various lost causes of the human soul remembered

evenin's empire

Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
....dylan

Observation from my White House tour

Official Portraits of the First Ladies

..............1961.........................1974.....................1981..............
..................................... ........2000.........

I Love that She Wore a Pant Suit

But Sometimes you have to moan when nothing seems to suit you

Well I left my happy home to see what I could find out
I left my folk and friends with the aim to clear my mind out
Well I hit the rowdy road and many kinds I met there
Many stories told me of the way to get there

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There’s so much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out

Well in the end I’ll know, but on the way I wonder
Through descending snow, and through the frost and thunder

Well, I listen to the wind come howl, telling me I have to hurry
I listen to the robin’s song saying not to worry

So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
There’s so much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out

But sometimes you have to moan when nothing seems to suit you
But nevertheless you know you’re locked towards the future

So on and on you go, the seconds tick the time out
There’s so much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out
...Cat Stevens

Maude, do you pray?

Harold: Maude, do you pray?

Maude: Pray? No, I communicate.

Harold: With God?

Maude: With Life!

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez

I began my day by participating in Washingtonians’ favorite pastime, (and no, I don’t mean political spin) by waiting in line early in the morning, for several hours, in the cold and dark, in order to pass through several layers of security… but it was all worth it when the buzzer sounded, the crimson curtains parted and everyone in the chamber stood up so that I couldn’t see what was happening.
But when the crowd was seated and I was able to stretch and peer over the heads of those in front of me I saw them, and it was for real. For a moment I had to fight the urge to jump up and down and scream while flailing my hands in the air like one would do at Stones concert. I know I’m a bit of a dork but believe me it was that exciting.
Things that surprised me about the Supreme Court:
1) How many people are able to fit into that tiny, tiny room.
2) How fast everything goes. When the lawyers stand up to argue they don’t even introduce themselves, they just start arguing. There is very little in the way of time consuming ceremony.
3) How concerned and attentive Chief Justice Roberts’ can make himself look just by wrinkling his brow, and how long he can keep his face in that intense expression.
4) That no one has told Justices Scalia and Thomas that when they lean that far back in their chairs people in the back can’t see their faces behind the bench. And besides they run the risk of falling and cracking their heads open.
5) That people in the audience had the gall to laugh when Justice Breyer started a sentence with “If I were a difficult person…” And then that the Justice laughed at himself.
6) That Justice Scalia is so good at faking out lawyers and getting laughs.
Lawyer: “And if we look at the Piggy Park (commonly accepted abbreviation for a case called Nelson v. Piggy Park) precedent we see…”
Justice Scalia: “Counsel (in a completely serious tone and straight face), in order to preserve the honor of this court I think we should stop referring to this case as Piggy Park and refer to it Nelson instead”.
Lawyer: (Pauses, completely unsure whether Justice Scalia is serious, turns a little green)
Audience: (laughs hysterically, first at the Justice’s dead pan delivery and then at the lawyer’s reaction) (This gag continues to get a big laugh each time the lawyer refers to the case as “Pig…I mean Nelson”)
7) That Justice Thomas actually asks questions (or, more precisely, a question).
8) That the Justices argue with lawyers from both sides with equal vigor.
9) That the lawyers are able to keep their argument on track despite the interruptions of nine Justices who each want him to discuss a different point.
10) That Justice Ginsburg is also so witty.
(Justices debate whether a search of a marital home may take place if one spouse consents while the other spouse objects)
Chief Justice Roberts: “ So lets look at this from another angle. Let’s say that your child opens the door and allows the police to search your home”.
Justice Ginsburg: “Or your Mother-in-law”

Everyone Needs a Friend Named Borris