Ok, it's late but I'm a few days overdue. Here's what we missed...
The Democratic Convention wrapped up tonight. I'd like to say that the only way to really REALLY watch the way the United States government works, free of so called journalists, free of opinion and spin, is to watch C-SPAN. I watched the convention solely on C-SPAN, without commentary, and I thought it was just great. It was a relief not to here aging political hacks chime in with their jaded and useless opinions. One thing that "Fahrenheit 9/11" taught me is that the press in this country is bloated, lazy and only truly worried about whether the shrimp at the after-party is going to be chilled to their specifications. Besides that, one look at George Will tells you that that man has suffered his share of wedgies in his lifetime at the hands of people who are funnier and much less annoying.
Kerry's speech was basically a battle plan set to the rhythm and cadence of a political convention. It was upbeat, it was positive, but unfortunately, I didn't think he went after this God-awful president and his team. We'll see how he does in direct debate. Leslie had a good laugh when Kerry malapropped himself into a corner stating that the children in Harlem have asthma from "hair pollution". It painted an interesting mental picture if nothing else.
I'm glad I'm going into a Friday. I could use the weekend right now. I'm getting my haircut Saturday afternoon. We'll see how that goes. In some strange way, the length of my hair is directly proportional to my feelings of youth and vigor. Coupled with the fact that I have ears that are so big they track satellites, I don't like getting my hair cut.
Now, tonight's song. This song is extremely painful for me, and I'll NEVER play it publicly. There's nothing in my life that shouldn't be explored in some artistic way, especially songwriting. Songs are, above all things, mile markers that always take us to another place and time in our lives. The place this song takes me to is not a pleasant one by any stretch of the imagination. Having said that, this one probably owes something to the influence of Loudon Wainwright III. By the way, Loudon has a GREAT election year ditty on his website called "President's Day". I highly recommend it. Anyway, here's the song of the day.

 
 Daughters Can’t Dance

                                            
My lady Anna got off of the couch
                                                           
Her daddy’s a salesman; her momma’s a grouch
                                                         
She wanted to dance, and oh, did we try
                                                                    
But daughters can’t dance, and neither can I

                                                    
Never leave the children alone
                                                                  
Anna and I had a girl of our own
                                         
Timing was against us, and I took the blame

And daughters can’t dance if they don’t have a name

                                        
Anonymous doctor took my baby away
                                                                          
Well, she wanted to run, Lord, she wanted to play
                       
She could have two-stepped, and maybe learned The Fly

But daughters can’t dance, and neither can I

 
That does it. I'd like to end on a high note, so I'll tell you all that love is always in the air, despite appearances to the contrary. You can find it with the same vigilance we all tap into to find the bad things in life. It's out there, people. Embrace it.