Attention College Educated Presenters!

"Irregardless" is not a word.

Using it makes you look like a dumbass.

That is all.

Lonely at the Polls

I live in Douglas County, Colorado.

This year, Colorado is a contested state in the General Election. This is new for us - we've been solidly red for many years. My county in particular is very red. The last time a Democratic candidate got the majority of Douglas County votes for President was in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson pulled in 1,442 to Barry Goldwater's 1,336.

If you think that means my county was predominantly rural during that time, you'd be right.

In 2004, John Kerry earned 39,661 to George W. Bush's 80,651. And that was a "close" year - typically the Republicans beat the Democrats by a margin of 2 to 1.

Douglas County is also a very active county when it comes to voting. In 2004, Douglas County had the highest participation rate among registered voters in the country, with over 98% of registered voters coming out to cast their ballots. This year, the County Clerk expects at least that level of participation. That's cool.

I'm curious to see what the statistics look like this year. I've been a liberal Democrat for a number of years, and in this county, that makes me a minority. But based on what I'm hearing and seeing, I may not be as lonely at the polls as I have been in the past.

Exciting times!

I'm a Sedan

30 miles per gallon

Created by The Car Connection

Jeez. How incredibly boring.

Spin of the Wheel to Stonekettle Station

RSS Feeds

For those of you who enjoy Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men via RSS, you might have noticed I've been playing with the RSS Feed settings on Blogspot.

But it occurred to me that what I prefer really doesn't matter, since I'm not the one who uses them.

So - a Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men poll:

poll by twiigs.com

'Tis the Season

Around here, Christmas is a secular holiday. It's purely about family, friends, love and (of course) the prezzies.

With one or two exceptions, I'm done with my Christmas shopping. This is normal for me, as I refuse to go shopping after Thanksgiving. Refuse. Crowds give me hypertension, and I really don't want to start the season of joy with an aneurysm.

So now that November's here, I'm starting to think about getting my Christmas gifts ready to hit the post office. That will leave me most of the month to prepare goodies, and all of December to point and laugh at those who didn't get things done early.

So I'll be heading out to get packing material and such today, and I'll be off to the Post Office on Tuesday. Because if I get things done now, then I can enjoy Christmas then without stress.

Comment of the Week

This week's Comment of the Week winner is our very own Eric, who became the master of irony with this gem in response to my post on agnostics and atheists in American society:

"Is it ironic if I give you an, "Amen, sister!" Because, you know, amen, sister."

Eric, you get a week's supply of "win" covered in "awesome sauce" for your superlative efforts. All hail Eric!

Pimpin', Yo

My Smart Boy is a vocal musician, and has been singing for six years. Last year he won the "most improved musician" award for the vocal music program in his high school, and this year he's leading the tenor section of his school's top co-ed choir. Go, Smart Boy!

And it's that time of year again. That time of year when the arts programs in our schools must beg for money in order to continue to function. Our local high school is especially fond of its football and wrestling programs, which usually means the arts are chronically short-funded. I won't even get into how disgraceful that is.

So the Smart Boy asked me to post his fund raising material here, so the students can afford things like sheet music and transportation costs to choral competitions.

The website is here, and the student check-out code to use so that the Smart Boy's school gets credit for the purchase is 147112.

Thanks for any help you can give, Hot Chicks and Smart Men.