Last Wednesday we left for (e:hodown)'s surprise birthday in Phoenix.

We stayed with her and her mom. The whole weekend evolved to be likely the most complex suprise party in history. it probably deserved another post but (e:hodown) thought we were there for (e:lilho)'s birthday.

The desert is crazy. It was intensely hot and the sun was the most intense I've ever felt. The biggest vegetation you can see are sagarro cacti up and down the hills and highways.

On the upside we got to eat delicious Mexican food from Filibertos.

We stayed in Fountain Hills which was way out east past Phoenix. The first day there we went for a short hike near the lake where the world's second largest fountain. It used to be the biggest but they built a larger one in Dubai. Of course the biggest fountains are in the desert.

Scottsdale and Fountain Hills are suburban sprawl to the max. Every road is 4-8 lanes and it takes an hour by car to get anywhere. Not my type of town.

After watching the Trump - Clinton debate. I've never seen someone make less sense then before hearing Trump speak.

I rarely am anxious about anything especially politics but Trump and his racist supporters make me nauseous.

We spent most of the day working on m parents yard hanging out with the Midnight. He was rewarded with his favorite food, ice cream cake.

Saturday we did a little more gardening and trimmed the rose bush way back. I think next year I want to clean up the driveway side and then put a trellis for something creepy. Then the bricks wouldn't soak up so much heat in the summer.

Afterwards we went to "House of Hummus" on Hertel for lunch. It's in the same spot that used to be "Mankeesh and More" and a million other of the same restaurants with different names. I don't know if that's a bad sign but oh well.

The falafel was OK but I really think I like a turkish style better, with cabbage and sauces, lots more vegetable options and the thicker doener bread.

Later at night, (e:terry) went to Squeaky Third Party, and (e:paul) and I went out to bike smut with (e:mike), (e:libertad) and (e:chris). Well, we got to Hot Mama's at ~8:30pm for something that was supposed to start at 9. It didn't start until 10:45(!!). Wtf?

The videos were good but definitely not as amazing as last time. Maybe it was because they were almost entirely lesbian oriented. Anyways we left at the end for The Third Party, I almost wish we had gone to that. The Agway warehouse space was awesome and the music was decent when we got there. Afterwards I hung out with (e:yesthatcasey) for a bit.

Tonight (e:paul) and I went with some of our coworkers to the Beakers and Beers event at coco. I normally hate networking and forced socialization with colleuges but this wasn't too bad. The fact that I got three free beers and unlimited frittes didn't hurt either.

I saw this "Between Two Ferns" video of Hilary Clinton today. It's pretty hilarious. It actually humanized her a little. (I don't actually care if our president is "humanized", I'd rather they be rational. Even robotically so.) (e:terry) discussed why she is criticized for being so robotic or bad at speaking. I wonder if it's just because she doesn't have a more masculine or forceful voice like many politicians.


I also read the fucking ridiculous and disgusting statements by a Trump campaign manager in Ohio. A billion words have been spilled about Trump and his supporters but I wouldn't hesitate to think many think this way.


Kathy Miller says

"I don't think there was any racism until Obama got elected. We never had problems like this. I'm in the real estate industry. There's none. Now, the people with the guns and shootin' up neighborhoods and not being responsible citizens—that's a big change. And I think that's the philosophy that Obama has perpetuated on America. I think that's all his responsibility. And if you're black, and you haven't been successful in the last 50 years, it's your own fault."
...
"I think you have a real advantage because you had all the advantages—going to college. You had all the advantages because they got into schools without the same grades as a white kid. So I think that when we look at the last 50 years, where are we and why? We have three generations of still having unwed babies, kids that don't go through high school. I mean, when do they take responsibility for how they live? I think it's due time, and I think it's good that Mr. Trump is pointing that out."

I was talking to (e:paul) today about how so many people who were previously just racist beneath the surface are straight up openly racist now. Maybe I just notice it more on the news and reddit, but I don't remember seeing anything like this before. . A lot of it seems to get teased out and encouraged by astroturfing and sockpuppeting from stormfront/other neo-Nazi sites. Makes me want to vomit.