• 3 : 31 A.M. PST
  Glorious Toy Comrade

There aren't usually US Marines at the TOYS US, but on today's shopping trip to help Helen pick out a birthday gift for her 2 year old god-daughter, the first GI-Joe we ran into was a Marine in full dress uniform. I couldn't really figure it out. There's a huge military base nearby, so perhaps it was a safe bet that most of the customers would be the family of those in the American Military, and thus juicy targets for those interested in hurting America's feelings real bad. Thus, guards posted. They didn't appear to be armed, but I'm guessing TOYS US is not a good place to have unconcealed live firearms. The place, as one would expect around full-contact shopping season, was crammed with angry people. Driving angrily, shopping and talking to their kids angrily... actually, the only happy people around were the kids, whose thought processes are like the inside of a chaotic toy store anyway. It is surprising how much parents threaten and abuse their kids in the course of trying to do something nice for them.

On the way out, we ran into a parade! No wait, nobody's dressed up and they're carrying little signs. It's a protest! Local police shut down the street for 5 or 10 minutes as a small anti-war picket line marched through.

Those who did not make their own sign had prefab "NO IRAQ WAR" cards to wave.

Highlight of the protest was definitely this white haired hat-wearing dude on the sidelines who had brought his own sign to wave. This is the part of Washington we're in: Republican conservatorium. I have to give him credit for looking original.

The other side says "Liberals and Pacifists: America's Baggage"

After a while another guy walked up beside Mr. awesome here and they started agreeing about stuff. You know, the Republicans used to be the ones advocating insular government, saying we shouldn't get involved in World War I. People who self-identify as Republican often say that present-day Democrats aren't really Democrats as seen in the nobler years of the US. I'm thinking that both parties have lost their original ideals and now just get increasingly greedy, becoming more and more like each other in the process.

This woman, stuck behind us during the protest, has on her rear view mirror:
a) Student parking pass b) graduation tassel c) tree-shaped air freshener
(looks like either Watermelon or "Cinna-berry" scent)
She is flailing her one hand and stretching her face all out of shape while talking on the phone.

Then we were off to the birthday mentioned in the first paragraph. Sucks to have your birthday in December, cause who's really going to go all out for both your birthday and Christmas gift? Who could afford to? 1/12th of all people live with this disappointing arrangement. Then again, two thirds of those people aren't even Christians. (Special bonus question for Helen, who is taking her GRE Monday: what percentage of people are Christians AND born in December?)

The birthday was subdued. Only the birthday girl was of a single digit age. When you're two, you can eat cake by grabbing clumps of it with your bare hands and pushing it against your face in a generally mouthward direction. Dakota made the best of this opportunity. Sometimes I long for the days of eating a piece of cake as big as my head. But then I just go to Kingfish!