What Falls on Friday

Ahhhh, we made it to another Friday. The tot came into bed at 4:30 am, but after insisting on covering up the dog to help him sleep, he passed out and didn’t wake up until about 6:20 am. We got ready and made it out of the house without incident. The day was calm, serene, cold, but getting sunny.

However, by the time I pulled into the parking lot, it was snowing and looked like we were in a blizzard. Big flakes were falling everywhere, but I was still set on stopping for a northern lite mocha and then over to the bakery to pick up donuts and muffins for my work crew since this the last day we have our ‘treat cube’ before our office gets reconfigured again and we lose this little space. I thought the extra calories may help as we pack up this afternoon.

Ha, yes I notice my little photobomb ghosty in this pic.

Meanwhile, I hope my husband is sleeping soundly. He had to get up at 2:00 am and leave the house by 2:30 to be onsite at a customer location for a work project at 3:00 am. He got home right around 6:30 am, just in time to help me get the kids ready for daycare, give us a kiss, and head to bed. He has another big project starting later today where he has to report to the first location by 5:00 pm and needs to be at the next location until at least 1:00 am and probably later. Then, the testing begins at 8:00 am and he needs to be there for that, too. He’s awesome. We’ll leave it at that for now. (And revisit this later in far more detail.)

And now for some random fun Friday tidbits to wrap up the week:

• As you know, I’m a sucker for all things #SCOTUS. So, I am still giggling over this goof concerning the law school being renamed after Scalia (ASSoL anyone?!!!), while the deadlock continues about whether to meet with Merrick on the Hill.
• My love for John Oliver is unending and now that baseball season is underway, I think this Yankee premium seat buying scheme and contest is brilliant, just brilliant.
• Last night, the end of an era took place with the final American Idol, for now. There were plenty of great moments and performances, a few surprises, including a last-minute appearance by Simon Cowell (yay!).
• Yes, Melissa McCarthy is in fact reprising her role as Sookie on the Gilmore Girls reboot for Netflix. My sister could not be more excited. I don’t blame her. I have always believed Sookie was one of the best parts of that show.
• Congrats to Anne Hathaway on giving birth to a healthy baby boy and picking a great, meaningful name.
• Between The Force Awakens coming out on DVD (btw, have you spotted all these cameos?) and the release of Rogue One trailer, this has been a big week for Star Wars fans. (In other film news, Hardcore Henry comes out in theaters today and my husband with his guy friends are going Saturday night. Let’s hope he can stay awake.)

Have a great weekend everyone!

On Justice

I have always been a fan of the Supreme Court. I believe in the separation of powers; I believe in justice; I believe in the Constitution.

Unfortunately, the power and prestige of the Court have taken quite a beating in recent years, starting with what happened in 2000 with the Bush/Gore election. That was a fiasco to say the least.

I’m still amazed that in just a few years we have gone from having one woman on the bench to three. I also believe Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a bad ass and a liberal lioness. One of the most prolific justices of all time AND her turn-around time on decisions is lickety-split when you consider her counterparts. (Thanks David Schultz for pointing this out EVERY year in your SCOTUS recap CLE.)

What’s Next?

Now, Obama has the opportunity to fill another seat as part of his legacy. When Scalia died, I literally bolted upright in bed when I heard the news. Now this was news. Not if Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are actually together. (I think they are.) Not if Trump still sends nasty messages to Graydon Carter. (He does.) But actual legitimate news.

I also knew the Senate would try to find a way to block this, like they have done with everything Obama has tried to do since taking office. Like I said,  I believe in the Constitution and it explicitly says that the power to name a Supreme Court Justice lies with the President and it is the Senate’s job to advise and consent, hence confirm nominees if they are qualified to sit on the bench. Nowhere does it say they can block or prevent this from happening because they just don’t want to or wait until the next President. No, sorry. It does not work that way.

Merrick Garland

And so we come to Merrick Garland. He was nominated by Obama today. He already holds a pretty big job, but of course, this would be bigger. I’m interested to see what happens in the next few weeks in terms of hearings, etc.

Say what you want about Garland, but the man is brilliant. While Scalia was a polarizing force on the bench, Garland is moderate enough to keep stability on the Court. I almost never agreed with Scalia, but I can’t say the man was not a character or clever. I think Garland would be a welcome addition. He would ask compelling questions and carefully consider every issue the Court decides to hear.

At a time where approval of Congress (and all of government for that matter) is at an all-time low, we need to bring a little more civility to the scene. A smooth and thoughtful confirmation process might be a good place to start. Your move, Senate. Your move.