Pulling the Lever

Here's to sanity. Here's to checks and balances. Here's to humbling the incoming loudmouths. Here's to Election Day, a cold cup of coffee for a national hangover and a great excuse for my union brothers and sisters to make time-and-a-half before they hopefully head home and pull a lever.

BlaiserBlog began as an outcropping of post-election euphoria two years ago. It's been a bumpy road, but overall I've found ample opportunity to continue believing in zany optimism, continue believing that every day is another chance to get it right, continue believing that the Yankees just aren't interesting as a concept and that forgiveness--or at least acceptance--gives one far better traction in the muddy cornfields of life than just about anything, especially a jacked-up '69 Chevelle.

I'm unsure that BlaiserBlog will survive these midterm elections. Production has tailed off. Attentions are shifting, seasons are shifting, scenes are shifting. If you pay attention to the fashion world, shifts are shifting.

It gives one pause and begs the question, What's it all about?

Here's a humble offering of what it might be all about:

it's a Midwestern Grandmother having a blast in a studio audience in Manhattan,
it's watching a child sleep, through the rear-view mirror
it's the spice of October on a damp, sylvan floor
it's the quiet enthusiasm of a lawn frog
it's the sweet silence of a lost lover
it's the je ne sais quoi behind a stranger's wink
it's having the determination of the oak while waving like the willow
it's standing on a beach, applauding the osprey
it's a pork tenderloin roast, filthy with rosemary and oil.
it's astonishment in the ordinary
it's stagehands playing stringed instruments
it's a rally in the Mall

it's a first date in Iceland
it's straddling the ladder
it's twenty-two sevenths
it's stalking the Heffalump
it's de-pilling the sweater
it's exceeding expectations
it's opera on vinyl
it's what Rock-n-Roll's doing to them kids, Emma.
it's an image of a mage
and every once in a while -- not often, but enough to keep hope alive -- it is, in fact, the Sprite in you.

image: http://www.etsy.com/shop/johloh 

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment. Get out and vote, whenever possible. And please remember -- just because the World Series is over, we do not have to lose the sweet spot of the artistic bat.

Americans Humble Uppity Canadians!

Look, some of my best friends are Canadian. I really like Canada. So much so that I chose my ancestors to be from there (I'm half French-Canadian. That would be "Le" Blaiser to vous, buddy.)

But I have to say, when Jamie Salé and David Pelletier were artistically out-skated by the Russians in 2002 at Salt Lake, and then had the gall to ask for a do-over when they didn't get the gold all for themselves, it was as if the entire country jumped the shark and landed with a resounding PLOTZ in the Artic Circle. For me.

I know, I know, I'm bringing a minority opinion here--not many people agreed with the French judge, but sometimes the truth hurts--despite the ensuing brouhaha, if you value artistry over athletic prowess--and what French judge doesn't--then the Russians get it every time. And Canada, not for nothing, but we turn to you for more polite, better-dressed versions of our American selves. If I wanted to see spoiled athletes getting preferential treatment, I needn't look any further than my alma mater, SUNY-Binghamton.

So. Regarding last night's drubbing in Olympic Hockey in Vancouver's ingenuously named Canada Hockey Place, Let's just say our Friends to the North have had this coming for quite some time. Sorry. Yes it had to be your national sport, and on home ice. Don't do it again. Unless you want to come down to Fenway and beat us at baseball.

And you gotta get through 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell to do that. Not much stops Senator Lowell--testicular cancer, surgically repaired thumbs, or flaky deals with Texas. Dude also graduated with a 4.0 from high school and wrote a book, which I aim to check out, post haste. How many books has Jamie Salé written that don't have the word "Pouty" in the title. I'm just sayin'.

Thanks for reading, and please remember that just because I finally broke down and got one of those digital cable-box tuner thingys for my TV, it doesn't mean that adult males look cool on Razor Scooters.