octolilly [through the years]

Perhaps it’s the nerd in me, or my slight fascination with the West Wing, but I like to read the White House Press Briefings.

And I particularly liked today’s.

Question: Scott, there’s a new round of rumors that Arafat has died. What does the White House know?

Scott: I don’t have any other information for you. We continue to monitor the situation. That’s what I can tell you at this point.

Question: Don’t you know whether he has died, or not?

Scott: Helen, again, we continue to monitor the situation. I don’t have anything further for you —

Question: You don’t know anything more?

Scott: I don’t have anything further for you on it at this time.

Question: There have been a number of published reports — Forbes and others — claiming that Arafat and his wife have taken between $3 billion to $6 billion from the Palestinian people. A lot of that money was contributed by Americans or by the United States, or by organizations from the United States. Is the U.S. trying to help the Palestinian people regain their money?

Scott: Connie, I don’t think now is the appropriate time to comment on issues of that nature.

Question: After he dies, will you comment on it?

Scott: I just don’t think now is the appropriate time to get into commenting on those matters.

Question: Will you take it for later?

Scott: Next question.

Question: On that issue, you kind of skirted the issue this morning of what…

Scott: I never skirt…

Scott: Russ, welcome back. It’s been a while. How was the Nader campaign?

Question: It was wild.

Heh, to be the White House Press Secretary, you must have pluck.

Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past,
nor in anxiety and forecasting to the future;
but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but His.

– H.E. Manning

The large oak trees keep dusting my deck with piles of leaves, the wind keeps blowing hard at night, and my Doc Martens are becoming The Shoes to Wear in the evening. How can Autumn not be someone’s favorite time of the year?

Tonight is going to be a long night. I’m bouncing between the election coverage and The WB (I have my priorities, you know), and I also have a bundle of things I’d like to write about for Aelki.

However, the bundle of things is large and intimidating. I still have a lot of pictures from Florida, stories about walking through the graveyard where my great-grandmother is buried, finding the house where my mother grew up, and the incredibly long drive back. And of course, there is the Incredible Job details to talk about…but where do I begin?

It’s going wonderfully and I’m learning some absolutely incredible things, but I feel sort of odd writing about it all on here. Apparently some former co-workers have a problem with my leaving and a few of them read Aelki. I don’t want to write anything that will cause things to be more awkward.

Oh, and I have a new hairdo. It’s blonde and flippy.