The Gazaleh Gazette

In the last two weeks the phone has been ringing off the hook. We are just as surprised as you because up until election day, the phone lines to 40 BD have been flooded with recordings explaining how one incompetent and corrupt candidate was better than another incompetent and corrupt candidate. We figured that come Wednesday, November 7th, the phones would get a break and lay silent but for the daily calls from Cherry Hill and Hoboken.

Sometimes you can be wrong and it turns out bad. It is true that we were wrong this time, but I would say it was a good thing. Apparently The Gazaleh Gazette is read by more than my meager distribution list. From what we have learned in the last week, the bigwigs in the fashion world are big fans. I mean BIG fans. They have become enamored with the subjects of the blog and feel they are very marketable. My first question to the smart people at MaKa High Fashion is how marketable? Are we talking small fashion show at the local Bennigans marketable? Or are we talking 10 years and $350 million marketable. Well, according to them, no one is worth a ten year contract for $350 milllion.

You all know that I am a reasonable man, but I was offended and felt they were being glib. I slammed my hand on the table and walked out but not before turning back to them and asking if they have read the history of psychiatry. I want everyone to know that we have.

Good thing Amy and I decided to play good cop, bad cop. Guess who was bad cop? Amy stayed and negotiated a contract with a reasonable term, decent money and complete creative freedom. The creative freedom is what we were hoping for and Amy came through. The girls had their first fashion shoot and it came out great. The best photo was reserved for a very important client and cannot be included on the blog for confidentiality reasons but here is one of the outtakes. And look for the girls on the catwalk soon.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get home before the girls went to bed last night, but when I called to say goodnight to them, Katharine wanted to tell me a story. Here is how the conversation went.

Katharine: Hi daddy.

Daddy: Who’s this? (my standard response)

Katharine: It’s Katharine. (her standard response)

Daddy: Who? (my standard response)

Katharine: Katharine! (her standard response and always with annoyance)

Daddy: Oh, hi Katharine. (my standard response)

Katharine: Guess what?

Daddy: Thanksgiving is coming? (because I assume everything is a game)

Katharine: No.

Daddy: What? I give up.

Katharine: I had gym class today…

I pause because she claims that she doesn’t like gym and I am waiting for a complaint.

Katharine: …and we were playing with balls. I was doing really well.

Now a huge smile has taken over the already pretty large smile that always (well mostly) happens when I talk on the phone to the girls. Here I am, a fairly athletic man, the father of two beautiful girls who are great but have almost no interest in anything athletic. I am getting excited because she is expressing an interest in sports.

Daddy: Yeah. And. (the excitement filling my voice)

Katharine: And Mr. Mahon (her gym teacher) was playing music.

Daddy: Yeah. And. (the excitement building even more)

Katharine: ..and guess what music was playing?

Daddy: Ah. (pause) High School Musical? (thinking it was a good guess but deep down my spirits were deflating a little bit because I can’t figure out how this is going to end with a great story about her athletic prowess)

Katharine:. No. It was Bono. Mr. Mahon was playing U2 during gym class!

Daddy: Really?

That was not the big finish I was expecting but a big finish nonetheless.

Daddy: Did you recognize the songs?

Katharine: Yes.

Daddy: Did you sing along and brag to all your friends that you are the coolest girl in school because your dad Loooooves U2?

Katharine: No.

Daddy: Why not?

Katharine: I don’t know.

So there you have it. She may not have my passion for sports but she shares my ability to pick out a U2 song when it is on. I’ll take that.

Can you believe The Gazaleh Gazette is one year old today? When I look back at the last year and all of the hard hitting news coverage the Gazette has provided it seems like a lot longer than just one year.

I think my favorite post was Katharine learning to ride a bike. (November 11, 2006) I was really excited to have been able to post the video within minutes of it actually happening and share it with all of you.

Here are some other highlights:

‘Tis the season was another favorite. (December 6, 2006) Mary is hysterical in the video as she wants to watch what I am filming but gets so swept up in the song that she can’t help but sing.

Seeing Katharine and Mary dance with their Pop Pop at the wedding was quite a sight. (January 7, 2007) It is hard to believe that was a couple weeks removed from heart surgery.

I replay the posts on July 9, 2007 and August 20, 2007 in my head over and over. I have been known to embellish a bit but those posts were an exact account of what transpired and they still make me laugh.

Ah, who are we kidding. They are all highlights. I thought I would leave you with one more video to spring us into our sophomore year.

Watch Now:

 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (194)

For some reason, October flew by and Halloween went with it. I have also been in several stores which are completely decorated for Christmas. I guess November is just another month in the way of Christmas (sorry Susan, but the republic has spoken). Since it doesn’t seem to matter anymore, Sen. Richardson has included in his platform on his road to the White House that November should be eliminated and December should be 61 days. If he gets elected and the legislation passes, that means Susan will be forever 36 and in a few years we will all be saying, Thankswha? What is that. Katharine and Mary will have only celebrated a few Thanksgivings and the Lee Turkey farm will embark on a new ad campaign with Cows holding up signs to Et mowr Turke. That right there is one reason my candidate is Hilary Clinton. I don’t want that legislation to pass and that is coming from the man who rates turkey on the bottom of the list of things on a Thanksgiving table.

Hilary Clinton has been vocally opposed to the Onmibus Reconcilation Act to Rid the World of November 2008. The House narrowly passed the legislation and she is stalling the vote in the Senate until she is the President. Please support Hilary because a vote for Hilary is a vote for November.

If October flew by for you and Halloween went with it, then look at this picture and enjoy what October means to the girls.