Obama!

So ... we're in the polling place, ready to open. There's a few people waiting outside the inside door. We figure no big deal ... but wait. There are about 50 people waiting outside the outside door.

Steady stream of people from 6 AM to 2:30 PM; it tailed off after that, but we never stopped. Strangely, we had no 5:00 rush, and at 6 PM, no one was in line. We closed with no issues, wrapped everything up, and had the results returned by 8 PM. (McCain took our precinct by about 5:4, which is not a good sign - we are strongly Republican.)

And now I'm watching TV (I'm dumb, but I had homework to do, and how often does this happen?), and I see PA, and OH ... and Indiana has not been called yet.

fivethirtyeight.com shows that McCain has a 0% chance of winning without taking Ohio. They've called 194 votes for Obama, and easily 77 will go for Obama (CA, OR, WA, and HI). That's 271.

Cha-ching!

The way politics ought to be

Ever heard of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner? Me either. You know about it now, though.

Why? Well, it's an annual event (these are links to the 63rd, from earlier this week), and both candidates were invited to speak.

Oh, by the way, it's a roast.

Are they funny?

McCain part 1
McCain part 2

Obama part 1
Obama part 2

Obama is a better speaker, I think. He definitely gets the timing down. McCain may not quite be in his element, but I'll tell you what, he is absolutely funny.

It's a shame we don't get to see them like this more often.

More of the same

-- We'll see just how much of a "maverick" John McCain is the first time the Democratic-controlled Senate votes on a bill for President Obama to sign. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that he will vote straight party-line for the rest of his term.

-- If you're a Republican office-holder in Alaska, and you don't have a calendar on your wall counting down the days until you can declare your candidacy for the primary for governor, you're on your way to get one right now. (It's like 4:45 in Alaska right now. You've got plenty of time to find one before the stores close. Unless they're all sold out.)

-- Yes, I know I should be finishing my homework. It's a strange question and I'm not yet sure how to answer it. Besides, it's not like I'm watching the Wings' season opener or anything. (Actually, I'm not. So there. :P)

-- Flex is pretty cool. It's too bad Adobe documents its products so poorly. That's probably the biggest reason why there aren't as many CF developers as you'd think: it's more trouble to learn on its own than it's worth for many people.

-- If it's United Way time in your neck of the woods, I'd encourage you to look into it, read about some member agencies, and see if there's a cause that you support. Times are definitely tough for a lot of people right now, but hopefully some of you are like me and are still fortunate enough to have a little to give to others. Remember guys like Walter Payton saying, "Thanks to you, it works for all of us. The United Way."? Yeah, it's that cool.

-- I would really like to buy Saints Row 2. I really don't have the time to play it right now. What's the Powerball jackpot this week?

-- I wonder if I'd continue with my master's work if I won. I mean, it would be cool to get, and it would give me something to do, and of course I could always do consulting work, but really, would I? We'll never know.

-- Actually, no, I'd be spending 10-15 hours per week writing up detailed salary-cap strategies and sending them to Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew.

-- I was reminded of my high tolerance for pain today. I caught my finger between the cabinet underneath the sink and a full box of Cascade (hold the top of the box, lift up quickly, ouch). I believe I said a word that George Carlin would recognize. A little blood, no big deal. (Insert old-man-sports-story: blah blah broke finger blah blah wallyball blah blah kept playing blah blah doctor two weeks later. It really didn't hurt much, other than when I broke it. Now I use it to predict earthquakes.)

-- Joe Tiller has given up on this season. I wish I could make that much money doing that poorly at something, not care at all, and get away with it.

All right. Back to the books.

Just in case ...

... you watched the debate, and you somehow came away with a non-negative impression of McCain, that probably means you forgot his first decision as a Presidential candidate.

As a public service, I'll ask Keith Olbermann to remind you.

Vice-presidential ... debate?

If you can watch that and still believe that Sarah Palin is qualified for any office, much less VP of the United States, may your higher power have mercy on your soul.

New blinc

http://reasonsnottovoteformccain.blogspot.com/

I mean, you really shouldn't need any more than you already have, but just in case you are still thinking about voting for the senior Senator from Arizona ...