Friday morning random

stannex points out today's Writer's Almanac, which includes a poem that has long been a favorite of mine, "The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered" by Clive James. Writers, go read it. You will smile with recognition. It's brilliant.

My two cents on last night's VP debate: I watched the first half hour of the debate in real time, and then watched the rest online this morning. My conclusion: Sarah Palin proved herself to be a well-trained parrot, a student who studied and felt good about her performance. But she also came across--to me--as a mother reading lessons to children. Her tone, her word choice: It was a packaged performance, complete with "yer darn right" and "bless their hearts" thrown in to add a folksy touch. Her tone was intentionally modulated to sound familiar and intimate, which I found condescending and disingenuous. I did a double-take when she winked at the camera. No, she didn't crash and burn, but she didn't demonstrate any sort of originality of thought or real understanding of the issues. She stuck to the script she was given. I no longer think she's a joke. If these people get elected, it's going to be a disaster.

Today--because it really is an autumn day in Seattle (i.e., gray and rainy)--is for getting things done around the house: laundry, vacuuming, tidying up and some writing. Tonight, I've got theater tickets. And at some point in the next few days, I want to get over to the Frye for their exhibit, "Napoleon on the Nile".

The health of the household

Quick report on the health of those here at Chez scarlettina:

Me: The results of Monday's MRI show that while the tissue around my shoulder looks a little ragged, the rotater cuff isn't torn. Prescription: Physical therapy.

Merlin: His weight has stabilized, his blood pressure is down--both good things. Now, he's suffering a little iron deficiency, so I'll be adding iron supplements to his daily dosing.

Spanky: My younger cat continues to be fat and cranky. But the cuddles make the crankiness tolerable.