How prevalent is the winter fatigue? How many people fall victim to that little wave of bleh that seems to wash over me during this time of year. I was telling someone the other day how boring winter is after Christmas and New Years is over. It's this huge build up, with the decorations and festivities and the coming break. The whole presents thing and family and celebrations and winter nights. And then... January and February begin to trudge along towards March. It's like there is nothing to look forward to except cold and dreary days. I think it washes over me sometime and it begins to drag me down. I just get so bleh about life, just begin going through the motions and I begin to have panic attacks, like a mini-one that erupted yesterday.
Life is coming at me so fast and I know that I am being oversensitive about so many things. I just wonder where I am going sometime and if there is a future out there for me beyond the now. I want to finish school, but even though it's close, it still feels so tantalizing far away. And I hate that I am leaving my job this year. I've been there for four years and I love doing it everyday still. To know that it'll be gone and might never be back, that really freaks me out and makes me sad.
We at least finally got a snowstorm, something to make winter all worth it. When you look out your window and it actually looks beautiful and white after that initial snow, that's calming and it just brings a sense of wonder. Of course, after a few days the snow has begun to melt and is sparse. Plus, along the roads it looks like a brownish muck, definitely detracting from the aesthetic beauty of the snow. Well one more day, because tomorrow it'll be 50 and most of this snow will be gone.
To semi quote the woman who wanted to take over your job, do you mind if I call you Dick? Dick, today I heard some claims you made; I didn't believe them at first, because they were really terrible allegations. You think that Obama's administration is going to result in more terrorist attacks on American Soil. That's just horrible! I couldn't believe that you, a polished politician, would let out such bipartisan fear mongering (And not even in an election year). So I went online to the website where you gave your interview and lo and behold, it was there. You did say those things! So here is where my confusion comes in.
Politico reports that you claim “the ultimate threat to the country” is “a 9/11-type event where the terrorists are armed with something much more dangerous than an airline ticket and a box cutter – a nuclear weapon or a biological agent of some kind” that is deployed in the middle of an American city. “That’s the one that would involve the deaths of perhaps hundreds of thousands of people, and the one you have to spend a hell of a lot of time guarding against."
You go on further in detail to claim, that “I think there’s a high probability of such an attempt. Whether or not they can pull it off depends whether or not we keep in place policies that have allowed us to defeat all further attempts, since 9/11, to launch mass-casualty attacks against the United States.” First, let me start by commending you on your continued tactic of evoking the spectre of 9/11 to push forward your ideas. I will conceded that it did wonders during the early part of your administration, up to and including your "Boss"'s (HaHa) victory during the 2004 election. People were scared that we were going to be attacked and you, Rove and friends ensured that keeping Bush in office would protect from that happening.
What you keep failing to mention is that September 11th happened on your watch, nine months in to your President's tenure. That the administration had been warned earlier that they should pay attention to Osama Bin Ladin, but ignored those warnings. Bush's first job in office wasn't protecting us against terrorism, it was restricting other nations from receiving planned parenthood materials on the anniversary of Roe V. Wade. While Osama was planning one of the deadliest attacks on American Soil in history, the first Bush administration was making sure that condoms wouldn't be distributed to poor families in other nations.
You claim that Guantanamo keeps our nation safer, as 16% of those released during the Bush administration have gone back to terrorism. You and I will always argue on this point thought: Were these individuals terrorists prior to being put into custody. Does torture and interrogation make a person more likely to view someone as their enemy? If I was held without the possibility of release, if I was forced to undergo "stimulated drowning" (in affect, if I was drowned and at the last minute released from that torture), I don't know if I would view the nation that condoned those actions as my friend. I would probably go home and tell people, get others angry, breed more hatred.
See, Dick, I don't condone terrorism. I think it's rather terrible to kill innocents period. But I also don't believe that torturing people for information is going to effectively make anyone into our friends. I think the practices that you and Bush II agreed to during the War on Terror helped make us less safe. This goes beyond deceny and morality; I mean that when you hurt people, they are going to want to hurt you back. That goes without saying. Adding fuel to an already volatile situation is never going to help anyone in the long run.
So I find your comments rather pathetically humorous. You call to task Obama for wanting to use new methods to approach International relations. You claim that history will prove you a victor, that your methods protected American interests. I admit that I don't have access to the same files you do; Perhaps there are some scenariors where we were able to avert the beginnings of a terrorist plan. But at the end of the day, there are a few hard truths that should stare you in the face:
1) 9/11 happened on your watch.
2) By condoing torture, you are also condoning its use by others, including people who want to use it on Americans.
3) More than once you have attempted to drive fear into the minds of Americans (See: Terror Alert Colors); but during the last election, they voted to forgoe the old ways.
It's back... the IPOD playlist. It went away in December because my Ipod died last minute :( It was sad and the music was gone and I didn't want to fix it.
30. Marquees Houston’s “That Girl”
29. Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis
28. Keri Hilson’s “Energy"
27. Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight”
26. Colm Maclomair and Glen Hansard’s “Everytime”
25. Baby Bash’s “That’s How I Go” featuring Lil Jon and Mario
24. T.I.’s “Dead and Gone” featuring Justin Timberlake
23. Matt and Kim’s “Daylight”
22. Jean’s “Stop the Clock (Peligro de Extincion)”
21. Grace Jones’ “La Vie En Rose”
20. Ashford and Simpson’s “Solid as Barack”
19. Akinyele’s “Put it in Ya Mouth”
18 Tegan and Sara’s “Back in Your Head (Tiesto Remix)”
17. Tay Dizm’s “Dreamgirl” featuring Akon
16. Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble”
15. Keri Hilson’s “Turn Me On” featuring Lil Wayne
14. Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You”
13. Hot Chip’s “Touch too Much (Fake Blood Remix)”
12. The Boxer Rebellion’s “Evacuate”
11. Beyonce’s “At Last”
10. Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody”
9. Eric Hutchinson’s “Rock and Roll”
8. Ar Rahman and M.I.A.’s “O... Saya”
7. Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”
6. Santogold’s “L.E.S. Artistes”
5. Paramore’s “That’s What You Get”
4. Fall Out Boy’s “She’s My Winona”
3. Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler”
2. Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead”
1. Pleasure P’s “Boyfriend # 2”
I have become obsessed with this song. I loved it in Wall-E, I like it by Grace Jones (now that I also realized that the song "Bonnie and Shyne" sampled it) and Edith Piaf, of course, is the definite version. But here's that little sweet moment from Wall-E, where Louis Armstrong's voice plays over the moments where our little robot friend is trying to get the attention of his OTL.
Hold me close and hold me fast, the magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, heaven sighs
and though I close my eyes i see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
a world where roses bloom
and when you speak, angels sing from above
everyday words seem to turn
into love songs
give your heart and soul to me
and life will always be
la vie en rose