05 August 2006

Random Saturdayness

Alert, alert: I formally apologized to Karl from Secondhand Tryptophan about my posts complaining about men being allowed at BlogHer. (Post #1 and Post #2) I WAS WRONG! So sue me.

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I said (several times) I wasn't going to mention BlogHer anymore. But I lied. I am a big fat liar. Again, sue me. ANYWAY, what I wanted to say was that I am now in serious Bloglines trouble because of all the new blogs I have to read. I literally have no time to do anything but blog and read blogs.

A couple of my just-discovered blogs deserve special mention.

Roo the Day is a blog I wish I had discovered a long time ago because Roo is such a good writer. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Roo, who happens to be absolutely gorgeous, have fantastic clothes and can sing like an angel. This is why we all must hate her. Joking. I wish she were my little sister.

Then there's Mom-101, a blog I had read before, but not enough. Liz is a fantastically interesting, talented and passionate person. She handed out buttons that said "I swear I am funnier on my blog," and stickers from her other site, Cool Mom Picks that said "I'm too cool for stickers." THAT's funny.

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Mr. S and I saw "Talladega Nights - the Legend of Ricky Bobby" last night. It isn't a great movie but it was a great movie for us because we really needed some stupid laughs last night, especially Mr. S. If I listed all the rottenness he is going through right now, you would just start packaging up your spare Wellbutrins to send to him. I am not going into details because he has his own blog if he wants to spew.

I wanted to go see the movie because I am a big fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, (Da Ali G Show) who plays the bad guy.

Here's my issue with his part: the traits that make him a bad race driver are that he is 1) gay and 2) French. And that's it. Other than that, he doesn't have any dirty driving tricks up his sleeve, he's not evil - he just wants to win (while drinking Macchiato and reading L'Etranger, but still...). Is being gay and French enough to cause automatic loathing? You'll have to tell me, because I am from California, where those two things don't necessarily cause fear and hatred.

So he wasn't a very interesting villain to me. I don't know what the rest of the audience thought. But when Will Farrell gave him a big long smooch at the end, the Simi Valley (home of the Reagan library) crowd collectively gasped and cringed. I wonder how it will play in the red states.

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I was in the county fair parade today with my church. We had a 1947 fire truck and were out saving souls from the eternal fire. Not really, since we don't hold with that sort of thing. We were getting sunburned and sweaty and waving at people.

I complain a lot about the government and how this country is going down the tubes and how it ain't like it used to be and that people are mean-spirited and awful and wah wah wah...

But there's something about a parade that brings me to the verge of tears...the sweetness of people gathering to all do a happy, silly, fun thing together. People of all races sitting on the curb side by side eating cotton candy and waving and singing along with our our group as we warbled "This Little Light of Mine," clapping and smiling.

This is the America I love. For a while it was just all good. A sunny day, happy people kicking it in the sun. God bless us, every one. And I mean that.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH Yay! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who cries at parades. They get me every time.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh! Thank you-- that's high praise from a thoughtful writer like yourself. I'm glad we found each other.

I love parades, too.

Bamboo Lemur Boys Are Mean To Their Girls said...

I really like your observation about how people become these lovely agenda-less souls gathered and joyful at parades. I think it's so important to see when this happens. It changes the world when we notice.
love you.

Mom101 said...

Oh my goodness, I'm blushing here! I'm glad to have met you in person. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you're just so much more effusive than I was expecting. I found you because of your politics and didn't expect you to be quite so bubbly and engaging! I'm already penciling in more time with SueBob at BlogHer 07

SUEB0B said...

TB, Roo - I am a big sap at heart and parades bring that out.

Gandhi - yes, those types of things are the antithesis of the TV news view of the world, where everyone is a lurking madman...We all need reminders that most people are basically good.

Liz - (whooping) bubbly and engaging - I can't wait to tell Mr. Stapler someone said that about me. He is going to fall down laughing.

Anonymous said...

What a great post. Our neighborhood has a little Fourth of July parade every year and it makes me feel the same way. Connected in a very "Mayberry-ish" kind of way.

Anonymous said...

Suebob, glad to see you welcome the boys. It takes basketball-sized ovaries to change one's mind. You're the best.

You wrote: "Here's my issue with his part: the traits that make him a bad race driver are that he is 1) gay and 2) French. And that's it. Other than that, he doesn't have any dirty driving tricks up his sleeve, he's not evil - he just wants to win (while drinking Macchiato and reading L'Etranger, but still...). Is being gay and French enough to cause automatic loathing?"

I think you missed the joke. For some NASCAR aficionados, being French and gay are the 2 primary qualifications for being a villain.

Anonymous said...

I love parades too, ever since I was a child. Even marching in them, which I've done in both the pouring rain and the blazing sun. Especially the marching bands - those are my favorite.

MrsFortune said...

I, too, love Sacha Baren Coen but... wow, I didn't know that, and now I don't think I will go see this movie. I hate, hate, hate the perpetuation of homophobic stereotypes, and I don't get why this form of -ism is still acceptable when many of the rest are not.

SUEB0B said...

Holly - I get that the gay French driver thing may be a big joke to some NASCAR folks, but I think even for them, there isn't enough evil in the character to cause dramatic tension. I'm probably wrong, though. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Good point, Suebob. It's pretty scary if being a light on the lilypads frog is enough for dramatic tension, but I'm guessing the inside jokes on those folks for whom a queer French driver works.

Suzanne said...

Thanks. The parade observation makes me smile, as does your comment about your church.

Anonymous said...

I cry at parades too. Especially when the pipers march by (sniff!)

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