avablog

From today’s WSJ: For all the speculation over how Sarah Palin will fare in the vice-presidential debate Thursday night, her Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, faces a challenge of his own: taking on the Alaska governor without coming across as sexist or a bully.

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We ran into our friend Sarah Palin Dawn last evening outside The Airliner, and I couldn’t resist getting a picture of her in all her cuteness. I try to reserve the moment of cuteness posts for my beloved little girl, but when Dawn made a special request to have her very own moment of cuteness, […]

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you really should. I just turned 38 two days ago, and this link to a relatively obscure Martin Luther King, Jr. speech is incredibly timely and amazing. Here’s a link to the MP3. And here’s an excerpt: “I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to […]

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Chicago’s rising unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality create a perfect storm of stress, according to measures we used to calculate the country’s anxiety hot spots.

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So yesterday, after dropping Ava off at preschool, I was following behind a car that had two people riding in it. One of them, the passenger, had a very strange sillhouette. His head looked bumpy and huge, and it seemed to be moving around in a very strange manner. Suddenly, there was a flurry of […]

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We went out for supper this evening with some friends whose daughter was born just a few days before you entered the world. We two mothers were watching you and Nora running around outside Whitey’s–covered in pink, bubble-gum ice cream–and we wondered aloud at how in the world you’d both grown up so fast. We […]

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No economy is fundamentally sound in which a 12 oz. bottle of Bud Light costs $4. Bud Light! I should write my congressperson.

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Tonight at supper, Ava was asking me questions about her dad’s “class” in Chicago this week (he’s there for more software training). She wanted to know who would be in his class–and how many chairs would be in the room. I told her it would be men and women, and she said, “Oh.” She sat […]

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Okay, so Ava’s latest imagination game involves her pretending to be a fox named “Foxy” (no jokes, please) who has all kinds of adventures. We play this game for hours. Guess what she wants to be for Halloween? Yep. You guessed it. And guess what doesn’t seem to exist online? Yep, you guessed it. The […]

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You need to read this, too, and then share it with all your friends (and your enemies; keep them closer!): Barack Obama’s legislative experience. Link, again, from Denny. I just do what he tells me to!

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This is just too interesting to pass up: WSJ/NBC poll results (PDF). Take a look at page 2 and then ask yourself, “How do the Republicans stand any chance at all in this election?”

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Okay, my fine blog readers (parents or not): Now that fall and new-clothes season is upon us, I’m wondering: What’s a reasonable amount of money to spend on a pair of children’s shoes? And how much does quality matter for our early/young walkers? Are Target shoes fine, or is it better to spend a little […]

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On this day, five years ago, my love and I stood under the leaves in Hickory Hill Park with our family and some close friends and pledged our lives to one another. These last five years haven’t all been easy, but I’m glad that we’ve been through them together. Thanks to that sunny, warm, September […]

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Oops, out of time. We’re gonna party like it’s 1699.

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Obama: Occidental College – Two years. Columbia University – B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations. Harvard – Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude Biden: University of Delaware – B.A. in history and B.A. in political science. Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.) vs. McCain: United States Naval Academy – […]

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And this, not 20 seconds after McCain calls for increased adult literacy. Maverick (sic): That’s right! Ice… man. I am dangerous.

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Re: Cindy McCain How does a woman get orange legs, purple hands, and an ashen face? Damn this HD coverage on PBS! Also, is there any reason to doubt that those USMC and NAVY stick pins she was wearing contain real diamonds? Good gracious, but those are gauche.

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Is there anything a flowchart can’t do?

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I can’t stand to watch any more of Sarah Pukin’ at the RNC. One little gem: “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick!” *Cue Republican laugh track.* Why in the hell does my husband, who is NOT a Republican, insist on having us watch this crap?! In order to bear […]

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There’s a video making the rounds this work-short week of activist journalist (as opposed to just a plain ol’ journalist, who merely reports the news) Amy Goodman being arrested outside the RNC in St. Paul while trying to inquire about the fate of two colleagues who were injured by the police. If you haven’t watched […]

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