Obama-So-and-So!!!

If Edwards mentions little Sally who died from cancer one more time I will scream. Whoever writes his speeches needs to get a smack-down. There is only so much time you can dedicate to an anecdote before we start to wonder if you know there are well over 300 million other Americans out there. Edwards crossed the line several states ago.

I am more in love with Barack Obama as our next president than ever, and South Carolina has convinced me a win is still very much a possibility. I am on the look-out for a new running mate.

Come-back of the week:

"We are up against conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor, and judgment, and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose — a higher purpose."

Obama-Edwards 2008!!!

I am SOoooooooo excited that Obama just won the Iowa primary!!!!!! New Hampshire is next Tuesday, so everyone pay attention and cross your fingers, but only if you want what I want...Thanks.

Homecoming

After eight days in Hawaii we returned home today just in time for Christmas. When we came in the house, I was so excited to see my dogs too, because Stephanie dropped them off yesterday....and then I saw the note, written on a paper towel, that said, "Dasy scape...sorry, could not find her..." Ahhhhhhhh! So I completely flipped out, made sure Titan was here, and then ran out front and started calling for Daisy. We found Arturo and found out she'd only been gone for a few hours, so it seemed more likely she would still be within yelling distance. We called and called and drove to the neighbor's. Then Dad went in to get a flashlight and I went up to the arena and called and called some more. Then I came to the bottom of the arena and called and called, and then I heard her collar and my very excited dog came running up from God-knows-where. She yelped with excitement when I hugged her and I cried because I was so relieved she wasn't dead somewhere. Then she jumped in circles and ran around, clearly oblivious to the fact that I had nearly had a heart attack. We went inside and announced the good news, and then she ate a huge dinner and drank a ton of water. Phew! And then I found out that I don't have to call in again for jury duty until Wednesday night, so I am free for Christmas...with both my dogs! Hurray!!!

The Grinch

My roommate is very opposed to Christmas. OK, she's not actually opposed the the Holiday, just the fact that people want to celebrate it for more than 2 days a year, in other ways besides seeing an annual performance of the Nutcracker ballet and watching Rudolf's Christmas Story on TV. She growls when she hears Christmas music at the mall, scoffs at trees decorated with nontraditional items, and mumbles under her breath if she sees a tree lot open before Thanksgiving...the weekend before. "Who buys a tree now!?" she wants to know. "Most people put them up around Thanksgiving," I say. She stares at me with a mixture of incredulity and contempt for "those" people. Then she is silent. he HATES mall crowds doing their Christmas shopping. Bah Humbug!


We bought a little tinsel tree for our place a few weeks ago, mind you, and this didn't really strike her as premature, I suppose because it's not biodegradeable. She wanted it, and was the first to ask if we were getting one this year...back in October, so it's not like she wasn't thinking about Christmas, but quite frankly, I am afraid to bring the tree out of the garage before Christmas Eve. I might be killed. I am also terrified of playing Christmas music, something I normally do from the day after Thanksgiving until the end of Winter Break in January. I heart Christmas...so much so that by mid October I'm getting excited because I associate everything Fall with impending Christmas. The cold air, the rustling of leaves, cool, clear mornings, Halloween and Turkey Day, A Christmas Carol on TV...they're all just preludes to the BIG ONE! It's prime time HGTV watching time for me as they have specials on cool gift ideas and specials on the best decorated houses inside and out. In fact, Christmas day may be my LEAST favorite day of the Christmas holiday because it becomes unavoidably obvious that it's all about to end. The Music, the lights, eggnog lattes, gone. My shoulders droop at the very thought. I've never had a particularly great New Years, so Christmas is the end for me. Then I'm just cold and wet for 3-4 more months, wishing Daylight Savings Time would start and summer would come.

My roommate hates Daylight Savings Time too, but that's another story.

Liberal Bias

I think the Republicans might be right about that liberal bias in the media. Apparently, this is the best photo Yahoo could find of our president for their big news story today.

Or maybe he just looks that stupid all the time.

Damn you, Amber!

For my birthday this year, my friend sent me three books from a series she'd read about vampire love. Now, I figured they'd be fun to read, but it wasn't really my preferred genre so I've been passing them by everyday in my bookshelf for months, until Friday night, that is, when I picked up the first one, Twilight... and now I am all finished. It was the best freakin' high school romance ever, and the vampires only made it better. I am now in love with Edward too! And I can hardly wait to get back to my house (I'm at my parent's for the weekend) to read the next book. This is just what I needed prior to finals. I'm all weird inspired to find the perfect guy now, because that's what a vampire book should do to you, right? NO! They're scary and want to suck you dry and leave you there, but noooooo, Edward's family is so good, and nice, and Edward is so, well, perfect! And Bella is hilariously self-deprecating. What will I do when I finish all three and have to wait until next August/September for the fourth to come out?! I hate series. Why can't they wait until they've written the whole set before they publish them? At least Stephenie Meyer looks young, so I don't have to worry about her dying before she gets to the end. When will he give in and make Bella a vampire?! Ahhhhhhhhh! It's killing me.

Professor: "You'll note that equity is rather emotional."

we spent a significant amount oftime surfing on Wikipedia in class today, and the professor got very excited when he discovered that all the equitable maxims were listed there.

1 Equity regards as done that which ought to be done.
2 Equity will not suffer a wrong to be without a remedy
3 Equity delights in equality
4 Equity regards substance rather than form
5 One who seeks equity must do equity
6 Equity aids the vigilant, not those who slumber on their rights
7 Equity imputes an intent to fulfill an obligation
8 Equity acts in personam.
9 Equity abhors a forfeiture
10 Equity does not require an idle gesture
11 One who comes into equity must come with clean hands
12 Equity delights to do justice and not by halves
13 Equity will take jurisdiction to avoid a multiplicity of suits
14 Equity follows the law
15 Equity will not aid a volunteer
16 Between equal equities the law will prevail
17 Between equal equities the first in order of time shall prevail
18 Equity will not complete an imperfect gift
19 Equity will not allow a statute to be used as a cloak for fraud
20 Equity will not allow a trust to fail for want of a trustee

A message from our Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

"Illegal migrants really degrade the environment. I've seen pictures of human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact in pristine areas," Chertoff said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "And believe me, that is the worst thing you can do to the environment."

Other scary bits from the news:

"...of Republicans, 22 percent, do not support the top candidates or fall into the undecided category. Among Democrats, 12 percent have not locked in on a person to back."

-- Gee, what the hell is everyone doing? The election is only 14 months away and 34% of us don't even know who we're voting for yet!

Which is apparently a good thing because "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he still might run for president if supporters will pledge $30 million by November."

What's the point though, really, because he could never win with only 34% of us behind him?

"Filmed over 40 days during April and May in a movie-set ghost town in the high desert just south of Santa Fe, N.M., "Kid Nation" gathered 40 children ages 8 to 15 and gave them the task of organizing and running their own lives."

-- Lord of the Flies reality TV, anyone?

And, yet another reason to move to Canada: Dollar at 30-year low vs. Canada dollar

Our Eloquent President

"All of us in America want there to be, you know, fairness when it comes to justice."

Kitties!!!

Meet Luna Lovegood


Nymphadora Tonks (B & W) and Sirius Black (B)


and Remus Lupin (our newest!)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Depending on whether you ask my car, my computer, or the outdoor thermometer on the gazebo thingy, it's between 82 and 88 degrees....at 10:00 pm. Why do we live here? I don't know, but sitting still two hours ago outside I was covered in a layer of persperation and bright red. People looked concerned.

On the upside, today I turned 30, which I find absolutely fabulous! I stayed up until 11:30 last night, a school night! I woke up late, 7:20 am, and didn't leave for my walk until 8:00. I got to work at a leisurely 10:20 and did NOT lock my keys in the car. I drank my coffee and looked through some cases, and then made the monumental discovery that the constitutional test for procedural due process is not at all like the test for substantive due process, and works out much better for my client. I am ecstatic. I might actually be able to convince the court that the procedure used to charge my client was unconstitutional! I would feel very important if that happened. Perhaps, for the sake of all who would have to deal with me, I should lose.

I let the high of my small victory wear off as I drove home and then Stephanie and Rebecca brought in japanese food and dessert, cute cards, and baloons a rose and a pretty purple/burgandy pot. Hurray!!! Then I went to a gathering of the women's caucus and met a bunch of lobbyists to learn about what they do and how i can do it too. Now it's time to go to bed and get ready for Thursday, my second favorite day of the school week so far, after Tuesday.

Oh, and we're getting kitties this weekend!

Hmmmm.

So I had this weird realization about my current fantasy crushes. Can you see it? Weird.

I'm in love!!!

With Le Tour, of course. Sheesh!

Mara is tired

Mara is just biding her time until her summer school class ends so she can reclaim the 3.5 hours a day of free time she should have to do things like run errands, watch TV, and go to dinner. Mara isn't even doing Mira's homework because that's how full the day is, and Mara just doesn't have the will. Mara is pretty tired of walking Mira's crazy dog, too. He wakes her up every morning when the rest of the house wakes up....and then he launches through the house because he is so excited about getting to go to the park and hunt things. Mara is too tire for this. She would pay money to sleep until 8. One more week.

PS. If you're wondering why Mara is here instead of Mira, it's because it has been this busy since Mara got back from Europe, Mara the traveling drug mule, and she hasn't had time to hand Mira's life back over to her. Mara got more than she bargained for.

Mara Goes to Switzerland

OK, seriously, I have no idea how we didn't miss our flight. We left too late from the hotel really, although at the scheduled time. Then the driver decided he would take every little backroad known to man, so it took an hour and 20 minutes to get to Hethrow when my dad had planned on about 45 minutes. He was having a nervous breakdown, which caused me to get very stressed, and mom walks soooooo slow so I didn't see how this was going to happen. Then the computer would only check them in and so I had to get in some other line, which did NOT move! By the time I got to the front, my parents had checked their backs and gotten boarding passes and sent mom through security. Luckily, the guy gave me a fasttrack sticker because my parents had them, and then we ran to security ourselves, where we met this evil, evil woman who said we could only walk through that point with one bag per person, even though one of our bags was mom's, who was gone, and the other was a camera. But nope...we could not pass. She had no concern whatsoever for our plight, AT ALL. We basically crammed our two biggest bags sooooo tight that they wouldn't close, all the while freaking out because the flight was leaving in 30, no make that 25 minutes, and then..........they pulled my bag to search!!! I HATE THE BRITISH! And, of course, my bag was in a line behind tis woman who was clearly a terrorist because they had to SLOWLY scower every inch of her HUGE carry-on, and then her hsbands, both of whom were in no hurry to get anywhere so they just sprawlled out on the tables and carefully repacked, which kept them from being able to check my bag because you can only have one person's stuff on the table at a time. Finally the British Airways chic chewed out the other lady and grabbed her crap and moved it aside because she knew I was late, or maybe just because she hated that couple as much as my dad and I did, and she told me I could pack up. I was much faster at it...and then we ran. Thank god we had sent mom ahead to the gate or she'd never have made it, and she kept them from cancelling us off the flight. I was runnin and I heard some guy call for a "Ms. Guertin for Zurich!" And I waved and yelled back for dad to run and we panted up to the counter where suddenly everyone got very polite and friendly again and told usto relax, and breathe, and not to hurry. Seriously?! I am freaking out. My hearts is pountding, I can't breathe, and I am absolutely fucking amazed we made it and that the plane is still here. My dad is bleeding from his hand because he was attacked by his bags in security, and now it's on his shirt. I hate flying.

Once on the plane, i sat with the little air thingy pointed at me and tried not to frighten my neighbors with excessive breathing and sweating. After we took off, Elizabeth, a New York, actress who is orginially from Canada but who started out in LA, and really should have gone to LA at 18 instead of getting and MBA and Law degrees first, apparently for her mother, introduced herself and then told me all about her crazy three-day trip to see her "boyfriend" who she knew now she had to end it with because he wants sommeone to fly all over for short trips to meet him while he's on business so he can spend very little on them (because he is Jewish, apparently) and get married even though he barely knows them, and text them all the time because he is very clingy. She was sort of hilarious, but likeable. Very New York. But whatever. I just can't believe we made it!

London: Day 3 or 4

Tis morning, I arose too early, had free continental at the hotel (that's for you, Stephanie) and then we jumped in a car to go to Kew Gardens. It was a BEAUTIFUl day, 75 degrees and blue skies. We strolled and took pictures, and I chased geese around for a while. Then we had lunch. They even had hummus sandwiches and scones with clotted creme and jam. Mmmmmm. Then we caught the car back home, which took forever and ever and ever b/c London traffic is horrible in the afternoons. And out driver, who seemed nice enough for half the trip tunred out to be a bitter, London hating guy who wouldn't stop complaining. I blame Dubai, because he was OK until he told us how great Dubai was, which reminded him how not great London is, apparently, because I like it just fine. We saw this book in the store tonight titled Everything is Shit, and we thought of him.

We dropped mom off at the hotel and dad and I headed off to buy travel books for Switzerland, and drugs from Boots. We took the subway, a remarkably unwise thing to do at 5:30pm. About a billion other people were there, and the trains were packed with hot people, and we had to fight our way inside. Then, on the way back, I passed through this crowd of people heading four different directions. It was vaguely like driving around the Arc de Triuph from what I could tell looking down on it. I found the escalator and made my escape. Phew... still sweating. Now the parents are speed napping and then we're off to see the Lady From Dabuque, starring Maggie Smith. It's a good thing she was in it or we'd never be going. I'd be in line for the SOund of Music. The hilllllllllllls are alive....with the sound of muuuuuuusic...

London: Day 2 and 3

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:00 am and made it until 9:00, at which point I fell asleep for four hours. It was delightful. Then I made my way in the rain to the tube to pick up our theatre tickets. Some person had been run over by a train on the Picadilly line, so i had to switch trains and wander all over to gte back home. We went to the portrait gallery, then had Italian for dinner and ended te night with Spamalot, which was Heeee-larious! Lancalot was gay...in the show, and a total hotty. Gwenivere was great, and mocked Celine Dion with much enthusiasm. There was even a fish slapping song about Sweden. Then we walked the half-mile home, which took over 20 minutes because my mom's foot is so messed up from a fall she had over a month ago. I went to sleep, woke up at 3:30 am, but after an hour fell back asleep, winning me the award for most awake in the Guertin family today.

Today, breakfast at the hotel after admiring the totally cute concierges (Robert and ?? with two names) as dad gave them tasks. LOVE them both...so cute! Then we headed off to the Monet exhibit at another museum. It was almost all made u of his sketches and pastels. He also used to do characatures of people, and made lots of money at it. He said if he'd stuck at it, he would have been a millionaire. The irony. Then we went to the Eye, where I got sort of motion sick, but it was very cool to see the city, and the technology of the Eye itself was fairly amazing too. Next, we went to a book store, dept. store, adn the park, and finshed the afternoon off with tea at the Lanesburough. Fabulous, daaling! Back at the hotel, parents tooka four hour nap and I slept for 2, finished my book, showered, adn then met up with them for dinner across the street. Waiter looked like an Iralian Hugh Grant. I could barely understand him, but it didn't much matter. I just smiled and admired him. I had a banana toffee cheesecake that was to die for, and now we're back at the hotel, preparing to be tired enough to get some sleep before we head off to Kew Gardens tomorrow. Then, it's off to Switzerland on Thursday am. Hurray!

Chatty Cathy

United rep: "You're reservation has been cancelled and the flight is full."

Dad: What!? &^%%)*!!!!!!

and hour and 10 minutes later, we all had seats on the plane, me in economy plus (thank god!) and my parents in business class. It was a slight downgrade for them, but waaaay better than missing London. They still got ice cream and free booze, and even had foot rests for their chairs.

My neighbor on the airplane started by saying I wouldn't have to worry because he would probably sleep the whole flight and would try hard not to lean on me. I said it was OK so long as he didn't drool. He didn't stop talking to me for 3 hours. I don't know his name, but he is a border control agent who lives in Arizona, and he likes the job because it allows him to support his National Guard habit. He watches Fox News. He likes deporting illegal aliens, chasing them through the desert. Especially the women who cross just to give birth. I believe they're called anchor babies, according to the last eposide of Boston Legal. He is married and his wife teaches 1st grade.

Once I got over being completely mortified that I was sitting next to a hall-monitor Republican, he turned out to be more rational and interesting than I thought...and cute...for an older guy. (Stephanie, you'd go ahead and call him old.) But the, I sort of go for them, don't I?

Slept uncomfortably off and on for 4 hours, stared at the seat back in front of me for two hours. Exited plane. Got grilled by the customs lady, who seemed to imply that because we didn't know the name of the district our hotel was in, we might be terrorists. She was good at sounding accusatory. She softened up when I said we were going to see Spamalot and told her there was a pizza place across from our hotel, and a bookstore next door. Mara, the drug mule, made it through!

Now I am blogging because if I nap like my parents are doing I'll never get up for dinner, which is going to be Indian food. Mmmmm.

I miss my dog.

Genius

Sometimes I check my blog just like I check everyong else's, like I am expecting it to be updated with something new even though I never put anything here. I'd say I am not all there these days. And apparently Manky's blog has spread school wide, and I used to be a link, so I suspect I have a reputation as the boringest person ever. Now who will vote for me when I run for state senate?! Sad.

Anyway, I've survived Bus Ass and Education law finals so far. Just two more to go, but the ever horrifying Con law is one of them, so wish me luck.

PS: the dog is going crazy. The neighbor kids broke my bedroom window with their basketball. ^&%^%$^&@ basketball! Ruins every nap and now things are broken too! Oh, and Stephanie and I are moving again. Dad agreed to throw in some more for rent so we don't have creepy people on our porch at 3:00 am. Thank god for dogs. I also have a crush on Mike from the dog park and am trying to be positive. Stephanie is trying to coach me, but her affirmations use slang I am unfamiliar with so I keep forgetting them. I am supposed to say something like, "Damn, that's tasty! I want a piece of me..." or something like that, only funnier and potentially hotter. For know I'll stick with "I am.....SOMEBODY! I am....SOMEBODY!"

Say it with me! I am....SOMEBODY!