My Grudge Against House of Cards

House of Cards is all well and good with the sleek lines of Claire's wardrobe and the sharp jut of her cheekbones - and  who doesn't love to hate old Frank Underwood with his gold cufflinks reading "FU"?But I have a beef:I hate the way the set designers did up the Oval Office in those vague neutral tones , so grey and unimaginative. That's my beef about cars too: Why does everybody want a grey car?My car is midnight blue and before that it was bright red.And why is it all that upscale togs at Eileen Fisher grey or black or cream? What happened to Cobalt Blue, I want to know. What happened to Plum? I tell you what I miss. I miss the Oval Office Jeb Bartlet had in the West Wing. Feast your eyes on THIS!What  a backdrop this set was for all the high-minded talk that cast engaged in. (Thank you Aaron Sorkin!) And thanks to those set designers too, not only for all these warm tones, but for reminding me that there's no decorating element nicer than the potted palm.I used to have palms all over my house and then what happened? Did I go all Claire Underwood/Eileen Fisher on myself? I have no clue but I tell you what: I'm going out today and buy a few floucy old palm myself and some nice lacy ferns too, because really why be alive at all if you're not going to swag it up a little?    

Leadership with a Capital "L"

This is why you never have to worry what you're going to write next: other people give you ideas. I know you could lose your mind scrolling back over my posts – they spool back so endlessly, to the time when Bush was President – but if you have it in you go back just two posts and read where the seeds of today’s are.The topic was Presidential politics, a subject one witty commenter weighed in on.He said,"Sure, I read the papers, watch the news, follow the issues… but when it comes to casting my ballot I usually end up voting for the guy who reminds me most of Martin Sheen on The West Wing. Man he was a great President…!"And that is so true I realized. He WAS a great president and then he also had that nice slightly blousy wife he couldn't really control...and that First Daughter with the stick-out ears who has since washed up on Mad Men... He had Bradley Whitford as the cute right-hand man Josh Lyman. (That's Josh on the right.)He had our friend John Spencer keeping everyone on track all since the long-ago days of LA Law. There was smart lugubrious Toby always quoting from the Constitution and Rob Lowe who hasn’t been out of work a single day since that time immediately post his star turn in Wayne’s World when he got caught in some sort of videotaped swinger situation. (It’s Teflon with men when it comes to swinger situations, ever notice? Try being a woman involved in such hijinks though. The double standard lives!)Anyway it was a great time in America when we could tune in to that show every week - even though the fast-talk as they speed-walked through the White House corridors did make you so dizzy you almost passed out. My brother-in-law used to say he fell asleep like clockwork every week between the West and the Wing.Yeah... Those were the days all right… and speaking of Rob Lowe and P.O.T.U.S as they all so cleverly referred to the President of the United States, how about we see what Mike Myers is doing for the next four years? Wouldn't Mike-as-Wayne make a dandy president? At least the music would be good![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzUU7SRRsGo]