You Have To Meet Margaret and Helen
Oct292008
I may have to give up blogging because I will never be as cool as Helen (and Margaret, of course):
And a big thank you to Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Dish, who also brought you the Escaping Beagle.
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47 Comments to 'You Have To Meet Margaret and Helen'
On October 29, 2008 at 6:53 pm Bead Babe Cherry said...
Now that’s the REAL straight talk express!
On October 29, 2008 at 8:34 pm JulieB said...
I loved that! (and the beagle too)
This is for fun:
(Russians for Palin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9V_aOCga0
and this is a bit more to the point:
(Expats if she gets elected)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuB8O1ll01U
On October 29, 2008 at 8:35 pm Office Wench Cherry said...
Margaret and Helen rock. They remind me of my grandma. Thanks for the link.
And the escaping beagle was hilarious.
On October 29, 2008 at 8:51 pm Courtney De said...
I LOVE Margaret and Helen. And Andrew Sullivan. And you, too, Jenny, so don’t give up blogging. You’re almost as cool as Helen and Margaret.
I think you have to reach the age of 82 before you can officially be THAT cool. You’re too young.
On October 29, 2008 at 8:59 pm Wendi said...
My sister just introduced me to Margaret and Helen just last week! Great minds thinking alike…I agree with Courtney in that no one can probably ever attain those highest levels of coolness until you also attain the age. I have limited myself to only three or four blogs that I check on a weekly basis (or this one that I check on a daily basis just in case Jenny might get to post), and Margaret and Helen were immediately added to that bookmark folder the first time I read their site!
On October 29, 2008 at 9:27 pm SusanL said...
Thanks for the link to Margaret & Helen. I’m in love.
On October 29, 2008 at 10:01 pm Karla said...
“Please Lord don’t tell me she [Sarah Palin] has to show her hoo-ha in public.”
Hilarious! Thanks, Jenny!!
On October 29, 2008 at 11:44 pm Vaishali said...
Oh wow, thanks for the link to M & H! What a joy to read.
On October 30, 2008 at 6:13 am Kieran said...
I don’t know…to me it sounds like a young person trying really hard to sound like a cool (stereotypical)old lady character that you’d see on a TV show. Most real old ladies don’t say things like hoo-ha. But a young person trying to sound like a cool old lady might.
I’m extremely skeptical about websites and emails in general and how easily they can be used to fool people. I’m a big snopes.com fan. About a third to a half of the random emails that wind up in my box are fake.
On October 30, 2008 at 8:07 am Jackie said...
Kieran – As far as the not using Hoo-ha for older ladies goes. You never met my Granma and my Great aunts. There is a very good reason Granpa and the uncles always went walking about the same time every morning….. After the house was attacked with a vacuum cleaner, Granma called her sisters. Excercise is good for you after all.
On October 30, 2008 at 9:55 am susan said...
Well, heck, there’s a good hour shot, reading all that great stuff over at Helen and Margaret’s. Thanks Jenny. I think.
As a Canadian all I can say (or rather, all I’ll say right now) is Canadian politics may be dull, but at least they’re dull.
On October 30, 2008 at 10:33 am JulieB said...
It says my comment is awaiting moderation, but I can see it….
Anyway, I had two Youtube links to repay the smiles to you, and a thanks — I enjoyed both the dog and the blog. But I agree, I love your blog as well.
On October 30, 2008 at 11:42 am Jenny said...
Kieran, you have not been hanging out with the right old ladies.
On October 30, 2008 at 1:33 pm Bridget said...
Jenny,
Thanks for linking to Margaret & Helen. I’ve been reading Helen for a couple of weeks now and I just adore her.
Kieran – take a look at the first posting before Helen got political and Margaret’s response. I don’t think she’s a kid. The fax answer is too funny and pretty much what I remember.
As for hoo hah, do kids even use it? I thought they were more graphic.
Bridget
On October 30, 2008 at 1:50 pm McB said...
Love it! And I agree that you have to have a few years under your belt to get away with speaking your mind to that extent. It’s what makes getting older worth while.
Slang like “hoo ha” might not originate with older people, but that doesn’t stop them from using it if, as with the rest of us, they like the sound of it. And older women, maybe especially, will say nearly anything.
On October 30, 2008 at 2:11 pm Pam said...
Oh, dear God–I’m in love. And now have two more women to add to my “When I grow up” list.
On October 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm Jenny said...
My fave is:
“Well, I thought it was a good debate. My hats off to Bob Shieffer and my blouse too if he plays his cards right.”
Go, Helen.
On October 30, 2008 at 5:09 pm AgTigress said...
Just a reminder (though hardly necessary to this group, I feel sure): the result of this election matters to those of us so in many other countries, who can’t even influence the outcome.
So make sure you USE your vote! Remember all the women of previous generations who were not allowed to express their opinion, and who fought for that right. Don’t let them down. Vote. And vote for the better candidate!
How was that for a carefully non-political statement from a foreigner?
I’ll be on US soil the week after next, and I hope sincerely that by then there will be a President in office that we in Europe will feel happy about. It will be good, not just for the USA, but for the world.
On October 30, 2008 at 5:21 pm Slave Driver said...
We have had early voting in my state from Oct 21-31 and I went today and waited almost an hour. But that means I don’t have to stress on Tuesday. The folks in line all shared a look of grim determination. And only a couple walked out when they saw the legnth of the line.
On October 30, 2008 at 5:45 pm Kieran said...
Aw, I knew I’d get some response to my comment about old ladies not saying hoo-ha! You may be right I’m not hanging out with the right ones, Jenny.
It’s the weird counterintelligence personality in me left over from my days in D.C. (and my natural tendency to be like Eeyore) that doesn’t believe this website is real.
But somehow I still believe in Santa Claus. And I want a red Corvette.
On October 30, 2008 at 6:04 pm JulieB said...
I don’t know — I’ve thought about early voting, but I have a strange susperstitious aversion to going in early. I’m waiting until Tuesday. I have no classes that day — and my students know they will get an extra credit point if they vote. I may even get my own kids out of school early. I take them to vote with me every chance I can. (No Chicago jokes please…
)
On October 30, 2008 at 6:31 pm AgTigress said...
“No Chicago jokes please…”
‘Vote early; vote often’. Was that the kind of joke you meant? To us, that’s a Northern Ireland joke…
On October 30, 2008 at 9:19 pm MJ said...
Kieran, I’m with you. It’s too perfect, in every way. But it’s still fun to read.
On October 30, 2008 at 9:25 pm JulieB said...
Yep AgTigress, that’s the one!
Now I know why my office will never be clean:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/bigsort/archive/2008/10/28/difference-between-rs-and-ds-it-s-all-in-the-stuff.aspx
Hope this one makes it out of spam
On October 31, 2008 at 1:09 am Melissa Blue said...
Couple of things:
1. I knew there was a reason why I idolized you. After just reading two blog post I remembered why I held you in high regard. Anyone, ANYONE who would find these ladies worth mentioning is someone I can look up two.
2. I’ve collected wonderful quotes from two of the latest blogs. If these don’t leave you in stitches or at least wanting to read their blog, there is no hope for you.
“Honestly, there are more beavers in Alaska than people.”
“You know, at his age, he should know there’s medication for such personality swings.”
“If I hear that McCain is a Maverick one more time I just might throw myself to the floor and break a hip.”
“So tell me again why you are undecided?
Oh yes I forgot. The terrorists are going to get us.”
“This about the woman whose best qualification for the job to date is that she can see Russia from her house.”
“Please Lord don’t tell me she has to show her hoo-ha in public.” (She must be related to Lani.)
“So hang on to your panties everyone. There might be a few skid marks before this is all over.”
That is all.
On October 31, 2008 at 1:20 am Jenny said...
I voted early. It was so much easier and so much faster than waiting until election day. And I truly do believe this is the most important election of my lifetime, so yes, please go out and vote, although I have this unreasonable faith in the people who read this blog: I think they’ll all vote because they’re just that kind of people.
Ag, whoever wins won’t be in office until January. So you’re stuck with Bush when you come to visit. Of course, we’ve been stuck with him for eight years . . .
Speaking of voting, this is very cool, especially if you’re going to wait until Election Day:
http://twittervotereport.com/press-release/
On October 31, 2008 at 7:55 am Kieran said...
So many people are voting early! I thought you had to be an absentee voter to vote early. Can I just walk down to my voting place today? That would be so cool.
Okay, I guess I can investigate this myself.
On October 31, 2008 at 8:04 am AgTigress said...
“Ag, whoever wins won’t be in office until January. So you’re stuck with Bush when you come to visit. Of course, we’ve been stuck with him for eight years .”
I had forgotten that. I am used to our General Election process, where, if there is a change of government, the furniture removal vans are outside No.10 Downing Street on the very next day…
On October 31, 2008 at 8:34 am Flamingo Cherry/Shawn Reed said...
I have to second and third what everybody else is saying … Margaret and Helen sound a lot like many of the Southern Ladies of a Certain Age I know.
And for those of you who don’t speak Southern, “bless your/her/his heart” is the socially acceptable preface that allows you to lambast someone in polite conversation while still sounding sympathetic to them. The subtext is “what a shame he/she/you are an idiot/jackass/heathen/spineless loser who doesn’t know any better, needs a smack upside the head, and are a sad disappointment to your mother.”
“Bless your heart” is just faster to say and sounds nicer.
Needless to say, Margaret & Helen are firmly bookmarked.
Oh, and I voted early, too!
On October 31, 2008 at 11:39 am robena grant said...
Love this site. Thanks. Margaret and Helen gave me a good laugh and I think you and Helen went to the same voice school, Jenny. She sounds very much like you. I even checked out their t-shirts on cafe press, not that I’d wear them but still …
On October 31, 2008 at 1:56 pm Barbara said...
Kiernan,
Voting early is not the same thing as absentee ballots. Each state has places to vote early–NOT always at your precinct. In my area, several libraries are the sites for anyone in any area of the county to vote.
Check in your area. The lines have been long here …
On October 31, 2008 at 3:53 pm McB said...
Sadly, no early voting in Maryland. Although we do have a proposed amendment to the State Constitution on the ballot which would allow it, it won’t do me any good this year.
On October 31, 2008 at 5:21 pm Alia said...
Margaret and Helen in 2012!!
Thanks for the wonderful site.
On October 31, 2008 at 5:40 pm colognegrrl said...
Watch out – here’s a customized video which you can pass on to anybody you think isn’t going to vote. I got it, too, even if I can’t vote (in the U.S., that is). But here in Germany, I haven’t missed a single one. I think it’s the least you can do to support democracy.
http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=mbey0wGJ7sOo7uPg5NA4BDc1MzQ3NzM-&referred_by=12883434-DenuMtx
Hope this will work if you try the link.
On October 31, 2008 at 6:26 pm Stephanie said...
No early voting in Virginia either. And I’m gonna blow my diet for the day as well and take full advantage of everywhere that is going to reward me for voting – Ben and Jerry’s is giving free scoops, Krispy Kreme free donuts, Chik-fil-A free chicken — and I’m sure I’ll hear about more as the day gets closer. If all goes well I could be part of history and clog my arteries all in the same day!
On October 31, 2008 at 8:52 pm Melissa Blue said...
Stephanie I’m jealous. They’ve closed all the Kripsy Kremes in my area. I’d have to drive three hours to get to one.
Don’t think I haven’t been tempted.
On October 31, 2008 at 11:18 pm Jenny said...
Actually, early voting in Ohio is absentee voting. You go in and fill out the form for an absentee vote, they give you the ballot, you fill out the ballot and put it in the envelope and hand it to the people right there. You don’t have to give a reason, you just show up with your driver’s license and if you’re registered, you vote. It’s very cool.
Florida has early voting for sure because Charlie Crist did the right thing and extended the voting hours, so go, Charlie, even if you are a Republican. Here’s where to find the rest of the states:
http://earlyvoting.net/states/abslaws.php
On November 1, 2008 at 3:45 am CrankyOtter said...
I’ve been digging the Dish, and love Helen’s writing.
But I love your writing too. The world doesn’t need only the single most bestest writer ever. The world needs many voices, and I like yours. Please keep writing. And when time permits, blogging.
Thanks for sending us to Helen in the interim. Eagerly awaiting the end of BRB intermission.
On November 1, 2008 at 8:47 am Jackie said...
M & H are a great find, and I’m glad you passed the link on. But we’ll still be checking here for new argh and gossip together until you have time for us again. Keep writing those books. We want them.
On November 1, 2008 at 7:07 pm Barbara said...
See how different voting is in each state?! I should have said I’m in Florida and here “early voting” is showing up at a place designated for it. In my county it’s been libraries. You can also get an absentee ballot to send it (and that would be “early” since it must be in the elections office before polls close on voting day) but it’s thought of as two different things.
The thing is, there’s probably no reason to miss voting if you look into the rules wherever you live. This is going to be an extremely important election and I hope we all vote.
On November 1, 2008 at 8:34 pm jenifer said...
Loving Helen and Margaret. Seriously, they’re fantastic. I am officially adopting them as my grandmothers, since both of my grandmothers are no longer with us.
Early voting laws definitely vary by state. In Michigan there are no early voting options, and to vote absentee you have to be 60 years or older or have a valid excuse. Of course you could lie on the form and say you expect to be out of your precinct that day, but it is a misdemeanor to do so.
So, I’ll be at my voting location on Tuesday, standing in line for what will probably be hours. But it will totally be worth it.
On November 2, 2008 at 12:10 pm MJ said...
Happily, here in Wisconsin we could vote absentee without having to give a reason–or even showing a driver’s license.
Time is running out, but this site (started by a couple college-age friends of my DD) tells how to vote absentee in any state: govoteabsentee.org.
On November 2, 2008 at 7:25 pm Kieran said...
I wish we could all just be Americans together, no matter the outcome. I’m so tired of the Democrat/Republican hatefest.
I’m making a cake for our family that day. On top it’s going to say, “God Bless America” and “God Bless Our President,” and it’s going to be red, white, and blue, and the kids will place the President’s face on top (Xeroxed from the internet and placed on a toothpick). We’ll have both faces, and whoever wins goes on the cake.
I want my kids to feel like we’re all a country together, and we can respect each other’s different beliefs.
Because we all have the right to have them.
On November 3, 2008 at 5:09 am colognegrrl said...
Gee, I just used a link to the NYT referring to the complicated election system in the U.S. and I guess the Homeland Security deleted my comment.
On November 3, 2008 at 9:27 am Jackie said...
Sigh….
colognegrrl – I was hoping that we would do some real election reform after both the 2000 and 2004 elections. Other than that we elect a president, and the electoral college, everything else about how we do this is built up over the years and subject to change. And in need of change in my opinion.
On November 3, 2008 at 3:33 pm Diane (TT) said...
Kieran, it sounds like a lovely cake and a fine attitude. I make election cookies for every primary and general election on the federal ballot (even # years, I can’t manage twice EVERY year). I have donkey and elephant shapes and a continental US shape and a few other things, and I put them out at work saying “Don’t forget to vote”.
It would absolutely be lovely to work together, rather than against one another, but that may be a dream whose time never was. We should certainly try, no matter what! And we’ll need to, considering the mess we’re in.
I don’t know about the Electoral College. It was, of course, a compromise created at the founding of our nation, because we have TWO great principles animating our laws: majority rule AND minority rights. The rule of the majority, we have often seen, leads to disregard for the less numerous (or, in the case of women, genetically disenfranchised). I don’t know if things have changed so much – the less-populous states have constituencies that certainly deserve a voice in choosing (which they really don’t get, if it’s by popular vote alone), but that their voice has become too disproportionate is also a possibility.
I didn’t want to drive to the county seat to vote, so I’m hoping that the lines aren’t too long when the polls open tomorrow! I’m in SW Ohio, but not in Cincinnati, so I don’t think I’m being too unreasonable.
I should visit Margaret and Helen again.
On November 4, 2008 at 9:12 am Kwana said...
Thanks for the intro. They are cool!