you can watch the NY Senate uncut.
(The D.C. Council passed the gay marriage bill yesterday, 11-2. It requires a 2nd vote next week and then Mayor Fenty (an alum of my fine institution of higher hippie learning) will sign it. Woot!)
Wow, I didn't know the Senate Democrats finally agreed to debate this. Excellent.
I didn't expect it to pass, but I did thing it would be close.
I can't bear to see a disappointed turtle.
kos blames faithless republicans (via mefi).
Is this the shortest liveblog thread in history?
max
['Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful.']
Disappointing. As far as DC goes, the Democratic Congress isn't likely to overturn it, but what happens if we get Republicans in?
Also from Kos:
Maybe this was NY's misguided attempt to save Tiger's marriage.
I've been waiting for the right thread to mention TPM's sex scandal haiku contest:
a text message Sen. John Ensign sent to his girlfriend Cindy Hampton was only one syllable off from being a bona-fide Haiku.
How wonderful it is. Can't believe, it's like a kid. Scared but excited.
I've often thought that a lot of tweets, and probably texts too, are close to being haikus. We've had a lot of sex scandals this year (as we always do). So in the honor of the day, and to work off your post-turkey stupor, email us your haiku based on one of 2009's plentiful sex scandals.
New York bigots vote
to save a Tiger's marriage.
The box turtles weep.
Kids and their haiku.
Short-winded is the modern.
Write a whole sonnet.
As far as DC goes, the Democratic Congress isn't likely to overturn it
I wouldn't underestimate them. It'll probably come up as an amendment to a bill involving spending.
I suppose it's somehow hypocritical of me to be bothered by the doings in NY when the great victory in NC this year was that an anti-marriage amendment got smothered in committee for the umpteenth time, but that isn't stopping me. I am torn, as ever, between my certainty that change in America is a slow process of two-steps-forward-one-step-back disappointments until all of a sudden no one can remember what the fuss was about, duh, and my cynicism that the religious nutcases and the weak-willed elected will always choose to ostracize rather than embrace what they perceive as a small, easily beaten group that doesn't constitute a large percentage of the electorate.
All of which is to say, basically, fuck the NY state senate.
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Oh for crying out loud - the Chase phone number is 1 digit off a sex line. I'll assume I can't get charged for 2 seconds on the line with an 888 number.
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21: I can get charged in 2 seconds.
Is comment 21 intended to establish an alibi?
|| quote from Cornell West's latest book:
"The basic problem with my love relationships with women is that my standards are so high -- and they apply equally to both of us. I seek full-blast mutual intensity, fully fledged mutual acceptance, full-blown mutual flourishing, and fully felt peace and joy with each other. This requires a level of physical attraction, personal adoration, and moral admiration that is hard to find. And it shares a depth of trust and openness for a genuine soul-sharing with a mutual respect for a calling to each other and to others. Does such a woman exist for me? Only God knows and I eagerly await this divine unfolding. Like Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship in Emily Bronte's remarkable novel Wuthering Heights or Franz Schubert's tempestuous piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat (D.960) I will not let life or death stand in the way of this sublime and funky love that I crave!"
West has been divorced four times....at least he gives it a try. ||>
I must admit I'd never realized Schubert's piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat would not let life or death stand in the way of this sublime and funky love it craves.
Or not looking to Heathcliff as a role model.
Sonata No. 19 was just phoning it in.
1-800-FNKYLUV would be a good phone sex number.
I am torn, as ever, between my certainty that change in America is a slow process of two-steps-forward-one-step-back disappointments until all of a sudden no one can remember what the fuss was about, duh, and my cynicism that the religious nutcases and the weak-willed elected will always choose to ostracize rather than embrace what they perceive as a small, easily beaten group that doesn't constitute a large percentage of the electorate.
We'll win, in the end. I hate how slow it is and this vote infuriates me, but the age-related polling data keeps me hopeful as I eagerly await the dying off of the homophobes.
29: Seriously. (Lloyd Dobler is not creepy. Heathcliff is creepy.)
Aaaaand it turns out that Joe Addabbo, a newly elected Democrat I volunteered for last November, voted against.
The Senate Republicans were smart (though of course evil) to stick together opposing the bill. It helps define their brand and is going to make it hard for Democrats to pick up Senate seats next year.
I don't think you can be sublime and funky, even if you're love. Sorry.
I don't think you can be sublime and funky, even if you're love. Sorry.
I used to believe this, and then I saw Parliament/Funkadelic live and my eyes were opened.
Both dynamic and mathematical sublimity are compatible with funk.
Today while I waited for my classroom to be unlocked, four women students and I discussed whether Zac Ephron is a fox (two for, two against, yrs trly "kinda"), and then whether Heathcliff is a fox (same two for, same two against, yrs trly "kinda"). I was surprised that Zac and Heathcliff appeal to the same demographic. N, though, was only 5.
1-800-FNKYLUV would be a good phone sex number.
Paging k-sky!
It might be thought that dynamic sublimity is impossible in the case of funk, since with good funk it is not the case that we are confronted with a power which has no power over us, being compelled to shake our booties. But this is just as specious as imagining that a terrible thunderstorm cannot be sublime because reason is incapable of preventing injury if one is struck by lightning.
Heathcliff as fox. Surely linked here before?
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The Wikipedia page for the Monty Hall Problem has been vastly improved at some point in the last 5 years.
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I would classify Miles Davis circa 68-75 as genuinely funky and sublime.
Or at least being capable of it in certain passages.
46: one of them's nearly perfect. The others are perfectly adequate and utterly misleading, respectively. I can tell you that the one I'm looking at now is definitely not utterly misleading. Would you like to continue referring to the page that you're on, or would you like to try the other one?
OT: At what low temperature should I start worrying about my car not working without special anti-freeze stuff? It just has whatever's standard in non-cold winter California.
It only took me two readings to get 52.
(It's supposed to drop into the 20s or so at night, above freezing in the day, around the time I'm planning to drive out of here.)
53: Nothing to worry about until you're below 0.
That's a relief. It does get below 0 here, but that's just because they use the wrong units.
53, 57: Just to be clear, 'special anti-freeze stuff' doesn't mean you are using no anti-freeze right now, does it? It means you have whatever mix is standard for where ever you live?
To 55 and 25: do not turn your engine off and you will be OK.
Semi-on-topic now. First snow commute of the year Weee.
Totally offtopic 4 oz of allspice is a hell of a lot of allspice.
So I was contemplating changing my Facebook status, to explain the attitude I take toward sublime and funky love. Then I thought "wait, surely someone has already done this". Scan my friends: no. On an impulse, look at nosflow's profile. Dammit, neb.
58: I had the car serviced in California before coming up here. Told the guy where I was going to be and he said that I should be fine here with what they used, but that if I were going to pretty much anywhere else in Canada I'd need a different mix. So I assume that means there's some standard anti-freeze already at work. I really should pay more attention to car maintenance, though.
Also, I've never driven in snow and don't have chains. It's an all-wheel drive car, though, and at least for the trip down I can wait out the weather and avoid routes requiring chains.
62: It's all the same stuff (depending on make and year of the car), just diluted with a different amount of water. They make a hickey to test the concentration. The tester looks a bit like what you would use for artificial insemination at the Clown Hospital OB clinic. I have one because my radiator has a slow leak and in the summer I get lazy and just dump in water. Basically the same thing they use to test the alcohol level when making booze. (I'm not suggesting you need one unless you are going to start doing your own maintenance. If you do start doing your own maintenance, keep in mind that anti-freeze is both toxic and tastes sweet. Keep away from children and pets.)
First snow commute morning that the indoor temperature was below 70 when I got up of the year Weee.
63: I've never used chains, but I've never had any problem in snow using an all-wheel drive car. But remember that all-wheel drive doesn't help you stop quicker. And be careful at the start. You need to learn to react much more slowly when driving in snow. I remember being in North Carolina when they got two foot of snow. So many people put their 4x4's in the ditch that I stopped laughing at them.
Also, I've never driven in snow
Huh. Well, whatever you do, don't just slam on the brakes when you lose traction. Okay. Tender, tender. Start stopping a long way before the stop sign.
63: If you're in the large coastal city that's not located on an island and you're heading for CA via freeway, the chances of your needing chains are very low. Slightly higher through the Siskiyous, but still low.
Pwned, but I claim it to be a partial pwn.
So. When you start to slide, turn into the direction of the slide/skid, not against it. No, really.
Well, whatever you do, don't just slam on the brakes when you lose traction.
Yes. Another good rule is if somebody seems to be driving too slowly, you might want to assume they know something you don't and slow down.
I can't figure out the Oregon laws. They appear to say you need to carry chains - which is all I worry about, not actually having to put them on - so if they stop you and you don't have them, you either get turned around or ticketed. But you don't have to put them on unless there's actual snow on the ground, and for my car the level of snow requiring chains to be put on is fairly high and unlikely. The traffic cameras show clear roads and a bit of snow on the ground but not much.
72: I don't know about chains, but if you're going somewhere rural, it wouldn't hurt to throw a couple of bottles of water and some Corn-nuts in the trunk. Just in case you have to sit a while.
I would be utterly flabbergasted if anyone ever got stopped and checked in Oregon to make sure they were hauling chains just in case. On main roads, you need to put chains on when you see a big sign that says "Chains Required," and that mostly only happens in the passes. Outside of that situation, you'll know when you need chains because your car won't hardly move without them.
Shout-out to Jesus needed, then! Resident Portland, er, resident. Emerson too, but you know.
I'd not really worry about the chain laws, myself. Light snow on the ground doesn't seem like a big deal, and the heat generated by traffic traveling anything above 40 or so will keep that melted.
I suppose I could just risk it. I've been wavering back and forth between 101 and 5, mostly because I've never done the southern Oregon/northern California 101. But it's not exactly the hang out on the coast time of year. Plus 101 almost certainly means either 2 nights or 1 night plus one extremely long day. Although 5 could mean that too, depending on conditions.
You could build a huge ramp in southern Washington and hurtle clear over the Pacific Wonderland and right into California.
Changing topics a bit, do you tip at Oregon gas stations? I somehow crossed all of Oregon on the way up on a single tank of gas, so I never faced the whole full service only thing. Do you just sit in the car and wait?
Do not take a shortcut close to Grant's Pass with your wife and two cute daughters in the car and then decide to get help.
do you tip at Oregon gas stations?
Not unless you are driving much too fast.
Changing topics a bit, do you tip at Oregon gas stations?
Assuming it's like New Jersey, no, you don't. (That or I'm a jerk....)
The gum in the machines in the gas station restrooms is too chewy. Don't even bother.
81: I hadn't heard about it before, but it's a sad story. If that's what Megan is referring to. My initial thought was the Stolpas, but they were stranded elsewhere.
76: Don't plan to do the whole trip on 101. Much longer and slower. If you're so inclined and the forecast is good, you could maybe cut over to the coast at Eugene or some such, but you'll add a lot of time. On 5, minimizing stops, you're looking at somrthing like 5-6 hours down through WA and I think about the same for OR, and then there's more CA north of the Bay Area than really necessary.
76: Don't plan to do the whole trip on 101. Much longer and slower. If you're so inclined and the forecast is good, you could maybe cut over to the coast at Eugene or some such, but you'll add a lot of time. On 5, minimizing stops, you're looking at somrthing like 5-6 hours down through WA and I think about the same for OR, and then there's more CA north of the Bay Area than really necessary.
Eh, I have the time to do 101, plus it would mean going through the Bay Area (which I skip past on 5). It'll probably be a day of or day before decision.
there's more CA north of the Bay Area than really necessary
Yeah, on the way up it was about 10 hours just in California, then 10 hours to Bellingham the next day. The stretch from Redding to Medford (or so) is really quite beautiful, though.
Yes, I was referring to the Kims. Don't do that, eb.
No apostrope in "Grants Pass."
Though according to the selective service registration board, I hail from "Grants Ass."
Also no tipping at Oregon gas stations
eb, speaking of your trip. My glaucoma is acting-up again. I don't live in a very enlightened state and ....
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a propos of nothing, this (lyrics) seems like the sort of song that unfogged should know about.
I was just trying to remember DFH songs that I heard growing up, and that was one of them. I hadn't thought of it in years.
By the same writer, but more recent, this is a very well done protest song/video.
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70.2 -- No, no, no, no, no.
I've never had chain problems in Oregon, but the California Highway Patrol can (ime) go into full fascism mode on the subject. Buy some at Canadian Tire. Or Walmart.
West has been divorced four times.
That's Brother West to us.
I've never driven in snow. I have biked in it, though. Biking in snow is like biking in sand, it's important to go very fast.
Biking in snow is like biking in sand, it's important to go very fast.
Have to go fast when it is slippery, exposed to the elements, and only minimal protection in the case of a crash. I'm going to look-up my nearest cycle store right now.
Biking in the winter is fun hence my Wee above. You don't have to go fast.
I won't be getting a bike anytime soon. I've already picked my Christmas presents (Wii Sports Resort, nice bourbon,The Beekeeper's Apprentice).
In the post title, is that a breasty female symbol?
I think the post title now includes the story of the post and the on-topic comments. Or was the strikethrough there from the start?
101: Haven't you ever used the font Areola Rounded?
I don't think it was there pre-vote. (I do actually get it.)
It's an artichoke on a teeter-totter.
Arial/Areola. Get it. Never mind. I need sleep.
(I do actually get it.)
I was mostly trying to confirm that I saw it right. By the time I checked the thread, the vote was over and the strikethrough appeared so soon thereafter, I wasn't sure it wasn't always there.
25 et seq: I made an ass of myself twice today by making fun of Cornel West. Once by putting something on Facebook, where members of his ghostwriter's family are my friends, and then again telling that story to someone who had read his book and was inspired by his work preaching the transformative possibilities of love to disaffected youth and didn't really give a shit that he had parted ways with intellectual seriousness.
Late to respond to the summons, but yeah, no tipping at gas stations, unless that's your thing. Whatever, it's mellow. It's not as though you're getting full service, anyway. You can't pump your own gas here, but you can sure as hell wash your own damn windshield.
CC's right about chains, if not about where to buy them. (Wal-mart, CC? I thought you were all into justice and shit.) I'd lend you mine on your way through Portland, eb, but they're probably not the right size.
Tell it to the CHP. Also, I second NPH's recommendation to cut across from I5 to 101 around Eugene or so; the southern OR coast is pretty awesome.
The guy who usually pumps my gas always greets everyone overly enthusiastically with "hi, buddy!". I kind of doubt it brings him more tips.
Yeah, don't know what I was thinking. Just hoping to save a nickel or two,
You get all the way of the chain business by cutting over to the coast. I remember really enjoying the drive along the Umpqua River long ago.
One time I was hitchhiking down 101 in Oregon, and got a long ride from a guy in a van, who was returning to California having dropped a French woman he'd recently fallen for at PDX. He was heartsick. I drove most of the way, so he could concentrate on reliving every moment they'd spent together, and tell me all the great things about her. He painted a pretty compelling picture. It sounds awful, and it might have been. But actually he seemed a pretty good guy, and seemed pretty perceptive. And was going a long way in my direction . . .
You get all the way of the chain business by cutting over to the coast.
Looks like it depends a bit on the road, but there seem to be a few east-west ones without chain requirements (at least currently indicated on the Oregon DOT page).
The link in 45 is fucking funny.
Tires are born free, but everywhere they are in chains.
Not here there aren't. Never seen them. I am not even sure if I can buy them here.
119: The collective will of all tires is sovereign where you are? Good for them. Three cheers for the social contract.
32
We'll win, in the end. I hate how slow it is and this vote infuriates me, but
Unfortunately, Jon Osterman was right. "Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends."
Wait, so only one NYS senator explained his vote against gay marriage? All that speechifying going on, and almost none of it from the winning side?
Wait, so only one NYS senator explained his vote against gay marriage? All that speechifying going on, and almost none of it from the winning side?
Winning means never having to say your sorryexplain yourself.
I am so glad I live somewhere generally snow-free. I do own tire chains but they're for the '87 Trooper II I killed nearly a decade ago. I can't imagine the point of putting them on a Prius.
Moby, was the two-foot snow in January of 2000? I lived down the street from a Chapel Hill town councilman then so my road got scraped early and often even though the Triangle overall was a sheet of ice. I managed, after a couple of days, to dig out my tank-like '84 Sedan de Ville and drove in it to my RTP job. The experience was as close as to luge as I'd ever like to get only I could blast the radio and I had a leather seat.