I break bones and laugh.

Time.com has Callie Shell's lovely photos of the first 100 days of the presidential adminstration.

Below: Below a picture of Abraham Lincoln, the President meets with the Congressional Black Caucus.*



*In a meeting that, I assume, featured a lot of "What did you say?"s and "Can't hear you at this end!"s.

Americanos, better know your new administration, photographed by Annie Liebovitz. (EDIT: And here's the Times version.)

EDIT 2: I almost forgot, I heard something today about how Artur Davis (in the Times gallery and also the only Alabama representative to vote yes on the Lilly act) will announce his interest in running for governor Friday. Sweeeet, lemme get my checkbook.

Let Us Now Set Aside Childish Things: George Packer hears the President America deserves. He says that we always get the one we deserve, too. That's a disquieting thought no matter where your politics stand, but it puts me in mind of Randy Newman's "A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country":

Now we don’t want your love
And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question
But in times like these
We sure could use a friend

Or maybe I've just had too many bombs.

I have to talk about politics right now, because otherwise I'd have to talk about the bowline I've made of my romantic life. And I don't wanna. Oh, I could talk about movies. I started watching Blindness but something told me to stop. I just got the feeling that I didn't want to see how it played out. Ebert called it "unendurable" and I spoilered myself, so I know I made the right decision. Instead, I watched Miracle At St. Anna, which could have used a lot of editing but overall, was heartbreaking and lovely. Whatever, I am tender.

Now I'm going to read too little into Twitter updates. Oh, did you see the Simpsonized Wire?

Great movie or greatest movie?

I am staying home well from school today. I have a lot of movies to watch! Uh, I also have to get some sleep. Back to movies, I saw The Wrestler and it was wonderful--the last scene made me gasp. I am still rolling Lakeview Terrace around in my head.

I still love this fucking President.

( Read more... )

Skip to 6:18 and let the love wash over you.

Speaking of, I finally got a chance to listen to Fall Out Boy's Folie a Deux all the way through and yay, I really like it. I was mainly putting it off because I was afraid I wouldn't love it like I loved Infinity on High, but I'm really getting into it, especially "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes" and "[Coffee's for Closers]." I guess I'm a sucker for Chicago boys telling me, "Change will come." And then they're telling me:

The man who would be king goes to the
desert to sing war his dad rehearsed
came back with flags on coffins and said
we won, oh, we won

And I remember again he's gone. He's gone.

Sadie, on the other hand, loves "Viva La Vida." I started singing it to her one day* and she was rapt. I sang it to her the other day when she was having a bottle and every time I would sing, she would stop drinking and stare at me. I tested other songs but they didn't have that reaction. I don't know what she likes about it--maybe she's a Crusades nerd. Maybe it's the "whoa oh oh ohhhhh"s. Here is our second favorite version, courtesy of the kids at PS 22 in NYC:



These kids are killing me!

Now I gotta go--my patch of sidewalk ain't gonna stand on itself!

*Me: Shattered windows and the sound of drums...
My mom: *eyebrow raise*
Me: I don't know a lot of kid-appropriate songs.