Grand Old Man went to the Catty Shack today, for beautification and nasty insect removal.
As you can see, he wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
Happy Ash Wednesday to everyone. Since I'm seeking my saving grace today, I decided Saving Grace would be our opening Lenten hymn.
(I actually sat through that entire Super Bowl halftime, hoping they would play this song. Ha! Far too intense for the Super Bowl, and besides, only hit songs are allowed.)
I think this really sums it all up, for some of us anyway. Enjoy.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Saving Grace
~*~
Local folks, don't forget our Greenville Antiwar Society action, scheduled for March 16th:
Sunday, March 16 in Bergamo Square
Downtown Greenville at Coffee & Main St.
- candle lighting starts at 8:00 PM
- 3900+ candles to be lit - for each American soldier who has died
- hundreds of thousands of beads for the Iraqi dead.
Be there or be square.
~*~
Reading around the intertubes
Ren does some digging, and is shocked--shocked! ...to discover Melissa Farley's sex worker research ain't what it's cracked up to be.
The New York Times featured an in-depth follow-up on Saturday about the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting enterprise. If you love animals, beware, tough reading. But it is fascinating how animals react to abuse and trauma much the way humans do.
Anti-Barbie continues to offer us her short, but wonderfully-twisted trips of horror.
On Saturday, Oregon finally cleared the way for gay civil unions after a long legal battle. More from Little Light and Gay News Blog.
Disabled blogger BrainHell has died. I had only read his blog a few times, but always remembered how brilliant he was. Two of his regular readers, Kay and Bint, tell us more. We send him all of our love, peace, goodvibes and novenas for the dead. Please remember us when it is our turn to cross, BH.
~*~
Super Tuesday reading
Beyond Symbolism: the Obama dilemma - Great analysis from Peace Arena.
Heart, aka Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff, the radical feminist who is running for president against Hillary Clinton, nonetheless approvingly reprints on her blog Robin Morgan's fascinating tirade against anyone NOT voting for Hillary. (Yes, I know, that doesn't make a lot of sense, but welcome to Heartworld.)
My Court TV jones has taken a back seat to Super Tuesday prognosticating. I also enjoy assorted campaign nonsense, such as watching video clips on MSNBC of Stevie Wonder sing Barack Obama's name before large crowds. Other fun trivia: Maria Shriver has endorsed Obama, while her husband, the Governator, is backing Senator John McCain. (And I wonder what they talk about?)
PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) – Mitt Romney's failure to eat fried chicken with the skin on is nothing short of blasphemy here in the South, according to GOP rival Mike Huckabee.I don't think it's a health issue (they were in a KFC, after all)--I think it's a class issue, and the way Mitt doesn't realize how he comes off to other (regular, middle class) people when he does something that might be perceived as snooty. George Bush the First had these same sorts of gentility-giveaway problems, famously asking for "a splash more coffee" whilst campaigning and once showing genuine surprise at a common UPC scanner at a grocery store. After that, his PR droogs (Mary Matalin, in particular) made sure he emphasized his common tastes, such as pork rinds. Look for Mitt's people to start Romney chowing down on some common foods, ASAP. (If any of them KNOW of any common foods, that is.)
Romney, of Massachusetts, dug into a piece fried chicken at KFC while campaigning in Lutz, Florida on Saturday, but not before peeling off what most would consider the best part — the crispy skin.
Admittedly, KFC's chicken doesn't exactly stack up against the delectable kind that comes out of deep fryers in kitchens around the South, and Romney said he was looking for the healthiest option available to him for lunch.
Huckabee, looking ahead to a flotilla of southern states up for grabs on Super Tuesday, was told about the move by a reporter here in the Florida panhandle.
"I can tell you this," he said, "any Southerner knows if you don’t eat the skin don’t bother calling it fried chicken."
"So that's good. I'm glad that he did that, because that means I'm going to win Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma … all these great Southern states that understand the best part of fried chicken is the skin, if you're going to eat it that way."
Lent officially begins this week, so trying not to slack.
For Church this week, I present U2's Gloria. Even though I know it is supremely uncool to cop to liking U2 (in any incarnation) these days, this is one of my favorite hymns.
Notice:
1) Bono's hair! Not quite a mullet, but definitely in 80s hair-band mode. This is relatively early; he was still fresh-faced and not so full of himself. (But you can see where he's ready to veer off in that direction!)
2) Listen to that killer riff by The Edge. Lots of people have stolen it since.
3) It's a beautiful video, as befits the subject.
4) The lyrics are so simple and just so perfect:
I try to sing this song
I, I try to stand up
But I can't find my feet.
I, I try to speak up
But only in you I'm complete.
Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Gloria
Gloria
Oh, Lord, loosen my lips.
I try to sing this song
I, I try to get in
But I can't find the door
The door is open
You're standing there, you let me in.
Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Oh, Lord, if I had anything, anything at all
I'd give it to you.
Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Gloria
~*~
U2 - Gloria
