My anxiety level about the election is really starting to get me down. Especially after seeing my friends Joe and Diana yesterday and the day before, both of whom are really depressed and pessimistic. I thought my decision to volunteer would help me feel less stressed, but actually it's made it worse. I guess I feel more invested or something. This morning instead of sleeping, I was thinking that instead of volunteering here, where Kerry has no chance, I should go up to Virginia where the race is pretty close. But I'm not sure I could work out the logistics on such short notice. Besides, I hate talking to strangers so I'd probably make a really bad canvasser.
Joe is a lawyer & he's going to eastern NC to work as a poll monitor. That's really cool. Almost makes me wish I was a lawyer too so I could do something like that. Almost!
Okay, enough about politics. The birds have finally found our suet feeder. I've seen a red bellied woodpecker on it three times! yay! They're still not crazy about the tray feeder out front, although the goldfinches are all over the little mesh bag of thistle. I think maybe the tray feeder is in too exposed of a location. Maybe the birds that like tray feeders also like more cover. The one in back is near a lot of shrubs and overgrowth, and there are always cardinals on it. I can't wait for spring when the goldfinches will have their beautiful bright colors. I just have to keep remembering to fill that thistle feeder over the winter so they keep coming back.
One of our hydrangeas is in bloom! I thought it was a bud for next year, but what do you know, it opened up. It's still a bit green, but the flowers are going to be red and white. That is, if it has time to mature before it gets too cold. I had been thinking that I should have picked it off so the plant would put its energy into developing roots, but I couldn't bear to destroy our first flower. And I noticed a new shoot at the ground so I think the plant is okay.
Looks like this year I'm going to end up with not one but two Halloween costumes. I'm still plugging along on the "Scarlett before the ball" costume for Lisa's party. I'm also going to a "trunk or treat" earlier that day with my friend Patricia. And how weird is that, me attending a church-sponsored Halloween alternative? I'm really looking forward to it though. I've never lived anywhere that got trick-or-treaters, so it will be great fun for me to have something like the trick-or-treat experience. Anyway Patricia got pirate costumes for us. Actually she just got hooks and eyepatches. I'm going to go to the thrift store for a ruffly white shirt and black headscarf. If I have time, what with all the sewing and work and stressing about the election. Which I'm not talking about anymore, dammit.
How about the really important things. Like America's Next Top Model! Poor Kelle. I liked her, but for her sake I'm glad she got eliminated. Watching her unravel while the judges flayed her alive was just not fun. I don't know why they hated her so much. I mean yeah, she wasn't photogenic, but their hatred of her seemed undeserved.
I'm really starting to dislike Jay Manuel for his nasty comments to Kelle. And for his Cover Girl informercial "makeup tips." (I actually tried the one last week about how to make a "sixties eye." yes, I tried a Jay Manuel makeup tip. Probably the most embarrassing thing I have ever admitted in this journal. All I managed to do was poke myself in the eye with the mascara wand.) And I also hate Jay's lame-ass art direction. I read that he's really a makeup artist, and I seem to recall that's what he did last season. This season Tyra is letting him try his hand at art direction. According to a real art director on a forum I read, Jay is really bad at it. The guy on the forum says that he chooses a photographer who has good rapport with models, and then he lets the photographer handle the model while he (the art director) focuses on lighting and composition and such. Jay seems to think art direction means yelling "Own it, girl! Don't be so hoochie!" and then complaining that they can't take direction.
I think Kelle was glad to go. They usually cry and make bitter statements about making it on their own while they're packing. Kelle actually smiled, and said things like "by the same hand, there's only so much humiliation I can take." Which is true, and also a cute malapropism, but not as good as last week's "I was in denial about my snout, but now I know."
I'm really annoyed about the show's treatment of Cassie's bulimia. She admitted it two episodes ago, with no response from the show, but then this week Tyra coinicidentally has a meeting for all of them with a plus sized model and a nutritionist to talk about body issues? Which they've never done before? But Tyra is shocked, shocked I tell you, when Cassie again admits to throwing up? Yeah right. If Tyra is running the show the way she is portrayed, then she's watching the raw footage and she knew damned well about Cassie, probably the same day the rest of the contestants knew. And if not Tyra, then whoever is really in charge of the program knew. I think it's really irresponsible of them to have someone in a modeling contest who says she's not bulimic because she doesn't throw up after every meal, but not to do anything except suggest that she might want to see a counselor (and then take no for an answer). Considering all Tyra's talk about wanting to use the show to send a positive message about body image, this really sucks.
9 Comments
ooh, lots to comment on! ;-)
as for the election, i truly believe (perhaps naively) that there is a chance NC could swing democratic. it would require every single democrat actually *vote*, but i do believe there is a chance.
regarding the birds: ray & i are in the market for another bird feeder (the one we hang our sunflower seed in is both too small and too susceptible to squirrels), so i would definitely be interested in knowing if a change in location helps attract the birds to the tray feeder. (that's weighted, right, so a squirrel can't get in?)
we hang both our suet and our sunflower seed off the eaves of our house and the birds don't hesitate in coming up to our window to eat... even with the cats sitting right there. it's pretty cool.
and finally, ANTM: i think they are addressing cassie's eating disorder casually, but not inappropriately. they show cassie in plenty of situations where it's clear that she's depressed and a little off her rocker. then there was tyra's comment at the end, when she handed cassier her photo, about having her "talk to someone". i think the producers and tyra are actually showing a pretty well-rounded view of perhaps *why* she's bulimic... and they have certainly made it clear that this behavior is abberant and needs attention, while not totally flying off the handle.
(flying off the handle could potentially keep other teenage bulimics who are watching the show from getting the help they need.)
I personally believe that the polls are skewed towards the Republicans, but even so they are showing Bush 10% ahead in NC. Which (I hear) is huge in an election. In VA he's only 3% ahead, which is within statistical error I think.
yes, our tray feeder is the kind which shuts if too heavy of a creature sits on the tray. A cardinal seems to be the biggest bird that can feed from it. It's not entirely squirrel proof though: there's a little hole on the side that you can use to mount it on a pole. I've seen squirrels hang from the side and jab a claw into that hole to pull out the seed, then jump down and feed on the ground. They can't get much seed that way so I don't worry about it.
Good points about ANTM. You may be right that a gentle approach is more effective (especially for viewers) than a heavy-handed response. It will be interesting to see if she goes to the counselor.
also re: the election--salon.com has had a few articles lately that have renewed my cautious optimism. there's one on the front page today by an african-america "young'un" that you definitely should read. it will make you feel better.
a co-worker who is really into politics and a staunch democrat told me today that the population density in our area-- orange, durham and wake-- could actually mean that kerry could win NC if those counties voted hugely democratic.
the early voter turnout is pretty incredible-- dave says 27,000 already in durham (out of 150,000 possible voters), and my co-worker says the numbers are similar in raleigh.
i am starting to have guarded optimism for NC, and to believe increasingly that the polling doesn't tell all.
I so hope you guys are right!! My sort-of boss (now sort of my main client, it's actually kind of an odd relationship) thinks that NC is a loss for president, but that getting out the vote here is still important because the senate race is so close. All I know about Burr is that he apparently thinks Clinton is the face of evil. That's enough for me not to want him in office.
More on birds: Christa, do you try to attract specific birds with the type of food you put out? I'd love to encourage wood thrushes around my yard if you know how to do that. I hear them sometimes in the summer, and I'd love to know what kind of food or nest would make them want to stay in our yard.
I think wood thrushes are generally insect-eaters, but will eat high protein things like sunflower hearts if there's not a lot of bugs to be found. I believe they also prefer shade...
So if my yard has a lot of bugs, the wood thrushes will like it? Wow, that was easy!
one more thing: Optimism is good, but I have to say that Salon.com is so biased (no I do not believe in the so-called liberal media bias, but come on, Salon is pretty openly biased) that I can't put too much stock in it when they predict a blowout victory for Kerry. To me that's about as credible as Fox News predicting a blowout for Bush. I think Salon is trying to sound really upbeat to get people excited about voting. Not that there's anything wrong with that :)