About this Rev. Wright business....

Don't fool yourselves - John McCain and Hilary Clinton would both attend Trinity church this Sunday if they thought it would get them elected.
A couple of points. I think that it's so kind of CNN and Fox News to finally achieve a modicum of journalistic integrity and air the entire speeches of the Rev. Wright. I think that it's likely a coincidence that this controversial figure has a chance at hurting a major presidential candidate, and likely not the intended consequence of suddenly deciding to set aside sound byte journalism and air speeches and comments in full. It makes me wonder why now. Why not when John McCain gave the speech where he called for the U.S. Military to prepare to stay in Iraq for 100 years. Only heard a small sound byte of that speech. I wonder why that is? I only hope that these networks continue with their new found policy of allowing all figures with ties to the major presidential candidates to get equal and thorough airtime.
As far as Rev. Wright is concerned, I'm happy to hear him out. I'm a big boy, and while I do not have the education that he does, I have an ability that lacks in our society: the ability to listen and agree to disagree. The ability to recognize the difference between rhetoric, religion and racism. To understand that people from different backgrounds have different points of view. So it doesn't bother me when the Rev. says these things, and I'm not worried in the least that our next president, Barack Obama, will act on any of the Rev. Wrights theories.
To anyone out there that feels it is fair to base the entire viability of a candidate on their assumed religious beliefs, I would caution you to look closely at our own president, and the tenets of his religion. It is a fine and rare occasion that I agree with anything W has to say, and the largest problems I have with him and his policies are the ones where he drags his overbearing religious beliefs into our mainstream and into our government.
I'm a big believer in the separation of church and state, but I know many on the conservative right are not. My admonishment to them: Be careful what you wish for, the church you want representing your government may not always be YOUR church, suckers!

Meet Sebastian

Hi Folks! I'd like you to meet my new friend Sebastian - the sebaceous cyst. He was removed from my forehead yesterday in a short, comical, outpatient procedure. He's about the size of a butter bean, and looks kind of like an oyster cracker in texture and shape. He's non-cancerous, non-threatening, and is keeping mum about why he decided to grow to twice his size in the last few months. I jokingly told the nurse to save him for me, and she did. I didn't quite know what to say when he was presented to me as I left. Should I act gracious, or horrified. I think I pulled it off with a mixture of thankfulness while feeling like a serial killer on the inside at the same time. Nonetheless, I'm stuck with him now. He's either a good luck charm, or grotesque reminder of the randomness and complexity of the human body. Either way, he's just going to sit on my CD case until I figure out what to do with him.

Top 5 Forgotten Sitcoms

1. Jennifer Slept Here - I can't get the theme song out of my head today. I wonder what Ann Jillian is doing today?
2. It's A Living - Crystal Bernard stole this show.
3. Out of This World - Although completely different in terms of substance, it had the exact same structure of every Golden Girls episode.
4. Misfits of Science - fuck Friends, this is Courtney Cox's best work.
5. Angie - Why doesn't Donna Pescow work more?

What's your favorite forgotten sitcom?

5 Things I Hate About Giving Your Two Weeks...a tiny rant

1. Any issue that is brought to my attention, and is preceded with the phrase "not that it matters to you, but...."
2. People who react to your resignation with "I'm mad at you...." HAHAHAHAHA!
3. Cleaning my office
4. The feeling that any of the countless hours I've put in will be for naught. Policies will change, work schedules will change, people will be told that what they did might have been fine for me, but the new GM wants it this way.
   
5. The sneaking feeling that I WON'T be missed.
   

Okay...I'm a big boy. I can handle it, I just wanted to get it off my chest. I know what it was like going into a new store and having to change things, and I know that everyone has to do it. I'm trying to combat these feelings with the idea that I'm going into a new place and will probably change things too. And truly, my problem with #1 is that I AM struggling with the idea that today I'm caring about something that won't be a concern to me in two weeks. I mean, today I received the preliminary numbers for my store's total losses for 2007. This number makes a difference to me today, and how I deal with my staff and my store today, but honestly, I don't have any control over how the next person is going to deal with the problems, and I really won't care.

I'm also just a little creeped out by the two-faced baby in India. It literally gives me the willies, physically, when I think about it. http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2008/04/08/20080408indiatwo--odd.html

Canadian Cooking & other surprises

I feel like I've been two-timed. Like my lover just revealed a big BIG secret that should've been obvious all along. Like he was a girl. Or more appropriately, like he had a family in Toronto. Maybe I'm being a little over dramatic.
Today, quite by accident, as I searched for Kylie Kwong's recipe for soy sauce eggs, I stumbled across the Food Networks CANADIAN website. Yes. Canadian. Apparently, there is a maple laden sister to my beloved Food Network. www.foodtv.ca, instead of www.foodtv.com. How. Dare. They. Whole new shows and chefs that I didn't even know existed. But why should I be surprised? It just makes me wonder what else is out there hiding in the .ca realm. It's my new obsession.
So Kylie Kwong's Soy Sauce Eggs. If you like hard boiled eggs, you have to try them. They are more than just salty, spicy eggs, they are a condiment and a side. Here's the recipe, slightly tweaked.

6 medium eggs boiled in water for 6 minutes, then cooled with cold water and allowed to rest for a half hour.
1 cup regular soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 medium twig of sliced fresh ginger, about 10-15 slices, the thickness of a nickel
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp crushed red chili

After you boil and let the eggs rest, peeled them very carefully.
Combine all the other ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, stir well to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Carefully add in peeled eggs. On Kylie's show, she left a couple of eggs unpeeled and then peeled them at the end to show the difference on the plate. Whatever.
After the eggs simmer for one hour (be sure to gently stir them or they'll become dark on one side and dingy on the other), cover and let them sit for at least another 1/2 hour. Refrigerate and slice over your favorite meat dish, noodles or anything you deem worthy. Y-Uhm!

Later, I'm experimenting with Sichuan peppercorns and BBQ. I love days off like this!