New People, New Places, New Things. . .

So, we are all in shock and disbelief over John McCain's running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, from Alaska.  As my dad observed, "Why did he pick this bimbo as his running mate?"  Of course, my dad's favorite word of the moment is actually "bimbo".  Of course, we all suspected that McCain was doing his best to court the jilted Hillary Clinton-supporters.  Since the demographic in this group is largely Caucasian women over 50 years, he was wanting to assure some advantage by appealing to them. So, this will make the upcoming campaigning very interesting.  Incidentally, Governor Palin's youngest child also has Down syndrome.  Since many of the children I see in my clinic have Down syndrome, we will see how this factors into voting.  My concern is that parents of children who have Down syndrome may vote for McCain/Palin '08 out of allegiance.  This is not the best choice, when thinking long term for their children.  Republicans are not known for their concern for social programs and supporting all citizens in this country.  Democrats are more likely to channel funding to support education and community programs to benefit all children, especially those who can benefit more.  Now, my boss was commenting on how "unstylish" Governor Palin is, since she wears her hair in a bun and wears glasses.  I mentioned to my boss, "You know, she was apparently a beauty pagent queen".  My boss, who happens to be the lady who wears men's oxfords in various colors and long, khaki skirts in a variety of neutral shades EVERY DAY, replied, "Yeah, but, in Alaska."  Again, my boss is not exactly a fashionista, by any means, so the irony of her criticizing Governor Palin's sense of style is rather hilarious.

So, I was listening to my Launchcast radio while working from home, and I heard some blasts from the past: Ned's Atomic Dustbin, "Grey Cell Green" and Soup Dragons.  It took me back to college, driving around Kansas City in my Oldsmobile with my friends, cruising down Ward Parkway and blasting "Kill Your Television".  I made my first visit to a former SuperSport 24 hour Fitness, that's been downgraded to a Sport gym.  There is actually a "VIP" locker room, that requires a code.  The main difference is that there appears to be granite countertops and pink lockers (vs. rusty blue).  

Songs on Repeat and WTF?????

I cannot get that song by Zack de la Rocha's new project, One Day as a Lion, with Mars Volta drummer, Jon Theodore out of my head.  I love that song, "Wild International", which has been very instrumental for getting me pumped in the morning.  I had to actually look up the lyrics, and I must say, good job, Zack!  These lyrics are powerful and meaningful, which is difficult to find in a song gets radio airplay.  So, I have a tendency to repeat it a few times in the car.  Also, "1,000,000" by Nine Inch Nails gets repeated quite often.  This track makes a great morning pick me up when it's raining outside and I can't get out of my car to go to Starbuck's to get some strong coffee, so I won't mess up my CHI'd hair. 

Now, for the WTF songs:  The Verve, "Love is Noise". . .I do not understand the possibility of this becoming a song.  There are dogs barking, throughout this song!  I guess if Mick Jagger doesn't write your songs for you, they essentially suck.  Some weird song, called "Black and Gold", by Sam Sparro--again, WTF.  This sounds like some bad Seventies nightmare.  This song would be best served on an adult contemporary station, soft rock, or smooth jazz, all of which induce homicidal and suicidal feelings within.  Yes, I did hear on Ryan Seacrest's website, the new track by Chris Cornell with Timbaland.  I love Chris Cornell, and again, WTF?  And, of course, WHY??????  Why, Chris, why???????  If my 14-year-old cousin downloads this song, every ideal I try to represent is compromised.  Chris, please, just put out some more "Euphoria Morning" or get back with Soundgarden.

Lend Me Your Ear. . .

As I am watching Joe Biden accept the vice-presidential nomination, it occurs to me that I will wake up in a few hours. I am realizing that my day will be filled with interesting stories, challenging situations, and emotional turbulence.  In my line of work, as a developmental pediatrician, I get to meet with families after the dreaded realization that their child is not the child they hoped they would raise.  In addition, I have this uncanny ability to ellicit large amounts of personal information from people, whether in my office or anywhere else.

Many times, when I am reviewing paperwork, I have to sift through these novels and sonnets composed by anxious mothers.  They chronicle every strange behavior observed, such as the things they eat, the things they watch on television, the things they do to themselves, their parents, and other kids. . . it is crazy-making.  They write this multivolume epic and do not actually say anything with substance.  But, the best part is when they come to the office.  These kids have mothers who are ready to commit verbal diarrhea in a limited 2-hour time period.  

I try to begin by asking a simple question, "What concerns do you have for your child today?"  However, it is this simple inquiry that opens a flood gate and I drown.  The anxious mothers proceed to complain about every little characteristic that they do not like about their child.  Today, I had a mother basically say, "From the beginning, I knew that something just wasn't right".  Now, how on earth do people know that something is "not right" with a newborn?  Unless they don't eat or don't sleep, it is very difficult to label a newborn as "weird".  I would literally ask this lady a question, and after twenty minutes of talking without taking a breath, she never actually answered the original question.  At that point, I could never actually remember what I asked.  The true victim is not me (even though it seems like it would be), but, actually the poor kid.  I would ask this mother a question such as, "What did your daughter eat as an infant?"  This mother would provide this very lengthy description of her breast milk, the force and velocity of the projectile vomiting, and the exact quantity that would cause the vomiting.  The schedule of the daily diet was another issue.  The child was much more efficient and sadly, much more informative.  Afterwards, I needed to spend twenty minutes on You Tube, watching "Does it Blend?", so my brain could regenerate.

I'm not saying she's a golddigger. . .

Even though it's a mute point, I'm still a little obsessed with the John Edwards-Rielle Hunter affair.  An article in last week's issue of Newsweek by a journalist who developed some strange friendship with Rielle consisted of a very interesting memoir.  The journalist had been covering John Edwards's campaign back in 2004.  He noticed this woman, considered to be attractive, who was hanging around.  Rielle Hunter was making video clips of Senator Edwards, whom she touted as the next "Gandhi".  Now, as an Indian American, I find that offensive.  I lean to the left, however, John Edwards as the next "Mahatma" is a very far cry from plausible.  Maureen Dowd had a wonderful column, with one of my favorite lines, "'You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself.  I have been stripped bare.' Isn't stripping bare how he got into this mess?", in reference to a statement he made in response to the news breaking.  Of course, Hunter recently gave birth to a daughter, claiming her baby daddy was Senator Edwards.  However, one of his campaign aides stepped up to claim the baby daddy role, as he now lives in California in a multimillion dollar home.

As a hard working, accomplished, not-that-unattractive woman with integrity, I am embarrassed by women like Rielle Hunter.  So many like her, who make people think that they are attractive, manipulate men, and eventually, sleep with whomever can catapult their very own starpower.  Of course, we are reading this garbage, and watching it on the news.  Politicians, by nature, are expected to have extramarital affairs.  I don't completely blame the men.  Women can be opportunistic leeches.  My cousin used to label them, "needy bitches".  There is some codependent, yet desirable quality that these women appear to exude, convincing men that they are the ultimate prize.  They sleep with these men quite early in the getting- acquainted process.  Men, as we all know, will basically sleep with anything breathing that has a place to stick it.  Of course, they conveniently forget to take that birth control pill or they don't insist that the guy uses that condom in his Louis Vuitton wallet.  Low and behold, a child is born, a symbol of the gold-digging, opportunist who has no maternal instinct.  They are in the same category as rats, who eventually will cannabalize their own offspring.

Good Times

Aaaaaah!  To have internet access again. . .I never realized how co-dependent I was on my computer.  I have a very unhealthy relationship with my Macbook Pro.  Well, I can finally process my night of pure ecstatic pleasure.  Nine Inch Nails played an amazing set at the Toyota Center in Houston on August 16th.  It was indescribably amazing.  I bought by tickets presale, and these tickets were actually pretty.  They had a nice visual piece, not just the Ticketmaster generic look.  My name was also on the ticket--did a lot for my fragile ego.  I was a few rows from the stage initially.  When NIN came out, initially playing "999,999" and then blasting into "1,000,000", I was completely enthralled to be so close.  Then, the mosh pit caved in upon me, practically suffocating me.  These huge, hairy, sweaty mammoths were all over the place.  The multiplied and descended in full-force upon the front of the stage.  I had to fight them off from all ends, like Mortal Kombat.  Of course, I had to dodge the occasional body surfer, attempting to make a statement, flipping the bird at the security dudes in the front.  Finally, after fighting through these enormous, sweaty, stinky monsters, I made it to the front of the stage, and it was all good from there.  The stage set was stunning, with the screens, lights, and arrangement of the band members.  I was in front of Justin Meldel-Johnsen, the bassist for the band.  Trent Reznor and I had a few moments--we made eye contact. . .especially when he sang the chorus to "Closer".  NIN played for 2 hours, showering fans with a variety of songs spanning the twenty-year career.  This was my first real mosh-pit experience, at the ripe old age of 35 years.  It was the most amazing experience for me.  After my obsessive-compulsive inhibitions slowly dropped, I realized that yes, there were gross guys sweating on me and I was touching people/people were touching me inappropriately.  However, it didn't even matter.  I guess I could summarize the experience in the form of a Mastercard commercial:

1.  The NIN ticket through the fan presale: $55.00

2.  The cheese pizza my friend and I ate before, from Star Pizza: $12.00

3.  The parking in the Toyota Center: $10.00

4.  The watch I lost in the mosh-pit, given to me by one of my crazy cousins, purchased in Germany: $50.00 (I'm guessing 25 euros)

5.  The earring I lost in the mosh-pit: $2.00

6.  The bruise on my arm and my sore left shoulder: don't know, but, my shoulder hurt for a couple of days, I guess I really am getting old.

7.  Being in front of the stage while my favorite band and my ultimate rockstar fantasy boyfriend/husband is bringing my favorite songs to life, and being able to sing along: priceless.

Stuff That I Like

I found 2 hilarious websites as a result of stalling in Barnes and Nobles to avoid getting my perfectly straightened hair wet.  I looked at Stuff White People Like, the book, and I must say, I was laughing aloud.  Not since the Daily Show's book America, did such a strong reaction ensue.  So, I checked out the website, which is hilarious.  Fortunately, I did not waste the $14.00 on the book, as the website is essentially the book.  Of course, curiosity led me to check out potential websites about my peeps, the Desi/Brown people.  There is in fact a "stuff that desi/brown people like" website, which is equally humorous.  However, although I am a Brown chick, I actually liked more of the stuff that white people liked, such as the Apple products, the Toyota Prius, Indie music, music festivals, Whole Foods, and Asian fusion cuisine.  Oh, I cannot forget, Barack Obama (#8, SWPL).  However, the Desi/Brown people website nailed it with the "Niagara Falls" comparison to the American Varanasi, as usually the first place most of our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. from India visit is. . . Niagara Falls.  

New Lows in Television

The E! Channel should really change its name to "The Bimbo" Channel.  It seems as though there is twenty-four hours worth of reality shows featuring various bimbo celebutards.  First, we have the "Girls Next Door", who are the fake-blond, fake- breast-implanted girlfriends of everyone's favorite octogenarian, Hugh Hefner.  Now, to think that these women, who are really old enough to be his granddaughters, are actually sleeping with that is very repulsive.  However, we are plagued with their trials and tribulations of high end shopping, partying in Vegas, and cleaning up the excrement of their various trophy pets.  Then, there are the Kardashian sisters.  Now, I actually wanted to like them, because they are brown girls, also.  They lost their father, and I wanted to empathize.  Yet, I am unable to tolerate more than five minutes at a time of their bitch-fest, where they are fighting, crying, whining, shopping, and talking trashily to their mother.  The best are the two youngest, who are both on their ways to bimbohood.  Lastly, there is the Pamela Anderson train-wreck, "Girl on the Loose".  I think that concept just speaks for itself, as Pamela Anderson is the epitome of the bimbo.  She is the unreachable pedestal of aspiring bimbos.  Let's not forget Denise Richards, although, she was slightly more tolerable, for up to seven minutes.  I really cannot watch E! anymore, as I get this bimbo overload.  I feel like I'm acquiring the bimboness, but, osmosis, from just watching the miniscule amounts of E!, the Bimbo network that I can tolerate.

The White Obsession

Why are we so fascinated with the lives of rich, white people?  Fox News latches on quickly to every white woman or child who is missing.  If a pregnant white lady or young white child is missing, you know that Greta Van Sustern and Geraldo Rivera are all over it like mold on bread.  Their pictures are plaster on every Fox News program, from Papa Bear Bill O'Reilly to Hannity and Colmes.  Currently, Casey Anthony, the mother of the missing 2-year-old, Caylee, is the subject of everyone's fancy.  Why--she is some young, supposedly attractive white chick with circulating photos of her "bumping and grinding" with some stripper-chick at a club after her daughter was missing.  Of course, we can't forget Lacey Peterson, Natalie Holloway, and that crazy Runaway Bride chick, with the psychotically exopthalmic gaze.  What Fox News fails to mention is the large number of missing children/women of other ethnic backgrounds, such as black or Hispanic.  Obviously, in the media's constant race to attract the Borderline to Mildly impaired moral majority, the big stories are always the attractive white people who are missing.  Not that it is not important to be aware of innocent people who are missing--I empathize tremendously with their loved ones.  However, I would love to see the same importance given to the rest of us pigmented folk when we have been kidnapped or runaway.

Held Hostage by Tropical Storm Edouard

So T.S. Edouard came for a visit to Southeast Texas, sliding through Houston also.  Now, he is a little depressed, as he was unable to really cause too much damage.  Nonetheless, my places of work closed for the day, in lieu of possible flooding which could potentially trap employees and patients.  So, basically, I got to sit home and watch it rain--ALL DAY.  However, I learned a few things:  

1.  There is really nothing but crap on television.  

2.  There are way too many stupid people in the world--I learned this from watching the daily Court shows (Judge Mathis, Judge Cristina, and the People's Court).

3.  Sitting around doing nothing can make you really hungry.

4.  Sitting around doing nothing can make you really sleepy.

5.  I can waste a great portion of my life on the computer/internet/etc.

All I really needed to know I learned while watching it rain during Tropical Storm Edouard.  It was quite a life-changing experience.  Now, I have the distinct pleasure of watching Ricky Martin Unplugged.  Nice!  I will never believe any rumors regarding his sexual orientation.  He is just very sensitive.

Wherefore art thou sitting next to me?

One of my pet peeves is overly amorous, obnoxious couples.  They grate under my skin like nails on a chalkboard.  I found a seat by the window in an occupied area of the plane, so I settled myself, took out my magazine, and prepared to read quietly.  Then, they arrive--the newlyweds.  I was really surprised the groom did not carry his new bride over the threshold and through the aisles into their seats.  So there was a lot of touching, caressing, kissing, etc.--thank God for iPods.  They informed the flight attendants that they just got married the day of the flight.  Of course, there was an announcement made on the overhead speaker system, in conjunction with "fasten your seatbelts" and "please stow your tray tables and bring your seat to its upright position".  This announcement prompted fellow passengers to inquire about how the lovebirds met, fell in love, tied the knot, etc.  The bride answered, "We met at a midnight showing of Lord of the Rings and we've been best friends ever since." AWWWW!  She also described how their wedding was inspired by a painting of Napoleon and Josephine, as her husband wore 18th century period clothing complete with puffy shirt and riding boots.  A young boy wearing a puffy shirt on the plane had been a groomsman.  I must admit, it was really sweet and they seemed like a very nice couple, in spite of their annoying coupleness.