Still Here, Congrats, and See You There

It's been two long weeks since I last posted anything and that seems a fair indication of how things have been going for Kim and I. She's very busy with work and trying to find away to remain amicable and affable while working with a new, unqualified, and unprofessional supervisor who is threatened by Kim's ability. That ability, by the way, continues to surprise and delight. Most recently, Kim got her semester grades back from her graduate program and discovered she'd earned "Honors" in all three of her classes. Just so you all understand, an "Honors" is meant to denote work that 'far exceeds expectations and readily surpasses work that would otherwise be deserving of an A.' Wow!

And speaking of academic accomplishments, Rita is currently enjoying her sixth day of being an accomplished college graduate. As proof of her intelligence, she's celebrating by taking a day off of work. And this is a well deserved respite, I should add, as there's only a few months left until Rita begins her graduate career at the auspicious Boston University. Wow (again)!

Other than that, Kim and I have been putting miles on the car by driving to Maine as often as we can. We were up there last weekend and hope to make it back within the coming weeks. Nan's doing well and seems to be as comfortable as anyone could hope. Kim and I won't be "up 'Noth" this weekend, however, because we'll be down in Baltimore watching the Red Sox take on the Orioles. Not only are we thrilled to watch the games, but we're also excited to be there with so many friends and family (in alphabetical order):

Adam (my buddy from high school, also known as "The Commish"),

Amanda (Chad's wife),

Chad (Kim's friend and neighbor from growing up),

Kris (Kim's twin brother),

Kirsten (long time girlfriend of Kris),

and Rita (Adam's wife, recent college graduate, and soon to be "BU Terrier").

Mike (Kim's oldest brother) and Luana almost made it, but Mike had to head out to Colorado at the last minute.

All and all, it should be a wonderful time and I look forward to blogging all about it soon.

Other than that, I found out yesterday that I've been asked to present at a national conference in Houston, Texas, later this year. I should qualify that statement by noting that I'm one of 400 people that have been asked to do so, but it remains a wonderful honor, nonetheless. Anyone out there ever been to Houston? Can you recommend some "must see" tourist attractions, etc.?

Well, that's the "still here" and "congrats." All that's left is the "see you there." Look for more to come following the Baltimore trip! See you there.

Dude!...What?!? (Again)

This is a video of Yves Rossy flying at 180mph by virtue of a single wing, jet-powered device. This is absolutely amazing. Anyone reading this interested in trying it out?

Manny Being the New Manny

For all the complaining people used to do about "Manny being Manny," this play from last night's game was really incredible. Here, Manny makes a great catch only feet from the outfield wall, takes another couple steps to climb the wall, high five's a Red Sox fan while atop the wall, and then returns to the field of play to "double-up" a base runner trying to get back to first.

I don't want to say Manny's the only one that could do something like this, but he's about the only one that would find himself in this position.

Here's the link to the video (which has already been pulled from YouTube because of copyrighting) and some pics from the catch:

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200805142699480

Dude!...What?!?

Just quickly, I want to make it clear I have no problems with Clay Buchholz as a person. I'm even completely over the fact that his last name has two, count 'em...two, consecutive "H's." But I just saw something I never thought I'd see and Buchholz's name was attached to it. Tell me you ever thought you'd see this:

Yes, this does lend itself to every horrible, stereotypical, hyper-masculine joke you can conceive of, but honestly....

And again, I understand that there is a fundamental and practical legitimacy to this, but if Buchholz's value is that he's been doing everything he can to help "the Boys," then what is this all about? And does it mean that in order to continue helping out he needs to get a manicure before games?

Ughhh. Not that I want Buchh picking up habits from Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, but if you're going to have personal beauticians follow you on road trips, let it be someone that's going to be giving you "cornrows" rather than someone who specializes in filing, tissue enamels, and "hang nails."
But, in support of the Boys, I must admit I did do some research into this and found some potential help for Buchholz. Please enjoy, to the extent we can celebrate something like this.

Mother's Day

Kim and I just returned from Maine. On Friday, we were ready to spend a quiet weekend here in Brooklyn, catching our breath, when we got a phone call that her grandmother, Nan, was sick and in the hospital. We were on the road 30 minutes later.

Nan is doing much better now then when we first saw her, but it was a solemn visit in a lot of ways. Being there, however, gave us a real opportunity to enjoy Mother's Day with our family in Maine. The weather was beautiful and nearly as warm as the love in the hospital room. We also had plenty of time to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other's company. Additionally, there was time to interact with, reflect with, and photograph Nan.

Kim and I are both very tired right now (we arrived in Maine at 1:30am on Saturday and left Sunday at 1pm), but had a wonderful time and were glad to be with her family this weekend. Additionally, we're looking forward to getting some time off around Memorial Day, perhaps making another trip up to Maine to check on Nan, and the upcoming trip to Baltimore at the end of May so we can watch the Red Sox with our friends and family.

As you look over the photos, enjoy this intimate look at such a beloved matriarch. The following image has a small sign in the background, "Luiggi's," which marks the restaurant Nan's family started so many years ago. There's another one of Nan with "Abey," a stuffed monkey Kim and I bought her in honor of a long-standing family tradition, and a picture of Nan's hands which seem to tell the story of her entire life. The remaining photos speak for themselves.

Lots of love to all the mom's out there, the children that love them, and the adults that realize they'll always be children...at least in their mother's eyes.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Everything You Need to Know

Kim and I are doing well and getting tantalizingly close to the end of our respective semesters. That, combined with the fact we both got a lot of good work done on our papers today, has us in pretty good spirits. Consequently, I'm happy to share with you two useful pieces of information I found on the Brooklyn Daily Eagle's website. First, here's an update to "Sweet Lily," who I mentioned in my last blog: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=20116. She continues to be doing well and made it to another Poly Prep girls' lacrosse game today. Lily got to dress herself and showed up in a white, zip-up, hooded sweatshirt and a purple dress. For footwear, Lily wore a shiny silver "magic shoe" on her left foot and a "Sleeping Beauty" slipper on her right foot. I guess having greater concerns than fashion allows one more flexibility than is otherwise conventionally exercised.

In other news from the paper, I found out where not-to-stay when visiting Bay Ridge: The Gregory Hotel. Here's a link to their article on the establishment, explaining that they just found their third dead body within the last six months: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=7&id=20178. Regrettably, I recommended this site to the Figuereido's when they came to visit in March. I'll be sure not to make that mistake again and plan on using this as good reason to continue encouraging visitors to stay with Kim and I, rather than spending their money and "taking their chances" elsewhere.

In the meantime, best regards to all and a big congratulations to Adam and Rita who finally found out Rita's been accepted to Boston University's School of Social Work for the upcoming Fall. Yeah!!!

The Sweet Stench of Rejection

I am no good.
I am a dog.
I am...a reject.

But I couldn't be happier.

Let me explain.





Monday, April 21st, the Head Girls Lacrosse Coach at Poly Prep announced the team was going to be the first high school in the country to take part in the "Friends of Jaclyn" organization (www.friendsofjaclyn.org). This group pairs children with brain cancer with girls lacrosse teams that "adopt" the child. Here, "adoption" means the host team serves as "big sisters" to the afflicted child. On Monday, Poly Prep welcomed Lily and her amazing parents (Olivia and Dennis) to our community.
They spoke, along with the founder of Friends of Jaclyn (another Dennis-this one not Lily's father), about Lily's experience with cancer. It was a polite, general conversation that didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable or sad.
It would have been quite impossible to feel sad, though, because of Lily's ebullience. She was a manifestation of the sun: bright, cheerful, radiant, and good for you. She made it clear to all that she loves Snow White, counts pizza as one of her favorite foods, and was excited to be at Poly. Because Lily's only 4 yrs. old, she doesn't understand that her experiences are exceptional, in that they are exceptions to what most people experience most of the time. Therefore, she didn't seem to feel strange or self-conscious about being celebrated by the Poly community. She might even think that everyone has had such an experience.
I won't get into the details much beyond that and, frankly, Olivia, Dennis, Lily, and Dennis don't bother much with them, either; though they're well aware of Lily's circumstance, it doesn't fit Lily's vivaciousness to pay too much attention to medical charts, drug trials, or approaching MRIs when there's a perfectly good playground nearby and lots of new friends to meet.
Hopefully, you now understand why, when I got home Monday night and found my rejection letter from the James Madison Foundation, I wasn't terribly disappointed. I might have been, however, if I hadn't been able to make it to yesterday's lacrosse game (a 15-6 Poly victory) where I took the following pictures:

The Knicks Appreciate Their Fans?

Kim and I went to Madison Square Garden last night to watch the Celtics take on, and beat, the Knicks. I can only begin to tell you what an unbelievable night this was. Please understand that this entire experience is simply inexplicable, but I will try to do my best.

Kim and I started the night by getting a quick bite and having a couple drinks before heading over to MSG. When we arrived and made our way over to the escalators, someone who appeared to work at MSG said to us, "Hey, grab a soda on your way. They're free." Kim and I, feeling somewhat suspicious, grabbed a free 20 oz. bottle of soda apiece after someone who was taking sodas out of the cases they were delivered in restated the earlier gentleman's offer.

Kim and I continued up, up, and away to the top of the Garden. When we got there, another vendor promptly offered us popcorn, Cracker Jacks, Twizzlers, etc., saying again the concessions were free. Kim and I passed and went to our seats.

Only when we entered the arena's interior did we hear something we could not believe. Yesterday night, the final Knicks' home game of the season, was "Fan Appreciation Night." All concessions were free, all night! We could get pizza, hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, candy, soda, water, ice cream bars, etc., all for free, all night long. It was a complete surprise to us and I struggled to comprehend this apparent reality for much of the night. I don't think it helped that, by the end of the game, vendors were trying to get rid of their merchandise by walking through the crowd and throwing free ice cream bars, boxes of popcorn, and other items to whomever wanted the items. It was really something.

As for the game, that was really..."something,"...too. The night started with "Uncle Junior" of the HBO-hit Sopranos singing the National Anthem:

After that, New York Knicks' star David Lee addressed the entire MSG audience to thank them for their support over the season. I wish I had been filming it because it turned out to be more of an apology speech; he said something about, "Sorry the season hasn't been more like what we'd hoped for, but I promise we'll continue working hard so that we might improve our situation in the future." I couldn't believe I was there to witness such a public apology.

But that was not all, folks. The Celtics were introduced to a fairly warm reception (due to the large presence of Celts fans), Isaiah Thomas was more enthusiastically boohed, and then the Knicks were introduced. I have to tell I was very surprised by what I saw next. The Knicks, following their individual introductions, literally took their outermost shirts off and, as the public announcer said, gave the shirts off their back to families that were selected to receive them at halfcourt:

I'm not sure what that was supposed to accomplish, of course, but they did it. I don't know, but Kim and I thought it was so weird.

Anyways, it all continued along. There was the opening tip, the "Juggling Pianist," the "Knicks' City Dancers," and the game. "The Boston Three Party" did not play, but it was still a fun atmosphere, a Celtics' win, and a fun place to spend a Monday night. Overall, the game was outdone by all the strange events, sights, and sounds, but I'd go back again to see whatever it was I saw last night. I don't know what to say about it,...but I doubt I'll soon forget it. Oh, speaking of forgetting, I nearly failed to mention that during a TV-timeout, the Knicks honored a NYC school teacher who found and resuscitated a student in the public school where the teacher worked. Sounds like a feel good story, right? The student was near-death because he'd been stabbed repeatedly by another student with a pair of scissors. Now you understand why I think it's so weird they publicly recognized this at half-court of a Knicks game. The guy deserves the applause, to be sure, but is that the time or place to remind 20,000 sports-enthusiasts of what's wrong with NYC's public schools?

Kris and Kirstin: thanks for the tickets. You guys should have seen it. Unbelievable.

Here are some more highlights:

Sign, Part IV: I just don't have the words

In honor of this fan's devotion, here's a musical tribute to Sox fans. I apologize in advance for this fan's failure to take his ADHD meds. on this day, but enjoy.

Current State of the (Livingstone) Union

Things are going well for Kim and I now that we're through the toughest parts of our respective semesters. Kim has only a few more classes left and, I believe, just one paper and one presentation remaining. Not only does she finish up soon, but she also plans on being able to take the summer off from school. Good for her. She is excited about these items, but also plans on taking a trip to Maine during one of the approaching weekends to help overcome the homesickness, exhaustion, and other stressors she's recently faced.
I, meanwhile, am comforted by the fact that whatever I have left to do, there is at least some finite end in sight. In mid-March, I was busy turning in papers and preparing for my major professional responsibility at Poly Prep: the Ancient Civilizations Festival. I just turned in two lengthy assignments for my graduate class (a 20 pg. assessment of one of my lesson plans and a 27 pg. assessment of one of my evaluations). And presently, I find myself faced with having three more assignments due during these last five weeks of the course. I'm writing this "post" as a break from a 4-6 pg. "critical reflection" of a classroom observation I recently did, will have to turn in one more such paper between now and May 7th, and then have only one other assignment to complete. This last assignment is the major one for the term: an Annotated Course Map. It should include a brief daily lesson plan, weekly syllabi, and a curriculum "map" for a course of my choosing. It can be for either a year-long or semester-long course. That will be an incredible challenge and, I expect, an amazing amount of work.
As I said, though the workload doesn't seem to be getting much easier, I can at least find solace in the fact that I'm done with this grad. class on May 7th and Poly ends on June 13th. As much as I'd like to look to the summer for some rest, I won't know my plans until I hear back about my fellowship application. That won't be until the end of April.
In the meantime, wish Kim and I luck and please understand if I'm hard to reach.

Sign of Eden or Apocalypse? Part III

When I started this segment, "Sign of Eden or Apocalypse," I never would have guessed it would become a running series. But here, faithful Reader, we are. Today there were a confluence of events that aligned themselves at the great conduit: Fenway Park. The three anomalies were, in order: Bill Buckner's heroic return to Fenway, the Detroit Tigers sporting an 0-6 record, and Manny Ramirez nearly scoring an inside-the-park homerun (he scored on a throwing error after hitting a deep triple).

What should we dare expect next?
Here's a link to more info on Buckner's return:http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080408&content_id=2504342&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos&partnered=rss_bos and please note the image (attached to the start of this entry) contains the play-by-play text explaining Manny's way around the bases (in the bottom right corner of the image). Another article, even more poignant and thoughtful, on Buckner's rebirth as a hero is available from ESPN at the following address: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3335928

The Sox went on to win today, beating the Tigers 5-0, but that can in no way compare to warmth of the moment shown in this clip: Bill Buckner's emotional return to Boston (finally).

3 Sox Blast Solo Shots, Beckett's Back (All for Not)

The Sox made a surprise national television appearance today, finishing the series with Toronto on TBS.

The Sox started out strong from the word go. Beckett was nasty through the first three innings, hitting 98 mph with his fastball, and Jacoby Elsbury went ya'd in the 3rd. Things got tough in the bottom of the fourth, however, as Beckett's pitch count went from 45(ish) at the start of the inning to 70 by the end of it. He also gave up a two-run shot to Wells. Luckily, Manny showed a real flash of leather in the bottom of the 4th and 'Tek put one out to straight away centerfield at the top of the 5th to tie things at 2-2.

Unfortunately, the same fatigue the forced two Sox errors early in the game (and Lugo to have four in the game), forced Beckett out after he loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning (see image). On the next pitch, Manny Delcarmen offered Frank Thomas a pinata and Thomas broke the game open, recording his 11th career grand slam.

JD Drew's 7th inning solo shot, his second of the series, was of little consolation at the time, but is hopefully a sign of good things to come as Drew tries to rebound from his first year in Boston.

Today's game brings the Sox's 15,840 mile road trip to an end and will start them on an "off day" that precedes TWENTY consecutive games starting Tuesday. Fortunately, 13 of them will be at home.

Week in Review

Celtics get the nod on this week in review. They quietly claimed the top seed in the East, set the NBA record for biggest turnaround in one season, and are in position to sit the "Big Three" (Garnett, Allen, and Pierce). Well done, boys.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have dropped two in a row to the Blue Jays and sit at 3-3, overall. At least Beckett comes back today. Hopefully, we can take one from the Jays before finally making our way back home (after visiting California, Japan, California, and Canada).

As for me, it was my first week back to school after two weeks off and what a week it was; parents complained about grades (some about failing grades and others about why their child only got an A-); I completed a 20+ page paper for graduate school; Kim had two people die from her work place (in separate incidents); and there are nine (?) more weeks left to the school year. Thank goodness I can somehow measure the time remaining in this hectic part of my life.

There is a lot of good news, though. First, Kim and I have the six year anniversary of our first date coming up (4.9.08). The Red Sox next nationally televised game is coming up on the 12th (Sox at Fenway against the Yanks). Kim and I are going to see the Celtics take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 14th. It looks like next year I'll be teaching both middle school and upper school (which will be great for my resume). Kim's nearly done with her classes for this semester and she's strongly considering taking the summer off. And finally, I just found out this week that I've received an academic scholarship from my grad school. It's only a partial scholarship, but I'm still thrilled to know it'll be that much less I need to borrow and I'm also flattered to be recognized by such an august, erudite institution.

I guess that's all for now, but I hope everyone's well. Look for more pics soon, particulary as Kim and I head out to MSG on the 14th.

Sign of Eden or Apocalypse? Part II

This is almost too spooky to be true. This image, of a hawk attacking a visitor to Fenway Park, happened to a young girl who is eerily similar to a particularly loathed member of the New York Yankees.
ALEXa RODRIGUEZ, whose age is the same as A-ROD's jersey number (13), was attacked during a school field trip to Fenway Park. Alexa, a student at a Connecticut middle school, is reportedly fine, but was rushed to a hospital by ambulance.
Can you believe this?
Consult the following link for more info: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7986154?MSNHPHMA

Sox Win Record Exhibition

Can you imagine? Sox win (not surprising) in front of 115,000 fans.
The league's getting their money's worth out of Red Sox Nation and the cultural phenomenon the organization invokes.

What a Day!

My mom and her friend, Tony, came to visit yesterday. Kim and I met Eric, my older brother, at 10:30am at Penn Station. He was flying solo because, unfortunately, Jenn's been pretty sick lately and couldn't make it out. Mom and Tony arrived around 11:15am. Since they were leaving at 7pm, we had only a matter of hours to enjoy each other's company (we hadn't seen each other since Christmas) and see New York. With what little time we had available, however, we managed to do the following:
1.) Empire Diner for brunch.

Having met at a bustling Penn Station, we thought it best to start by settling down and getting a bite to eat. With that in mind, I'd read about the Empire Diner, a 1950's-style restaurant with a great menu, and we thought to walk to it (22nd St. and 10th Ave.). It was a beautiful day, a nice way to stretch our legs, and a cozy dining experience. The menu was everything we'd hoped for, we beat the rush (you'll note the line extends well out the door), and the food was pretty good. I enjoyed my French Toast (slices of bagget, dipped in Haggen Dazs vanilla, egg, and cinnamon) served with sliced almonds and bananas. I liked Kim's sizebale cheddar and bacon omelette served with "Empire chips," as well. The prices weren't "dirt-cheap," but also weren't considerably more; Kim's omelette was $12 and my dish was $10. I'd go back again, thought the service was great, and really enjoyed the company of friends and family.

2.) Rockefeller Center.
From the diner, we headed up to Rockefeller Center (5th Ave. to 7th Ave. btwn. 47th and 51st Streets). There was a bit of a hurry to make the subway, but that was all part of the fun.

We started by checking out the Plaze, replete with active ice skating rink, before heading up to the Observation Deck.


3.) "Top of the Rock" Observation Deck.
I've spoken about this on earlier blogs ("Top of the Rock" and "Central Park from the Top of the Rock"), but it was just as enjoyable this time. Eric pointed out the Statue of Liberty to Mom, there was the ever-confounding "Concrete Jungle," more Central Park, and time for Mom and Kim to enjoy the view and each other's company.




4.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Balcony Cafe.
After all the walking, trains, etc., Mom was ready for a glass of wine. So, we were off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's cafe. We passed by St. Patrick's Cathedral, and were but a few of many tourists who witnessed the beginning of a wedding, and then continued to the Met.


5.) The "Temple of Dendur" Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Following the refreshments and snacks, we only a matter of hours before the train would be heading back out of town. We hurriedly visited the Temple of Dendur and then went back towards downtown Manhattan.



Kim and my Mom really seemed to enjoy themselves throughout.

6.) Appetizers and drinks at Mustang Sally's before heading back out of town.

Finally, we settled in for another cocktail and some appetizers. It was nice to come together, again, and enjoy good company and good food. This particular sports bar/restaurant has come to be one of our (Kim and I) favorites; it's very close to Madison Square Garden (located on 7th Ave. between 28th and 29th Sts.) , has classic pub food, and cold beer, all at decent prices.

Kicked in the Nuts

These are two of my favorite YouTube videos of all time and now I get to share them with the world. Yes!
Enjoy them both, particularly when the second one gets to 1:28.

Sign of Eden or Apocalypse?

I don't think Tom Hanks as symbologist "Robert Langdon" in The DaVinci Code had the cryptological ability to decipher what this means, but I have to post it becuase I highly doubt Julio Lugo will ever lead Major League Baseball in Batting Average again, ever, again, ever.

LeBron's Vogue Cover

Honestly, who has the time for this? Big news was being made of the fact that LeBron James was going to be the second male (I think) and first black male on the cover of Vogue. Now that the cover's been released, there's new controversy.

The attention now centers around whether or not this is a controversial photograph. Is it depicting LeBron James as "King Kong clutching Fay Wray," thereby promoting black men as bestial? Or does it suggest there's a violent side to LeBron, and black men, regardless of whether or not you think he looks like King Kong? Maybe it's just an image that accurately depicts these two individuals; LeBron is powerful and HUGE while Gisele is a supermodel and, not suprisingly, beautiful. That's exactly what the photo shows, right?
I only mention this becuase I've already spoken to the issue of sensitivity and hyper-sensitivity in "Chelsea's Vitriol" and yes, it did occur to me that perhaps I was being too sensitive and critical about the whole thing. But now here I am wondering if I should be more offended by this Vogue cover. I feel "okay" with it. But should I? or should I be more sensitive?
For more on this, I found Jason Whitlock's article "Am I supposed to be mad about LeBron?" (and quoted it above). It didn't do much for me, but if you're interested, check out: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7955740/Am-I-supposed-to-be-mad-about-LeBron?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002.

Chelsea's Vitriol

What follows is an excerpt from one of Chelsea Clinton's college visits while out on the campaign trail for her mother's presidential bid. According to NBC's Lauren Appelbaum, Chelsea was asked by a (male) student if "...her mother's credibility had been hurt during the Monica Lewinsky scandal...." While I appreciate Chelsea's inclination to protect her family and its privacy, I'm not sure her response is appropriate. Please watch.

Here's the link where you can find the original article I read to discover this event. It offers a brief look at the aftermath.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/25/807581.aspx?GT1=43001

Chelsea's response, which was met with applause by the crowd, seems unappealing because the question is legitimate; does the public view Hillary as strong, or weak, because of her response to the Lewinsky scandal? This will, or at least should, impact what we might expect from voters and inform pundits as to what we might expect as the election continues. The question was also an opportunity for Chelsea to highlight her mother's strength and character, rather than something that can only be perceived as an attack on her family. Of course, it's also ironic that the question was posited to a member of one of America's most public families, but public by their own choice (as mom and dad don't have to pursue public office); this fact makes it more difficult to respect Chelsea playing the right-to-privacy "card."

It's also interesting there's such public support for Chelsea's brusque rebuttal. In case you missed it, one reader comment posted beneath the article was this one:






And again, while I understand the sensitivity that might have prompted such a vitriolic response, I don't think it was appropriate in this particular case. Was the person who asked the question a "worm," for example, that deserved to be "put...in his place" or "shut...up?" I don't think so.

But we can hardly be surprised. Not only did Chelsea receive public support at the time of the incident and through online supporters such as I've exemplified above, but there are a lot of people that agree with her remark. My concern is that what's prompted her response and much of the public's support is this country's general aversion to asking difficult questions. There are reports, for example, that only 30% of eligible voters discuss politics. And we all know why this is; we consider it rude to talk about religion and politics because, as the saying goes, "You never know who you're gonna offend." So how can we act appropriately if we're isolated in the thoughts and thinking leading up to that action. I mean, the question that prompted Chelsea's response was, basically: Is your mother a strong person and strong enough to be president? Again, connotation certainly got in the way of more clearly perceiving the question as it might have been intended, but can we be so sure the inquisitor is a "worm?" And if they are, is it because of the question or the fact that it was about politics?