I added a new button to my sidebar yesterday–for Rhinebeck. I’m definitely going, and I’m dragging along my best-friend/non-knitting mother, with the promise that she’ll get to meet some very nice bloggers. So we knit-bloggers really need to arrange some sort of meeting place on Saturday, say around 1:00. I want faces to go with all of these names, and, you don’t want me to have lied to my mother, do you?

And let’s not forget this gem–a new book from Stephanie! (And, is it wrong of me to wish another book-tour on her that would bring her to Rhinebeck on October 15th?)

Incidentally, I bet you didn’t know that I’m a rebel.

I wore white shoes today. The Day after Labor Day.

I know, they say the rule is dead, but there are still die-hards out there, and I figure I was risking people throwing red dye on my shoes or something, if I offended anyone by my carefree, taking-a risk wearing of white.

We made it home safely, though, you’ll be pleased to know.

In the “new to me” category–I finally got to see the Medium pilot episode last night. I started watching last season about the third episode, and missed when the repeated the pilot at the beginning of the summer–I was afraid I’d never see it, but to my relief, they aired it last night, so now I understand why Alison likes that crusty Texas Ranger so much, and will better be able to appreciate the season finale repeat next week. Phew!

Here’s an interesting site: a News Consumption Meter. We people really do like our headlines! Or, how about this wonderful open letter to the country from the residents of South Louisiana? Or this “Why do people live there?” map. How about this very amusing “Most Clueless Man” post?

Today’s Katrina Aid link du jour: The all-new Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. I read somebody today who commented that the world must be coming to an end for those two to get together on anything, but the friendship between Former Pres. Bush and Pres. Clinton is actually fairly long-standing. Or at least, the respect the two have for each other is. When Mom and I had a chance to hear Bill Clinton speak in April, one of the things he said was that there is a danger in demonizing your political opponent, that just because you disagree doesn’t mean you can’t work together. And anyway, I tend to think that the things that bring us together (like, yes, this Katrina tragedy) are stronger than the things that pull us apart.

[Soapbox Alert] I think that the government–all levels–failed the people in New Orleans (well, the other hard-hit areas, too, but especially the city of NOLA), but I don’t think that the President or the govenors or the mayors did anything less than their best to try to help–it just wasn’t good enough. It’s one thing to point fingers and assign guilt once the people have been taken care of, but smug though I often find our President, I think he’s a well-meaning human being like most of the rest of us, and wouldn’t have let it happened if he could have stopped it. Nor could his father. Or Bill Clinton. Or Ronald Reagan. I can’t think of a recent President of any party that I believe could have handled a catastrophic disaster of this magnitude, that hit with this speed, with no infrastructure, and almost no communications . . . Washington, maybe, or Lincoln. Either of the Roosevelts. But really, could Jimmy Carter have managed this? Gerald Ford? Johnson? Eisenhower? Kennedy? Or how about John Kerry? Doesn’t matter where you are on the political spectrum, this was just a disaster, plain and simple, and one which was handled very badly indeed–not through uncaring, not through ill-intent, but just through human incompetence. It’s just a crime that so many people had to die because of it.

Okay . . . I’m really sorry. I’ll really try not to get this political again! I’m a registered Independent and can usually see both the Left and Right spectrum from where I sit and am pretty mellow on most issues. I’ve just been reading a lot of really angry (justifiably angry) commentary blaming the current administration for not caring. I believe that they do care (whether they were shoe-shopping or on vacation or not), they just did a bad job at a really bad time. But if a hurricane this size had come along at any other time, under any other adminstration, would we really have been able to handle it better? I’m just saying . . . trying to be a voice of reason. (Dangerous, I know, but !)

So, to temper that semi-political rant, here’s an encouraging article about Mardi Gras, and the prediction (which I happen to agree with) that come Mardi Gras in February, there will be some kind of celebrating going on in New Orleans.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning // 6 Comments »