Latest nephew

I am an aunt for the third time. This is James Aaron, 8 lbs 6 oz, born at 6:01 am CA time. I haven't met him yet but I can already tell he is pretty much the greatest.



My new desktop wallpaper, all three (four in September) of my nephews.

Happy Father's Day

I am advertiser Tracy Jordan and I approve this message. I am an advertiser. I am an advertiser.

I love watching old ads from presidential campaigns and the Living Room Candidate, Hulu, and Youtube provide a treasure trove of commercials and films. Here are a few of my favorite campaign ads from 1948 through 2012.

Ronald Reagan endorsing Truman, 1948

Nixon on Corruption, 1952



Kennedy and Stevenson, 1956

McCain should have learned from Stevenson; America doesn't like it when you stand up and walk around for no particular reason.

1960 Kennedy



I'm a sucker for a catchy jingle. But I also like that the running theme in Nixon's 1960 ads is awkwardly leaning/sitting on a desk.

1964 LBJ ad: KKK



You know who else likes Barry Goldwater?

Convention, Nixon, 1968



Welcome to my nightmares.

Nixon Now, 1972



Ford, 1975

Carter, 1980



California to Reagan: drop dead.

Reagan, 1984



I think I like this ad because I like grocery stores and commercials from the '80s set in grocery stores.

Dukakis, 1988



Again, the awkward resting against furniture pose, especially awkward since the TV blends so well into the background. I can't watch this without singing "I'm a little teapot, short and stout."


Bush, 2004



One of Bush's lesser crimes: forcing me to watch 30 seconds of the Olympics.

Obama, 2008



Good times, good times.

McCain, 2013



Well, I know who gets my vote in 2012.

The tortilla is the classic French bread.

A few weeks ago I visited my sister and nephew in California. After he went to sleep at night, we would watch something my sister had recorded, usually Jacques Pepin, or Julia Child on DVD. She enjoyed it because she's a good chef and I enjoyed it as an mediocre former short-order cook. And we both, like all good Americans, love to watch people make food on TV. Jacques Pepin is amazing, because he does cute things like dancing around holding a glass of wine in one hand and scissors in the other, or being French. He loves tortillas, advising viewers to put them in place of pizza dough or as part of an apricot dish.

One point of disagreement between my sister and I, is that she does not watch anything on the Food Network. I would watch PBS more, but without a TIVO I wouldn't be able to catch Jacques Pepin without a TV Guide schedule. Plus, I love Alton Brown, and one time I heard the Barefoot Contessa declare that bread counted as a vegetable.

However, PBS is great at posting their shows online. I am addicted to American Experience (thanks, Liberty Mutual). Now I can avoid the Food Network, well, the boring shows* anyway, and get a PBS fix thanks to KQED.org, which posts full episodes of Jacques Pepin in all his tortilla loving glory.

*Anything that's not food history or how things are made like Unwrapped/Secret Life of...,or Alton/Paula Deen. I'm looking at you, Giada.

Grant/Nixon

President Obama has frequently been compared to many other presidents, but I think it's more fun to compare all the presidents to all of other presidents. First, Richard M. Nixon and Ulysses S. Grant:

GRANT/NIXON



These two Republicans were both right handed, but really, they were probably both left handed and forced to be righties at a young age. This is my deeply held belief about all the presidents who were "right handed" except Harding, and Bush II, who I've kicked out of the club.

Play the numbers game: U-L-Y-S-S-E-S (7) S-I-M-P-S-O-N (7) G-R-A-N-T (5). R-I-C-H-A-R-D (7) M-I-L-H-O-U-S (7) N-I-X-O-N (5). Each name has a total of six syllables. Should you keep reading or did I just blow your minds?

They are practically the same person: Both were notorious drinkers. Both served as lieutenants in the first war they fought in. Both served two presidential terms. Each followed a President Johnson, who in turn both followed assassinated presidents, who had all sorts of crazy things in common (sort of). Neither of their successors were elected by a popular vote. Grantism is a term for political corruption. Nixonian has been used to describe dirty politics (even though it means something else).

My list falls apart around here: Nixon was gifted musically; Grant was tone deaf. One hated the Confederacy, the other Communism. Those words both start with C! And so does the word Cookie, which they both probably enjoyed.

Finally: Their middle names are Milhous and Simpson. Milhous(e) is a character on the Simpson(s).

Dun.

Dun.

DUN.