What I'm Thinking...

I know it's been too long since my last blog post when Amber emailed me to say she's going through withdrawal!

Between busy days at work, work-related travel, housework, exercise and trying to squeeze in some fun here and there, blogging has been relegated to the back burner.

Frankly, the election takes up the majority of my spare thinking these days. Do you really want to hear me rave about that again? Great! I thought you did. I have some things to say on some critical issues but I will save (most of) those for a separate post.

I will tell you what I'm thinking about today...

~ Melissa and I are going to see Matthew Sweet at First Avenue tonight. I didn't know he still toured, but can't wait to see him. It makes me feel not so old to know a musician I liked in college is still touring. This time we have general admission tickets so there will be no incidents like at the Gear Daddies.

~ Mom and Dad are coming to visit this weekend! We're going to ride the Minnesota Zephyr dinner train. Reviews are mixed and it's closing at the end of this year (presumably due to low ridership), but it is sure to be an interesting experience.

~ Our guests will get to sample the apple pie I made (and froze) with apples we picked during Suzanne's visit. I also made an apple crisp, which was good but too much for Chris, Jack and me to eat before it became apple soggy.

~ Chris and I saw David Sedaris at the State Theatre last Sunday. Chris has read most of his books, so was happy to hear him read mostly new material. Sedaris was funny and ironic and refreshing to a theatre full of liberal elites two weeks before the election and two days after Michelle Bachmann's embarassed Minnesota with quite possibly her most ridiculous comments yet. Go Tinklenberg! Bonnie and Duane will get to cast their ballots in what's looking like a possible loss for Bachmann! I almost wish I was in the 6th District so I could vote for him too. Ellison certainly doesn't need my vote in the 5th. Is anyone even running against him?

~ Melissa, Chris and I saw W. last Saturday night. Admittedly, I slept through part of it so can't give a full review. As a film, it was quite mediocre. But it did increase my empathy quotient for our current president. I still would never have voted for him, probably for the very reason I empathize with him: he seems fun, like someone you'd want to have a beer with, kind of a screw-up who could never win his dad's approval. Does he seem like someone who would make a good (or even not worst-in-history) president? Not. At. All.

With that, I'll sign off. 13 days to go!

South Dakotans: if you're not registered, it's too late. If you won't be in your home district on November 4, get an absentee ballot.

Minnesotans: register on election day if you're not yet.

As Chris learned last week, you must be a resident (i.e., have a driver's license) 20 days before the election. Too late for him, but he'll vote absentee in Florida. He'll be more help there both to Obama and in the probably futile attempt to defeat their gay marriage ban. Californians will get to vote on the same issue, although that is an attempt to take away an established right. It's also less likely to pass.

I don't understand that issue at all. Why do some people care so much about what other people do in their private lives. Maybe I'll discuss that in a future post. That and South Dakota's Measure 11, which anyone who respects an individual's right to choose and/or the right of medical professionals to make decisions in their patients' best interest will vote against without second thought.

OK, I'm really done for the day now.