Starting Monday, I am going to be the web guy for Trader Magazine. This is a great relief for me, more than you know. As coincidence would have it, there is a Halloween party tomorrow at my house. Now, I have one more thing to celebrate...

I tell you, Autumn almost always manages to treat me well. I have had loads of good news in the last few months. The only thing left now is the election. Being a political junkie who reads way too much about the presidential campaign, I dare say that I have no clue what is going to happen next Tuesday. Something interesting, I can promise you that. It puts me on edge, what could happen.

Are presidential elections supposed to be this emotionally draining? I have put my efforts in the campaign, so I suppose that there is little more I can do now except vote. I will be devastated if Bush wins. Even more so, if it is decided in the courts again. I've held a grudge about the last election for four years, and I don't know if I have it in me to do that again.

Tuesday, you will find me doing my patriotic duty before I head off to my second day of work.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you didn't catch the news already, there is a lunar eclipse tonight...

Posted by Colin J Allen at 6:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There may never be a definitive answer on who won the pine wood derby, but at this point I'm pretty sure that it wasn't me. I did get my car back and while it is a little worse for wear, the plants in it remain green. While I may not have the fastest or coolest car of the show--sigh--these heartiest of plants deserve something for remaining alive so long. I'll be sure to reward them with a nice moist pot full of dirt.

I didn’t want a trophy anyways.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let me say first, that I am not an avid baseball fan. I wouldn't mind if we could all collectively agree that America's favorite pastime actually involves tackling, touchdowns and pigskin. I have yet to be convinced that an American game derived from cricket is better than an American game derived from rugby.

That said, I can't but help to be happy to see the Yankees lose to their arch-nemesis the Red Socks. I dislike all teams that hold an unchallengeable edge in their respective sports, and if any team epitomizes the lack of competition in sports, it is those guys in the Bronx. It is about time they ate some humble pie.

While I won't watch the games, I hope that the Astros win it all. Maybe hell can freeze over twice in one season.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If it really is God's will for Bush to win this election, does this mean that I am running against God's will?

Who exactly does not support the troops?

Posted by Colin J Allen at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those of you who may have forgotten, I made a pinewood derby car last month. I just wanted to give you an update on my car, at least as much as I know at this moment.

I was flipping through the ever-trendy New York periodical, Time Out New York, and I saw my racecar. Inadvertently, my pinewood contraption--in all of it's green glory--dominated the picture of all the racers placed on first page of the This Week listings section. As Burns would say, excellent.

Due to some horrific logistical planning on my part I missed all of the races that my car was in. I do know that my car was one of the 15 that made it to the finals for heavyweight cars--any that weigh more than 5 ounces. This is reassuring to me, because this means that the plants in my car were watered, and presumably are still alive.

Sunday, I am going to pick up my car, and I will finally know how well my car did. I hope that I won some award. I'll keep you informed on my rankings in the next update.

Let's hear it for the Cub Scouts.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It is sad to hear that Christopher Reeve has passed away, especially so because a bedsore caused his demise. I am surprised by this because I visited him a few years back for a story I was working on for Psychology Today. His care seemed very professional, as you would expect with movie star. It was the last place you expect bedsores to fester unchecked, a far cry from a dilapidated nursing home overflowing with neglected patients. All the stem cell research in the world could not prevent this rudimentary peril of immobility.

The New York Time's obit pulled a quote from the story I did on Reeve. What an odd way to end up in the Times.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's my birthday!

Posted by Colin J Allen at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quick, lets talk about the VP debates. What did you think?

You know what I thought? Not so exciting.

I don’t have the same emotional investment in these guys, especially when they are hardly talking about themselves. Bush this, Kerry that, blah, blah, blah. It goes to show that the VP has only as much power as the President says he does.

It doesn’t help that both Cheney and Edwards are excellent debaters, at least in the form shown last night. Take last week: I was expecting to see nattering nabobs spout buffoonery. They sucked me into their debate in which I was pleasantly surprised to see my guy looking more presidential than the incumbent. With last night’s debate, I had found those clichéd nabobs of negativity. I felt rhetorical air blow by me for 90 minutes.

This debate that should not matter at all, you know. It has never mattered before, but this year, I’m not discounting anything.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's getting that time of the year again, birthday time. When it hits October 12, I'll be the big 29. Woop, woop!

I've pretty much botched getting a present on time from my parents due to my extreme delay in sending a birthday wish list. They pinned me down yesterday, so they might be able to pull off some magic and get something to me in a week. I wouldn't put it past them. I personally have been quite able to miss the deadline in mailing presents. If you are one of those people who I've done this too, I apologize and I promise to try to do better next year.

So, fellow reader, if you are feeling generous in the next few days, feel free to look at my birthday wishlist and select one or more of these physical manifestations of your love for me. The sad thing is that has been really hard to think of things I want. Sure there are one or two prize consumer goods that I want, but the spark isn't there for me right now. I must work on this before Christmas comes around...

My Birthday Wish List

Non-Perishables:

Perishables:

Cloth and It's Ilk:

Posted by Colin J Allen at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A cheerleader and a debater walk into a bar...

I heard on BBC radio yesterday morning that Bush has the election in the bag. I respect the BBC, but what are they thinking? Whatever side you may fall, I can guarantee that it is not wise to make such assumptions the day before a national debate. For top political coverage, I'd ignore what they are saying across the pond. It's not like I'm saying anything about Blair's third term.

I am relieved that Kerry did so well in the debate. Much to my surprise, Kerry was concise and eloquent. Sure, he did smile a bit much like a gleeful child, but compared to Bush's winces and grimaces, Kerry sure looked better out there. We'll see if the undecideds actually make up their minds with this.

Who are these people? If you don't know who you are going to vote for by now, shame on you. What is your deal? Do you need some help with this? If so I'll be glad to sit down with any undecided voter and sort out who they should vote for. I can do this in less than ten minutes. Easy. It is not that hard to make this decision.

Most, if not all, of my readers actually live in states saturated with these political ignoramuses. Of course, these are not my readers, but my readers pay the price for state indecisiveness with, from what I hear, one long political ad scheduled last until November 2, given everything works smoothly in Florida. I feel for you guys. We may be ignorant over here, but at least we all collectively agree to be ignorant in the same way.

If you disagree with me, please don't vote.

M-W note: This is may interest you if you like reading dictionaries: An alternative spelling to ignoramuses is ignorami. Makes me think of origami for dumb people.

Posted by Colin J Allen at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)