grrr, argh & c'mon boys!

my brackets fell apart between the hours of 2 and 6 yesterday - it was lovely. i had actually been doing okay until sunday, but all number one seeds in the final four, who woulda thunk it? certainly not me. whatevs.

and the yankees home opener is tonight - the final one at the grand stadium. soo wish i could be there, but i think this thing has been sold out forever. still, it's an ugly-ish day in the city today, so maybe it's okay. it'll be interesting to see things under girardi, but i'm sure the boys will still be the boys. go yanks!

rewiiiind...

do you think the dems ever wish they could just turn back the clock? the unending drama between obama and clinton must be frustrating the party. while i do think it's great that voters in more states are excited by the process (see record turnout in pa), i do wonder if the party will somehow cannibalize itself. you have to wonder if at some high office in the dnc, they aren't wondering, please, why couldn't we have just chosen a likeable white guy? i mean seriously, this one should be in the bag - if you take the question of, is your life better today than 8 years ago and look at gas prices, food prices, credit levels, real estates woes, the strength of the dollar... just so many things, it really should be difficult for the dems to lose this one. but now, the latest polls are showing that mccain would beat both obama and clinton. that could be because dems are truly split now and will overwhelming vote down party lines in the end, but it is scary to think of the head start that mccain is getting. all i know is that dems truly find a way to screw themselves over every time.

5 years +

i've given a lot of thought to what it means that today is the 5th anniversary of the start of the invasion of iraq. i don't know if "staying the course" will be the best or worst decision 50 or even 100 years from now. when i think back to where i was five years ago - reporting in missouri - it hits me how long ago that really was. we knew the first strike was coming, we just didn't know exactly when. i can still remember standing in the newsroom and seeing the story break - green and black video, with occasional bright flashes - across every tv screen. my producer sent our team to the local mosque to capture reaction from the local imam and other members. i don't know if any were iraqi, obviously, all were muslim. i recall thinking, this is it, we've taken a turn we can't easily reverse from - it was a little surreal actually. my entire journalism "career" has been with the backdrop of war, and that is a scary thought, because sometimes i feel like this is all old hat. but i saw this piece in a ap article last week, and to be honest, it has stayed with me for days now - it so clearly highlights how not-common it all is. it talks about the civilian death toll in iraq:

At the height of unrest from November 2006 to August 2007, on average approximately 65 Iraqis died each day as a result of violence. As conditions improved, the daily death toll steadily declined. It reached its lowest point in more than two years on January 2008, when on average 20 Iraqis died each day. Those numbers have since jumped. In February, approximately 26 Iraqis died each day as a result of violence, and so far in March, that number is up to 39 daily. These figures reflect the months in which people were found, and not necessarily -- in the case of mass graves -- the months in which they were killed.

the low point was 20 iraqis each day - it is an entire generation of people, many of them men in their 20's, that are being killed. not to mention how many u.s. and coalition troops have been killed and don't get me started on the veterans that are coming home to a despicably-damaged VA system. what are we doing to our world? i don't support the immediate withdrawal of american troops, i think that leaves iraq more vulnerable than ever. but can we afford to continue - morally, monetarily, and mentally - at this rate? sometimes i wish we could turn back the clock, maybe i would never have had to see muslims of all types flock to that missouri mosque to pray for the days & events to come. maybe i would never have had to ask the imam what he thinks this means for muslims around the world. maybe i wouldn't have had to hear him say that this will greatly damage the relationship and trust other countries will have in us. but, this is 2008 and turning back the clock isn't possible. what is possible is learning from the past five years and hoping that whatever policy we pursue in the future will take into account the lasting consequences of those decisions.

can he survive?

the spitzer story has literally gobsmacked the city and state. everyone seems so shocked by it, and i don't think it's that he got into trouble, it's that it's a prostitution situation - tawdry rather than "steamroller". i have to admit, i'm disappointed by it, but am starting to feel for his family and even him - the state of their marriage, details about the hookup, etc being discussed 24/7 in news is unappetizing. and of course, everyone has a witty or judgemental comment to make about it - but let's face it, he's not the first guy, or even politician, to do this, and he certainly wont be the last. i don't know if i sound like i'm defending him, because i'm not, but at the end of the day, this is just plain sad. still, a lot of bad decisions were made, and i wonder where this is all headed... if he chooses not to resign, most likely, state officials in albany will decide to start impeachment proceedings. it made me think, if clinton could survive the process, could spitzer? i mean, obviously, removing the prez carries a lot more weight than the ny guv, but still, how far would this actually go? he's made a lot of enemies and in an election year, this is huge - but it is also a tremendous time-sucker. i guess we'll have to just wait and see..

bollywhat?

i watch indian entertainment shows every saturday morning. and bless my roommate for appearing at least somewhat interested/tolerant of them, cuz sometimes, it's truly hilarious to explain what is going on the screen. whether it's barely dressed women attempting to dance or questionably dressed men trying to stay on the beat, it's always hilarious to see it from an outsider's pov. today, a great song from the 60's was on and i found myself explaining one of my favorite oldies to her, and though the movie is wonderful, it sounded absolutely ridiculous. still, i've been on a total hindi movie binge these past few weeks, and i think i always will be!

thank you, yahoo email

i opened up my yahoo email acct today to what i thought would be an annoying macy's ad... instead this is how i greeted the day. well, hello and good morning to you too.


(i know, slighty x-rated for me, but just too funny to resist, knowing my ridiculous crush on him...)

rain on my air conditioner

i have a window unit, so that means, on a rainy night like last night, full, fat drops of rain can sound like pellets when they bounce off the metal top - which means lovely sleepless or fitful nights. which also means lovely or odd dreams. weird, yet fun.