The Weekend Roundup...or Ramble...
Sep. 4th, 2004 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatAhhh, September and a three day weekend, finally. I feel as if I've come to the end of a three year marathon. The last stretch exceptionally tough, ie. May/June/July and August. But
I survived. (pants) Barely. Today rewarded myself by buying the last ingredient in a birthday gift I put together for a friend, some fresh fruit, fresh mozzerella, tabuli salad, assorted fresh salamis (from Pacific Green - a gourmet grocery store in my area), really good dark chocolat, and a fresh baked cinnamin roll - all purchases I have not permitted myself for two years. Also took advantage of the tax free week yesterday, and bought some new clothes for new job.Whee! Nice way to end the week, methinks.
Spent most of the week ignoring the Republican National Convention, which is harder than it looks when you live and work in the host city.
Every single solitary news channel covers it. You can't check the weather, the road report, or anything without being inundated. Plus, lots of people took off during it - so work slowed to a snail's pace. I think NYC lost more money during this week than they have all year long. Then there were the protests, which I'm in favor of, couldn't participate unfortunately for numerous reasons. Two huge ones were staged outside my office building, Tuesday and Wed. (Ironic considering I'm working for a French company...course the protests had nothing to do with where I worked - Fox News just happens to be located across the street - so they were actually targeting that instituition of high intellect and unbiased reporting and witty commenty (SARCASIM ICON FLASHING).) Cheered myself up last night by watching the Daily Show with John Stewart. Hilarous. Much laughter ensued. And have to say, I agree with Mr. Stewart, why are the Republicans so angry? They aren't the disenfranchised. They are employed. Their kids are employed. They have jobs. They are in power. (Shrugs). Weird to see the enfranchised angry. And just a little frightening. Which is why we laugh. I love my father's response to people who ask him if he's been watching the convention: "Nope. It's too expensive." "What," they respond, understandably perplexed.
"How can it be expensive?" "Well, every time I watch any of it, I have to go into the other room and write another check to support John Kerry."
Also been having short political discussions at work. Short, because I do not believe work is the place for a heated political debate, and I honestly can't see myself changing this woman's mind. She's *very* conservative. For example: she's still living with her folks. She is 32. And not for the reasons you may think. Heck I almost had to move back in with my folks due to finances. Nope, she's financially solvent. The reason is - her parents don't believe a woman should move out of the home until she is married and while she has issues with that view, she respects their tradition and goes along with it.
Nice gal. Been very nice and sweet to me. And I honestly have no problems with her personal beliefs, as long as they do not infringe on my rights, we're fine.
Here's some snippets:
Work Colleague:"Clinton was a liar that's why I hated him" (this is in response to my statement that I don't like Bush and preferred Clinton.)
Me:"You don't think Bush is lying? Come on. They all lie. He's been lying about everything..." STopped conversation at this point since on verge of becoming heated.
Work Colleague:"I hate the fact that soliders and people are dying in Iraq, but after what they did to us with 9/11 - they deserve it."
Me:"Uhm, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hassein aren't associated. They hate each other. Completely different ideologies...Bin Laden is more associated with Saudia Arabia actually. " I broke this off too, because it verged on getting heated.
Where is she getting her information, I wondered? I got my answer two days later.
Work Colleague talking to other Work Colleague:"You know the best news channel? Fox News! I love them. I watch them every single morning!! They are funny and give it to you straight..."
Okay. This explains it. I flinch and force myself to work. Glad I didn't blurt out - uhm, Fox News is run and owned and managed by Rupert Murdock the king of tabloid and yellow journalism. Fox News is as valid as the Sun, the National Enquirer. Heck the satire in The Onion is more realistic and valid than the lies Murdock thrives on. Yes, once again we can blame Fox. Every morning I pass a poster that states: "Thanks America for Making Us Number 1! Fox News!" And shudder. (Ah, will not miss that poster when I start work at new company on the 13th.)
What I object to is the desire to legislate morality. To impinge/overrule others rights and values to sanctify and validate your own. "I believe this and you are going to believe and play by my rules even if I have to bludgeon you to death! Besides it's for your own good!" mentality. This is facism and it scares me. This is why the US Constitution was written - to combat things like that. What frightens me most about the present administration is their desire to do what used to be the anathema of the Republican Party, legislate individual rights, tell others what we should think and do - have the *government* play angry parent treating it's citizens like children who have misbehaved.
I survived. (pants) Barely. Today rewarded myself by buying the last ingredient in a birthday gift I put together for a friend, some fresh fruit, fresh mozzerella, tabuli salad, assorted fresh salamis (from Pacific Green - a gourmet grocery store in my area), really good dark chocolat, and a fresh baked cinnamin roll - all purchases I have not permitted myself for two years. Also took advantage of the tax free week yesterday, and bought some new clothes for new job.Whee! Nice way to end the week, methinks.
Spent most of the week ignoring the Republican National Convention, which is harder than it looks when you live and work in the host city.
Every single solitary news channel covers it. You can't check the weather, the road report, or anything without being inundated. Plus, lots of people took off during it - so work slowed to a snail's pace. I think NYC lost more money during this week than they have all year long. Then there were the protests, which I'm in favor of, couldn't participate unfortunately for numerous reasons. Two huge ones were staged outside my office building, Tuesday and Wed. (Ironic considering I'm working for a French company...course the protests had nothing to do with where I worked - Fox News just happens to be located across the street - so they were actually targeting that instituition of high intellect and unbiased reporting and witty commenty (SARCASIM ICON FLASHING).) Cheered myself up last night by watching the Daily Show with John Stewart. Hilarous. Much laughter ensued. And have to say, I agree with Mr. Stewart, why are the Republicans so angry? They aren't the disenfranchised. They are employed. Their kids are employed. They have jobs. They are in power. (Shrugs). Weird to see the enfranchised angry. And just a little frightening. Which is why we laugh. I love my father's response to people who ask him if he's been watching the convention: "Nope. It's too expensive." "What," they respond, understandably perplexed.
"How can it be expensive?" "Well, every time I watch any of it, I have to go into the other room and write another check to support John Kerry."
Also been having short political discussions at work. Short, because I do not believe work is the place for a heated political debate, and I honestly can't see myself changing this woman's mind. She's *very* conservative. For example: she's still living with her folks. She is 32. And not for the reasons you may think. Heck I almost had to move back in with my folks due to finances. Nope, she's financially solvent. The reason is - her parents don't believe a woman should move out of the home until she is married and while she has issues with that view, she respects their tradition and goes along with it.
Nice gal. Been very nice and sweet to me. And I honestly have no problems with her personal beliefs, as long as they do not infringe on my rights, we're fine.
Here's some snippets:
Work Colleague:"Clinton was a liar that's why I hated him" (this is in response to my statement that I don't like Bush and preferred Clinton.)
Me:"You don't think Bush is lying? Come on. They all lie. He's been lying about everything..." STopped conversation at this point since on verge of becoming heated.
Work Colleague:"I hate the fact that soliders and people are dying in Iraq, but after what they did to us with 9/11 - they deserve it."
Me:"Uhm, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hassein aren't associated. They hate each other. Completely different ideologies...Bin Laden is more associated with Saudia Arabia actually. " I broke this off too, because it verged on getting heated.
Where is she getting her information, I wondered? I got my answer two days later.
Work Colleague talking to other Work Colleague:"You know the best news channel? Fox News! I love them. I watch them every single morning!! They are funny and give it to you straight..."
Okay. This explains it. I flinch and force myself to work. Glad I didn't blurt out - uhm, Fox News is run and owned and managed by Rupert Murdock the king of tabloid and yellow journalism. Fox News is as valid as the Sun, the National Enquirer. Heck the satire in The Onion is more realistic and valid than the lies Murdock thrives on. Yes, once again we can blame Fox. Every morning I pass a poster that states: "Thanks America for Making Us Number 1! Fox News!" And shudder. (Ah, will not miss that poster when I start work at new company on the 13th.)
What I object to is the desire to legislate morality. To impinge/overrule others rights and values to sanctify and validate your own. "I believe this and you are going to believe and play by my rules even if I have to bludgeon you to death! Besides it's for your own good!" mentality. This is facism and it scares me. This is why the US Constitution was written - to combat things like that. What frightens me most about the present administration is their desire to do what used to be the anathema of the Republican Party, legislate individual rights, tell others what we should think and do - have the *government* play angry parent treating it's citizens like children who have misbehaved.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-04 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-04 06:50 pm (UTC)The French Woman did comment on the RNC and all the security one day :" Look I'm French, don't really have much interest in which party wins, but it must bother New Yorkers, I would think, that all this money is spent to increase a police prescence etc to protect rich people and once they leave, we are left vulnerable again. Our tax dollars, and I'm paying them too since I also live here, on a bunch of visitors who are here what a week? While we lose business and money? Don't we deserve the same concern and quality of protection?"
The colleague kept her mouth shut, so I'm not sure if she agreed or not. She is really a sweetheart though. (I truly mean that, just has political views that I have troubles wrapping my brain around). Which goes to show you how complex we really are. We may strenously disagree on politics, yet get along on other issues.