It’s rainin’ all over the world

One of my favorite political journalists is David Corn (Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones and frequent guest on MSNBC), and he recently put out a book called Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party. I finished it a couple of days ago, and I liked it a lot.

I’ve been following politics closely for the past several years, and I remember President Obama’s first three years of presidency very well. What is recounted in the book is much of what I remember, although “insider” information is included.

Corn is obviously on the left side of the spectrum...just read the title of the book. But I found this to be fairly reasonable and pretty much how I remember it. I mean, c’mon...does anyone really think that President Obama didn’t try to reach out and come to a bipartisan agreement on several issues, only to be left at the altar? If not, have you been paying attention?

This book doesn’t gloss over the fact that the President was naive in thinking that he would be able to make deals with the Republicans. He made the mistake of assuming that they also wanted what was best for the country, and he ignored the clear message from Mitch McConnell that the main goal of the Republicans was to ensure that Obama had a one term presidency. Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein recently wrote a piece for the Washington Post in which they just stone cold laid it on the line: it’s mainly the Republicans’ fault for our dysfunctional government.

I’m sorry if that offends you...oh, who am I kidding? I’m not sorry at all. Boehner and his pals aren’t content with coming close to a government shutdown or a default on our obligations once...they’re more than happy to threaten it again. Never mind the fact that the Congressional Budget Office has said that this will probably result in an economic slowdown and another recession. The Republicans are putting partisan politics before the well-being of the country and of the American people, and I’m getting more than a little pissed off.

Anyway, I thought this was a very good book. I’ve felt all along that President Obama had a long-term goal in mind. He made the mistake of not recognizing the extreme intransigence of his opposition, but he has always had a vision of how to move our country forward. And for the last time, he is NOT a socialist. That is so ridiculous. Those of us on the far left of the spectrum find that the height of absurdity. Obama is a socialist like I’m a bench chemist. (Private joke...a lot of those lately, but all will be revealed soon.) If you’re like-minded when it comes to politics, I recommend this book. Now I’ve started the next book on my book club list, Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. Since we’re planning a vacation on the Main Street of America (Route 66), how appropriate is that?

**Workout note: Maybe I’m pushing it because I know that on our vacation I won’t be able to work out as much as I have been lately, but today was wicked! I was pushing an hour and 45 minutes total, including 40 minutes and 2 miles on the elliptical! That’s the most I’ve ever done, and it felt great. It’s amazing how much music pushes me to go further. Today’s motivational music was autoKratz, another techno band, and I kept thinking, “Okay, finish this song.” Then it was, “Okay, keep going till you hit 35 minutes.” Then THAT song wasn’t over, so it was another, “Finish this song.” By that time, I was so proud of myself, I had to make sure I hit 2 miles. This might sound odd, but I’ve also found that my attire matters. If it’s wintertime and it’s cold and I’m shlumping in sweats, I just want to get it done and not linger. But if it’s hot and I’m wearing a sports bra and low-slung shorts, it makes me want to work harder and it makes me feel all like a gym rat and junk. I’m so glad we have our own little gym here at Nutwood, so I can wear stuff like that in the summer and not feel weird or stared at!

Please enjoy some Electric Light Orchestra and the genius of Jeff Lynne.

Here, there, and everywhere

I’m going to deglaze the pan with a little wine, and scrape all the yummy bits off of the bottom. In other words, a few odds and ends and pictures, all mixed up together. (Warning: this is pretty mundane stuff.)

It’s been an early spring here at Nutwood, and across much of the country. This isn’t necessarily a good thing for fruit crops (we might get a freeze this week), but human beings are sure enjoying it! It’s been great to have the windows open and see everything get lush and green. I was worried that our flowering trees would get zapped, but they blossomed and are so pretty. It makes me happy to see them, and I hope it brings a smile to your face, too. I’ve been able to catch some rays already, and when I had my doctor’s appointment last week, she said, “You’ve got tan lines already!” I said, “We’ve had some nice days!” (She asked if I wear sunscreen, and I said that I don’t stay out that long. If I do, then I wear sunscreen. She said, “You really aren’t giving me anything to yell at you about.” Have I mentioned that I love my doctor?)

I’m not sure what the tiny little flowers are in the picture on the far right, but they are throughout the grass. They’re only 2-3 mm, and they seem to be some sort of tiny violet. The flowering tree is my favorite tree we have, and I think it is a Japanese Weeping Cherry. The flowers look like pink carnations, and I think it’s just a beautiful tree.

Spring 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I’m still making good progress on my reading. I’m loving my current book club book, The Alexandria Quartet, and I’m on book three of the quartet. Things are heating up in Egypt and North Africa (the books are set during WWII), and there is much intrigue among members of the British Foreign Office and various characters in Alexandria. Personal and political! Books like these are the reasons I’m so glad I’m still doing this list. I would never have read it otherwise, and that would be a shame. I’m loving this one! I’ve got plenty of other books on queue, including Sean Faircloth’s Attack of the Theocrats and David Corn’s Showdown. (I’m happy to say that I am friends on Facebook with both gentlemen!)

I splurged and got myself a seriously good sauté pan. I tend to replace pans every few years, because I don’t buy really expensive ones, and the nonstick interior starts to fail and get all scratched up. A while back, I found a good Calphalon saucepan on clearance, and it is so awesome...so I wanted to get a Calphalon sauté pan that matched the saucepan. I haven’t tried it out yet, but this is the most I have ever spent on a pan, so this em-effer had better last for pretty much the rest of my life, and it had better be the best damn pan in the em-effin’ universe. Maybe I’ll try omelets in it this coming week, and I expect some seriously em-effin’ good omelets! For what I paid for this, the omelets should cook themselves and sit up and sing “Honky Tonk Women.” As you can see, I have mixed feelings about this pan. I want it to be awesome, but I have reservations about spending so much on a stupid pan. That being said, this thing is beautiful. A gleaming, smooth interior, a crystal clear lid, and a pristine grey outer surface. And the thing is huge and heavy. I promise to care for you properly and even pamper you, Calphalon, so be nice back to me, okay?