sweetheart-mine

i think it's partly a double standard and partly the fact that it happened long ago and therefore doesn't seem real to people. there may also be an element of p.c. thinking -- no criticizing the former p.o.w.

i like watching the figure skating in winter when you just feel sick because you know she's going to fall. no, seriously, not that part. ice dancing is where it's at. a russian couple won the gold sometime in the '90s and one of their dances was about the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. i've tried to find a video of it and had no luck. any ideas? the skiers are great to watch. they're so gutsy -- i get humbled with admiration.

it is kind of surprising that neither ny team has welcomed him with open arms before this, especially in 2003 when the sox placed him on waivers of all things. (back then $20 million was a lot more than it is now, eh?) i think he'd be a good fit there in many ways. his high profile in boston eventually wore on him, so i do wonder if the same thing or worse would happen in new york -- but maybe not, maybe even because it's bigger, and also his contract wouldn't be as long. if the mets get him, you will have a good time!

actually, i'd say i have some bit of an idea, having watched him for 7.5 years and paid attention during the last three trade deadlines and the off-seasons. i haven't said i know it all, far from it. but i think i've seen, heard, and learned enough in all that time to have a valid opinion. of course he has some legitimate gripes. you can say that about anyone on the planet; most people do have them when they work or live with other people. he may have 50 legitimate gripes about his time with the red sox, but the pay he earned and the lenience given him still stand, and they were very

yes. manny knows he helped win two world series, and so did i, though it was kind of nice of you to tell me. how good? he made $20 million a year for 8 years. he's a casual, fun-loving character and a very great slugger, and i love him for all of that. but you can't tell me that he didn't get away with all kinds of lateness, sloughing off, and countless other antics that no one else on the team would get away with (or even try). you don't think that kind of pay and freedom was good treatment? i see torre's at him again about his hair. we've all been aware for some time (a few

apparently manny has no idea how good he had it in boston. too bad.

excellent point.

yah, that must be it.

QUOTE John McCain Congress 26 Years ......... Military 22 years Barrack Obama Congress 143 days ....... Military 0 wow, that's better than i thought! thanks. i'll take obama.

you could just forget about it and instead stop at the ocean, drill a little hole in its floor, and grab some oil for yourself. what has to be done with it from there, i have no idea.

what outside force would that be? this doesn't make sense to me. for example, sbs won a grammy nomination, yet read this thread; it seems a lot of people still don't like it, and another good amount like or love it. people are very capable of thinking about music and making their own personal decisions about what they like and what they don't like. music is subjective, and i see nothing sad about people's tastes, whether millions of other people share it or one person shares it or no one at all.

summer olympics bore me to tears. winter olympics have me riveted. i have no idea why. it's not like i'm attached to snow and ice or anything.

right on, i couldn't agree more.

somehow i missed that part of the springsteen era. don't know what i was doing. but it probably wasn't good! i completely forgot about the bicentennial. no doubt the flag made a big comeback for that. the only thing i remember about the bicentennial was the arrival of the tall ships in boston harbor. so exciting -- it's all i could think about before and after -- the ships themselves were so gorgeous and ethereal, and there were sailors from a bunch of different countries hanging off the ships and waving and yelling to us (i mean the many thousands of us), with us waving and yellin

me neither. i wish it were red, green, and yellow. (no doubt some country's flag is made of those colors, and i don't know who it is and they have nothing to do with my colors preference. for the record.)

i was around in the '60s. many adults (perhaps that infamous silent majority) were absolutely scandalized when hippies, students, or war protesters (by no means always the same people) wore the flag or any part or image of it on their clothing or as clothing itself. there were probably lawsuits, it was a big deal to some people. in those days, if you wore the flag in any way, many considered you a traitor who didn't love your country. what a switch since then, eh? through the '70s and '80s, i'm not recalling seeing any flags on any live bodies, nor did the extremely patriotic do anyt

well, i love so much of jeff tweedy's music, the older stuff and the newer, that i can't not repost here my last words about sbs from the sky blue sky thread about 4 days ago: sky blue sky is a gorgeous work of art. i love it more every day and have been listening to it every day for a long time.

love it.

there's jeff scott tweedy and then there's my brother, jeff scott. our parents didn't know wilco, though, because wilco didn't exist. i've always wanted to name a dog Spaceshot.

why some people feel disillusioned and/or apathetic by now is understandable. i'm fighting it off like crazy myself. how both republicans and democrats earn their living in washington is a system long corrupted, *but* there is still a difference in the long-term intentions of the individuals involved. and today that difference, though it sometimes looks very small, is profoundly huge when you realize that the next eight years could take us farther down the paths of the last eight years. so when not completely disgusted by the politics and government in our country, i'm glad there is an

i take it you are a flagpole?

americans should be forced to get the american flag tattooed onto their foreheads. that way everyone would know immediately whether or not a person is a terrorist. flag=patriot, noflag=terrorist. no more worries. p.s. i'm rethinking this. our department of homeland security would have to be stationed at all tattoo parlors in the world to ensure that all identities are properly and thoroughly checked before the tattooing actually takes place. nope, i don't think it will work. never mind.

irony is one of life's most interesting pleasures.

me too. we've had quite an indecent president (and administration) for most of this decade, and i'll be very happy if our next president turns out to be decent. to me, in this case, decent means: (1) reaches out to other countries and tries to find what we have in common, with the intention of coming to constructive agreements (even though some will fail, it would be nice to have our leader give it a real and honest shot); (2) makes some kind of effort to reverse the "rich becoming richer and poor becoming poorer" phenomenon; and (3) starts cooperating with other countries on the planet,