It’s 1 AM, and I leave tomorrow for eighteen days without the husband. I am going on a trip with seven women, ages ranging in 49 years.

All day today I ran errands but I forgot to get plastic bags! The most important thing.

I wish I had more time to blog about the SC democratic primary, the FL primaries, Giuliani dropping out, Edwards dropping out, and all the endorsements for Obama.  All I have to say is I will be eagerly anticipating the news I can get about Super Tuesday from my husband via email while I’m away.

May update briefly tomorrow…maybe. But if not, see you on the other side!

- Ms. Rose

To tide you over in the meantime, here is a picture of Andy who was probably thinking “why are all these silly human things near my sleeping spot!”

These past few days have been very busy hence the little blogging. My parents were in town, so we spent a lot of time with them. On Friday night, we attempted to introduce my mother’s puppy Lily and one of the cats. That didn’t work out so well. It involved barking and hissing and a quick separation.

On Saturday, my husband and I headed to the Natural History Museum because I really wanted to see the H2O exhibit. Well, we stood in a line to only learn that it was sold old. I had NO idea that you had to buy separate tickets for it.

Our conversation with the ticket seller:

Him: its sold out.

Husband: well, can we buy tickets for tomorrow?

Him: Um, you have to buy it on the computer. I can’t sell you advance tickets.
Husband: So we have to go home to buy tickets.

Him: On a computer.

Our cat Andy checking out the H2O exhibit website.

Yeah…so we went and stood in another line to buy tickets to see a movie at the planetarium but it was $44.00 for both of us to see to watch a half hour movie. This is why I get easily frustrated in NYC–everything is so expensive.So we decided not to do that and go to the New York Historical Society down the street which was so much less hassle. Both of our tickets were $10 to see all of the exhibits. There was a very emotional exhibit about September 11th which contained pictures from that day. After that we went to view some of their permanent collection which they have arranged in a unique way.

A description of the Luce Center:

Innovative in its design, the Luce Center safely houses and makes accessible more than 40,000 objects - representing museum collections amassed over 200 years - previously in offsite storage. Paintings, sculpture, furniture, tools for home and trade, Tiffany lamps, textiles, metals, ceramics and glass are displayed in visible storage, offering a unique behind-the-scenes museum experience for the visitor. via

I had a lot of fun telling my husband about my days researching in the archives while we walked through the collection. However, toward the end we saw a little boy climbing a carriage that was an official part of the exhibit. At first, we assumed his parents would come up and stop him. But they came up and encouraged him to climb ALL OVER it. I was shocked, as it was obviously “hands off” and kept behind a display rope. Finally, I decided to find a security guard and tell him, as I could not stand by and watch a piece of history be possibly destroyed.

Saturday evening, we went to a wedding of my old childhood friend. It was a beautiful traditional Jewish wedding. The ceremony and reception were very classy and elegantly understated. And there was even a choreographed dance number! The wedding made me think a lot about people I have lost touch with over the years as well as a chance to reflect upon my own marriage.

Sunday, we hung around the house, and we went to see No Country for Old Men which I really liked until the very end. I hate it when movies have no ounce of closure what so ever. Of course, I watched some of the South Carolina primary coverage but I’ll write about that later.

-Ms. Rose

Hinckley, a grandson of Mormon pioneers, was president for nearly 13 years. He took over as president and prophet on March 12, 1995, and oversaw one of the greatest periods of expansion in church history. The number of temples worldwide more than doubled, from 49 to more than 120 and church membership grew from about 9 million to about 13 million. via

I hate to report on celebrity death but this deserved a post:

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., are trying to find out where the 28-year-old actor’s funeral will be held and have already made signs to hold outside the Oscars that read “God Hates Fags and Fag Enablers,” “Heath in Hell” and “Mourn for Your Sins,” Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the church’s controversial founder Pastor Fred Phelps, told ABCNEWS.com.  via

This article on the fox news homepage is priceless.
(Don’t ask why I was on foxnews. I just was.)

Sylvester Stallone made a positive statement about McCain.  The statement was enough for McCain to feel vindicated and threaten Huckabee’s Chuck Norris support:

Campaigning later in West Palm Beach, McCain told reporters, jokingly: “Look out Chuck Norris, Sylvester’s comin’ after you. He’s comin’ after you and he’s going to get you. You better run! Chuck, you can run but you can’t hide!”

Wow, this is excellent press as the latest Rambo movie is about to open.  I also like the way they are quick to turn Stallone’s comment into an actual endorsement.  Usually, one has to say “I unequivocally support or endorse black” to count as a true endorsement. Stallone’s statement seems wishy washy, and it coincidentally drums up press!

I like McCain a lot,” Stallone said in an interview that aired Thursday. “Things may change along the way…

Clearly, Chuck better hide!?!?!?

To commemorate thirty-fifth anniversary of Roe V. Wade, it’s Blog For Choice Day!

This year’s theme is why it’s important to vote pro-choice…

Why I vote pro-choice:

• To ensure that we maintain the legacy of American feminism started by women before and after Seneca Falls by allowing women to have complete freedom over their bodies.
• To ensure women have complete access to health care which includes reproductive rights.
• To ensure that there is comprehensive sex education available to women of all backgrounds, ages, races and socioeconomic stations.
• To ensure that women and men know what options are available to them.
• To ensure that Roe V. Wade is upheld by congress and the government.
• To ensure that Roe V. Wade decision is respected by the government.

These are just some of the many reasons, I support and vote pro-choice.

- Ms. Rose

So by now, everyone (I hope) knows that Clinton won Nevada, Romney won Nevada and McCain won South Carolina.  I watched some of the Nevada democratic caucusing and it looked like the people there were having a lot of fun doing it.  I still kick myself for not going up to New Hampshire for the primary just to see what its like.

My thoughts on this weekend’s elections are, it looks like Clinton is a lot more than just a “come back kid” or a crying woman. Looks like she has something real but South Carolina is going to reveal a lot before we get to Super Tuesday. Romney’s win makes him a LOT more viable. But he has now won in three places where he was favored: Michigan where he is from and Wyoming (yes remember that?) and Nevada which has a large Mormon population.  McCain’s victory makes him also very viable and Huckabee less and less so.  What was with Chuck Norris talking about how old McCain is. I am not a McCain supporter but don’t see how an ex super hero has anything to do with age of a candidate.

And now I’m watching the debate in South Carolina and can’t believe all of the fighting! The Nevada debate was a lot more  civilized and productive. I wanted to use this weekend and debate to help me make my decision but tonight is turning me off from all of them.  I’m going to send in my ballot tomorrow though so hopefully it will get better.

Sidenote, Obama has been pretty funny tonight especially when asked if he though President Clinton was the first black president. And also his commentary about how Edwards wanted the votes of white men…hilarious. It will be nice to have someone in the White House with a real sense of humor.

tomorrow is Blog for Choice 2008! Yeah!

The 2008 US presidential race could, for the first time in history, turn out to be a contest between nominees who belong to the minority segments of the American population, whether by gender, race or religious denomination. On the Democratic side, the contest for nomination is between the Afro-American Barack Obama and the first woman to win a presidential primary, Hillary Clinton. On the Republican side, the leader in terms of delegates is Mitt Romney who subscribes to the Mormon denomination of Christianity. via

With the writer’s strike going on, I find myself perusing the “other” channels aka MTV, VH1, and all the learning/how to channels. While I watched an America’s Next Top Model marathon, I kept seeing ads for Scott Baio is 46 and pregnant, My Fair Brady, and Rock of Love Two. My husband was the one who commented “Why are all of these shows demeaning toward women?” That got me thinking.

One of the commercials for these programs shows Scott Baio, Chris Knight and Bret Michael’s watching the other television shows usually commenting on the women featured in the shows. It occurred to me, all of these shows have the exact same theme, washed up 70s or 80 child star/rock star/ teen heart throb who can’t deal with commitment. These shows basically poke fun at all of the men but despite their flaws, wanabe machismo, and standard chauvinism, they all still get to go home with the “hot babe” of their choice.

Ironically enough these shows is built around the premise that each of these men needs to grow up. Bret Michaels is doing it by trying to find his soulmate by having women compete with each other through sexed up activities like pole dancing. Scott Baio has to settle down with his ex playmate pregnant fiancee. And Chris Knight gets Adrienne Curry, the first ANTM winner, as his wife. In past episodes of My Fair Brady, Knight usually cuts Curry down in a verbal way by commenting on her behavior and intelligence level.

This is an interesting approach from VH1 that has usually considered itself the more mature of the music networks (when they actually played music videos.) But now it has reduced itself to a mere freak show of hasbeens and reality TV stars. Obviously, it has been this way for awhile but its odd that three of its newest shows feature the same sexist storyline. Man wins hot girl(s) despite their own downfalls, hot girl compromises for guy once he refuses or fails to compromise for her…the end.

Its bad when I Love New York looks like feminist programming, but I won’t ever go that far!