“My ballot’s here!” I wrote on my Facebook status. It’s been a long time since I was this thrilled about an upcoming election. Yesterday on the Thom Hartmann program Greg Palast said that mailing your ballot is a bad idea. In Washington’s King County, you can take it to a ballot drop box. At least this way you don’t have to pay for your vote with postage.

Here are some progressive endorsements:
Washington Conservation Voters

Fuse Washington: I’m on their mailing list (Is everyone on their mailing list an “email captain?” Not sure how I got that title.) and they asked for volunteer input. They actually did take some changes I mentioned. At least, I like to think it was *my* input and none of the other millions of people they sent this to. One important change is that they almost gave John Burbank in the 36th district a free endorsement from The Sierra Club. I let them know that this is not the case, and they actually did remove it.

The Stranger’s is definitely the most entertaining. They also do a good job of explaining their local endorsements.

Also, someone wrote in the comments: “Gregoire is rumored to be on the short list for a Cabinet position in the upcoming Obama administration. If she’s tapped, the Lt. Gov will step in as Gov, which makes that race almost as important as the Christine/Dino bloodbath above it.” It’s something to think about. But anyway, Go Gregoire!

On October 19, the husband and I trekked to Tacoma to see Joe Biden. The pictures from the rally are here. When I watched the democratic debates, I would tell my husband “I like that Joe Biden.” Lots of local politicians were there too. It’s funny, you would think we were at a rock concert. I never would have anticipated a crowd getting so excited over policies.

Here’s a walk down election year memory lane. Happy Voting!

Obama Rally at Seattle’s Key Arena

Gregoire endorsing Obama

Barack Obama

Signs at the 36th District Caucus

Snotty Bird is also a Latte Sipping Liberal for Obama

Democrats unable to contain excitement

Some goofy smiling Delegate

Voting at the Caucus

We The People
The picture set is here.
You can read about it here.

Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank at the 36th district debate

I like Carlyle because he is more tech saavy and has been endorsed by environmental organizations.  (He also has more charisma than a boat.) He mentioned the environment at least 3 times during the debate. Burbank did not mention it once, and while he mentioned a whole bunch of times that he is not taking money from corporations, he name-dropped Bill Gates Senior 3 times. Which is it then? If you don’t like corporations, then why associate with people connected to big corporations?

Anyway, the husband and I voted on Saturday. If you are performing your citizen duty tomorrow, have fun!

Thank you, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and et cetera!

Brother: Can you believe it’s November already?

Me: I know! Only 2 more days!!

Brother: No, I’m not talking about the election. It’s just that it’s November and I can’t believe it.

Me: Um, yeah. It’s November. But I can’t believe the election’s only in 2 days!!!

Every now and then, I read an article about some interesting genre or niche. Then I search modthesims2.com.

After reading this article about the steampunk convention,  I plugged in the keyword, “steampunk,” and sure enough, a few downloads turned up. You can also find the steampunk theme and gobs of others over at Parsimonious.org.

I read an article in Bust magazine about gothic lolitas, and a recent search for “lolita” turns up 172 downloads.

One niche mimmicking another niche. Mind boggling.

You can also learn about the history of fashion or the latest trends. At the Biden rally, I recognized the “squid” hairstyle.

Watch Barack Obama talk about his Blueprint for Change here.

From Defenders of Wildlife:

Have you ever heard of aerial hunting? It’s a brutal practice. Wolves are shot from low-flying aircraft or chased to exhaustion, then killed at point-blank range.

We have to get the word out about this! Please watch this powerful new television ad by Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, and then share it with every wildlife lover you know:

http://actionfund.defenders.org/palintvwolf

I read this sweet little newsletter article from the Alaska PTA about Sarah Palin. Only, it wasn’t the Alaska PTA, it was the New York Times. This article doesn’t tell you anything. So I’m filling in some blanks (in red) from alternative media sources (in green). You can read the full article here.

Fusing Politics and Motherhood in a New Way

Let the poor republicans enjoy their moment, people! Because if we fact check and vigorously research, their moment will end in just a couple months.

“Remember, Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a Governor.” –Michael Shaw of Huffington Post

The Huffington Post also talks about her non-interviewing here.

Daily Kos is also a good place to go to for facts, stats, and alternative linkage.

And in TVland, I am thrilled about Rachel Maddow’s debut tonight. She follows Keith Olbermann’s interview with Barack Obama. Forget about all the MSNBC hoopla, just watch these two shows.

I thought that the Democratic National Convention was incredible. There were some amazing speeches and they all propelled enthusiasm and excitement toward Barack Obama. When it was Obama’s turn, he did not disappoint. There were 80,000 listeners present and millions more watching from home. His acceptance speech was inspiring, hopeful, and genuine. He is ready to be our President of the United States.

This is Barack Obama:

Newsmax said that he “body slammed” McCain. This is a great reaction from Conservatives. Obama had a formidable opponent in Hillary Rodham Clinton. I thought it was an exciting, hard-fought contest.

This is Hillary Clinton:

This is Sarah Palin:

There is no comparison and this is an insult to women. You can read about McCain’s joke here, here, and here. She is anti-choice.

The Republicans are thrilled because this is a distraction from the incredible 4 days of the Democratic National Convention. ‘Everyone forgot that it has ever happened!’ they cheer gleefully. We did not forget. On November 4, 2008, we will not forget as we elect Barack Obama to be our President.

Eric and I first visited Seattle in July 2003. He bought about 5 used CDs from a music store in Fremont. One of them was The Bends,* which we played quite a bit as we drove throughout the city that would later become our home. I listened to Radiohead before, but not straight through, over and over again, so that I could hear all the details. Eric told me that he really liked the song, Fake Plastic Trees. So I think of him whenever I hear it. (Such romantic lyrics: “He used to do surgery for girls in the eighties but gravity always wins.“) While I was falling in love my with future husband and Seattle, I was also falling in love with Radiohead.

*They had changed their sound since then, but I like all of their albums.

I can’t listen to too much Radiohead in one sitting because they can get slightly depressing (even during our 2003 road trip, we had to intersperse them with Cibo Matto, whose lyrics include “I’m searching the city for Sci-Fi Wasabi, Obi Wan Kenobi’s waiting for me.“) Listening to them in excess can also make me sleepy. What’s to prevent me from falling asleep? Listening to them…

Loud and Live

On Wednesday, August 20, 2008, we finally saw Radiohead in concert in Auburn, Washington. The weather was perfect for it: gray clouds and rain.

I can hear the band’s arsenal of influence from different musical genres.* This is an interesting quotation from Wikipedia :  “When [Colin] Greenwood was 15 years old he bought his first guitar,^[11] studying classical guitar with influential teacher Terence Gilmore-James. It was Gilmore-James who introduced him and the other future members of Radiohead to jazz, film scores, post World War II era avant-garde music, and twentieth century classical music.”

*Yorke’s work experience at a psychiatric hospital might have had some influence too.

For me it was the classical music influences that stuck out at first. My dad was a classical musician for 41 years, so I grew up listening to it. The other day the husband laughed at me for not recognizing Duran Duran’s Girls on Film. Yeah, I was probably listening to Shostakovich that day. Anyway, my parents call modern classical music “beep-squawk” music. Well, it sounds like Radiohead heard that stuff too. They incorporate the beep-squawking really well and have taken it to a new level.

I think their introductions are the most distinct I ever heard in rock/alternative music. I tend to notice them more. As much quality and effort is put into the intro as in the rest of the song, and it isn’t really separate in the traditional way.

Oh, Did You Want to Read About the Actual Concert and See More Pictures??

The lighting was amazing. Songs were accompanied by red, blue, green, orange, purple, gold. I guess you could say they were playing In Rainbows.

Sometimes the lights would flicker, move around like fireflies, or just stay still.

We were very close to one of the big video screens.

I love that they played Talk Show Host. I have the Baz Luhrmann Romeo & Juliet soundtrack and have loved that song before I realized that they were Radiohead.

There was a frenzy of movement in between songs. They would switch out their instruments and gear for other instruments and gear.

Oh, let’s just call it what it is: Poetic Despair

Taking all of this in: feeling the bass from your feet, watching the lights, the band, the other audience members. Thom Yorke’s ethereal melancholy voice adds more meaning and heaviness to lyrics that are pretty heavy to begin with.  I wonder what the story is, who the character is. But it’s not just him. All of the musicians weave together this complicated and haunting sound.

I’m listening to a recording of The Gloaming from the Auburn concert, and my cat is absolutely mesmerized by the heavy bass sound coming out of the speaker.

I love the percussion in Video Tape.

Ha Ha Radiohead

During Faust Arp, Thom screwed up the lyrics. It caused people to laugh and cheer. At a Radiohead concert. Then they started playing Tell Me Why by Neil Young. He forgot those lyrics too. So they went back to their song. He finally just said “Aww f*ck it” and continued. Huge applause and cheers. We loved it. The song continued beautifully.

You can hear a lot of their influences and experimentation in Climbing up the Walls. Did you ever go to one of those shows where some guy sits alone on stage in front of a Mac and you have to pretend to enjoy it? Well they do such a good job with that Mac Stuff, and still manage to be entertainers.

Speaking of entertaining, that’s what Thom’s dancing was–especially while wearing the red pants.

During Idioteque, Jonny Greenwood plugged in and unplugged wires under one of his keyboards, which caused a very interesting and strange sound.

Thom Yorke didn’t talk much in between songs, but when he said “Cheers” at the beginning, the crowd went wild. He also doesn’t do much introducing of song titles. But he did so for You and Whose Army:

“Seattle is lots of things, and one of my favorite things about Seattle is what happened in the WTO…a corrupt and malignant organization it is, and still is. This song is dedicated to everyone who was in Seattle during those days.” A video camera was set up at his piano and directly filmed his face. The set was black, white, and red.

It started out with a quiet, beautiful intensity. The crowd went giddy when he looked right at us. There is a great close-up here.

Just before No Surprises, Yorke asked to see all the rain-soaked lawn people (who were real troopers). “Yay!” He said. (See? He’s not that depressed.) At that point, I could see how huge the crowd was. I’m trying really hard not to be cliche, but it was a sea of people, a really huge orange sea of people.

They ended on Everything in its Right Place. And it was.

Here is the set list:

01. 15 Step
02. Reckoner
03. Optimistic
04. There There
05. All I Need
06. Pyramid Song
07. Talk Show Host
08. The National Anthem
09. The Gloaming
10. Videotape
11. Lucky
12. Faust Arp
13. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
14. Climbing Up The Walls
15. Dollars and Cents
16. Nude
17. Bodysnatchers

Encore 1
18. How to Disappear Completely
19. Arpeggi/Weird Fishes
20. Idioteque
21. In Limbo [Tambourine accompaniment by Nigel Godrich.]
22. Street Spirit

Encore 2
23. You And Whose Army?
24. No Surprises
25. Everything In Its Right Place

The audience left in a chipper mood. It was still raining. Misty rain beneath the lights.

This was a great final concert to a summer of great concerts.

OTHER

Radiohead recorded their drive to Muckleshoot. I wish ours was that fast.

That was my first Radiohead concert. Now that you’ve read my post and seen all of Eric’s pictures, go read the great review from a hardcore Radiohead concert goer.  Sean’s incredible pictures are here.

The tour production manager wrote about the LED lighting.

Radiohead song lyrics and information are here.

The Scene On Saturday, Eric and I went to the We The People forum, a panel made up of of Air America radio hosts. On entering the hall, we were greeted by a politician not in my district and 911 Truthers who passed out encyclopaedic fliers. Inside, various shirts played on the theme of Barack Obama for President. One of my favorites was a black shirt with bright green print that said “1/20/09 Believe.” The venue, in a word, sucked. It was a giant, echoey, flat space. It made Eric, who has a degree in audio engineering, grumpy. People democratically adjusted their seats for maximum vision and hearing of the panelists. Eric and I climbed upstairs to the balcony. I stood under a speaker while he walked around taking the lovely pictures that you see here. The Cast On my drive to and from work, I listen to AM 1090 in my little red car. When Lee Callahan took the stage to introduce the 7 radio hosts, everyone applauded and cheered. We have all been listening. The panelists were: Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes, Sam Cedar, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartman, Stephanie Miller, and moderated by Ron Reagan. Everyone had their favorite host, and by the sound of applause and cheers, fans were present in equal numbers. There was standing and sitting as each host entered the stage. For me that felt like schul. The people that followed us in were there to see Malloy. My favorite is Rachel Maddow, who looked comfortably boyish. I wonder if she wears those awesome shoes behind the desk at MSNBC.

I think it’s funny when they attempt to girlify her with eyeshadow on MSNBC. Two of the participants were the lefty-liberal wayward children of famous conservative political figures (hint: they are on the very left, laughing at you). The Background Noise At one point, one of the audience members walked right up to the edge of the stage and interrupted the panelists to tell them that they could not be heard in the back. The audience rightfully cheered. Thom Hartman detached the clip-on mic from his shirt and held it while he boomed “Can you hear me?” Of course you couldn’t hear him for a moment above the cheers from the audience. About 45 minutes into it, one of the sound guys decided to set up speakers in the back. Eric thought it would be a good idea to fire that guy. I thought it was a right-wing conspiracy. One of the highlights occurred in the ladies room. Stephanie Miller rushed in during the 15-minute break. Someone asked “You mean you don’t get your own bathroom backstage?” And it’s funny, because I had a subconscious conversation with myself: ‘I wonder if any of the radio hosts will be in the bathroom. Nah, they would have their own backstage.’ Hark back to what I said earlier in this post about the venue. She got to jump to the front of the line. She’s taller and prettier in person than on the radio. It was really interesting to hear the discussion as they sat in their big comfy chairs. It’s one thing to listen to 6 different radio hosts, but it’s another to see them interact with each other for a couple hours. The Script You can see and hear them via the AM1090 website. Click your preferred method under this heading: AM1090s “We The People” the 2008 Town Hall Forum. They polled the audience for VP selection. Biden: Yay Bayh: Nay Bayh got boos. So did Hillary Clinton, but she got yays as well. Someone shouted Wesley Clark. For McCain: Mitt Romney, Joseph Liberman, Bobbie Jindhal, and Alan Keyes. The hosts agreed that it would be awesome if it were Alan Keyes. And then they also agreed that Bobby Jindhal would be perfect too so that Stephanie Miller could do her Linda Blair impression. A classic moment came when Maddow covered her face and shook her head at Stephanie Miller’s Linda Blair impression. Then the panel ended on Maddow asking Miller to do the impression one more time.

The Epilogue

More of our pictures are here. Stephanie Miller’s website also has pictures, including a picture of the panelists greeting each other with the fist bump. Yay Rachel Maddow! She finally, finally gets her own much-deserved show! Glad I was present at this memorable event. Who will I listen to on the way home from work now? Washington Primary Election results are here.

Hey Seattleites,

Don’t forget to vote. It’s always a nice thing to do—early and often. That might entail digging for your ballot through the piles of mail that you, yourself, gradually built on the dining room table, and blaming your organized significant other or house mate for not being able to find it. But he or she will find your ballot for you eventually, and you will be very grateful.

If you need a little help with who to choose (and tend to lean toward the latte and hybrid car to your left), then I recommend these recommendations:

Sierra Club

The Stranger

The Stranger’s article is actually quite entertaining if you keep on reading. You’ll be rewarded with blurbs like who to vote for as “Commissioner of Public Urination.” What really cracks me up is Christine Gregoire’s picture—not because she’s smiling like a chipmunk, but because she’s wearing a jacket very similar to the one my mom wore to my wedding. My mom decided to become a republican in her late 50s. Still, she clearly has impeccable fashion taste and we agree on important things like comic books and coffee.

Happy Voting!