The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary :) --October 14th--

To contact us Click HERE
Hi guys! I am thinking of starting a feature on my blog which is a bit more 'lifestyley' than what I normally do. I'll still do reviews, OOTDs etc like normal, but once a week I'm going to do a little diary entry on what I've been up to the past week! We'll see how it goes, but I'd love to do it every Sunday. Through chatting in #bbloggers it seems people love having a nosy at lifestyle posts, so here goes!! The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary What have I been up to this week?Last weekend was so much fun, on Friday night my boyfriend Scott and I went to my best friend Heather's flat to catch up with her and her boyfriend. It was long overdue! She'd recently adopted two bunnies so I got to meet them.... Cute bunnies!  And give lots of love and cuddles to her amazing dog, Cody. Now Cody is a 'clearance puppy'. He may be a Chihuahua, but he thinks he's a cat, is the fluffiest thing ever, and most hysterically, has a tongue that he can't keep in his mouth.  That tongue is like that ALL THE TIME. He makes me laugh so much. On Saturday night, my aunt and uncle joined us for a murder mystery evening with my parents and Scott. I'm no stranger to murder mystery parties, I've done loads, and blogged about one HERE.   They're great fun, I thoroughly recommend it! And how was work?In case you don't know, I'm a teacher. A primary teacher, but right now I'm working in a nursery. Obviously I can't give too much info about that (always the fear of being cyber stalked!!), but sometimes I have to share funny stories! For example: Me: Who's got news?Boy: Me! I do! I'm going on holiday!!Me: Lucky you, where are you going?Boy: Uhm... I think it's 'Blackpool'... No, wait, it's BLUEPOOL!!! I honestly couldn't stop laughing. He was determined he's going to Bluepool. Who knew? I got sent home on Wed with a tummy bug and didn't go in Thurs or Fri so it was a short week, I felt lousy tho!! Feeling better now. :) And how are the cats?For someone who is a self confessed crazy cat lady, I don't feel I give my cats enough blog time. They are literally my BABIES. This week, Dana has learnt where her treats are, and jumps up onto the kitchen counter, knocks them off, and opens the packet on the floor to eat at her leisure.  But who can resist that face (and slightly chubby body)?? Anything else?Well, yes. My boyfriend Scott sold his car (he's unemployed - sadface) so he had a bit of money. So yesterday we went into Glasgow to go shopping and have dinner. I got some lovely stuff which I'll share with you in other posts. Here's some pics from our day: MUA Constellations in Scorpio, my new cat hat and kitten mittens, strawberry daiquiris in TGIs, me drinking cocktails, a gorg bag I resisted, Scott and I in TGIs, me at dinner. :)  Well, what do you think of this feature guys? Too boring? I don't have the most exciting life haha! Would you enjoy reading something like this?Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary :) --November 4th--

To contact us Click HERE

Heeeey guys! Time for my lifestyle post. I was obviously planning on doing this every week, but life is so hectic that I'm just going to try do it as regularly as I can. :) 

What have I been up to this week?

I have been sooo tired this week. I think now the clocks have gone back, it gets dark so early and my body just wants to go to sleep! I hate this time of year, when I literally don't see sunlight because it's dark when I go in work and dark when I come out. Meh.  Weekend before last I went to London to visit my sister and my best friend, who both live there. I took my boyfriend Scott (his first time in London!) and we had a great time! I'll do a wee post on that soon.  
Us at Buckingham Palace. :) I also caught up with the girls this weekend, we're all teachers and sometimes it's hard to find time to meet up, so I'm glad we sorted something out!   I also finally got rid of my old extensions last weekend! I had my old set in for six months and although my hair was still ok quality, my own hair had grown in too much at the roots so it was time to replace them! It took six and a half hours to take my old set out, colour my hair and put my new set in. Phew!! old hair / my own hair (yes, all of it...) / new hair 

And how was work?

Work was actually mostly fun this week. We had an all-day Hallowe'en party on Wednesday, which I scrabbled about for a last min costume for. None of my regular Hallowe'en outfits were particularly... appropriate haha. So I wore my cat onesie and went as a cat! =p  Easy haha.   

And how are the cats?

My wee cat Pippa was not very well at all, she had an abscess on her wee bum. :( She's 14 and we worry about her, and she had to get a buster collar on. She was SO down and we thought she was maybe giving up. :( But after two weeks on antibiotics, she's making a good recovery!! :)   

Anything else?

My watch broke so I'm hoping to get a new one for Christmas, looking for some suggestions of brands/styles?? This is the one I'm kind of drawn to just now, it's a Michael Kors. I'm looking for a big-ish face and maybe a wee bit of bling haha. Not too expensive tho!!   I'm also doing the Photo a Day Challenge on Instagram - if you fancy seeing what I'm up to, you can follow me on there - I'm CosmeticsKitten. :)   Hope you've had a good week! Remember to give me any suggestions of watches if you can think of any. Have you been up to anything exciting??Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

Event: Neal's Yard Remedies

To contact us Click HERE
Beauty Blogger events in Glasgow are like buses - you wait for ages for one and then two happen within 48 hours of each other with another two lined up in the next few weeks! I went to Neal's Yard Remedies on Thursday 15th, and Paul's Hair and Beauty World on Saturday 17th. I'm going to do a separate post for Paul's event (click here for it) so here's the low down on Neal's Yard Remedies Event!

I was invited to an informal evening to be introduced to this brand and have a general look around their store. The staff were so friendly and informative, and I learnt a lot about a brand I had previously little knowledge of. It was a lovely little evening!

NYR are, in a nutshell, an organic skincare and aromatherapy company that specialises in all-over holistic wellbeing. They don't test on animals and use only natural ingredients. What makes them different, to me, is that they offer almost a 'prescription service' - if you go in with a skin/hair/body woe, they can sort you out with a specific product or range of products. They also do therapies such as massages, so you can destress in store! Which is very cool.


I met up with Paula, Lisa and Laura there (click their names to check their blogs) and we enjoyed they prosecco and cheeses (maybe a bit too much haha) and had a general good catch up. We were also all treated to a taster massage - which was very relaxing. :)

Right now NYR is a little out of my budget, but it's definitely a place I'd go to for a special skincare treat. They've also introduced a range of organic cosmetics, which is right up my street! They have a really interested history and there's actually a lot more branches than I realised! You can also shop online here.  They were so generous with their goodybag: I got a full size Wild Rose Beauty Balm which is an award winning nourishing, exfoliating and cleansing balm (compete with muslin cloth). I can't wait to give this a try! I also received Organic Facial Wipes and two pieces from their new cosmetics range - Mineral Eye Shadow in Silver Birch and an Organic Lip Gloss in Goji Berry.

Top photos: natural light // Bottom photos: with flash  How amazing?! I don't really have a silver eyeshadow so will be making good use of this, and the ladies in store mentioned it also works really well applied wet. The lipgloss looks gorg - little iridescent flecks of pink and gold are in it and it's really nourishing! Thanks, guys! :)  Have you ever tried any NYR products? Do you like reading about events? Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

Event: Paul's Hair and Beauty World :)

To contact us Click HERE
So I mentioned in my previous post that I went to two events within 48 hours, the first was Neal's Yard Remedies (posted about this event here) and the second was for Paul's Hair and Beauty World, which I'll tell you about here! :)On Saturday morning, I made my way to the official opening of Paul's Hair and Beauty World on Queen's Street Glasgow. It's a 2000 square foot store specialising in mainly extensions, but also some hair and skin products, and Sleek makeup. The Sleek stand is very well stocked, they had several Rose Gold blushes which is usually sold out everywhere!

 I met Lori and her friend there (click her name for her blog) and we enjoyed the cocktails and looking at all the different hair available. The staff were trying to convince me to get a weave haha - I have to say I'm tempted!!Melanie Mason from X Factor opened the store and we posed for pics. Yes, I look like an idiot...It was fun! Paul's Hair and Beauty Boutique have branches all over the UK and you can also shop online at their well-stocked website here. I got a wee goody bag from them too:

I got some bizarre bits like a pen and a bulldog clip (?!) but also some Batiste, Sleek products and Palmer's. The Hairbond Moulder was quite exciting, I don't use product like gel/wax in my hair but my boyfriend does and he's tried it and gives it a thumbs up! Thanks guys! :) What do you think about stores like this? Have you ever bought extensions from a high street store? Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

I'm doing YouTube!! (omg!)

To contact us Click HERE
EeEEEEeee!! So I've uploaded my first YouTube video. I was wanting to do it for ages, but I was too scared and didn't really have the equipment. My boyfriend surprised me with a wee tripod and shutter release remote control for my iphone, so I had no excuse haha! So here goes....
 

 Yes, the screenshot it awful.  What do you think? Should I do more YouTube videos?? I'm nervous haha!Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

SEPTA Holiday Schedule

To contact us Click HERE

from the inbox:

SEPTA is adjusting some services over the upcoming holiday week, in an effort to keep schedules consistent with changes in riders’ needs. Service will also be added where possible for special events, including New Year’s Eve celebrations.

All SEPTA services will be available throughout the holidays, with some modifications between Monday Dec. 24-Tuesday, Jan.1. This is due to expected reductions in ridership as students and some other regular SEPTA customers won’t be headed out for their normal commutes.

SEPTA has launched a special section on its Website with full details on holiday service, including schedules for routes on which service will be adjusted. For details, visit
http://www.septa.org/schedules/modified/index.html.

The following is a summary of SEPTA’s service plan for the holidays:

• Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24: Service on some city trolley and bus routes will run on limited schedules. All other services – including the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line, all Regional Rail lines and suburban bus and trolley routes – will run on normal weekday schedules.
• Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25: All Services will run on a Sunday/Holiday Schedule.
• Wednesday, Dec. 26 – Friday, Dec. 28: Service on some city trolley and bus routes will run on limited schedules. All other services – including the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line, all Regional Rail lines and suburban bus and trolley routes – will run on normal weekday schedules.
• Sunday, Dec. 29 & Sunday, Dec. 30: Regular Saturday and Sunday schedules.
• New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31: Service on some city trolley and bus routes will run on limited schedules. The Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line and suburban bus and trolley routes will run on normal weekday schedules. Regional Rail lines will operate on regular weekday schedules, with additional late-night New Year’s Eve service. For the New Year’s Eve Regional Rail schedules, visit http://www.septa.org/schedules/modified/rail/pdf/RRLeavingPhila-NYE.pdf.
• New Year’s Day, Tuesday, Jan. 1: All services will run on Sunday schedules. A number of city bus routes will operate with detours to accommodate the Mummer’s Parade. Real-time bus detour and other service information is available at http://www.septa.org/realtime/status/systemstatus.shtml.

Strange Bedfellows

To contact us Click HERE

from the inbox:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich shifted his position on marriage for same-sex couples this week, urging Republicans to heed public opinion and move toward acceptance of the freedom to marry.

Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry released the following statement:

"Newt Gingrich's new position shows that when conservatives truly examine their core values -- family, individual freedom and limited government -- we see that the freedom to marry is fundamentally in line with those beliefs.

"Our party must keep pace with the American people if it is to remain relevant in the political process, and as we saw in the recent election, we have some changes to make. Mr. Gingrich's call for Republicans to acknowledge widespread support for equal treatment of all loving, committed couples is a good start. We hope other leading Republicans will follow suit."

***
Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a campaign to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young conservatives across America. They represent the rapidly growing numbers of young conservatives across the country that agree all Americans should be able to share in the freedom to marry.

Book Review: The Victory Lab

To contact us Click HERE

The Victory Lab:  The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns, by Sasha Issenberg.  (NY:  Crown Publishers, 2012.

Issenberg writes a detailed history of the science of willing winning elections.  He focuses on the 1900s through Obama's election.  The book is not a quick or necessarily easy read -- there is a large cast of characters and I found it difficult to keep everyone straight.  However, he does provide an interesting history of things anyone interested in politics would want to know.  Several academic publications and experiments are mentioned, with varying degrees of detail.  For example, shame is a very effective motivator in voting (and other matters as well).  People are more likely to vote if they think their neighbors will get a list of who on their street voted, but campaigns are loathe to use that tactic.

Issenberg used to write for Philadelphia Magazine and he references his Philly background in places.

If you're looking for a last minute holiday gift for the politico on your list, this book would be welcomed and appreciated by most.  I've enjoyed it.

Lancaster Mayor on NRA Gun Plan

To contact us Click HERE

from our friends at PA branch of Mayors Against Illegal Guns on 12/21:

  LancasterMayor J. Richard Gray issued the following statement in response to the NRA’spress conference minutes after a shooting spree in Blair County killed fourpeople, including the gunman, and injured three state troopers:

            “Today, ina bizarre and chilling press conference, the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre offered aplan to install armed guards in every U.S. elementary school. ‘The only thingthat stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,’ he said. But he wasdead wrong. Just before that press conference took place in the nation’scapital, a gunman shot and killed three people, and wounded three StateTroopers in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It’s never been more clear to me thatthe gun lobby’s vision for this country is not just misguided; it poses adanger to all of us. There are 12,000 gun murders every year in the U.S. Tostem that violence, we need to require a criminal background check for everygun sale and keep military style weapons off our streets. But the absolute lastthing we need is more guns near our first graders. If that’s the NRA’s topsolution, then I’d recommend that responsible gun owners in Pennsylvania find themselvesa more rational organization to support.”

Update on SEPTA Routes

To contact us Click HERE

from the inbox:

As a result of the loss of county funding, SEPTA held public hearings in mid-October to consider discontinuing weekday evening and selected Saturday and Sunday trips on Routes 94 and 132. Route 94 connects Montgomery Mall and Chestnut Hill, serving Montgomery County Community College and Ambler. Route 132 connects Telford and Montgomery Mall, serving Lansdale.

Based on the feedback received during the public hearings, SEPTA re-evaluated the proposal, with the goal of preserving the most critical service in a cost-efficient manner. The new service plan retains trips that serve the needs of evening shift workers and Community College students. The plan has been developed in conjunction with Montgomery County officials.

While schedule details are being finalized, with changes to be effective February 17, 2013, the plan is as follows:
Route 94
 The last nighttime trips from Montgomery Mall and Montgomery County Community College will be retained at or near the current time, allowing workers who close stores at the mall or who have evening classes to retain service.
 Some evening trip times are being modified to allow for more efficient use of SEPTA buses and financial resources.
 Sunday service will be scaled to reflect retail opening and closing times, with limited midday service.
Route 132
 The last nighttime trips from Montgomery Mall will be retained at the current time, allowing workers who close stores at the mall to retain service.
 Saturday morning trips, while adjusted, will still provide access to retail businesses prior to store opening times.
 Some evening trip times are being modified to allow for more efficient use of SEPTA buses and financial resources. The last nighttime trip from Telford will operate earlier than currently scheduled.
 Sunday service will be scaled to reflect retail opening and closing times, with limited midday service.

With this plan, many passengers should see minimal or no change to their service. The greatest change will occur on Sundays, where service frequencies will be limited at times of lowest ridership.

SEPTA appreciates the response of riders, businesses, institutions and local governments in this process. Those comments were strongly considered in the development of the new Route 94 and 132 service plan.

Current service remains in effect until February 17, 2013. The new Route 94 and 132 schedules will be available at www.septa.org on or about February 3, 2013. Look for an announcement in the News and Events section of the homepage.

The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary :) --October 14th--

To contact us Click HERE
Hi guys! I am thinking of starting a feature on my blog which is a bit more 'lifestyley' than what I normally do. I'll still do reviews, OOTDs etc like normal, but once a week I'm going to do a little diary entry on what I've been up to the past week! We'll see how it goes, but I'd love to do it every Sunday. Through chatting in #bbloggers it seems people love having a nosy at lifestyle posts, so here goes!! The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary What have I been up to this week?Last weekend was so much fun, on Friday night my boyfriend Scott and I went to my best friend Heather's flat to catch up with her and her boyfriend. It was long overdue! She'd recently adopted two bunnies so I got to meet them.... Cute bunnies!  And give lots of love and cuddles to her amazing dog, Cody. Now Cody is a 'clearance puppy'. He may be a Chihuahua, but he thinks he's a cat, is the fluffiest thing ever, and most hysterically, has a tongue that he can't keep in his mouth.  That tongue is like that ALL THE TIME. He makes me laugh so much. On Saturday night, my aunt and uncle joined us for a murder mystery evening with my parents and Scott. I'm no stranger to murder mystery parties, I've done loads, and blogged about one HERE.   They're great fun, I thoroughly recommend it! And how was work?In case you don't know, I'm a teacher. A primary teacher, but right now I'm working in a nursery. Obviously I can't give too much info about that (always the fear of being cyber stalked!!), but sometimes I have to share funny stories! For example: Me: Who's got news?Boy: Me! I do! I'm going on holiday!!Me: Lucky you, where are you going?Boy: Uhm... I think it's 'Blackpool'... No, wait, it's BLUEPOOL!!! I honestly couldn't stop laughing. He was determined he's going to Bluepool. Who knew? I got sent home on Wed with a tummy bug and didn't go in Thurs or Fri so it was a short week, I felt lousy tho!! Feeling better now. :) And how are the cats?For someone who is a self confessed crazy cat lady, I don't feel I give my cats enough blog time. They are literally my BABIES. This week, Dana has learnt where her treats are, and jumps up onto the kitchen counter, knocks them off, and opens the packet on the floor to eat at her leisure.  But who can resist that face (and slightly chubby body)?? Anything else?Well, yes. My boyfriend Scott sold his car (he's unemployed - sadface) so he had a bit of money. So yesterday we went into Glasgow to go shopping and have dinner. I got some lovely stuff which I'll share with you in other posts. Here's some pics from our day: MUA Constellations in Scorpio, my new cat hat and kitten mittens, strawberry daiquiris in TGIs, me drinking cocktails, a gorg bag I resisted, Scott and I in TGIs, me at dinner. :)  Well, what do you think of this feature guys? Too boring? I don't have the most exciting life haha! Would you enjoy reading something like this?Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

The Cosmetics Kitten's Diary :) --November 4th--

To contact us Click HERE

Heeeey guys! Time for my lifestyle post. I was obviously planning on doing this every week, but life is so hectic that I'm just going to try do it as regularly as I can. :) 

What have I been up to this week?

I have been sooo tired this week. I think now the clocks have gone back, it gets dark so early and my body just wants to go to sleep! I hate this time of year, when I literally don't see sunlight because it's dark when I go in work and dark when I come out. Meh.  Weekend before last I went to London to visit my sister and my best friend, who both live there. I took my boyfriend Scott (his first time in London!) and we had a great time! I'll do a wee post on that soon.  
Us at Buckingham Palace. :) I also caught up with the girls this weekend, we're all teachers and sometimes it's hard to find time to meet up, so I'm glad we sorted something out!   I also finally got rid of my old extensions last weekend! I had my old set in for six months and although my hair was still ok quality, my own hair had grown in too much at the roots so it was time to replace them! It took six and a half hours to take my old set out, colour my hair and put my new set in. Phew!! old hair / my own hair (yes, all of it...) / new hair 

And how was work?

Work was actually mostly fun this week. We had an all-day Hallowe'en party on Wednesday, which I scrabbled about for a last min costume for. None of my regular Hallowe'en outfits were particularly... appropriate haha. So I wore my cat onesie and went as a cat! =p  Easy haha.   

And how are the cats?

My wee cat Pippa was not very well at all, she had an abscess on her wee bum. :( She's 14 and we worry about her, and she had to get a buster collar on. She was SO down and we thought she was maybe giving up. :( But after two weeks on antibiotics, she's making a good recovery!! :)   

Anything else?

My watch broke so I'm hoping to get a new one for Christmas, looking for some suggestions of brands/styles?? This is the one I'm kind of drawn to just now, it's a Michael Kors. I'm looking for a big-ish face and maybe a wee bit of bling haha. Not too expensive tho!!   I'm also doing the Photo a Day Challenge on Instagram - if you fancy seeing what I'm up to, you can follow me on there - I'm CosmeticsKitten. :)   Hope you've had a good week! Remember to give me any suggestions of watches if you can think of any. Have you been up to anything exciting??Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

Event: Neal's Yard Remedies

To contact us Click HERE
Beauty Blogger events in Glasgow are like buses - you wait for ages for one and then two happen within 48 hours of each other with another two lined up in the next few weeks! I went to Neal's Yard Remedies on Thursday 15th, and Paul's Hair and Beauty World on Saturday 17th. I'm going to do a separate post for Paul's event (click here for it) so here's the low down on Neal's Yard Remedies Event!

I was invited to an informal evening to be introduced to this brand and have a general look around their store. The staff were so friendly and informative, and I learnt a lot about a brand I had previously little knowledge of. It was a lovely little evening!

NYR are, in a nutshell, an organic skincare and aromatherapy company that specialises in all-over holistic wellbeing. They don't test on animals and use only natural ingredients. What makes them different, to me, is that they offer almost a 'prescription service' - if you go in with a skin/hair/body woe, they can sort you out with a specific product or range of products. They also do therapies such as massages, so you can destress in store! Which is very cool.


I met up with Paula, Lisa and Laura there (click their names to check their blogs) and we enjoyed they prosecco and cheeses (maybe a bit too much haha) and had a general good catch up. We were also all treated to a taster massage - which was very relaxing. :)

Right now NYR is a little out of my budget, but it's definitely a place I'd go to for a special skincare treat. They've also introduced a range of organic cosmetics, which is right up my street! They have a really interested history and there's actually a lot more branches than I realised! You can also shop online here.  They were so generous with their goodybag: I got a full size Wild Rose Beauty Balm which is an award winning nourishing, exfoliating and cleansing balm (compete with muslin cloth). I can't wait to give this a try! I also received Organic Facial Wipes and two pieces from their new cosmetics range - Mineral Eye Shadow in Silver Birch and an Organic Lip Gloss in Goji Berry.

Top photos: natural light // Bottom photos: with flash  How amazing?! I don't really have a silver eyeshadow so will be making good use of this, and the ladies in store mentioned it also works really well applied wet. The lipgloss looks gorg - little iridescent flecks of pink and gold are in it and it's really nourishing! Thanks, guys! :)  Have you ever tried any NYR products? Do you like reading about events? Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

Event: Paul's Hair and Beauty World :)

To contact us Click HERE
So I mentioned in my previous post that I went to two events within 48 hours, the first was Neal's Yard Remedies (posted about this event here) and the second was for Paul's Hair and Beauty World, which I'll tell you about here! :)On Saturday morning, I made my way to the official opening of Paul's Hair and Beauty World on Queen's Street Glasgow. It's a 2000 square foot store specialising in mainly extensions, but also some hair and skin products, and Sleek makeup. The Sleek stand is very well stocked, they had several Rose Gold blushes which is usually sold out everywhere!

 I met Lori and her friend there (click her name for her blog) and we enjoyed the cocktails and looking at all the different hair available. The staff were trying to convince me to get a weave haha - I have to say I'm tempted!!Melanie Mason from X Factor opened the store and we posed for pics. Yes, I look like an idiot...It was fun! Paul's Hair and Beauty Boutique have branches all over the UK and you can also shop online at their well-stocked website here. I got a wee goody bag from them too:

I got some bizarre bits like a pen and a bulldog clip (?!) but also some Batiste, Sleek products and Palmer's. The Hairbond Moulder was quite exciting, I don't use product like gel/wax in my hair but my boyfriend does and he's tried it and gives it a thumbs up! Thanks guys! :) What do you think about stores like this? Have you ever bought extensions from a high street store? Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

I'm doing YouTube!! (omg!)

To contact us Click HERE
EeEEEEeee!! So I've uploaded my first YouTube video. I was wanting to do it for ages, but I was too scared and didn't really have the equipment. My boyfriend surprised me with a wee tripod and shutter release remote control for my iphone, so I had no excuse haha! So here goes....
 

 Yes, the screenshot it awful.  What do you think? Should I do more YouTube videos?? I'm nervous haha!Let me know!
~ Lauren ♥

PA Judicial Nominee Makes the News

To contact us Click HERE

Nitza Quiñones Alejandro, who was nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and whose nomination is awaiting Senate confirmation, is mentioned in "Senate panel advances lesbian judicial nominee," by Chris Johnson in the Dec. 6th Washington Blade.  She isn't the focus of the article but is mentioned in the latter part, in a list of pending nominations.  If the Senate doesn't approve the nominations by the end of the year they will expire.  My fingers are crossed for her to take the bench.

Book Review: Toomey's Triumph by Harold I. Gullan

To contact us Click HERE

Book Review:  Toomey’sTriumph:  Inside a Key Senate Campaign,by Harold I. Gullan.  Philadelphia:  Temple University Press, 2012.
Gullan, an advertising executive turned history professor,writes about the 2010 Senate race. Instead of taking a standard historical approach he sort of embedshimself in the Toomey campaign and writes chronologically, so at the start ofthe book he isn’t sure who will be running, let alone who wins. 
Chapter  1 Prelude (March 2010).  Gullan explains how the book got started andintroduces the cast of characters.  Heapproached the campaign and asks if they would be willing to grant him accessto campaign activities and interview staff. At this point Toomey is the Republican candidate.  Incumbent Arlen Specter, who switched from theRepublican to the Democratic party, faces Joe Sestak, then the congressmanrepresenting the 7^th district.
Chapter 2 Three Pathsto April.  This chapter provides familyand political background on the three major candidates, including a shorter amountof information on Peggy Luksik, another Republican seeking the office, butgiven little chance of winning.  Theauthor also goes into detail on Specter’s party switch.
Chapter 3 Setting theTable (May).  The focus here is on theDemocratic primary.  There is alsobiographical information on Toomey’s campaign staff.  This chapter has two rather glaringtypographical errors.  Congressman BobBrady is referred to as “Bill Brady,” (52) and Inquirer reporter Tom Fitzgeraldis referred to as “Tom Fitzpatrick” (61).   While Specter’s most recent book said the (in)famous “re-elected” ad didnot have much effect on the campaign, Gullan says it is “devasting (59).  Gullan’s powers of observation and writingstyle are on display when he remarks that Dr. G. Terry Madonna, director of theCenter for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College “mayuse an excess of hair dye” (72).
Chapter 4 “Nothinginappropriate happened” (June).  The chaptertitle is in reference to the rumor of a job offer in the federal governmentused as a failed enticement to Joe Sestak to drop out of the race.  The chapter itself focuses on the BP oil spillin the Gulf of Mexico.  John Hanger, thenthe Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and currentcandidate for governor, is described (77) as having a “strong background in therealities of resources exploration.” 
Chatper 5 The 80Percent Solution (July).  Gullan focuseson campaign events, such as Joe Sestak’s talk before the PA Press Club, andtelevision ads for the candidates.  Healso notes that at campaign stops Sestak will so thoroughly answer questions thatreporters will eventually end the conversation so they can write up their storybefore deadline.  [blogger note:  I can confirm this having personally observedthe same phenomenon.]  Gullan alsobriefly discusses the Corbett / Onorato governor’s race.  He also writes about polls and polling.  


Chapter 6 MaintainingMomentum (August).  Toomey’s consultants(and the fact that he has two primary consultants) are described.  The chapter also has information on debates,interviews, television ads, and campaign positions.  
A few interestingquotes:

As each candidate’sstaff seeks to define (and malign) their opponent, with multiple pronouncementsemerging each day, this campaign cam sometimes seem like a contest betweenSestak’s “Extreme Makeover” and Toomey’s Who wants to be a Millionaire.” (148)

And

Neither Joe Sestak nor Pat Toomeyis a particularly compelling orator, nor do their diametrically opposed messagereally require one.  The difference is that Sestak at least tries for somesemblance of oratory, while Toomey does not. (150)

Chapter 7 Seeking the Summit (September).  Anotherof Gullan’s peculiarities is his use of the term “tea bag” instead of TeaParty.  On p. 169 he refers to “tea bagsupported Sharon Angle.”  Personally Ithink it is best to refer to individuals or groups by the name they use torefer to themselves.  Gullan also notesSestak’s unusual speech patterns and delivery. He discusses earmarks and both candidates’ current and past positions onearmarks.  Like many Pennsylvaniapoliticos he is fond of Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN), and he writes aboutwatching some of their televised political events.
Chapter 8 Driving itHome (October).  The race heats up.  Gullan focuses on campaign events and ads.
Chapter 9 Toomsday(Nov 2, 2010).  Election day and theimmediate aftermath.

See other reviews and articles on the book at "Mt. Airy author's book recounts Toomey's campaign," by Lou Mancinelli, Chestnuthilllocal.com