Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Just as the afterglow of Obama's convention speech was fading, I greeted the McCain camp's announcement of Sarah Palin as their VP pick with a bit of bemusement. I felt a little badly for the Republicans, having to elbow their way into the media spotlight between the Democratic convention and their own, with the Olympics still a recent memory. I have to say that, while I was desperately hoping for Mitt Romney because he's always good for a laugh, I was kind of surprised by their pick.

The Republicans continuously harp on Obama for his perceived lack of experience. And yet they've chosen a vice president whose political experience is briefer than Obama's. I heard someone on the radio this morning attempting to defend her lack of experience in politics by saying that she's always "been interested in current events." I guess that means reading the newspaper qualifies you for the job that's a hearbeat away from the presidency.

That said, I think experience is a bit overrated. What's more important to me is leadership ability and judgment. I can't say much for governor Palin's leadership ability, although I do have to respect her for taking on the old guard of Alaska Republicans. But I really have to question her judgment after seeing the bewildering names of her children (Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig). Now, I've got nothing against Willow, as she was one of my favorite characters on Buffy (at least until the sixth season, although I don't think the last two seasons should really count. But I digress....) I find it particularly interesting that two of her children are in fact named after TV witches. Perhaps someone should start a chain email claiming that she's a pagan. I'm not sure if that's better or worse in the American public consciousness than being labeled a Muslim.

One final note: I think the Republicans are making a bit of a mistake if they've picked a younger VP to try to deflect some of the reservations people have about McCain's age. Choosing someone who governs a state that's younger than John McCain may just backfire.

This is not a blog about remodeling

I promised before that this space wouldn't be taken over by remodeling pictures and stories (a remodelogue, if you will), but I couldn't resist this picture. My parents were here last week to visit and labor on the house. While Jack and I rebuilt our dilapidated porch, my mom and Anne repainted the kitchen. When we moved in, it was decorated with pink wainscoting below and (dark) blue and white striped wallpaper with a floral print above. Needless to say, it had to go.

With the wallpaper removed, Anne and my mom set to repainting. In the middle of the transition from pink to green, I couldn't help but notice the two colors together were reminiscent of the cover of one of the greatest albums of all time.



This fortuitous bit of rock and roll color concurrence was pretty cool, although as much as I love the Clash, the pink still had to go, and we now have a much more bearable, two-tone kitchen painted in green and white.