Oh No We Didn't v Yes We Can

What can an ardent liberal like me say about the Bush years? What could I say that wasn't said by Frank Rich in his over-the-top story of Bush's time in the White House? The Greatest Story Ever Sold is just what every ardent Dem thinks about those years. In other words, this book is just a tad biased, way snarky and a delight to read. Just remember that there might be another side. Maybe. Nobody is spared. Actually, nobody is spared. So the Dems aren't portrayed as perfect paragons either. Kind of deer caught in headlight simpletons. I could go along with that because there is no excuse for letting those eight years happen.

Rich was a one-time theater critic for the New York Times. I'm glad he decided to try his hand at political reporting.

Richard Wolffe was given complete access to Obama during the 2000 election so he could write this book. Of course, they didn't know the outcome all along, but Obama and his folks knew that this was historical stuff, even if he lost. Renegade is what the Secret Service called the candidate. Sounds kind of Mavericky to me. Which is pretty odd because Obama is just a middle-of-the-road lawyer/project manager who wants to manage the project of uprighting a collapsed country.

Reminds me of a news story I read about a bunch of Republicans meeting to try to figure out what their thoughts were on foreign policy. Kind of developing an alternative to the White House, which is a good thing for them to do. Too much criticizing without giving alternatives whenever someone else is in control. True of both sides. Anyway, they are having their discussion and criticize the Dems as being "do-gooders." I hear that all the time. But this time I stopped and wondered what the alternative is to being a do-gooder. Think about it. Bad doer? Evil doers? Hoodlums? Selfish bastards? What does it say about you if you sneer at doing good?

So this is a book about a heavy-weight do-gooder, trying to repair the damage done to America. :) I think Wolffe would object, because he tried to be even-handed.

These are both really good books. I can't think of one of my Republican friends who would agree. That's okay. I'm not going to read any of Anne Coulter or Glenn Beck's books either. It just hurt my fingers to type their names.

Thinking of India

There a lots of Indian restaurants and stores in Arlington. Sadly for Eric, I'm not crazy about Indian food. There is one spice that I don't care for. Wish I knew what it is. One of the stores has a display of wall hangings made of old saris. At least, the ones that are sold in Bangalore are supposed to be made from old saris. They are stunning. I still think how much I would like one, but then, they are expensive and I don't really have a home to hang it.

Poor Cindy had to listen to me mooning over how lovely all the saris were and how beautiful all the women were in India. You've all heard that before. The clothing was vibrant. One woman at IBM was always dressed in fabulous saris and pant outfits. I can never remember what those are called, even though I had one made for me. Sowmya has an excellent eye for fabric. So, she was on my mind after spying the wall hanging in the Indian store.

Who should write just a couple of days later? Sowmya. She is doing well at IBM. They take good care of the good people who work for them. Even if someone, like tribune, decides to end their contract with IBM, the employees need not worry. A new spot is found for them. Lovely. We didn't have a lot of time to chat or I would have asked her about her now old marriage. She was married a couple of months after I left Bangalore. This means they have celebrated their second anniversary. If she is like Teena, that means a big party with the family. I'm sure she looked stunning for the party.

August!

This is what happens when you work all but two days in a month. I know, most of you work every day in a month. How do you do it? I've enjoyed every day. One of the assignments was with a super guy. He's a VP and a retired Lieutenant General, fought in the Viet Nam war. We had a great discussion about that, as you can imagine. We were the opposite on every issue, but we got along famously. The rest of the time was with my regular Senior VP who has a doctorate in Electrical Engineering. I get along with those kind of guys too. He is a lot like Eric in his general demeanor. But he talks a lot more, in meetings and on the phone. We don't talk that much to each other. Who knows what he did when we were both young. I know that now he dyes his hair, marries a lot and is easy to work for. I guess that's enough.

The garden has been riotous. These are the dahlias that Cindy picked up at the farmer's market. They took forever to bloom. That honking big flower on the bottom of this picture was a bud for weeks. Who knows what inspired it to pop out. But now it has a lot of friends on that very sturdy bush.

So much to write about. But I was telling Cindy that I thought I'd try to write something every day instead of once a month. You will have to wait to read about how to mend a broken heart, about visitors from California and the hundreds of books I've been reading. I don't go back to work until August 14. I'm pretty sure I have 12 more thoughts to catch up on.

July

Oh, it has been way too long. First, here is the updated flower album. Now we've added herbs and vegetables. I am using basil almost every day that I cook. The tomatoes are another matter. We planted them a little late, but we have over a dozen plants. When the weather warms up (oh no!) we should have hundreds. It's always fun to watch them grow.

I've been working for the nicest man. Not that Gary isn't nice, because he is. Bob is retired Army and a lovely gentleman. Gary is an engineer. You know how they are. :) I have a week and a day left. Hopefully the fact that we work so well together will generate more work in the future; if not with him, maybe one of his other VP friends.

I've been reading some lightweight stuff lately.

Pet Sounds was free from Audible for subscribers. Loved it. Jim Fusilli is a mystery writer AND a lover of the Beach Boys. It's a pleasure to read his explanation of why he loves this group.

Okay, can't keep my hands of Lee Child. In Gone Tomorrow, Reacher stops a terrorist on a subway. Or does he? Liked it. Typical Reacher, but that's not horrible. And the brutality level is lower than other recent books.

I've been reading that Ridley Pearson is a good writer. I don't think I've read anything of his before. His stories take place in Seattle. Maureen, if you are out there, are you reading these from your Seattle suburb? Since she likes mysteries as much as I do, she probably has. Middle of Nowhere does not take place in the Middle of Nowhere. I think I missed something there, but I did like the book. I'll read more Pearson books in the future.

Audible has a feature that is about good first mysteries as recommended by established mystery writers. That's how I came upon The Baker Street Letters. OK. Makes me wonder about the person who recommended it. Being kind to a middlin' book.

Finally, Audible or Amazon had a list of books that someone loved. Now I can't remember who that someone was. Promises I Made My Mother was on the list. Sam Haskell is a Southern gentleman and former Executive Vice President and Worldwide Head of Television for the William Morris Agency. He's a nice guy in a not nice industry. He reads the book he wrote about how to be a decent person. The only interesting thing about this book is that that fact makes him unusual. Could not recommend this less, unless you have difficulty remembering how to behave yourself.