Politics + writing = White House Deputy Communications Director. Duh.

After the past several weeks of working on a political campaign, in conjunction with far too many hours spent watching The West Wing, has me thinking that maybe, just maybe, I'd like to be the White House Deputy Communications Director. You know, someday. For a really awesome president.

See, about a week ago, I was pulled aside in the office by our campaign manager and asked to bang out a summary of our energy policy. Considering we had at no point even drafted an official energy policy statement, this task was a little more daunting than it may sound. Suffice to say, it was intimidating, incredibly difficult, and very, very fun. So maybe if every day I spend working could be like that - putting important decisions with wide-reaching impact into writing - from now on, well...I'd be pleased.

And I <3 Sam Seaborne.

Eloise

For those who don't already know, my dearest Eloise, my favorite creature in the world, had to be put to sleep on Wednesday afternoon after a brief fight with liver disease, pancreatitis, and acute pneumonia. So this is in her honor. Thanks for being the best cat ever, Eloise, and thanks for being mine.

This is morbidly fascinating

Wikipedia features an entire "List of unusual deaths," including the likes of:
- the dancer Isadora Duncan, who died of accidental strangulation and a broken neck when one of her signature long scarves got caught on the wheel of a car in which she was riding shotgun...

-Robert Williams, a worker at the Ford Motor Company plant, who became the first known man to be killed by a robot...
-Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman from Sacramento, who died of water intoxication while trying to win a Wii console in a KDND107.9 "The End" radio station's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest, which involved drinking large quantities of water without urinating...
-and so many more. Go look at it. It'll probably entertain you for at least 10 minutes. And that's better than 0 minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_deaths

Mike Giant at White Walls

I will be the first to admit that going to an opening at White Walls tends to be a mostly irritating experience. Too many kids looking at each other instead of the art and leaving bottles all over the street. Oh well. Tonight, I'm setting aside my aversion to catch the Mike Giant show, which proves to be awesome. If I had thousands of extra dollars lying around - and I know it's hard to believe that I don't - my walls would certainly be sporting some of these. Can't wait.

Caribou Barbie

I know there has been much to-do regarding the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain presidential ticket. Most likely, if you know me at all or ever read my blog, you can already guess what I think of her. Suffice to say, she scares the shit out of me. However, though I might laugh as gleefully as the next person every time I see another picture (photo-shopped or otherwise) of the VP candidate in stars n' stripes bikinis, etc., I have to agree with some critics that the unnecessary focus on her looks/pageant past/potential sex appeal could be read as highly counter to feminist rhetoric. Don't get me wrong- I still feel a surge of hatred every time I hear much of anything come out of her mouth - but do we really need to be focusing so much on whether or not she's just a GOP wet dream? Now, one could argue that even her own words tend to draw attention to this: her attempt to differentiate herself from a pitbull via her use of lipstick is an interesting example. But honestly, this is not the way to get taken seriously in our critique of her stances. I know her selection was an attempt at pandering to lost Hilary supporters and women who just desperately want to see (apparently any) woman in a position of national political power. So instead of using her gender as a basis for detrimental remarks, shouldn't we be focusing on the issues?

That said, I still love calling her Caribou Barbie. Heh.

And for god's sake, what the fuck is up with this picture?

At last night's campaign volunteer meeting, this happened:

(In the midst of the post-meeting melee...)

Tom: Hey! Do you know who's in charge of high school outreach?

Me: No. I don't think that was ever established.

(Pause)

Me: I guess I am?

Tom: Ok, good. Go talk to that kid. Give him your info.

(I scribble my name and email address on the back of a business card while approaching said kid.)

Me: Hi there, I'm Julia, and I'm the high school outreach coordinator. We'd love to help you organize an assembly on campus...

I'm so pro.

I still want my life to be like this every day.