Would I?

...............get more responses to my posts if I brightened up the backdrop?

Palin in Peoria

1. My first inclination is to cringe. After that I begin to realize that celebrity draw has nothing at all to do with political prowess, and that celebrity draw trumps ignorance on all levels. Palin is the spokesperson for this reality by example. It doesn't matter what she says, how she says it or where she speaks as long as the curious, the enamored, the fans, fill the seats. It is easy to play political spokesperson when you carry no political risk- Limbaugh, Matthews, left, right- doesn't matter. Palin quit her day job to garner celebrity. Her Worhol 15 minutes have stretched ad nauseum. It scares hell out of me that her aspirations run from the presidency to a daytime talk show- whatever falls in place. With all the problems facing our government, our country, the world, I guess my last inclination is to cringe- at the thought that a woman who probably can't balance her own checkbook could preside over it all.

Birthday Fun in Chicago

Now I am 52. Not really a milestone age, just a year older than 51. Still, due to the always thoughtful diligence of Amy, another great birthday has swept into the past. We drove up to Chicago Friday, punched into the "W" hotel downtown, took the train to Murphy's in the burbs (Forest Park) and caught "Drivetrain" until 2:30 am. Haven't heard them for months- serious fun. Nick returned us to downtown, we slept in, visited the Field Museum (didn't see Ben Stiller), hooked up with Nick and dined at a great steakhouse (Rosebud's?)- a birthday gift from Nick (over and beyond, I'll be addressing that). Cabbed to Nick's place in Wicker Park, checked out his 17" Mac laptop (ugh!), trained back to the "W", hit the road home on Sunday. All in all, a great respite for a couple of days. I have a great family.