WWBMD?

The day after Obama was elected, The Robeau and I were sitting around watching CNN when this unintentional comedy appeared on screen.


That evening I posted the picture on Facebook under the heading "November 5th 2008 - Look! Jim took the best picture EVER!" because I thought, and I still do, that the juxtaposition is HI-Larious. Also, I have a great number of Facebook friends who share my ideals and point of view. Many of them are comedians (or just as funny as the comedians) and I knew they would dig it as well. That's what I'm all about folks, sharing the snark. Never let it be said that I saw something mean and/or funny and didn't share it with my nearest and dearest via the internets. Let that be my legacy.

Among the comments:

- Trickle down fans? They also love shoulder pads, Dynasty, and think "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson is the best work by either artist.

- Love it!

- I'm so glad that so many people were positive about Obama's win yesterday because believe it or not SOME people wrote very cynical status updates yesterday. Shocking.

- lol!

- wicked

- ahahah!

Needless to say, I felt pretty good about sharing this little moment with my pals. Hell, I felt pretty good about everything - it was November 5, 2008.

Then I found a note in my inbox from a girl I knew in high school. We haven't seen one and other in at least fifteen years. We didn't have a ton in common in school, save working together on the school newspaper.

Hey Tracey! Hope you are doing well! I can definitely see from your page that you are JUMPING in the music and jazz scene! Holy cow!

However, I did want to comment on one thing about that photo you posted taken by your partner (I'm presuming Jim's your partner). I personally am glad that Obama won, and I'm an evangelical Christian. Palin freaked me out, and saddened me a lot to think that she got lumped in with me (that being said, I don't hate her, and I think she's a bit misguided, and I really hope she readjusts her vision one day). I think it's a bit unfair to be gleefully saying that I'm a loser, when I don't think I am, at all, really, that's all.

Just wanted to say that generalized stereotypes are really sad, and don't help people actually work together, especially when they go in both directions, that's all. Just some food for thought.
Otherwise I hope you are well! :)

I felt bad when I first read it because I was gleefully calling her a loser. I was. And that is not nice. And some of what she said was lovely, to be honest. But I also took objection to the way her note was put together. Don't give me the old soft-sell, Church Lady, I've read your blog! I don't buy this "we're the same but different" crap. I wanted to quote Dawkins and Hitchens to her. I wanted to rail against the history of ignorance and hate perpetrated by organized religion. I wanted to throw examples in her face. The Pope(s) and AIDS in Africa. Flying airplanes into buildings. Those really, really uncomfortable things they make you kneel on. But in the end I just ignored it. Maybe I thought that by taking an extreme argument I'd be no better than an evangelical. Or maybe I just wasn't up for the fight.

Anyway, cut to almost six months later when we rented Religulous the other night. It was smart and funny but mostly it was Bill Maher preaching to the converted. Until the end of the film, where Maher gives us a veritable call to arms. It's the only way to describe it, a call to arms.



Watch that and tell me you don't suddenly want to stand up and talk sense to people. It sure made me want to speak up and be heard. Time will tell if I've got the guts or not.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.

Well. Thank goodness that's over.

Maybe that's why we always wear our hats.

This week began with the Robeau and I attending our first ever Passover Seder at our wonderful friend Elaine's house. We were both raised Catholic and I am now what can only be described as aggressively secular, so something that steeped in tradition and spiritual was a change of pace for both of us. It was fascinating to be a part of someone else's traditions, to meet her great family and enjoy all that incredible food and drink. What I liked the most about the whole thing was the discussion had around the table about the disenfranchised and the suffering. While they were celebrating their people's freedom from slavery they considered the plight of the homeless and of the people in Darfur. It was inspiring. Like anything to do with organized religion though, I am still left thinking, "nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there".

The week ended yesterday when I hooked up with Book Vixen to enjoy a belated b-day breakfast (happy b-day BookVixen!) and to take in the "Jesus Parade" in Little Italy. Every year the Passion is marched out along College Street, complete with marching bands, ancient women saying the rosary and a different young guy from the community playing Jesus for every station of the cross. What was the most entertaining was the fact that the best Jesuses (Jesi?) got saved for the more showy parts (whipping, cross-bearing) and the really weak Jesi were cast early on, in the less exciting part of the story, riding a donkey and wearing a bad wig. I imagine there is a great deal of back talk and jealousy involved in the casting of the big man every year...just like any other form of theatre. It was a very cool spectacle and really fun afternoon (you can check out all the pictures over at my Flickr account).




Today we enjoyed what has become my favourite new Easter weekend tradition, a visit from Momster, Robby Disco and the adorable Mr. Liam and Miss Norah. This year we gathered at Sam's house. He was a very amiable host...


It was great to meet Norah, the first girl of the bunch. She's quiet and sweet and I get the feeling that she is just sort of tolerating all of us and our stupidity. She may only be three months old, but at one point, I'm pretty sure I saw her roll her eyes at me. I'm OK with that, I probably deserved it.


Liam is more fun than I can tell you - he had a field day with our camera, taking well over 100 photos (some of the best ones are up at Flickr too). What was really cool was that he made us all feel like we get to hang out with him every weekend and not just once or twice a year.


But that's how it is with old friends, right?

Happy Easter everyone, however you choose to celebrate it.