louise on the left (coast)

Okay, so, it's time to start ignoring the sky is falling and start to think about important things, like the California special elections coming up on May 19, 2009. Hard to know where to start, however, since I know and trust the Courage Campaign , here are their links and info re: their progressive California Guide and their CA proposition choices. I'll post more info as it comes up -- Will dig deeper, shortly, on what our voting options are for Orange County, CA, too. Stay tuned for more on this subject later ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Courage Campaign According to The Courage Campaign, their STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS are as follows: The Courage Campaign staff is recommending you vote "No"on Propositions 1A, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F. We are not recommending a position on Proposition 1B. The staff believes these propositions do not offer the progressive solutions that California needs. Briefly, here are the reasons why we are re

Is the proverbial sky really falling, or is this Swine Flu scare just more freaky crap to distract us from the fact that our economy is crumbling underfoot, and there's no more money? Hard to say. Yesterday I was contacted by a health reporter for Associated Press who had at one time interviewed me about my child's peanut allergy. This time she inquired "...we are l ooking into whether people have made little changes to their routines or lifestyles due to the threat of swine flu. Do you have any friends/acquaintances etc who might fit the bill and whom I can speak with? " Looks like I'm the "go to Gal" when it comes to Chicken Little reactions to health concerns. I told her the truth which is that my kids are far more excited about the prospect of more "home days," than worried about illness, and that as I see it, the cat's out of the bag. Mexico dropped the ball on this one, for whatever reason, and now the virus is simply all over the

Can it be that I am one of the only people blogging about Season Two of "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single?" Come on, say it ain't so. Really? I'm the only person blogging about this clown's quest for the perfect wife? Link to last week's realization about Eric Schaeffer and Lauren, Link to previous posts re Schaeffer 's Showtime series "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single" Oh, well. In any event. To recap l ast week's, again, extremely strange, installment of "I can't believe...I can't find a better name for my shitty show than this" we got a weirdly defensive lecture on why Eric thinks he really is straight, I think. He used a white board. He scribbled crazy things and circled stuff. He ran his hands through his receding hair line a lot. (Why doesn't anyone ever tell him the truth when he grills women on how they like his hair? ) Eric: "So, how do you like my hair? Like this kind of long

So, I'm driving in by my local mall and noticed that dwarfed in between the giant digital billboard and tucked into the corner of a massive sprawling parking lot next to Best Buy, still selling giant television screens and mega home entertainment electronics was an old, familiar sight; A circus tent. The Westminster Mall is hosting a visit by Circus Vargas. The circus is in town. Why? Circuses are not cool. They are a throwback to a very unflattering form of brutal entertainment I do not understand our enabling in the year 2009. Circus animals have a cruel fate and I can't imagine why, with all our technological advancements for entertainment, there is any kind of fun to be had watching animals be mistreated to line the pockets of a few carny acts. Then, coincidetally I read on Meta Filter that we will soon be able to see a wonderful series, The Elephant Diaries. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/elephant_diaries/ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/06/60minutes/

Facebook etiquette. Good, but would have been funnier shorter. Also, there was something about the way it was filmed, that made me think that someone (or thing) scary was going to come bursting through that white door in the background... Maybe I'm too in touch with my inner Hitchcock. Uh, wait. That didn't sound right...

I keep thinking that Eric Schaeffer's show, "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single" reminds me of something, but until now, couldn't figure out what it was. I knew it wasn't Woody Allen...What was it? Finally, I finally put my finger on it: It's a knock-off of " Sherman's March ," which does happen to be a terrific cult documentary from 1986. Sherman's March was a genuinely unique and terrific film. If you haven't seen it, do. It's wonderful. But Schaeffer is no Ross McElwee . McElwee is has depth and substance with a deep respect for women, despite his search (on film) for the right one. Now, I get it: Schaeffer's doing his own "Sherman's March" thing on Showtime. On last week's episode we saw his second "potential" girl friend on "I can't Believe I'm Still Single." This time his femme du jour was a sweet natured, comic and dog-walker named "Lauren." Let me jus

This weekend, we did nothing in particular, and it was just right. Life was in balance. We did some shopping for the kids's school clothes. We talked about native plants in our garden. We rented Some Like It Hot , and made simple dishes at home and we tended our new growing lawn of green. Why did we pick this movie for our "Girls Night In?" Watching this movie with my daughters was a great opportunity to discuss how men and women are treated differently in society. It had plenty of laughs for the kids and the clever dialogue kept, me, as a grown up quite entertained and moved without having to traumatize the kids with the more complex and cynical subtext of the film. It was a good choice for me because I've been wanted to show them the older films that rely on talent of the performers to entertain. It was wonderful to show them that a great scene is shot without a laugh track or any manipulative music and even without color and can be so much more mag

I am currently an official Coachella Widow, who is not at all going to feel resentful that I am missing Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst (NO!!!) and Beatle, Paul, tonight. Actually, I'm a Coachella virgin, too. So, that makes me a Coachella virgin and widow, actually. This is what happens when you marry a journalist. They go out and journal. This pays the rent and so I will get over it. Really. Soon, I promise. But, I not only miss my husband, as well as more very cool music. But, can I just state something that perhaps not everyone will "get," But, for the record, this omission-of-mutual-escapism comes at a bad time, because for the record: I have spring break BURN OUT. Above: Me by the time we end our Spring "Staycation." Yes, I have two kids with separate vacation schedules, which sounded so easy at the time. You see, at one time, two different vacation schedules seemed like a very noble thing to juggle. But, 24/7 kids for three long weeks is...cha

Wow. He's back. And the journey lives on, just like The Iliad, or Don Quixote or Popeye. I was amazed he had a Season One, but turns out I'm not the only voyeur who loves to hate Eric Schaeffer , so now, there's a Season Two. Apparently Gawker shares my incredulity, as well . So, since I last saw Mr. Schaeffer ( previous post regarding the conclusion of "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single," Part One .), unemployment hit record numbers, Circuit City bit the dust, however Eric Schaeffer managed to survive the recession to open yet one more big ole' can of fat-ass on more astonishingly naive (read: dumb) women for his second round of "I Can't Believe I'm Still Single, Part Two" on Showtime. Go figure. More proof that Hollywood thrives during our national disasters. BTW. I love women. More than Schaeffer does. I just have to smack my forehead when I see them show up for filming all dewy-eyed and vulnerable knowing that he wil

, Don't ask me why, but several mommies I know have suddenly opted to raise chickens as pets, lately. One of them is smart enough not to attempt this in an urban setting. Even though the thought has crossed my mind that raising just one rooster would be perfect revenge for our party-happy next door neighbors, I just can't bear the thought of chickens running round my feet. Even though I would appreciate the eggs. (To be honest, chickens freak me out.) However, I'm not exempt from my own peculiar desire for a livestock style pet. In the spirit of green living, I have been longing to adopt a miniature horse. Just think: It would be a green-living grass mower, it would self-fertilize the soil, and it would be a companion for Buddy to romp with. Besides they are simply the cutest things I've ever seen. Will be investigating the residential codes for these this week... Mental note: Tell husband we're getting a pony. UPDATE: I ran the idea by him and he asked me w