Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Thursday Thirteen #196


THIRTEEN PIECES OF PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA

I'm feeling very Presidential these days. So here are some little known facts about our last 13 Commanders in Chief. (Thanks to Kwizgiver for the inspiration.)

1) When Barack Obama was a student at Columbia University, his nickname was "Barry."

2) As a little boy, George W. Bush took the role of family "clown" to raise his parents' spirits after the death of his younger sister Robin, who passed away at the tender age of 4 of leukemia.

3) A passionate pop music fan, Bill Clinton named his daughter after his favorite record, "Chelsea Morning," a Joni Mitchell song recorded by Judy Collins.

4) Though he later developed a passion for foreign affairs, George Herbert Walker Bush earned a degree in economics from Yale.

5) Ronald Reagan referred to himself as "an indifferent student" until he discovered dramatics at Eureka College.

6) Jimmy Carter's mother, "Miz Lillian," defied racial segregation in Georgia in the 1920s by counseling African Americans regarding women's health.

7) A gifted athlete, Gerald Ford turned down offers from both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

8) Richard Nixon was very good at the piano and encouraged guests to sing along as he played.

9) While in college, Lyndon Johnson earned glowing references as a student teacher.

10) John Kennedy was the father of the last baby born to a sitting President, but Patrick Bouvier Kennedy lived only a few days and never made it to the White House.

11) At West Point, Dwight Eisenhower was reprimanded for smoking.

12) Harry Truman was a self conscious child who believed wearing glasses set him apart from his classmates.

13) Franklin Roosevelt passed the bar and practiced law briefly for a prestigious New York law firm, but he never enjoyed being an attorney.

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I was his guest

Barack Obama's, that is. Here's a rather grainy photo of "my credentials," the ticket to get me into McCormick Place. It was an honor to be there. There was such a feeling of good will within the crowd!

Although if I may be blasphemous, I have had more fun at Election Night celebrations when the candidate isn't present. Because no candidate means less security, no secret service, and BOOZE. 20 years ago, the night Bill Clinton won the Presidency, he was in Little Rock and I was on Michigan Avenue in a "No More Bush" conga line.



I Want Wednesday

I want relationships to be less complicated. I got into the official Obama celebration last night not because of my own volunteer efforts but because Kathy got two tickets -- as a result of her canvassing efforts in Iowa. And she chose me.

At first I almost said no. I'm trying to distance myself from Kathy. I don't believe our decades-long friendship is good for me.

On the other hand, this was history. To be in the room with Barack Obama when he accepted his second term ... WOW!

So I went. But I felt like I was pimping her.

Am I taking advantage of her, or am I giving her a chance tos how she has changed? I don't know.

I try to be a good person. This makes me uncomfortable.




I was there last night and I am tired this morning


President Barack Obama stands with his family, first lady Michelle Obama, left, daughter Sasha, 2nd from left, and Malia, right, after taking the stage to give his acceptance speech at McCormick Place in Chicago. — Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 7, 2012