Notes From All Over: M.I.A. Edition

oh, my lovelies... you have no idea what fresh hell i've experienced the past couple of weeks. please forgive my absence but work has dragged me down into a level of hell that not even dante could have imagined.

i realize i've been missing in action so i present to you a quick recap of the past couple of weeks from all angles.

work
it has been beyond busy, beyond terrible. for two straight weeks i was basically working ten hour days. i was unable to break free for lunch i was unable to do any of my work. i was focused on the digital upgrade my program made and it has not been fun.

i have finally passed a good portion of the digital responsibility on to other people and this past week i've been able to focus on projects that i need to do. but i've also had meeting after meeting, i've had to tour other facilities, i've had to find a new front desk person, i'm dealing with a 20 year old A/C unit that is about to go out on me..... not to mention every other little fire that's been coming up and the still straggling questions and pesterings about the digital upgrade.

and all the whining and bitching that goes along with it.

in short.... i hate my job.

but hey! what's new, right?

family
is it sad that i just put family after work? and that friends will come after that?

oy.

the baby is home and doing well. apparently she thinks the days are for sleeping and the nights are for raising cain (which reminds me of my days as a waiter), but she's healthy and parents are doing well. if not just exhausted beyond all belief.

but you know... who told them to go off and have a baby?

i may make a trip over there in september to see the little rugrat (for those of you pushing the issue).

looks like my parents will be coming down in august to see the baby and to see my play in the 10x10. they're good parents. they really are. i'm fortunate.

friends
i haven't had much of chance to see them but last weekend we did throw a white trash theme party for my friend steven. he went into detail about the party on his blog (stevensvox.blogspot.com) so i won't bore you with too many additional details.

let me just put one thing in the public record: i was MORTIFIED when i had to purchase strawberry cake mix with strawberry icing along with two boxes of double cheeseburger hamburger helper.

i've not been able to take enough showers to wash off the dirtiness i feel.

but steven is worth it.

the lesbians really went all out with their tuna surprise, their giant dingdong and their outfits. it was hilarious...

and - believe it or not - a great time was had by all (i believe).

the dark knight
saw it. loved it. ledger is brilliant in it. watching him i felt the way audiences must've felt when they first saw brando in streetcar. just something wholly original and fresh (and frightening).

see it.

brideshead revisited
i finished reading evelyn waugh's novel yesterday and i simply devoured it. beyond the initial shock at just how fucking gay the book really is.... it was a fascinating blend of sensuality, family drama, religion and politics. it's the first book by waugh i've read and i'm very interested in reading more by him.

if you haven't read brideshead, i highly recommend it.

politics
what a bizarre couple of weeks in politics. obama becomes the new david hasslehoff in germany and mccain puts him in an ad with britney spears and paris hilton.

some thoughts.....

i thought the trip through europe could have some downfalls. we can all agree that obama has an ego. but hell, you better have an ego if you're running for the ruler of the free world. i'm sure mccain has an ego to boot. he's just not eloquent enough for us to see it.

but comparing obama to britney and paris is just silly politics. they're vacuous airheads and i don't think anyone can accuse obama of that. but i understand the message mccain is trying to make. obama is a celebrity but he's as empty as these two.

for the record: i don't see any parallel between the blatant "protect your white daughters" message in the 2006 harold ford commercials. but it's all still pretty ridiculous.

what concerns me more is this new mccain ad titled "the one." and all week we've been hearing words like "arrogant" and "fussy" and "ego" and it boils down to a very disturbing message on behalf of the republicans and the mccain camp.

please forgive me for putting this in print....and i hate the word i'm about to type.... but they're basically saying: "look at the uppity nigger. don't he know his place?"

it's the same tactic used against hillary. "that bitch. doesn't she know the proper place for a little lady?"

the GOP has a record of running these divisive sexist and racist campaigns. they can't beat obama on substance so they're driving home the message to blue collar whites that this black man may be a little too big for his britches.

it's disturbing. and i finally heard david gergen bring it up on this week this morning. and it's a particularly clear message to racist, southern voters.....

it's the worst kind of politics but it's the politics of rove and bush and mccain is now using those same tactics. they don't win on the issues... they win on bringing the other candidate down.

and worst of all... it seems to be working.

instead of a huge bounce coming out of his tour of the middle east and europe... obama has actually slid in the polls since mccain has come out with these ads. the latest gallop has them tied, i believe.

i hope the media is smart enough to attack this issue and not pussy-foot their way around it because everyone is so afraid of talking about race.

i hate to break the news to you, kiddos, but race is a factor. it's the big-ass elephant in the room and we need to talk about it.

we need to discuss the positives. and we need to discuss the negatives.

we need to be grown-ups in this process. not break out ads with paris hilton and charlton heston.

silly and childish. is this "straight talk"?

shame on you, john mccain. didn't you promise everyone better than that?

god, this is probably a very long, rambling entry without a lot of insight or good things. and it suddenly made me kinda cranky.

i'll add an update to my veepstakes here in a bit and cheer myself up.

that's getting good.

have a great week, everyone. (i promise to be better.)

e.

p.s. the play is going really well and i think i'll be very pleased with my 10x10 this year. actually, rehearsals have been the bright spots during the past couple of weeks.

also.... i'm in the current issue of outsmart (in the news briefs). i look nice and plump... but hey, i'm smiling. you can find it in print or online at outsmartmagazine.com.