Notes from Convalescence

Sick today. Maybe an opportunity to catch up on some writing.

Instead, I'm watching reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m on Season 4, when Buffy has graduated from high school and goes off to college. This is about the stage of the show when I lost interest, or got a real job, back in 2000 or whenever it was on air.

I wish I wish I wish I had more energy, motivation and feel-good today. I really wanted to roast a chicken, brew some stock and make some chicken & dumplings. Today is supposed to be a Bunny Friday, when I handle the noon pick-up of my two young nieces every other week. We typically go get lunch with Mom & Dad, and then head to my house for arts and crafts, dress-up and cooking.

Handsome comes home, and then Frere joins us with his eldest daughter, the moody and wonderful 14-year-old, for dinner. It’s a good custom. I watch the bunnies unfurl like little flower buds in my care. Fine actually eats, X is relaxed and happy, and Z stops trying to solve everything and focuses on building her vocabulary. (“What’s ‘ambiguous’ mean, Tia?” “What’s ‘incongruous’?” “What’s ‘immature’?” She’s seven.).

But today I’m so gross and yuckola and, to the point, contagious, I’ve been rendered ineligible for bunny time. This is disappointing. I had made plans for today. I hate to let down my short friends. I’m not crazy about feeling like crap.

*sigh*

Should I make myself go get that chicken roasting?

Why the chicken-ly hustle, you might wonder, when the bunnies are out of the picture? Well, I left out the part where KMC is having her baby today, (via c-section, so I think we know that it’s actually going to happen today), and I wanted to provide some meal relief. I’ve been double-cooking in anticipation of the arrival of Baby MC, but all that food is in the freezer already. I was thinking she and her hubby might like a hot dish of chicken and dumplings tonight...but... gee, this is so ignorant, but I don’t know how c-sections work. Will mother and baby even be coming home tonight? Or is a c-section treated like the major abdominal surgery it is, and mama will be staying in the hospital for a while? Handsome is friends with the hubby, that’s our connection, so he’ll let me know what the deal is.

I bet she’ll be in the hospital for a while, and there’s no reason to hustle out my chicken n dumplings.

Christ amighty, this is not meant for a blog.

Blogging while unwell. It’s not so pretty.

Can’t wait to tell you more.

A Bit More Brevity

Came across this note to self, titled only "six-word memoir" (remember that meme?):

eat yum ha ha ha delicious

I'm tickled that the author has dispensed with punctuation, and dedicates three of her allotted six words to laughter. Sounds about right.

On My Birthday

I did it up, and took two naps. I ate a delicious BLT from Marczyk's (home of sourced bacon), and fell in love with their near-peerless (it tastes just like mine) potato salad. I giggled and snickered and laughed out loud to Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, which is my new favorite thing ever. Ever.

(This week.)

I snuggled with my Handsome Man, upstairs and downstairs. We talked about what fun we had at the unruly, good-eatin' game nite we hosted Friday night. Lazy and unrepentant, I rescheduled our lunch plans with Mom and Dad, but crowed with Mom over the phone about my good, good time the night before.

I shamelessly avoided doing dishes or chores or call-backs. I did not get out of my pajamas.

It was fantastic.

I have turned 35.

And a happy good Year of the Crystal to you!

Still?

Sometimes I check my blog, and I'm like, "Dang, she still hasn't posted anything new." And then I get disappointed, and then I resolve to be patient.

This Week’s Soup: Curried Chicken & Vegetable

tender chicken breast. red pepper, celery, parsnips,carrots, zucchini, tomato, onions, garlic. curry, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon.

“Are they happy chickens?” Handsome asked, lingering on the porch this morning after having said goodbye.

No, sir. No, they are not.

He was asking about the poultry featured in today’s soup. We’d been talking Soup Group and our soup options for this evening’s dinner. On Wednesdays, I cook soup all morning at Soup Group, and while I rarely feel like soup for lunch, I hardly ever feel like cooking for dinner. So Wednesdays = Soup for Dinner. (Beats Sleep for Dinner.)

Today’s soup, the curried chicken, would be a contender for dinner at our house tonight only if the meat was natural. And, sadly...

Sometimes the Soup Group shoppers buy special sausage. We occasionally have local beef (like from someone’s family member’s front range ranch). But our chicken, today and generally, is commercial, factory-raised chicken. “Headless chickens,” Handsome calls them, because he read somewhere that some factory farms were breeding chickens without beaks (because without beaks, the chickens in confinement couldn’t hurt one another as easily). Somehow that turned into chickens without heads. And somehow that became all factory farmed chickens, “headless chickens.”

Versus “happy chickens.”

I should mention that for decades Handsome was a vegetarian. His vegetarianism has slowly been corrupted (or reformed) over the last few years as a result of my efforts, my pandering ways, in the kitchen. It’s so easy to make meat taste delicious.

But it’s a lot easier to be discriminating (or snooty-pants) about what kind of meat you’re willing to eat when you’re not completely sold on eating meat at all. And when you only eat meat occasionally.

Welcome to our house.

Tonight’s soup, chez nous, was vegetarian corn chowder. (Also really good.)

Neglected Cat Stories

(These are not cat stories I’ve neglected to tell you. Nor am I a neglected cat telling my stories. These are stories of cat neglect. Scenes from a Neglected Cat.)

I am the owner-caregiver of a long-haired little cat-beast named Paprikash. Handsome and I don’t call her Paprikash, except when the vet asks for her name. Around the house, we refer to her casually as The Beast.

There are pitchers of water that would outweigh my beast, but she’s quite monstrous when there’s no point of comparison. Full-grown and just about six pounds, Paprikash is an unusually small cat. (Chaco brought balance to our home by being an unusually large dog.) She’s dark and very furry, and fancies herself my protectress.

When she’s in my lap, I call her Mamacita.

The last week or so, I’ve been catching up on The Beast’s neglected grooming. This is a multi-phase process, you understand, because there’s an awful lot of hair, and it’s way out of control, far beyond the poor creature’s ability to groom herself. Her fur isn’t matted, but it’s long, and soft, and training for matted. I’m so pathetically behind on her care that I’m not even trying to complete the grooming job in one sitting. Half the time, I’m just trying to stave off further decline.

After finishing with the beast, I require a change of clothes, there’s so much hair everywhere. I wear dedicated beast-brushing clothes for the task. Clean-up after every session so far has involved a broom and dustpan, rag and cleanser, so that my office doesn’t look like an unkempt beauty parlor with clumps of stray hair everywhere.

This morning, while brushing her, I noticed that in addition to the snarls of beast hair sticking to my beast-brushing shirt and the clumps drifting like soft, miniature tumbleweeds across the office floor, there were multiple tufts of fur stuck to the wall facing us. On. The. Wall.

I thought that was the height of excessive hairiness until I felt a clingy beard of fur begin to collect around my chin.

Our grooming sessions only last so long, usually just until one of us has had too much and walks away in disgust. (It’s not always me.)

But I love that beast. I know she’s looking out for me. The Little Mama. Good Beast.

Design Can...

I'm impressed and inspired. I watch this little video, and I don't know whether to cry, cheer, or start sewing.*

From the project website:

Abject Object is a design enterprise that supports homeless individuals and shelters through the design, production, and sale of retail accessories made from reclaimed materials. A hands-on rather than handout model for social and economic empowerment, Abject Object teaches valuable job skills including sewing, production, and business strategies, to homeless individuals.

There's so much I find appealing about this project: the human service component, the materials recycling, the community partnership, the multi-purpose products, the fashion styling, the practical applications, the skill-building workshops, the entrepreneurial training, the profit-sharing...

That waste-repurposing rag rug has me feeling optimistic about the future.

*Hat tip to the unique and vibrant emancipate oluwakemi, where so many interesting things are to be found.

1...8...39...50!

Last Sunday, the local family celebrated Aunt Aggie and Uncle Paul’s 50th wedding anniversary with a little get-together at Handsome’s and my place. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​It was lovely.

Of course, Aggie and Paul were there; Mom came with Uncle LD; Frere came (tho without bunnies, it being their mom’s weekend to have them); cousin Beth showed up with cousin Wilson, who is rarely in town. So good to see him! All three of Aggie and Paul’s daughters live on the West coast, so they weren’t able to make it. And Dad was absent, as he was headed out of town for a conference. But it was great company, all the same. Such good vibes were permeating the room - we laughed and laughed together, telling stories, teasing each other, making toasts. What a happy, celebratory occasion!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Mom and Dad were the sponsors of our festivities. Mom wanted to go Big Nice for them, but 1) we agreed that since Paul is on the road so much these days being an internationally-celebrated, world-changing superstar, he and Aggie would probably prefer a casual, at-home gathering to another something fancy-pants at a restaurant, and 2) Mom and Dad's living room is currently under construction in a somewhat dramatic fashion. When you factor in what charming hosts Handsome and I are, you see that our sweet little dollhouse was the natural choice.

So, naturally, Handsome and I saw to it that the champagne was flowing and delicious food was on offer.

On the menu:

Beginning

Caviar pie

Uncle Paul’s house-smoked salmon

Bruncheon

Roast chicken & vegetables

Savory bread pudding

Mixed green salad

Fresh fruit salad

Dessert

White poppyseed cake with apricot filling and whipped cream frosting

The cake, we ordered, and Uncle Paul brought his special salmon. The rest of it was me on my feet in the kitchen for two days -- okay, for a long night the night before. Everyone really enjoyed their meal (Mom described it as “ambrosial” - heh heh), so it was utterly worth it.

I've got a belief system about food, and it includes the perspective that really good food can elevate an occasion exponentially. That’s one reason I'm working to improve my skills, and I was just so glad that I could contribute to the joy that filled the house last week. It was an honor and an accomplishment.

I was also happy to take the opportunity to work a little commitment voodoo: I ordered the cake from the same baker who did Handsome's and my wedding cake eight and a half years ago. And the poppyseed-apricot combination is the same flavor combination as the top tier of the three-tier cake we served at our wedding. (Yes, I know that's not voodoo. I don't actually practice voodoo. But I'm not above culinary suggestion.)

When people showed up with flowers, I felt quite sure they must be for me, as a kind of reward for my good efforts. Of course, the flowers were technically for Aggie and Paul, but since the happy couple were leaving town the next day for Mexico, all the fleurs ended up staying chez nous (win!), pretty little reminders of what a great time we’d hosted.

These are the gorgeous flowers Aggie and Paul’s eldest daughter sent:

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Mom brought two big grocery store bouquets that I rearranged into this selection for the living room:

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​...And this purple arrangement that is currently gracing my oficina:

...Some greens for the kitchen window shelf:

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...More greens for the main floor bathroom:

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

...And a little posy for Handsome’s cove:

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Felt like, looked like, smelled like, tasted like a success.

Because...50 years!

Not Remotely Appetizing

This article from the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports has me wondering what might be lurking in my refrigerator.

Consumer Reports tested the cleanliness of a range of “prewashed,” packaged salad greens. You know, the kind sold in plastic clamshells and bags.

Irrespective of brand name, style of packaging, or organic status, the samples were found to contain "rather high levels" of bacteria indicating poor sanitation and, get this, “fecal contamination.”

Specifically, 39 percent of their samples exceeded acceptable levels of total pathogenic bacteria, and 23 percent exceeded acceptable levels of enterococcus bacteria.

I’m so grossed out.

But why isn’t there data on how “prewashed” lettuce compares to a regular head of lettuce?

And how do either of these numbers compare to lettuce fifty years ago?

I’m just thinking that if there are similar levels of fecal contamination in a regular head of lettuce, and/or there always has been fecal contamination in lettuce, then maybe this is a non-issue. That is, have we always eaten these bacteria in our lettuce? Perhaps that’s what it means to eat things that grow in the ground? And the only difference in modern times is that we can measure more exactly just how much bacteria we’re eating?

I’m feeling queasy.

But I’d like more data. (Or less. Like none.) Especially when the best the report can do for me is to tell me to wash the greens myself, even though “Rinsing won’t remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.”

That’s only so reassuring, guys.

Their recommendations, in toto:

• Buy packages as far from their use-by date as you can find.
• Even if the bag says "prewashed" or "triple-washed," wash the greens yourself. Rinsing won't remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.
• Prevent cross contamination by keeping greens away from raw meat. For more information, go to www.ConsumersUnion.org/safefood.

Time to look into the anti-microbial properties of vinaigrette.

Language, Smarts, and My New Boyfriend

I used the word “behemoth” in a meeting today. And while I knew that I was using it correctly, I was instantly worried that I hadn’t pronounced it correctly.

(You know I checked later, and it turns out I’m okay.)

This comes as a result of positive peer pressure. Specifically, I’ve been spending all kinds of time with Dad, helping him with a grant application for his business, and I guess he’s rubbing off on me. Dad uses words like “temerity”. For the same purposes, in the off-hours that constitute most of my day, I tend to use words like “balls”. So it’s probably time I upped my game. (I’m sure the grant funds are incidental, and improvements to my language skills were Dad’s whole point all along.)

Dad’s a longstanding advocate for speaking intelligently, or “like you’ve got a brain in your head,” as I think of it.

This brings us around to my new boyfriend:

Scott Fujita, November 2007

I know, folks. Hold on to your hats, I’m digging on a football player. But seriously, this article is such good shit, I wonder if Fujita has a PR coach. I’m kind of dying to know.

Another new boyfriend. And a slight uptick in my interest in this year’s Superbowl.

Didn’t see it coming.

Accommodations

If my house had a Grouch Room, in it would be this Grouch Chair, and there I would sit and revel in my grouchiness.

The Selfish Giant, spotted at krisatomic

Without the chair, it's just me being surly in the living room. (Not cool.)

Testy and Cantankerous

Man, am I in a crappy mood. I ought to be sitting on my porch, waving a cane, and yelling at kids to get the hell offa my lawn. I think I’d enjoy that today.

Last week’s soup was Cabbage Stew with Meatballs. It was an invented recipe (shhh), and came out kind of awesome. Sales have been quite strong.

This week, there will be no Soup Group, as our cooks have been commissioned to make a chocolate dessert for some club, instead. Maybe it’s because I’m irritable and crotchety, but I don’t get it, and I don’t think I’m going to participate.

The way I see it, the Soup Group makes soup, and we sell it, and the proceeds benefit the clinic in Baghdad. Dessert is not soup, and these dessert proceeds won’t be directed to the clinic in Baghdad. Some guy just figured, oh there’s ladies working in the kitchen on Wednesdays - let’s ask them to make some dessert for us.

It’s not a request that should have been honored. But because I couldn’t think of a response other than “Fuck no” (which would not have been appropriate), the other ladies cast their votes without my input, and they decided to go with it.

And, perhaps because of this mood I’m in, I’m actually feeling a little annoyed every time I think about it.

Clearly, it’s time to get back to yoga. Or something.

What has been making me smile, regardless of my generally evil disposition: There was a moment last night at the Haiti Relief event when I was out on the dance floor with a new buddy (who was tearing it up, by the way), and I realized that the vastly white, middle-aged crowd surrounding us was singing along - literally, every single word - to the song “Disco Inferno”. Not just the chorus, beloved. The whole song. Loud and clear.

It was hilarious. A really funny group-sing moment. Ha.

...And then the moment passes, and I’m a crotchety old bag again. Oh well.

Watching the State of the Union Address (sans wonk)

Waiting for things to get started.

What’s with this boxy, buttoned up, hands-crossed-in-front look for the female legislators?

What would I wear? A smart black pantsuit, probably.

And if they didn’t want me to wear black? If they mandated softer colors?

Maybe taupe? I had an adorable 40s-style taupe skirt suit in college. Kind of a nubby, taupe-gray fabric, mid-calf skirt, button-up blazer. Very stylized, so cute. The year was 1993, so I wore a faux antique pin on it, but regardless, overall, it was a good look.

But taupe isn’t my best color. If I was going to be on tv, standing around all awkward like these ladies are, I’d want to be in a svelte pantsuit in my best color.

This is a little awkward for all of us - VP Biden, Madame Pelosi. Just standing there...

Call to arder!

Huh. Obama might be shorter than I thought he was. No, the others are on an elevated platform. *Sigh* I wish Handsome was here to hip me to the obvious.

Ooh, Michelle Obama is my girlfriend. In plum.

If Handsome were here, he’d be telling me, That’s Senator so-and-so, that’s Representative blahdee-blah, that’s Chief Justice XYZ. I don’t know.

Why is Bree from Sweet and Bitter sitting next to Mrs Obama?

This is an awful lot of glad-handing. Yes, Madame Pelosi, let’s do get started.

Does Obama have more gray hairs than he did before? (Surprise, surprise.) I think he’s a handsome man. I don’t think it’s just the oval of his office.

And now with the endless clappety-clap-clapping. Don’t they know this is a serious function? It's not like it's Bono, or something.

Not that Bono isn’t dead fucking serious.

Here we go...

I’m scared for him. It’s like watching figure skating.

...

This is more American history than I wanted. Oh, but I see what he’s doing. “Again we are tested...”

If she’s going to be on camera, Pelosi shouldn’t eat things beforehand that are going to make her burp during the president’s speech.

Good job, Mr President - remind us of the landscape when you took office.

“So we acted.”

Obama’s voice sounds a bit like he’s just finishing swallowing a gulp of oatmeal. Perpetually.

4:24 Each night? He reads letters from the populace each night?

4:47 He’s relating to our feelings: “Some are frustrated, some are angry. They don’t understand...” He’s reflecting our feelings back to us. He’s an active listener, my president.

5:18 “We face big and difficult challenges.” Good third-grade level language there.

6:41 “I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight.” Never? I don’t care for that word, but I don’t know that I even agree with the sentiment here.

7:13 “We do not quit...” Maybe you don’t, Mr President... As for Americans in general...at best, it’s an unprovable statement.

Here’s the meat. At 7:43. But he was setting the stage. I get it.

“We all hated the bank bailout.” His first laugh at 8:15.

9:00 Now he’s talking about things I really ought to understand better.

10:38 He’s reiterating that he has cut taxes. Everybody seems very excited. It’s a standing ovation. (See? 11:13 - he’s very handsome. Look at that smile.) He’s getting in some points about how he hasn’t charged people taxes. A lot of his claims relate to how-things-would-otherwise-be. Speculation. Unprovable.

12:43 Yay, Recovery Act! My number one client is developing a project for ARRA funding.

16:11 Small business loans! Whoo-hoo!

19:10 I wonder if he’s had work done on his teeth.

He likes when people clap for him. But he looks surprised, too.

...

The camera pans across the audience, and I miss Handsome, or a trusty voiceover, sotto voce: "That young brotha is...", "The girl who looks like Bree from Sweet and Bitter is actually..."

Oh, shit, I missed something.

23:25 Wait - did the president just give them the hand?

Lobbyists are trying to kill something. And the president's upset about it. “We've got to get it right.” Another standing ovation.

...

24:00 Here we go: ...American innovation... investments in clean energy... jobs, jobs, jobs... production, efficiency, incentives... a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants...

What? Nuclear power plants? That’s what you’re gonna lead with? Holy crow, they’re giving him another ovation. “...new offshore areas for oil and gas development...”? WTF? “...continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies...” Who’s this who’s ovating him?

...

Look at that grin on Joe Biden.

...

31:24 Wow - a $10,000 tax credit for college and an increase in Pell grants? That’s why America elects Democrats. A limit of 10% of a graduate's income towards repayment of student loans. Relief of debt for graduates pursuing careers in public service.

“Because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.”

Or because they chose a career in public service, arguably.

...

33:17 “...[W]e still need health insurance reform.”

I keep hearing myself say out loud, “Good luck.”

His smile is muted. Perhaps because it’s only so funny.

He’s heard stories about Americans facing financial ruin because of illness. Who hasn’t? That’s what I don’t understand. A health crisis can bankrupt your whole lifestyle - where you live, where your kids go to school. These are our friends and fellow Americans on the edge.

Oops, I lost focus again.

35:05 He’s acknowledging his wife for a new initiative to tackle childhood obesity in our lands - “Thank you, honey,” he says.

She doesn’t look too happy, though. She looks like she might eat him, yikes, and then all the rest of us.

“She gets embarrassed,” my president explains. (I just spelled that wrong again. Dammit.)

...

37:52 On bi-partisan support for health care. If anybody has a better approach, he wants to know. “Let me know,” is what my president just said to some doubter on his left. “I’m eager to see it. ”

I'd like to see big, tough street thugs start talking to each other like that when they’re about to scrap: “Let me know. What? Let me know, bitch. Come on. I’m eager to see it.”

...

39:13 On government spending. He’s going to clear things up, he’s "setting the record straight." Oooh, a timeline. Always a strong move, Mr. President. “All this was before I walked in the door.” Good clarification.

Oh, 40:15, I think he might cry. That’s what Mae's eyes looked like after lunch today right before tears started falling.

He sez we’re going to take steps. A government spending freeze - that sounds terrifying. Who’s that who's clapping without hearing him out on that?

Another good line for our thugs: “If I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will, motherfucker.”

I like bi-partisan things that are stronger for being bi-partisan, but -- exactly, Mr President. Don’t use bi-partisan cooperation as a gimmick.

This Senate he keeps referring to sounds like it could be trouble.

I don’t know that I’m familiar with a pay-as-you-go law. But the audience seems to really appreciate it. Ah.

...

47:33 On campaign financing. Oh, he’s mad at the Supreme Court! Me too! Of course we are.

Hold on - What makes foreign entities “worse” than special interests? What’s that logic? That at least the special interests are Americans? His rationale might bear closer examination.

48:51 Oh, snap, legislators! One single website detailing all congressional earmark requests, to be published before the vote. Ha ha, motherfuckers. Game’s about to change. Watch how mouthy Americans get online.

...

49:14 Good - we’re going to talk about how we work with one another.

(Uh, I’m not sure that just because we’ve been talking about the same issue for hundreds of years necessarily means it’s a cornerstone of our democracy. But anyway...)

Yeah, you guys! Let’s not use politics to sow divisions and distrust amongst Americans.

Democrats, let’s not run for the hills.

Republicans, let’s not stonewall in the Senate.

Oh, my. Do the parties literally sit on opposite sides of the room? Still? What if your best girlfriend’s a Republican? I mean, your bill co-sponsor.

...

53:35 These are interesting points he’s making. What is he getting at?

Oh, he’s talking Homeland Security.

I wonder if the military generals ever clap for anything.

Poor veterans. We do have a responsibility to support them when they come home. Widespread applause. Ah, even the military generals are joining in with us on that.

The first wives are supporting military families? Didn't know.

I have a feeling I’m going to be embarassed when I find out who this Bree lookalike actually is, sitting next to Mrs Obama. I bet I'm supposed to know.

Nuclear weapons. Arms control. It’s like an old familiar song I hadn’t heard in a while.

No weapons for terrorists. And the generals are on their feet again.

...

He’s listed a lot of accomplishments tonight. I feel a bit like he’s about to ask me for a raise.

...

I’m ready for this to be over. And I haven’t been getting up and down to give him standing ovations. It has got to be getting tiresome for the people on tv.

...

1:01:14 Haiti. Afghanistan. Iran. Guinea. (Guinea?)

Human dignity. Always. That's my president.

1:02:55ish “If you abide by the law, you should be protected by it. If you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no differently than anyone else.” Sometimes I feel like in addition to being a really smart guy and a fairly ethical guy, he also knows how it is. Sometimes I feel like he knows exactly what it’s like.

...

1:03:16 On gays in the military. Wow, no one had done anything about don't-ask-don't-tell yet? Wow. How about we give gay Americans the right to marry? You don’t think that’s “the right thing to do”?

...

1:05:11 Uh, yeah, many Americans have lost faith in big corporations and the media.

...

1:07:42 “The only reason we are [here tonight] is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard...” Or they were afraid, and did it anyway.

1:09:58 Does Obama ever cry in public? Do we have footage? Is he gonna cry right now? Or did he gobble down some food with Pelosi right before he got here, and the catch I just heard in his voice is due to indigestion?

“We don’t quit,” he sez again. Uhhh...

But at least it’s over.

Look at Michelle’s terrific swoop of bangs.

Updated 1/28