Housecleaning

Dedurkheim says that he, Champollion, and me need to clean the joint up in anticipation of dad's return. But I spent all day yesterday cleaning my own place, and besides, I think I'd rather strategically clutter this in an effort to get dad to think all is normal.

So in the name of the aforementioned strategic clutter, a bit of this, a bit of that ...

Politics can be a sewer on multiple levels. During eight seemingly interminable years of BushCo, we saw it on the federal level. Now, in New York, we see it on a state level. If you go to driftglass's Chicago, you'll see it on a city level.

I find myself wondering why Mike Bloomberg doesn't step up and start howling for New York state government to get its shit together. Even though we have confirmation that he's not as popular as he'd seem, I don't see what he has to lose for agitating for Albany to get its collective ass in gear. Ordinarily, you'd say, "Well, Albany has far more control over how the city gets run than it should, and so he has to defer to Albany". But the coup plotters and players are all from the city, and Bloomberg could make trouble for them in their districts, should he so choose.

I am on page 650 of The Power Broker. Now, he would know how to deal with Albany!

Simon Schama is my new boyfriend. I am about to start the last two episodes (Picasso and Rothko) in Power of Art and I loves him! I wish I owned a movie theater, because if I did, I would run this series in an all-day marathon. It would look beautiful on a big screen. As I was watching the Van Gogh episode, I wondered if anyone but me saw a connection between The Night Café and Hopper's Nighthawks. No, not in the technique, but in the ability to capture the phenomenon of feeling lonely in a public place on canvas.

Does Sarah Palin understand that Americans don't like losers? We are generally grudgingly accepting of cheaters, because cheating is equated with having a fire in the belly to win. But losers? No. Someone needs to remind this person that not only did she lose, but she, specifically, was the primary reason her ticket lost.

Bravo, Joan Walsh!

Finally, your (original) Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 moment for the day is below. Remember this awesome theme music? Take that, Tony Scott!