Hey Yankee fans? You like apples? How do you like these apples? (With thanks to Phil West.) I thought I'd feel at least a twinge of sympathy for the Yankees, as I always do for the losing team in big games, but seeing A-Rod pick his nose while watching the Red Sox celebrate their improbably lopsided victory kept the feeling at bay. Fuck 'em! Appropriate that their two big free agent pitchers - Brown and Vazquez - blew it for them in the end. At some point, no matter how much money you have, you run out of things to…

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The Kerry Compromise

Life is all about knowing when to compromise and I think I've found mine w/r/t my vote for President thanks to a timely email from Dan Cantor of the fledgling Working Families Party here in New York: In New York, the WFP’s main goals are to get a solid vote for Kerry-Edwards on our line (Row E), and to help our priority candidates win. We ask your help in both. In the Presidential [election], votes for Kerry-Edwards on Row E/WFP are worth JUST AS MUCH as a vote on the Democratic line, but carry an extra message. Long-time WFP voters…

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Cheering for the underdog is an underappreciated passion. It's easy to cheer for the favorite, to expect victory, and be disappointed but not diminished in defeat. Easy, but ultimately boring, if you ask me. There's something special about defying inevitability, though. Even the possibility of that kind of defiance gets me juiced. As a Mets and Jets (and XFL!) fan, I know all too much about being the perennial underdog and the inevitability of defeat. If the Yankees lose to the Red Sox, their fans can justifiably look forward to next year. Like they did last year when they lost…

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Christmas came early for the Gonzalez kids this weekend as family and friends came through with toys o'plenty. So much so, I had to do some pruning of their existing stash lest they overrun anymore of the apartment. Annoying noise-making toys and a bagful of stuffed animals were the primary victims of the purge. Only two Elmos remain: the bi-lingual plush and the "Mr. Potato Head" knock-off. Reluctant as I am to credit anyone with giving the "best" gift, especially in this case, I have to admit that Isaac's Clap & Laugh Microphone Set ranks in the Top 5 ever.…

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Late-Friday Randomness... Assuming this cold we're all fighting doesn't ruin things, tomorrow's birthday party for the kids should be fun. We're expecting 12 kids altogether, the most by far to be in our place at one time. Never mind the 20 or so adults accompanying them! Isaac was sick as a dog for his first birthday party and he and India have both been coughing with runny noses for the past few days. They're two handfuls normally, and sick kids become cranky kids, so this morning was a nightmare getting them out of the house without Salomé. Plus, I feel…

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It's one thing to believe Kerry is the right choice for President, but it's a whole 'nother ballgame to see him as the lesser of two evils and vote for him anyway. Back in 2000, I recognized Bush for the hand puppet that he was/is and was adamantly against the idea that Gore was the lesser of two evils, villifying anyone that supported Nader instead or simply didn't bother to vote when they knew they were in a swing state. Gore ran a terrible campaign, much worse than Kerry's, underestimating both Bush and his level of support (and, in retrospect,…

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It's distractions like this that led to a knucklehead like John Kerry getting the Democratic nod to face-off against Bush in what should by all rights be a turkey shoot of an election. Assuming turkey shoot means the same thing as shooting fish in a barrel, of course. I couldn't care less if Bush was wired up for the debate or not and dwelling on it serves no purpose at all. If he was wired, it simply confirms him as the know-nothing dimwit most Democrats believe he is, aka the same dimwit they derided in 2000 that beat them. BUT,…

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