I Hear There's a Convention On ...

So I watched a little of the Democrats' convention tonight (and listened to some NPR coverage). I wouldn't say I'm an avid political person, but I'm married to one. Cheryl is one of those PUMAs -- love that acronym: "Party Unity My Ass." She's still bummed out about Hillary. And I admit, I'm fairly disappointed as well. Which is why I'm the kind of person who needs to see the convention. I'm firmly on the side of the D's, as they're the only party looking out for families like mine.

So what the convention does is make me feel good about things. Seeing Teddy Kennedy rock that house and recall great moments past. Watching Michelle Obama give a speech that was compelling yet just imperfect enough to humanize her.

Oh, and yes, that's my girl on the ballot: She ran for precinct committee officer in last week's election. I almost kept the ballot as a souvenir, but Cheryl, being a good PCO, made me vote.

What I'm Not Writing About

So, Cheryl had a health scare the other week. Heart-attackish. As you can tell by the quiet, then the burst of posts about stuff that isn't related to, you know, hospitals, I'm not really interesting in going there, even though all is well. I've also been really busy with work (someday I'll post about going to Comic-Con), but even if I wasn't swamped, I'm not sure what I'd say. It was one of those experiences that I think will be more clear to me in time. In other words, I felt too much to allow myself to really know what I felt.

Simple Shoes (the Brand, not the Adjective) = Awesome

OK, so the obvious joke is to say that even my indulgences are simple, and you know I can't resist the obvious joke. But recently, I made a crazy decision: I decided to keep a $50 pair of shoes that weren't even on sale when I bought them (I went to REI to buy a bottlecap, seriously, and walked out with a bunch of shoes. Geez!). But man, are they comfy! And hey: They're even good for the earth and all. They're "Simple" brand shoes, and mine specifically are "Carousels." And I wouldn't have kept 'em, but for two things: 1. They are rediculously comfy, and 2., They are cool. To me, anyway, and that's good enough. They have the essence of Vans, in that they have a bold pattern (polka dots), but they are moderatey rounded and semi-girly, which is nice, you know, sometimes at least. Oh, and the soles are made of old tires, and the rest is all recycled and stuff.

I'm feeling a little gloomy about the future of the Earth, and this is one small step toward helping what is hopefully not an insoluble problem as it seems. (As I write this, I'm also carrying around a glass bottle in my bag until I get to a recycling place.) And maybe watching Devill Wears Prada had something to do with it. I decided to be, for me, stylish. Why not? I did not, however, decide to become a size 2, as I still have some semblance of ties to reality. Maybe a 12.

OK, a little more about these shoes, because I see that they go well beyond the whole "car tire" thing. Here's what "the shoe" says on the Simple Web site:

I contain no animal byproducts or even regular animal products. I am a vegan friendly and veggie friendly shoe.
I have hemp uppers
I am lined with woven certified organic cotton
I have ortholite/recycled car tire pedbeds
Yes, my outsole used to be a car tire
I have vulcanized rubber sidewall, toecap and heelcap
I have 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms

My dad used to wear sandals with soles made of old tires (nowhere near as stylish as these). And those things lasted for pretty much my entire pre-adult life. Maybe longer. Heck, they're probably still in the house somewhere, hanging out with dust bears and National Geographics from the era.

Why I Won't Be Voting for John McCain

I like a maverick. But when that maverick doesn't "believe in" families like mine ...

“I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."
- Republican presidential hopeful John McCain tells The New York Times

And for the record, I couldn't agree more with the first part. I just think it's OK if both parents are women. Or men.