October 31, 2005
October 30, 2005
INTO THE WHITE
after sanding down the second double-pass of primer, cleaning it off with naphtha and sanding down a little more, I applied the color coat this afternoon.
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October 27, 2005
THIS OLD GUITAR
...it looks even nicer when you hold it sideways...
allow me this small bit of purchase gloat information spew...I'm actually gathering some of this info for myself, just thought I'd share...
this is from the "epinions" site....so it's posted there to look like an "actual customer" review, but the language rings rather like it was ripped straight from the corporate brochure copy...in any case, some interesting background history and tone descriptors:
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" Gibson first introduced its J-45 model in the 1940s, and marketed it as the "Workhorse" of the company's acoustic guitar line. The J-45 has been in production since that time, and the model has always been sort of a flagship for Gibson's acoustic guitar business, through both the good times and the bad. Although Gibson offers many other flashier and more modern acoustic guitars today, the J-45 stands out as a sort of a "throwback" to the post-war era, which in my opinion was really the "golden age" for acoustic guitar manufacturers like Gibson and Martin. Electric guitars were still just around the corner, and the luthiers at these companies took great care to build quality acoustic guitars, like the J-45.
The J-45 is a dreadnought guitar with shoulders that are a bit more rounded off than those of a classic dreadnought like the Hummingbird. The top is made of solid Sitka spruce, while the back and sides are made of solid Honduras mahogany (rosewood back and sides are available for custom orders for a few hundred bucks more). The mahogany neck has a slim V profile and the Indian rosewood fingerboard is adorned with simple mother of pearl dot inlays. The top has four-ply white binding, while the back is adorned with single ply binding. The J-45 has nickel Gotoh tuners with white oval buttons, and the small tortoise teardrop pickguard and vintage sunburst finish top off the appointments.
Remember when I said that the J-45 was a throwback? By that I meant that since its introduction in the 1940s, it has always maintained that vintage look and appearance. The appointments on the J-45 are few, and this only lends to the vintage look. There's no binding on the headstock and neck, and no fancy inlay work is present to dress it up. The allure of the J-45 is in its simplicity and the fact that the specifications and materials used in its construction are basically the same as when it was first introduced. Gibson has managed to retain the vintage integrity of the J-45, by emphasizing its simplicity with features such as dot inlays and sunburst finish, and with the absence of binding and eye-catching inlay work. The elegance and simplicity of the guitar really creates the vintage motif.
The J-45 is a great player too--the slim V profile neck is perfect for me because my hands are relatively small, although many players will prefer a wider neck. The rosewood fingerboard provides the "soft" feel that I like so much, and the action, while not lightening fast, is adequate for most applications. Factory set-up on the model I played was almost perfect, and no fret buzz was detected. Intonation was good up and down the fingerboard.
Spruce and mahogany always make for an interesting combination soundwise, and the J-45 illustrates this point very well. The Sitka spruce top provides a liveliness and crispness that is nicely contrasted by the dark, churchy tones created by the mahogany back and sides. Overall, this combination of woods lends to the J-45 a nice, balanced array of sounds, with the highs and lows being nicely balanced. The sound of the J-45 is not as rich and full as that of a jumbo body guitar, but the smaller dreadnought body provides a sound that is loud enough and somehow more concentrated.
The only major change in the J-45 is that it now comes equipped with a Fishman active transducer pickup so that it can be used in both electric and acoustic applications.
I recommend the J-45 for the working musician--it's very meticulously constructed and will likely last a lifetime if properly cared for. For the money, you get a well-built instrument with excellent playability and sound, and you can use it both acoustically and electrically.
Plus, you get to own a piece of history. "
October 26, 2005
A HORSE WITH NO NAME
...the eagle has landed...
...Gibson J-45...
...the "workhorse" of popular song since the 1940s...
...straight from the broadway stage...
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October 25, 2005
KILLER JOE
...the best there ever was?...
as the Chicago White Sox seem to be on their way to their first championship since 1917, my thoughts are drawn to Shoeless Joe Jackson, widely considered to have been a patsy in the great "black sox" scandal of 1919. He was acquitted of any wrongdoing in the affair by the courts in 1921, but Kenesaw Mountain Landis barred him from baseball anyway, a ruling that still stands. Many have taken up his cause over the years, reiterating the fact that in the 1919 World Series, which he allegedly helped "throw," he hit .375, with 12 hits, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored...
Babe Ruth once said, "I copied Jackson's style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He's the guy who made me a hitter."
Go Sox. Go the distance.
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October 24, 2005
GIMME THREE STEPS
OK, here's the real thing...
...the basic setup...an old black & decker workmate that I've had since college, makes for a pretty adequate throne...the neck is from an old harmony strat I scored for a few bucks and which is perfect for this purpose--it should never have been masquerading as a musical instrument in the first place...
...the body after a cleanup with naphtha...3-piece alder...I then proceeded to apply two coats of clear nitro lacquer, light sanding and then another coat...
...after drying overnight, two coats of primer...pre-sanding...
...the backside with primer...
tonight I sanded it flat and added two more primer coats...I changed the angle too, so as to better get at the various nooks and crannies around the cutaways...
the project makes for a nice break from recording & mixing...fun to get one's hands dirty...and who doesn't enjoy wearing a respirator mask? I'm set for halloween....toxic avenger!!!
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A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)
...it has begun...
production schedule thus far:
saturday - two coats of clear lacquer to seal the wood.
sunday - light sanding, one more coat of clear, then two coats white primer (it looks like the shot above, without the sanding step--yet)
tonight: sanding, more primer. by week's end I should have the color coat down and be well into the process of shooting/sanding/shooting clear coats...
the headstock design is set...the neck should arrive from warmoth in a few weeks...maple neck w/rosewood slab, 'v' contour, overshot with tinted clear...
hopefully I can remember how to play the damn thing...
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October 21, 2005
THE WIND CRIES MARY
...the weed that becomes a flower in the mind...
I'm going to take a second here on this cloudy Friday to hoist my petard onto the conservative movement's cost-cutting wagon and gleefully join the chorus calling for the elimination of long-standing government programs that cost millions of dollars and do absolutely no good for anybody:
It is time to end the war on drugs.
It was never a war, to begin with. If anything, it was just another ruse put forward by professional politicians (like Nancy Reagan) who were applying an age-old "community standards" ditty to the endless loop medley of "protect the children" prop tunes that had been broadcasting over the gullibility radio network ever since the days of nelson rockefeller and the madcap fairy j. edgar hoover. this performance piece was underwritten by the big chiefs of alcohol and pharmaceuticals, because let's face facts--you pot smokers are really just xanax/prozac users in waiting. here, have a scotch on the rocks. do it for the children...
So let's talk turkey: the government spends about $120 million a year on those ridiculous anti-marijuana TV ads, and well over $700 million annually on the "Plan Colombia" paramilitary campaign. Did anyone truly believe that a few apache helicopters flying over the dense mountain forests of Colombia or Peru were going to stop the cartels? Well, if you think your brain on drugs looks like a fried egg (drugs aren't nearly as bad for you--fried eggs are loaded with fat and cholesterol), then maybe you did. And then of course there are all the domestic programs which have been so gloriously effective, such as the $800 million Byrne Memorial Grant Program, which as a side bonus has yielded several high-profile civil rights discrimination cases recently, imprisoning innocent people via fed money-supported "task forces" (wasn't it just such a task force that pumped 41 bullets into my old neighbor Amadou Diallo?). So just think--there's well over a billion smackers right there which we could use to help victims of Katrina, or blow up shit in Iraq.
This is not an original idea of mine, I can't take credit. But I can certainly lend my voice in support. Because it IS a waste of money. A lot of money. Maybe not a lot of money on a Halliburton scale, but a billion dollars could certainly fund a few Habitat for Humanity projects.
So that's what I'm suggesting: cancel the war on drugs; give the money to Jimmy Carter.
Have a nice weekend...
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October 20, 2005
EBONY AND IVORY
If you're a Yankee fan, this year's World Series promises to be yet another media bifurcation, as per their usual wont--republican vs. democrat, north vs. south, urban vs. rural, red state vs. blue state, but this time around it's just a whole lot simpler:
World Series 2005: The Black Guys vs. The White Guys!!!
..unresurrected country crackers, these expert sentence-formers both enjoy golf, working out together, and posing for photos in their shiny outfits....these whiskery texans are also known to employ teams of physicians for various mission-critical purposes...
...why aren't there any decent photos of El Duque in a White Sox uniform? Because secretly, he's still a Yankee...
...I'm still pissed that they shipped away Jose Contreras for Esteban Louiza...
prediction: White Sox in 7
mitigating sidebar: Clemens' mom passed away recently. I think this will give him a huge mental advantage, and competitive edge. Pettitte has always been a big-game pitcher.
media prediction: Tim McCarver will root unabashedly for the Astros, even though they just finished bitch-slapping his beloved Cards. Joe Buck will finally insert "slam-alama-ding dong" into actual play-by-play coverage. Al Leiter will again show us how to grip a forkball. "Sweet Lou" Piniella will mumble various unintelligible comments in the direction of the umpire crew. He will tell McCarver that he always hated him. Fox won't realize he's on a full-on bender until Game 3, when he misses his flight. He is later found face-down in a plate of deep dish pizza. Fox announces that he has taken ill, and McCarver/Buck will relay their best wishes to Lou and his family, and loudly proclaim him to be a "class act." Al Leiter will then show us the difference between a two-seam fastball and a four-seam fastball...
blues prediction: the south side of Chicago vs. Texas' biggest city. Howlin' Wolf vs. Stevie Ray Vaughan. Love them Texas blues, but you've got to give the edge to Chi-town. In barbecue terms, it's a fairly even split. Both locales boast proud traditions of butchery. and low test scores.
PLAY BALL!!!!!!
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October 19, 2005
FIRE
...before...
...after...
...afterer...
remember a few weeks back when I was completely obsessed with what color to paint the strat I'm about to start building? all that back and forth, only to decide that I would go with white? I know, I know. pretty pictures, but rather annoying with the sniveling waffling commentary.
well here's a fun way to go--just torch the thing! imagine the wonderful smells and aromas that will burst forth from your guitar as you bathe it in toxic flammable liquids and douse it in flame! watch the paraffin in the pickups melt as you nod quietly amid the poison smoke, resolute with the smug realization that your new finish is going to be super-thin, and therefore--toneful!! so very jimi@monterey pop!! & after all, it's halloween. let's have a bonfire...
big ups to the folks at flickr, through whose web portal we are able to view these fascinating glimpses into other people's lives.
I'll take mine medium rare, thanks...
purple haze! all in my brain!
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October 18, 2005
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
...what's going on today? a whole lot of nothing....work eat sleep dream...one of those...
here's a question for you home DIY'ers out there: if a company markets itself as america's leading blah blah blah home center all-encompassing gigunda place to get stuff ("you can do it. we can help."), and you have a store with 105,000 square feet, ya think maybe it might be an outside possibility you would carry a lacquer-based sanding sealer? if your name is home depot, than answer would be a "no." which is why you employ people who don't even know what that is. Lowe's!!! come to New Jersey! Come to New York City!! Please put these putzes out of business!
it's like the invasion of the body snatchers--but instead of pods we have the orange "apron people"...
"can you tell me where I might find a..."
"I don't work in this aisle..."
"so you're what, hiding? do you come to this aisle to admire the inventory? are you stuck in plumbing fixtures, but your true passion lies with the shelving units? do tell, gentle apron person, and perhaps I might help thee find thy destiny. and I would, if you knew where I might find my lacquer sanding sealer. 'cause I thought that since you hang out here, you might actually, you know, have an idea of what stuff it is here that you sell! hey, call me crazy!!"
"I'm on my break."
Yessiree. The Home Depot. Giving the DMV a run for its money in the work ethic and bureaucratic efficiency departments. Watch out Post Office! There's a new kid in town...
image above is what I intend to create with aforementioned sanding sealer. home depot don't dig on no stratocasters......
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October 17, 2005
LEARNING TO FLY
as I've become more and more interested in guitar styles within the jazz idiom over the years, I've sought out quite a collection of instruction materials to negotiate the various learning curves....here's a few that I've tried, and one that's on my wish list...
...an outstanding and engaging resource for learning difficult subject matter...
...one man's method for codifying and systemizing the complexities of playing jazz on the guitar...very helpful, but his demonstration technique tends to blind the student from the essence of the point in question...this mofo can shred...
...the classic method of 'read along with the fake sheet while playing along with the cassette' method of learning standards, as epitomized by the jamey aebersold series...hey, it works...over one hundred of these volumes in existence, and counting...
...this little program is an absolute gold mine for learning songs--more files available from the rock vein rather than jazz, as far as I can tell...which is fine...I do allow myself to rock the fuck out once in a while...
...mahavishnu's take on the state of the art...who wouldn't want to hear what he has to say? not me....I'm dying to check it out...the lessons of the life's work of a true master...
CLICK:
THIS IS THE WAY I DO IT
these tools are amazing...a very far cry away from trying to figure out jimmy page licks using an ancient record player and an out-of-tune sears electric guitar....
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October 14, 2005
HUMPTY DUMPTY
...talk to the hand...
Everyone said, loud enough for the others to hear: "Look at the Emperor's new clothes. They're beautiful!"
"What a marvellous train!"
"And the colors! The colors of that beautiful fabric! I have never seen anything like it in my life!" They all tried to conceal their disappointment at not being able to see the clothes, and since nobody was willing to admit his own stupidity and incompetence, they all behaved as the two scoundrels had predicted.
A child, however, who had no important job and could only see things as his eyes showed them to him, went up to the carriage.
"The Emperor is naked," he said.
"Fool!" his father reprimanded, running after him. "Don't talk nonsense!" He grabbed his child and took him away. But the boy's remark, which had been heard by the bystanders, was repeated over and over again until everyone cried:
"The boy is right! The Emperor is naked! It's true!"
The Emperor realized that the people were right but could not admit to that. He though it better to continue the procession under the illusion that anyone who couldn't see his clothes was either stupid or incompetent. And he stood stiffly on his carriage, while behind him a page held his imaginary mantle.
--from "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson
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October 13, 2005
KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG
...he speaks...
We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you.
I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
I don’t think we know the solution to global warming yet and I don’t think we’ve got all the facts before we make decisions.
And Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.
The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it.
I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend.
The relations with, uhh — Europe are important relations, and they've, uhh — because, we do share values. And, they're universal values, they're not American values or, you know — European values, they're universal values. And those values — uhh — being universal, ought to be applied everywhere.
See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.
We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.
It's a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose a loss of life.
Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country.
God speaks through me.
See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.
I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves.
My answer is bring them on.
I'm the master of low expectations.
We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.
This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.
Our nation must come together to unite.
I appreciate that question because I, in the state of Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge between church and state.
I want it to be said that the Bush administration was a results-oriented administration, because I believe the results of focusing our attention and energy on teaching children to read and having an education system that's responsive to the child and to the parents, as opposed to mired in a system that refuses to change, will make America what we want it to be—a literate country and a hopefuller country.
Harold Pinter? Who is Harold Pinter?
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October 12, 2005
THE LADY IS A TRAMP
...whatever you say, herr commandant...
Gonzales Urges: Give Miers a Chance
Attorney General Gonzales Urges People to Give Harriet Miers Time to Engage the Nation in Platitudes, Cliches, Run-On sentences and Double-Speak
Dis Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asserted Wednesday that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers would bring "a unique brand of experience" to the high court and that critics will feel more comfortable once her long-winded answers begin to lull them into an undisturbed, child-like sleep.
Gonzales, himself once considered a leading candidate for a vacancy there, said there is "nothing unique or earth-shattering" about Miers' nomination and said people should give her time to parse her language and fall back on attorney-client privelege.
President Bush "has a wonderfully predictable track record" in naming cronies to high government positions, including judges, Gonzales, a longtime Bush crony himself, said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America. He said the Miers nomination "is consistent with that model."
"She is a person who is a lawyer, who has worked with judges and watched what they do," Gonzales said. "She has watched them closely—how they talk, how they manage a calendar, where the good restaurants are, and really, how much of the hard work is done by their law clerks anyway. I think she could do that, sure. And she has done so much more than merely help the White House with public relations, talking points and damage control. She understands how things work. She used to run the Texas lottery system."
"She is going to bring, in my judgment, a unique brand of experience to the court that will strengthen the court," Gonzales added when asked about criticism, much of it from conservative Republicans, that Miers lacks legal stature for the job.
As confirmation hearings commence, likely in November, people will have a chance to learn more about Miers, who succeeded Gonzales in the position of White House counsel, he noted.
Gonzales said he shares Bush's confidence in Miers' confirmation prospects and predicted that the controversy will fade after people have had an "ample opportunity" to hear her plead her case in lengthy, evasive, and unspecific language.
He also reiterated Bush's statement that Miers was not asked to state her views on the Roe v. Wade decision giving women a constitutional right to abortion.
"There is no need to ask. We already know how she would rule on that," Gonzales said.
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October 11, 2005
CRUEL TO BE KIND
...be fruitful...so to speak...
Churches Preach on "Porn Sunday"
Oct 10, 2005, 06:03 AM EDT
MAMVILLE -- Some Christian churches say pornography has become more and more accessible, leading to more problems with people feeling good and enjoying themselves. So Sunday, churches around the country said enough is enough, and participated in National Porn Sunday to address the wonderful world of porn millions of Americans enjoy each and every day.
"Quite frankly it's talked about everywhere but in church not often," said church goer Katie Fister. She joined thousands of Christians in our area and millions nationwide in National Porn Sunday.
"We're going to get a kick out of it," said Pastor Tony Bulger of the Cathedral of Praise in Mamville. During services, he told his congregation there's too much bad porn saturating our culture. "We're trying to send a message that excellence in the sex entertainment business is important for the man and for the woman...for the family...for America. ... this society needs a revival," said Bulger.
National Porn Sunday got some help from xxxchurch.com -- a resource for people to get help started by some guys who made a documentary about their experiences with porn. Pastors in our area said there is assistance here for anyone. "They don't need to be ashamed of it," said Pastor John Rambone. "There is help out there and we want to help them any way we can," he added.
People in the seats wanted to hear the message. "A lot of people don't like to talk about it and it's an issue that the church should handle," said member Christy Rack. "We're making a stand saying that this is a problem and we need to take care of it," said Rack.
"A lot of times (people) are trapped and they don't know where to turn...they're afraid to talk to somebody—how do I go about finding it? What’s good? Who are the directors who are putting out the best porn available today? Well, we’re here to help." said member Matthew Girth.
Church members told us porn is definitely a boon to society that shouldn't be passed on to our young people without active participation and guidance. "So often they hear about sex and pornography from every source, but not from church and not even from their parents," said Fister. "So it's important that we show them how to surreptitiously download from the internet. After all, the word of God was written before the invention of DVDs."
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ALL THE YOUNG DUDES
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ANGELS BEAT YANKS IN ANAHEIM!!
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FINAL SCORE:
NY YANKEES: OLD
LA ANGELS: YOUNG
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October 10, 2005
GREAT COP
...I'm a thoroughly loathsome tool...tonight on FOX!!!....
I swear if I had a nickel for every time that Tim McCarver has annoyed me, I could buy one of those big shiny TV sets with the fancy new MBS--the McCarver Blocking System--built right into it.
So completely enamored of his own opinions, so convinced that he has been employed to give us the almighty JUSTICE that our viewership demands of the paltry, human error-prone umpires that MLB has disgraced the grounds of playoff baseball with, that he will second-guess each and every element of the game, declare the correct/appropriate move or call, and generally talk it into the ground until no possible question or debate can continue to exist -- at which point his faithful ward Joe Buck robotically agrees with him and all of a sudden slamma-lamma-ding-dong here comes the next pitch!
Like Moses come down to civilize the peoples, or a Pharaoh declaring that what has been written shall be done, Mr. McCarver was the one--the self-appointed judge and jury who this summer declared that Kenny Rogers had done the appropriate amount of media penance before the seeing-eye cameras of Fox & ESPN-- and that it was time to forgive him for his assault & battery of one unsuspecting cameraman, whom I would assume granted Tim his proxy for forgiveness, as he was still convalescing in a nearby hospital. so, no need for adjudication. obviously. Tim McCarver, his word is law.
And so it was, that last night Mr. McCarver saw fit to direct his ever-widening purview of critique and brylcreem insight at a constituency who had heretofore managed to avoid his winnowing gaze: the fans at Yankee Stadium. Not the umpires, not the coaches, managers, head honchos, cleanup hitters or errant fielders. No, this time it was the fans' turn to get their game correct. This time around, the fans were the transgressors. to wit: in appreciation of their longtime all-star, gold-glove, batting champion center fielder Bernie Williams, they had begun to chant his name in the 8th inning of what may have been his last game at the Stadium.
Of course, they did it all wrong. You see, they really don't need to chant both of Bernie's names, since he's the only "Bernie" on the field! All they needed to chant was simply "Bernie!" Duh!
Oh, thank you grand wizard of hermeneutic explications! if only the unwashed 50,000 had your all-seeing vision! Perhaps, before we all embarrass ourselves next spring, you could give us your perspective on proper hand positioning for doing the wave! and I'm sure there is a golden nugget left over in your magic bag that will explain the appropriate hand gesture for purchasing a hot dog! Yes, Mr. McCarver, please do enlighten us!
We were blind. Yet now we see.
That's a great dye job, by the way. "Just For Men?" Red? Brown?
...actually, it's called "royal auburn"...funny story, I was interviewing Rusty Staub at a charity golf tournament. We had been discussing the correct length of a blade of grass, and how baseballs tend to spin in a reverse direction in the southern hemisphere, which is why second basemen are worshipped as gods in Venezuela, so anyway long story short...
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October 07, 2005
YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING
...lately I haven't been feeling very loquacious...less need for pointless, incessant barking I suppose...anyway, here's a nice-looking relic strat to ogle over the weekend...happy days...
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October 05, 2005
ALL THAT JAZZ
Yogi Berra explains jazz
Interviewer: "Can you explain jazz?"
Yogi: "I can't, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, it's right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong."
Interviewer: "I don't understand."
Yogi: "Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it."
Interviewer: "Do you understand it?"
Yogi: "No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn't know anything about it."
Interviewer: "Are there any great jazz players alive today?"
Yogi: "No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill for it."
Interviewer: "What is syncopation?"
Yogi: "That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz, but only if they're the same as something different from those other kinds."
Interviewer: "Now I really don't understand."
Yogi: "I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that well."
[thanks to Chris at playjazzguitar.com]
LOS ANGELES
we play today. we win today.
...offense...
...defense...
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October 04, 2005
KEEP THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED
...I'll just be over here in the corner, knitting quietly...
...if you look up the meaning of the word "crony," the actual dictionary definition, it specifically states: "a longtime close friend or companion." now what, I ask you, is wrong with that?...
...of my 1,000 points of light, Ms. Miers was number 582...
...and if Ms. Miers was indeed the twins' babysitter, a stipulation which I am neither confirming nor denying, wouldn't that simply be the most unequivocal demonstration of trust and confidence that the president could express?...
...remember when people said that we weren't qualified? oh, for goodness sakes...that's rich...
...and I might add, I also have a law degree...
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