Thursday, February 12, 2009

Did Someone Get the Number on That Truck?

Oh. Gawd. So much for not getting sick. What started out feeling like a sinus infection last Thursday ended up as what I can only assume was the flu by Sunday evening. I was knocked flat for 5 full days. That never happens.

Even though Scoob wasn't feeling so hot himself, he really pitched in when the fever hit. I think the hardest thing for him was keeping me in bed (not a phrase I thought I'd ever say). I kept getting up to get juice or feed the cats or put a movie in the DVD player and he read me the riot act each time. I've started calling him my Nurse Ratchet. He's not mean, though, just strict. And yes, mom, he did make some hot 'n sour soup—my favorite when I'm sickly.

I would have gone back to work on Tuesday, but Nurse Ratchet barricaded me in the bedroom, so I took one more day of bed rest and spent it watching all 5 of the Harry Potter movies. Again. I know they're supposed to be kid movies, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of them.

So Wednesday was my first day back on my feet and at work. It took me a while to wrap my brain around things and I think today was really my first day back up to speed.

What with being buried under a mountain of tissues and blankets, the closet organizer did not get installed last weekend like I'd hoped. I'm beginning to think it sounds like a good couple's bonding project—you know, for Valentine's Day.

Oh, but in other exciting news, we trained the cats to a new litter box this weekend. Yeah, thrilling news, huh. It was quite easy really. I was too sick to get up and scoop the old box, so they had no choice but to use the new automatic one. Now the old one is washed and stowed away until we need it as a spare when we go out of town.

Last week seemed so long ago, but a few items stuck in my mind from before The Crud of 2009 visited.

One of the biggest news items for me was Justice Ginsberg undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer. I hope the surgery is successful, but of course speculation has already begun regarding who President Obama would nominate to replace Ginsburg if needed. Most of the chatter seems to agree on one thing, Obama will be under immense pressure to appoint a female Justice to the court.

A clear front-runner for the potential nomination is Judge Sonia Sotomayor. First of all, she's female, she's also Latina, she's generally viewed as being a moderate, and she was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by George H.W. Bush, which would hopefully help with a quick confirmation process should Sotomayor get the nomination.

Another name that has been mentioned is Elena Kagan, which I find surprising since she has never argued a case at trial and she's President Obama's current nomination for Solicitor General. Actually, seeing as it is the Solicitor General's job to argue the government's position before the Supreme Court, having had very little courtroom experience may make her better suited to the more philosophical nature of Supreme Court Justice. But of the two, I think Sotomayor is the better option.

In other political news, Keith Olbermann has diarrhea of the mouth. Again. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Cheney supporter. In fact I agree with much of what Olbermann says, but the bile Olbermann spews is nauseating. And saying Cheney needs to leave the country because of things he has said is beyond the pale. Ummm, Keith, yeah, it's the United States, dude.

No matter how off base, infuriating, or crazy Cheney's comments may be, he is entitled to the same protections under the Constitution that Olbermann has been bitching about being systematically taken away the past 8 years. From his tirade, it would seem Olbermann feels that because Cheney has said, and continues to say, things that in his opinion strengthen the position of terrorists, Cheney should be denied his rights under the Constitution and banished from the country. No, that doesn't sound at all un-American or Bush-esque. What's next Keith? Shall we waterboard him too?

Olbermann had his moment (several years of moments, actually) when he openly said on air what millions of Americans were thinking, and I enjoyed watching him then as much as anyone else. But it became shtick long ago as the Bush Administration progressed through it's lame duck term, and unlike Stephen Colbert or John Stewart, Olbermann is not funny. Now that the Boogie Man is no longer in power, Olbermann's continued bile-filled rants at him seem more and more disconnected from reality.

In fact, what went through my mind as I watched the video was, "My God, he's become the liberal version of Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly." Olbermann has become just as disturbing as the people he rails at.

I have the vague recollection that Olbermann used to report the news. I wish MSNBC would put him back on that job and stop airing his "Special Comments." Though, he's probably lost all credibility as a newsman now since he has dropped all pretense of being unbiased. He's a caricature of his former self and it has become pitiful to watch. It's not inspiring, enlightening, or even entertaining any longer. But I keep watching; hoping to find a gem.

On a lighter note, it was kind of nice to read that even at the White House, they have to deal with some of the same things the rest of do—masked intruders. We have raccoons at our house too, though other than the one that climbed up to our second story patio, they seem to keep to themselves.

Actually, I remember seeing my first hedgehog while I was interning in D.C. It was huge. I had always thought of hedgehogs as being about the size of a guinea pig, but that one was the size of a medium bulldog! And in the middle of D.C. Judging by the picture on that article, they also have problems with beavers. Who knew?

No comments:

Post a Comment