.

6:21 p.m.: Commercials.

6:26 p.m.: A brief break in the commercials so they can come back and breathlessly anticipate the "coin toss." A million people come out on the field to view the outcome. Will it be heads or tails?? Riveting. I can totally see why people get so into this...

6:28 p.m.: Commercials, including one wherein a former Super Bowl star delivers a rambling oration dedicated to the specialness of winning the contest and getting to wear the Super Bowl ring. The Super Bowl ring is shown on this man's finger in a lingering shot that looks like it's lit exclusively by candles, to maximize the sparkle of the ring's many, many diamonds. This is a ring that would look perfectly appropriate on the finger of a wealthy woman north of 70. THIS is what they give as a prize to these 20-year-old guys when they win? Why not a tweedy St. John suit and a Cartier brooch shaped like a bumblebee?

(Yes, I know the above photo shows a Patriots ring -- it was all I could find! No pictures of one with a Giants logo available online, apparently.)

6:35 p.m.: The commercials finally end and they start singing the national anthem. For some reason we're seeing soldiers in Iraq. Also occasionally we see a Fox News logo in the corner featuring some kind of animated football playing robot with enormous shoulders. Because, as we can see from the jewelry and the post-game communal showers and the tights, this is a game that is all about macho.

6:36 p.m.: I can't take it anymore and I turn it off.