Overheard in Berkeley (in yoga class)

I can see Jon Stewart in the ceiling

- Man to instructor, after which she replied, "everybody's different. "

It ain't over til it's over

"He's done. This thing is over"

I hear people saying that almost every day. People at work, on the street, friends and family alike agree that Obama has pretty much already won and this election has already been decided. Political polls show Obama leading in all the usual left-leaning states, but also in some that usually go red. What do you think at this point? Is it really over?

Palin made an appearance on SNL last night in a last-ditch effort to charm the American people in voting for her and McAngrypants. Unfortunately for them, she was not charming or funny. Lorne Michaels was smart enough not to make her look good so close to election day, but rather let Alec Baldwin rail on her while standing right next to her and then of course had Tina doing the usual bit. Dudes for Sarah might have been happy just to see her on tv, but I'm pretty sure no one else was impressed. The Republicans are getting desperate and this last move couldn't have gone as they had hoped.

Here we are, so close to electing our first African-American president with people turning out in droves to rallies and donating every last extra penny to get him in the White House. Even Colin Powell supports him! What could go wrong? Could anything turn the tides at this point? Voter fraud is what scares me the most, but others are predicting secret racism that seems to show its ugly head once people get in the voting booth. This one doesn't seem as threatening to me, but then again I've really only lived in the most liberal and open of places. Other than that, I just don't know what could happen to reverse the force that has taken the country in favor of Obama.

I guess all we can do is go to calling parties, wear our buttons and well, of course vote on election day. It's not over yet, but god I hope it's ends well.

Has it hit you yet?

If you haven't realized yet that the economy is tanking, you're probably not very smart or in tune with current events. It really is and it's effects have already started permeating everyday life for some people. Our neighborhood in Berkeley, on the edge of Oakland started suffering from more thefts and crime this summer in restaurants and bars along College Avenue, perhaps a symptom of job loss and fear for what lays ahead in the coming months. I had my purse stolen the just a couple of nights ago and the only charge that got through before it was canceled was at a gas station, where of course it's ridiculously expensive to fill up a tank these days. By the way, I think it's pretty much common knowledge that driving is out, so trade in your SUVs and even Priuses people, because bikes are sexy and the bus still isn't, but it's getting there.

Ebay just layed off 10% of its workforce, retailers didn't see the numbers they were hoping for in September and pretty much no one can get credit now. I've heard rumors on the business school front that application rates will be out the roof this year as people turn to education as a way to avoid the hyper-competetitive job market. What rumors are you hearing or has it actually affected you?

On the Streets of Berkeley

Last night B and I went to see Vicky Christina Barcelona in downtown Berkeley. We definitely found it pretty funny and were particularly giggly when we came out. A guy on the street who was asking for money asked us who would win in a fight: God or Chuck Norris, to which I replied, "your mom." He was pretty happy about that response, so later on when we saw him as we were waiting for the bus to go home, we asked him if he wanted any updog. He totally got it. Then he tried to get us to smoke pot with him in his sleeping bag. We got on the bus instead.

We haven't been updating lately, but we've been having a great time, except for last night when a cracked-out looking woman stole my purse in Oakland. But really, other than that we're having fun. Dinner parties and fresh tomatoes and roses from the garden make it oh so sweet to come home after work, or in B's case to have me home after I'm at work.

p.s. The movie was really entertaining and our favorite Woody Allen movie of late.

Overheard in Berkeley (at the Bowl)

I think if we just took the trash out more often we wouldn't have as much of a fly problem. . . I'm not putting it on you, I'm just saying.

- Man to woman at Berkeley Bowl

overheard in berkeley

For the first time, ap and b are blogging from the same place!! No more talking via g-chat to recount the night's events - now they can share them over waffle-making and the Sunday NY Times.
Our first co-post is a new series, inspired by our adventures around Berkeley, that will let our readers know just how many absurd things one hears when riding the bus or walking around here.
On Saturday, ap and b took the bus to Berkeley Bowl for some groceries. While riding in mostly silence, another passenger broke that when she said to her friend:
"I can't wait until I have my own room to smoke in...but I just need to focus first before I start smoking. Like get a job first, then I'll start smoking."
At least she has her priorities straight.

Happy Amish Thursday

In honor of Amish Thursday I thought I'd share a bit of information about the midwestern natives that seem to be growing at unbelievable rates. Even though they seem rare and fascinating to us, their population is growing at 130 percent and has expanded to a total of 28 states (new states include Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraksa, Washington, and West Virgina).

This is exciting for a number of reasons, the most important being that more people will be exposed to their communities and culture. My favorite part of Amish culture is the delicious cheese and dairy products. Ohio has a large Amish population and much of our dairy in Oberlin was bought from Amish farms.

Let us know if there's an Amish enclave near you and how they are incorporated in the greater community!

we are valueless

So, on JDB's blog he posted about his blog's worth. Apparently, this site allows you to put in your blog's URL and find out how much it's worth. JDB's was worth around $10K, so I was interested to find out what this one is worth. Well, here are the results....

I was really curious as to how this could be, so I tried to read up on this site to see how a value is determined. Initially I assumed it had to do with traffic and/or number of comments(ers); then I thought, well maybe it's that plus how often (or not) one updates the blog. When I finally found the site's "research", I admit, I was pretty confused. I think, but am not sure, that it simply has to do with how often (or not) you link to a set list of other sites and blogs, which seemed kind of lame. Maybe because the sites on that list have a certain value according to their advertising base...? The page says mostly techy words that I don't understand at all, but this is just the assumptive conclusion I came to. If anyone can read this research page and come to another conclusion, let me know. Anyways, just thought it was interesting. I can't decide if I'm disappointed or pleased that we are worth nothing, because, technically, couldn't that also mean we're priceless?

Mooney in the Blogosphere

I met Kate Mooney on the plane coming to Oberlin as freshman back in '04. Then in '06 we went abroad on the same program in Cordoba, Spain. Over the years I've begun to realize what a creative genius she is and now that I live 3,000 miles from her it pains me to have to witness that genius through the world wide web. But I will endure it and read her blog with dedication, because not only do I have a fondness for her, but also because the girl makes me laugh.

Kate also has a couple of successful brothers, one of which wrote The Republican War on Science and has his own blog that can be found here.

Lastly, her version of "New Soul" was better than Yael's. Just sayin'.

Overheard in Berkeley

This dress would be perfect for Burning Man

- Woman to man as they check out a tattered dress on a mannequin used as a sign for a garage sale.