Saturday afternoon market.

Sunflowers. In sun.

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Posted at 12:31 pm in Detroit life, iPhone |
 

55 responses to “Saturday afternoon market.”

  1. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    A beautiful image, indeed.

    I just drove up Lindenwood Avenue, past the huge Lindenwood cemetery (east side of the road) and Lindenwood nature preserve (west side of the road) – and the trees are just beginning to be engulfed in colors

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  2. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    (the trees on both sides of the road – for a mile or so – are mature and full and reach across toward one another)

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  3. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 29, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    I’d give my right ear for a picture like that.

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  4. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    Say one last thought, and then we’re off to the district high school band contest, hosted by The Evil Empire (Homestead High School):

    Is there something Mitt Romney could say at the Wednesday debate, which would sway you to his side and/or buttress your support of him?

    And after considering Rachel Maddow’s lonely crusade to place US war policy on the front burner of the campaign (let alone, getting the issue even into the damned house, let alone the kitchen, let alone onto the stove!), I’d have to answer “yes”.

    If Mitt Romney came out forcefully and cogently for an IMMEDIATE withdrawal of United States armed forces from Afghanistan, I would definitely have to hit the “pause” button, and re-think him.

    President Obama says we’re there at least until 2014 – which makes my heart sink.

    Last night, we worked in the concession stand at the high school football game, and amongst that sea of youth, I got to gabbing with another volunteer who told me her husband, who is now a fire fighter, is retired from the military, and served at the prison complex on Cuba. Meanwhile, her two sons served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan (X2).

    In any case, and as Ms Maddow points out, just the debate itself – at the national level – about immediate withdrawal versus another 2+ years in that war, would serve a crucial and important national interest. If nothing else, it might even pull the president closer to NOW rather than LATER when it comes to ending our presence in Afghanistan.

    To that extent, it would allow Romney a graceful exit from the national stage, and a positive impact on US history if he loses the race; and if he wins the race, it is the ONE PROMISE that a candidate for president who then wins the office CAN DELIVER, as commander-in-chief.

    So the prediction is: Romney will flip into the role as the Peace Candidate, and seriously twist President Obama’s tail (or tale) regarding the US war effort in Afghanistan.

    For Romney, it’s now or never, eh?

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  5. Joe K said on September 29, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Brian,
    That would be great to pull out. But like I said early in the week, the money we are borrowing to be in that war,could then NOT be used for anything else.
    Good luck at band.
    Former band parent, who lived thru 2 kids and still can’t figure out what the judges want.
    Pilot Joe

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  6. Suzanne said on September 29, 2012 at 2:59 pm

    I lived through several years of show choir competitions. Never could figure out what the judges wanted there either.

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  7. Deborah said on September 29, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    Brian, Romney could say he would pull out of Afghanistan if elected but how could you believe he would really do that after all the lies he has told. That’s what I always told my daughter when she was young, lying is really counterproductive. Once you’ve lied and people find out, it’s really hard to believe anything you say after that. No matter how much you mean what you say after that, people can not trust you.

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  8. Connie said on September 29, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Band parent memories. Enjoyed it while I did it, was glad to have my Fall saturdays back. I still check results occasionally at IndianaMarching.com.

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  9. Sue said on September 29, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Anyone out there save seed? I have a short sunflower plant with beautiful flowers, grown from an assortment so I don’t know what it’s called. I put one in a bouquet last week next to an Austin “Heritage” rose and the combo is gorgeous. The sunflower is a clear yellow with petals that I can only describe as feminine and the two flowers really work well together. So now I want to save the flowerhead and see if I can get any seeds.
    I save seed from lots of plants, and often just cut a plant down and put it where I want flowers or plants to grow next year, but I’m not sure how to do it, inside, with this larger plant. Hang upside down? Place on a plate? We usually leave our sunflowers for birds so I don’t have a good process, and I really want seed from this if I can get it.
    Just pulled 6 cups of green tomato relish out of the canner, now it’s time to chop and freeze some hot peppers. So satisfying to have all this good stuff come January.

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  10. beb said on September 29, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    Pilot Joe, it’s not the money, though it would reduce the deficit some, I just want the US out of a foreign war it can never win against people who hate us for being there. When US forces can no longer work with Afghan forces because the later is liable to frag our boys (and girls), it’s time to go.

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  11. Sherri said on September 29, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    I wish we’d pull out of Afghanistan, too, although I recognize that we’ll leave a mess behind us. I don’t think we should have ever attacked them; I don’t think it was the right response to 9/11. Nevertheless, it’s inconceivable that Romney will call for a pullout in Afghanistan. His foreign policy advisers are the same bunch of Bush neocons that sent us into Iraq. He’s more likely to call for an attack on Iran than an immediate pullout in Afghanistan.

    The Republicans in general, from Romney and Ryan to Congress, have also made it clear that the only kind of government stimulus they like is defense spending. “Weaponized Keynesianism” as Paul Krugman has called it.

    So, it would definitely be a stunner if Romney came out for immediate withdrawal in Afghanistan. I wouldn’t believe it for a minute, though.

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  12. coozledad said on September 29, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    Sherri: Exactly. And it’s not as if they even plan to make any meaningful spending cuts except to reroute money into the pockets of Enron variety crooks.
    The Republicans stole the surplus the last time, and then famously declared deficits don’t matter.
    They’re the last people who should be discussing fiscal responsibility, foreign policy, science, or social policy. I can’t see what that leaves them except to shut the fuck up.

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  13. coozledad said on September 29, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Blue gal is right. If there’s one thing that terrifies the right beyond the remotest light of reason, it’s this:
    http://ristocrats.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post_29.html
    Bibi missed a golden opportunity to make the party of Todd Akin shit its collective drawers.

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  14. Charlotte said on September 29, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Sue — stick the flower head in a paper bag? Or has it not made seeds yet? I don’t know if they set seeds after being cut … I’m saving some tomato seeds right now — a satisfyingly icky science project.
    I pulled all the tomatoes and peppers out of the garden today. Peppers in boxes/coolers with some potatoes (for the ethylene) so they’ll redden up. A huge basket of green tomatoes — I think there’s a massive salsa in the near future — another big basket of tomatoes that might ripen in the house — they say the cold front isn’t coming in until Tuesday, but it feels like it’ll be here sooner.
    Renters gone from the cabin for the first time in weeks — full moon tonight — wolves? (There’s an open hunting season on them right now, so perhaps not.)

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  15. Jolene said on September 29, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    This–> The Republicans in general, from Romney and Ryan to Congress, have also made it clear that the only kind of government stimulus they like is defense spending.

    Romney has been campaigning in Virginia on the idea that, if the sequestration agreement enacted by the evil prez goes into effect, there’ll be massive job losses in defense industries. Leaving aside the role of our dysfunctional Congress in creating this agreement, I have been shocked, really, by his defense-policy-as-jobs-program rhetoric. Aren’t we supposed to keep that idea behind the veil while we discuss what is needed for the nation’s defense.

    Weaponized Keynesianism, indeed! You have to wonder how they explain defense-spending-as-stimulus while arguing against the stimulative effect of spending on other public goods.

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  16. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 8:11 pm

    Still, I would thank Romney if he – regardless of his sincerity in the matter – really USED the opportunity provided by standing on the same stage as the President of the United States, and in the big national debate of made the war policy of the United States a serious issue.

    In no small way, it would redeem Romney’s incessant efforts over the past decade on the national stage, and do real service for our nation.

    Imagine nothing to kill or die for…

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  17. Minnie said on September 29, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    Sue, this is what Seed Savers Exchange says about saving sunflower seeds: ” Sunflowers will cross-pollinate and must be separated by ½ mile to ensure pure seed. Harvest the heads when they have completely filled out, lost all of their petals and the backs begin to turn brown. It may be necessary to cover heads to protect them from birds. Allow to dry in a protected area away from birds and then shell by hand.” Happy planting.

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  18. JWfromNJ said on September 29, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Band parent and used to be forced to cover band competitions. The judges are the wild card. they get in the way, bump into band member,s hold it against them, and it’s wildly inconsistent. I was on the sidelines for plenty of competitions. they would rant oddball complaints into their tape recorders – didn’t like someone’s hair, cut of the uniform, complain the kid was in the way when they were the offender, and since they swap out judges several times it was just not something I ever felt was fair. Should be the same judges for each band, and make them watch from the stands because that is how the event is meant to be seen. I’m not a big sports fan but at least spots have a set of rules and the referees and umpires know the rules. These guys sounded like a poor man’s Tom and Lorenzo impression.

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  19. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    Well, good ol’ South Side got a Bronze – which is one step up from “participation”.

    All I know is, South Side’s sound could have been better, but their marching was superb. Other bands had better sounds and barely marched at all. I think that all the work that good ol’ South Side’s band has been doing was on full display, and was impressive. And, they have room for more improvement.

    Plus, it’s interesting how absolutely ENORMOUS some schools’ bands are; some of them really fill the field and put a genuine show on.

    Bottom line: we’re on the ascent, and we’ll get there.

    And, I agree with JW; having those judges down struck me as somewhat pointless, but I suppose it is what it is.

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  20. brian stouder said on September 29, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    (that is to say – “those judges down there on the field, dodging in and out of the way of the bands themselves, struck me as pointless”)

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  21. Connie said on September 29, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    Brian, Junior year my daughter’s band (Concord) had an amazing 246 kids in it. It was bigger than any of the class A bands for that year.

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  22. Rana said on September 30, 2012 at 1:19 am

    Sue, unless it’s a live plant or the flower already has seeds, you’re probably out of luck. Otherwise, what you do is let the seedhead mature (it’s pretty obvious) then cut it off, dry it, then rub the seeds loose. The trick is to keep animals from eating the ripening seeds; a paper bag over the maturing flower can help.

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  23. Dexter said on September 30, 2012 at 1:21 am

    There’s nothing like discovering a newly-posted YouTube of your favorite musician of all time, and my “namesake”…
    http://youtu.be/DmnLWoiibR0

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  24. Dexter said on September 30, 2012 at 1:23 am

    Malfunction, of course, with no edit button….oh well! Here it is, I hope…
    http://youtu.be/wWTsCDSvDjk

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  25. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 9:27 am

    Great video, Dexter. I bet nobody ever called Dexter Gordon an asshole, and I doubt he ever put much effort into getting laid.

    Mrs. Romney official campaign photo. Nice Shoes:

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=402466579818406&set=o.214428818664485&type=1&theater

    And Brian, you’re engaging in the most massive case of Wishful Thinking ever regarding Willard. That guy can’t wait to do his BFF Bibi’s bidding and blow up Iran, and his “base” would flip out over just blowing the Afghanistan popstand. And considering Congressional GOPers disregard for the recent veteran’s jobs bill (job no. 1, one-term uppity, darkie President), bringing back all of the troops might well have detrimental ramifications on US employment. Between that lack of a vote and the Ryan budget’s $11bn VA cut, GOPers seem more to have turned on “the troops” rather than letting their devotion flag.

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  26. coozledad said on September 30, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Prospero: Support the “troops” never meant anything but Shrub, Cheney, and Tom Delay.
    It was also another handy tribal marker.

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  27. Deborah said on September 30, 2012 at 10:25 am

    That photo of Ann Romney in the crazy get-up has got to be photoshopped. Someone put her head on another body for sure.

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  28. Deborah said on September 30, 2012 at 10:27 am

    OMG I just googled it and it’s for real. You have got to be kidding me.

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  29. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 10:29 am

    Well, yeah, cooze, but it’s starting to seem like open hostility these days. Lotta vets in that 47% and using food stamps and WIC.

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  30. Sue said on September 30, 2012 at 10:48 am

    Thanks for all the sunflower advice. I didn’t know about the cross pollination and forgot about the bag trick. I’ll probably stick a couple of flower heads in a paper bag and see what happens.
    Sunflowers are such wonderful workhorses in the garden, my multi-flowered ones are still setting flower heads.

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  31. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    My mom loved marigolds, and used paper bags to harvest seeds for years, with considerable success. She was also a fan of chrysanthemums, an affinity I share.

    I really like Robert Reich, and always wished he wasn’t muppet-sized so he could be a viable Presidential candidate. He’s capable of astounding concision and clarity when explaining policy, and I really like it when he does his cartooning schtick:

    http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/sunday-morning-bobblehead-thread-189

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  32. LAMary said on September 30, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    Not only is that a real photo of Ann Romney, there’s some controversy about whether or not she’s wearing Mormon underwear with that outfit.

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  33. jcburns said on September 30, 2012 at 12:36 pm

    J’aime des tournesols.

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  34. Minnie said on September 30, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Sue, sunflowers are such a cheerful sight. Here’s another seed saver trick I read. Freeze harvested sunflower seed overnight to kill any insects that may have bored into them.

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  35. MichaelG said on September 30, 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Is there another link to the Ann Romney photo? When I hit Prospero’s link, Facebook tells me the photo is no longer available.

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  36. Minnie said on September 30, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/ann-romney-tonight-show-leno-outfit-style_n_1916430.html

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  37. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Lewis Black says Willard is “so white, he makes George Bush look Jamaican”. in an interview with Michael Musto.

    Michael G: A friend sent me that thing. Looked like LDS Dominatrix drag. Scandalous. AQpparently, she wore this getup on Jay Leno:

    http://jezebel.com/5946988/mormon-ladies-click-tongues-disapprovingly-at-ann-romneys-lack-of-temple-garments

    Unfortunately, this photo doesn’t show the Frack Me pumps, which were funnier than those Frankenstein clodhoppers $Palin was wearing the other day.

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  38. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    Pretty cool story about a botany project:

    http://onlineathens.com/uga/2012-09-29/love-blossoms-between-long-separated-plants-babies-may-be-way

    Maybe they can find the long lost Ent-wives.

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  39. Little Bird said on September 30, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    I look forward to The reactions of Tom and Lorenzo regarding that outfit.

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  40. ROGirl said on September 30, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    I kind of like it, but it has to have been selected by a stylist. It’s stylish and kind of edgy and daring, but it covers her completely. To me it’s better than the Nancy Reaganish Oscar de la Renta red dresses or the frumpy Babs Bush ensembles.

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  41. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    You’ve got that right, Little Bird. The Anninatrix outfit is almost as good as the Fbook picture of Mitt with a saintly aura posted on his page. Anybody that wants to make a claim that being shocked and awed by that abominable costume is somehow LDS bashing can kiss my ass and read this vituperative, ignorant bullshit:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/michelle-obama-look-like-a-first-lady-bobbie-lussier_n_1922236.html

    Mrs. RMoney looks like she’s advertising on Craig’s list.

    Better catch than anybody will make in an NFL game today.

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  42. Deborah said on September 30, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    The outfit wouldn’t be so bad on a much younger woman, an entertainer, someone like that. It just seems so out of place for Ann Romney. They are obviously trying to make her competitive with Michelle Obama, who is much younger than Ann for one thing. MO has an urbane sophisticated look. Ann is such a suburban matron. She should stick with the classics like Jackie O.

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  43. Deborah said on September 30, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Another thought about the Ann Romney outfit: it’s inauthentic. The campaign is really trying to make both Mitt and Ann be something they are not and it’s embarrassing to watch.

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  44. ROGirl said on September 30, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    It has absolutely no influence on how I feel about her husband.

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  45. brian stouder said on September 30, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Well, I say – Ann is hot!

    Her only fashion faux pas is that it appears that all her nails match. I have lately learned that you’re supposed to have one nail that’s a different color.

    But aside from that – I gotta say – Ann is a beautiful woman.

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  46. brian stouder said on September 30, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Leaving aside Ann Romney, the Huff-post article linked me to this one about inappropriate wedding dresses –

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/weird-wedding-dresses_n_1924041.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide=1581068

    which is worth a chuckle or two!

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  47. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    brian, some of those wedding dress photos looked like real brides, not models. Raised by wolves? Where the hell were their moms? I’d be thinking Feats Don’t Fail Me Now if I got to the altar and found any of those dresses awaiting my arrival. Fight or flight and self-preservation would be kicking in.

    Ann RMoney? Sorta like:

    http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2004_the_stepford_wives_001.html

    But not Nicole Kidman gorgeous.

    And it’s not Ann herself, but the vile, elitist, Antoinettish crap that she says every other day, all that “you people” crap, she’s either a jerk, or she’s the embodiment of the Stepford ideal, believng what hubby tells you to believe without question. And there is the astounding pure D racist shit about Mrs. Obama, who seems a helluva lot smarter and way more politically astute. And their sons? Looks like Children of the Corn, all growed up, to me.

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  48. Prospero said on September 30, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    Akin the gentleman rapist goes all Allen West on Claire McCaskill.

    A pumpkin named Jabba. 2009lbs.

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  49. Deborah said on September 30, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    I think Ann Romeny is a very attractive woman, no question about it. I question her handlers who are trying to make her into something she is not. One of the things I appreciated about the producer, casting director and the make-up and wardrobe people for the little ad photoshoot I was in was how they made it very clear that they would not make me wear or do anything that I was not completely comfortable doing. I have to imagine that Ann Romney was given those instructions too, but it makes you wonder when you see that outfit.

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  50. del said on September 30, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    I was waiting for your comment about Ann Romney, Brian. 🙂 She’s a looker. And I agree with ROGirl that the outfit’s chic, but the overarching thing is, as Deborah says, she’s trying to be something she’s not. Authenticity would work better.

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  51. Sherri said on September 30, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    “I am a job creator”: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/i-am-a-job-creator-a-manifesto-for-the-entitled/2012/09/28/756f2e90-07ee-11e2-858a-5311df86ab04_story.html

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  52. Suzanne said on September 30, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    I have to say that outfit of Ann Romney’s is not what I would consider in good taste for a prospective first lady. Not classy, in my opinion, but looks kinda trashy.

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  53. Suzanne said on September 30, 2012 at 10:09 pm

    The outfit I mean is the black number from Jay Leno.

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  54. Minnie said on September 30, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    Prospero @ 38, that story made me unreasonably happy. Thanks for the link.

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  55. MichaelG said on October 1, 2012 at 12:18 am

    Sorry, I just don’t find Ms. Romney attractive. At all. There is just something about her that puts me off. I love women. All women. Really. The more so as I get older. Shit, I’ll be sixty eight two weeks from today. I am continually astounded at how many truly lovely sixty something women there are. I would have never guessed it when I was young.

    Guys, that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about when you get old. Women are still beautiful. My Ex is a year or two younger and a magnitude or twelve better looking than Ms. Romney. I loved that picture of Deborah. She’s an extremely attractive woman. Sorry, Deborah, for the third person phrasing. Ms. Romney? No. The get up? She’s doing whatever she has to do for the cause. I’ll leave it to you to judge what merit there is in her dressing up in that costume for the cause.

    Prospero has it right that she looks like the Rep’s D/S icon. Those shoes are to die laughing for. I mean the official portrait of a presidential candidate’s wife includes that footwear? C’mon.

    Ms. Obama is a very attractive woman but more important is that she has a sense of style and a sense of what is right for the occasion. I simply could not imagine her dressed in something as tasteless as Ms. Romney’s get up.

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