Holly Jolly Hump Day Happy Hour - Jethro Tull

A merry Christmas to all of you out there, wherever you may be! Dad finally has the train up and running (even if there isn't currently a TV for it to go behind), Lizzie and Gracie are dreaming of bacon from Santa, and tonight is the candlelight service at church. It isn't due to the rituals or the trappings of the holiday, but joy, joy, joy abounds indeed.

Here's one of my all-time favorite seasonal tunes, from one of my all-time favorite bands. (Aqualung owns, boys and girls. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.) I've always thought this would be an awesome special music for church, even if it would probably irritate some of my fellow Baptists as they miss the point. It may be a little bit of a downer, but this is just "A Christmas Song."



Christmas spirit is not what you drink,
Regis

The Most Wonderful* Time of the Year

Season's greetings, gang. It's certainly starting to feel a lot like Christmas up here - today's high is expected to be about five below.

I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year. The days are too damn short, it's cold, and I'm already sick of the chintzy commercial facade of the holidays before December even starts. But if I can get past the trappings and expectations to the chewy caramel center of it all, it's all good.

I'm getting there, but then something like this (abandon all hope, ye who click this link) pops up and almost ruins it all. But only almost, because my underlying foundation of joy can't be shaken. Here's hoping you can all share that joy.

Rejoice,
Regis

Jalan Crossland and the Hump Day Happy Hour That Almost Wasn't But Kinda Was a Day Late

I'm all sorts of on fire today. I ran out of coffee filters at the office, so I made a trip to the store yesterday to get some more. Which is great, but I left them at home so it's another tea kind of morning. As much as I like this green tea with pomegranate, it just isn't the same as some delicious Aspen Mountain-strength French roast.

So, yeah, here's a clip of Wyoming state flatpicking champion Jalan Crossland performing "Roughneck." To quote the man, "I ain't great at anything, but if you are half-assed at enough things, and roll them all together, you can amount to more than one whole ass." Amen, brother.



Mama said good night,
Regis

Going Ape

Ah, the joy of having a DVR: the Fox Movie Channel ran all five of the original Planet of the Apes movies over Thanksgiving weekend (sorry, Tim Burton remake from 2001) and I was smart enough to record them all. I hadn't yet seen the first sequel and it had been a long time since I'd seen the others (probably not since high school), so I figured it would be a good time to watch them all in a relatively short span.

Planet of the Apes is easily one of the best science fiction films of all time, taking us to another world (well, sort of, everyone knows the big reveal at the end) to tell us about ourselves here in the present. It also has the most badass opening I've seen in some time: Charlton Heston's Colonel Taylor smoking a cigar on a spaceship nearing the speed of light, saying good riddance to the 20th Century. Beyond the obvious point about mankind's greed and destructive tendencies, the film raises questions about just what makes us human, the balance of faith and science, what our place in the universe is, and how we construct our own realities. Top all this off with some sweet simian makeup effects, Linda Harrison in animal skins as Nova, and the revelation that Taylor is not on a planet in the constellation of Orion but on Earth all along, and you've got a Classic with a capital C.

The first sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, is something else entirely. To call this one dark is an understatement. Another spaceship from 1972 on a mission to find Taylor (who disappears in the Forbidden Zone) crashes on Earth (even if it estimates the year differently than Taylor's ship did), and the only survivor is Brent. He finds the ape city and overhears the gorilla General Ursus delivering a speech on the need to expand ape territory, exterminate the human race ("The only good human is a dead human!"), and conquer the Forbidden Zone. Turns out the Forbidden Zone is home to a society of mutant telepathic humans that worship a Doomsday Bomb - I found it pretty disturbing, but it still made me think. In the end, Brent and Nova find Taylor, the apes shoot just about everybody, and Dr. Zaius' refusal to help a wounded Taylor drives the astronaut to detonate the bomb and destroy the world for once and all. Some of the commentary was kind of heavy-handed, but then this wasn't really a subtle setting. Turns out that Dr. Zaius was right when he delivered his final words to the wounded Taylor: "You ask me to help you? Man is evil, capabale of nothing but destruction!" but this could be more of a self-fulfilling prophesy than lucid insight. The final voiceover, so matter-of-fact and unsympathetic, hit me like a kick in the teeth.

In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead.

Way to go, humanity. This was almost as brutal of an ending as the conclusion of Fail-Safe.

Of course, this leaves the question of how there can be another sequel if the world is a cinder and everybody is dead. Don't worry, where there's a will, there's a way.

Beware the beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Django Reinhardt

It's Badass Edition of HDHH this week, so here's a tune by Django Reinhardt. Short version: the gypsy guitarist burned most of his body in a fire, crippling two fingers on his fret hand. But he relearned to play guitar (serving as inspiration for metal god Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and, briefly, Jethro Tull, following the accidental trimming of two of his fingers). This is "J'attendrai," performed by the Quintette du Hot Club de France; the violinist is Stephane Grappelli.



I can't even think of a word that rhymes,
Regis

Knock, Knock!

Looks like December finally showed up in Sheridan (I understand it made an early appearance south of here). Let's see if he sticks around any longer than November did.


I'm just glad I seized the opportunity to go for a run yesterday afternoon after getting back from testing - there was the better part of an hour of daylight left, it was in the high 50's, and I wasn't dog tired. Instead of listening to one of the C25K podcasts (knowing that I probably wouldn't make it a solid 20 minutes and thus subjecting myself to the disappointment that comes with walking before the "you're half way there!" interjection), I instead played one of the more uptempo playlists on my iPod. It didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped, as I have a tendency to become a human metronome (just ask the piano player in the praise team I play guitar for at church) and most of the songs were just a bit too fast for me to keep up with. That being said, "Okay" by Shitdisco is the little bear's porridge to my Goldilocks - just right.

I have a number these days,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Blondie

My parents (okay, my dad) had The Best of Blondie on vinyl when I was a kid, and it kicked some serious ass. Except for the skip in the middle of "Sunday Girl," but I digress. This is "Dreaming," off Blondie's 1979 album Eat To The Beat.

I'll have a cup of tea,

Regis

I Haven't Forgetten About You

... life just decided to hit the fan. In the past month, I've had two older relatives (a great-uncle and a great-great-aunt) pass away. I wasn't very close to either of them, but my main connection to both Uncle Tom and Aunt Birdeen is from particularly good parts of my childhood and losing that living link sucks.

I'm also getting divorced. This isn't the place to go into details, but suffice it to say it's a consensual agreement. It won't be finalized until next year (since it looks like I'll get screwed on taxes), and I don't know that next year can come fast enough at this point. Even in my current state of tentative relief, the situation still sucks.

Oh, and I've abandoned NaNoWriMo. I'm sure it would be great to get away into a world of anthropomorphic college versions of myself and various friends, but my motivation has been more or less nonexistent. I'm not throwing the idea away (if I don't work on it independently, I might use it next year), but now just isn't the time and that sucks.

But enough of all that, this isn't supposed to be a place of lamentations. It's time to focus on the good things in our lives, because even with all the shit in this clusterfuck of a world we live in, we all have a lot to be thankful for. Y'know, like January 20, 2009.

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades,

Regis

We're Doomed

As previously mentioned, we're once again in the middle of National Novel Writing Month. Last year, I successfully wrote better than 50,000 words (the goal) of a novel in the month of November, even if I never actually finished the story. This year may be a different, uh, tale.

To say that I'm running behind is a pretty big understatement. I put up a couple of widgets up here to track my progress, and you can see that I'm doing my best impression of a Bush-style deficit. This is still doable, though, and I've finally got an idea that I feel I can run with (I had two false starts, but each was less than 1000 words). No major freak outs until the 24th, I promise.

Hooray for elections, Rock Springs, and economy size writer's block,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - The Cardigans

I made it back from Rock Springs a better person than when I left, as I have discovered the deliciousness of Zotes Hot Wings flavor sunflower seeds. Thanks, Exxon next to the Center Street exit in Casper!

This week brings a clip from The Cardigans, probably best remembered for the song "Lovefool" from Romeo + Juliet, which pretty much every girl I was in junior high with at the time was borderline obsessed with. While I was tempted to put up Nina and company's video for "I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need To Be Nicer" (one of the previous decade's best song titles) or their almost painfully adorable cover of "Iron Man," I've opted to present "My Favorite Game" instead.



My heart is black and my body is blue,
Regis

The Fun Never Ends

I'm off for Rock Springs to do more concrete testing. On a scale of one to Shakira, my enthusiasm for this is about a Dick Cheney in a Speedo.

-Regis

(The Day After) Hump Day Happy Hour - The Darkness

The election has completely thrown my week off (not that last week was a whole lot better), so here's a double dose of rock to make it up to you.

Drugs are bad for a lot of reasons, number four being that they cause the premature destruction of The Darkness, a band that tapdanced on Spinal Tap's thin line between stupid and clever. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is a prime example of what cocaine and vodka have taken away from the world.


People's Exhibit B: "Growing On Me."


My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel,
Regis

Accentuating the Positive

While I remember little things about the 1988 presidential election, the first one I paid some semblance of attention to was 2000. I was seventeen, and probably would have voted for Nader had I been about five months older (yeah, that'll show 'em!). That election was a mess and a half, but to me it was really just a big joke about how dumb the people of Florida were.

In 2004, I was probably the only person in my 8:00 MWF Structural Steel Design class that voted for John Kerry (maybe I was just the only one dumb enough to admit it). While it looked like Bush had narrowly won the state, it wasn't totally clear what the result from Ohio was going to be that Wednesday morning, and I was almost mocked by my classmates for suggesting that the votes just be counted, and that would be that.

Damn, but it feels good to have a presidential election with a clear winner right away - and it feels even better to have it be my guy. And even if my vote didn't help Obama in the electoral college, I can take a small bit of pride in having contributed to that crushing popular vote total.

Oh yeah, and only two and a half months until we can hear that sweetest of phrases, "former President George W. Bush."

Yes we can,
Regis

House Race Reaction

FUCK.

Almost There...

As you've probably read, or heard, or been told, there's an election tomorrow. Elections are great, but only if the electorate is informed.

I've tried to bring to light issues and ideas involved in the races for Wyoming's congressional seats. Since the races for both senate seats are, to put it bluntly, foregone conclusions (and that's a damn big shame), most of my focus has been on the race between Republican (and aspiring comedienne) Cynthia Lummis, Democrat Gary Trauner, and Libertarian W. David Herbert. It's pretty clear who I think the best candidate of the three is.

Gary Trauner is the candidate that will best represent the entire state - not just the narrow majority (or possibly even plurality) of votes that send the winner to Washington. A vote for Trauner is a vote for balance, for common sense, for what is right for Wyoming instead of what is right for a political party. He's run a largely positive campaign and has stood up for himself firmly. Our exceedingly popular Democratic governor endorsed him, and he even got an A- from the NRA (the only real difference between him and Lummis is her record of voting on gun-related issues; he hasn't been in a position to do so yet). He's far more a pragmatist than an ideologue - not your garden-variety "typical liberal" by any means.

Cynthia Lummis has given no indication she'll be anything other than a blindly loyal partisan rubber stamp at the beck and call of the congressional Republican leadership. She's run a negative campaign full of gross mischaracterizations and what can only be accurately called "shit she made up" ($2.6 trillion for illegal immigrants, much?) or else she's been, to put it charitably, intellectually lazy (labeling Trauner a "typical liberal Democrat" in a recent TV spot) suggests that she won't work with Democratic House leadership or a potential President Obama (y'know, they're all typical liberal Democrats), so it isn't a big logical step to figure she'll be an ineffective congresswoman at best. She's been endorsed by both Pat Boone and the NFIB, a group that considers unions "interference." It's also clear she out of touch with the average Wyomingite and wants the job for the wrong reasons, as she's contributed $100,000 to herself. Oh, and if she did show up at a candidates forum she didn't make much of an effort to stick around and meet with the voters in attendance. And to top it all off, she appeals to the worst of Wyoming's nature by pushing the notion that the "Wyoming Values" - which she still hasn't defined - she shares with the voters belong to her and her alone, and can never be shared by anyone born outside the four borders of the state (like Senators Enzi and Barrasso, I guess). She's the same kind of class act that Barbara Cubin has been for the last eighteen years, except she'll show up more than half the time.

For the last time, Wyoming: we're smarter than this. Let's get it right this year!

See you at the polls,

Regis

More On The Company They Keep

As I mentioned in the previous post, Dick Cheney stumped for fellow Republicans Cynthia Lummis, Mike Enzi, and John Barrasso in Laramie this Friday. Today's Casper Star-Tribune had more to report; beyond the picture where Cheney and Lummis have the same damn smile, one of the more telling parts was this:

Cheney also urged voters to select an all-Republican ticket because the small size of Wyoming's delegation makes it all the more important that its members be able to work together.

Ever the class act, Cheney is saying that Senators Enzi and Barrasso - who, barring an act of God, are going to retain their seats (much to my chagrin) - are, like himself, blind partisans that put the party line before the needs of the people they are supposed to represent. Because we all know that Democrats - especially Democrats from Wyoming - are utterly incapable of working with the Republicans that outnumber them. I mean, just look at Governor Freudenthal and the campaign that's been run by Lummis' opponent, Gary Trauner. Yep, nothing but utter left-wing partisan hackery there, folks.

So when you go to the polls on Tuesday (assuming you haven't already voted), remember to vote a straight Republican ticket because

• Our Republican delegation isn't professional enough to work with Democrats, even if they represent the exact same people,
• Blind party loyalty has worked so well for the Bush administration, so don't fix it if it ain't broke, and
• Cheney said so, which pretty much makes it law thanks to some Machiavellian trickery with signing statements and such.

Seriously, can we move past this type of division? Please? Even though I disagree with our senators on several fronts, I won't disparage their professionalism like Dick (as we locals call him) does. 

With friends like this, who needs enemies?

Regis

The Company They Keep: A Contrast

A while back, Governor Freudenthal endorsed Democrat Gary Trauner in the race for Wyoming's lone seat in the US House of Representatives. Well, Vice President Dick Cheney, former occupant of the aforementioned House seat, campaigned for Republican Cynthia Lummis (as well as Senators Enzi and Barrasso) in Laramie yesterday.

As the saying goes, you can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep.

I feel like I keep repeating myself on this basic point, but it really bears repeating. On one hand we have a guy that seeks consensus and reaches out to other people regardless of their political affiliation endorsing a candidate with a similar modus operandi. On the other we have a guy that doesn't even know enough about the Constitution to know what branch of government he's been in for the last eight years (it's the executive branch, in case you were curious), who has no problem with dirty politics, who chose to walk on the "dark side" and trample what this country is supposed to stand for in the process, and who is perfectly happy to consider a narrow majority equivalent to a landslide mandate endorsing a candidate content to take that same narrow majority and play the same dirty politics.

We've had enough of this, gang. We're smarter than this. So get to the polls and vote on Tuesday - this race is going down to the wire, and every single vote counts.

Let's do this,

Regis

Traffic Jam

Here's a quick snapshot of the heavy traffic that I got stuck for a few minutes outside of Recluse on my way out to the reservoir on which I'm doing testing:


I love this state,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Los Straitjackets

Sorry this is later than usual, I had to make an emergency run down to Casper.

So Halloween is just around the corner, and this week I've got a trick and a treat for you. Few things scare me more than Celine Dion, and few things rock more than the luchador mask-wearing surf instrumental group Los Straitjackets. Here's a live clip of their version of "My Heart Will Go On" - truly the way the song meant to be played.



That is how I know you go on,
Regis

Mailbag Day!

So I checked the ol' mailbox when I got home after work today and to my surprise it contained a letter from the Cynthia Lummis for Congress campaign.

It was a pretty standard "I'm asking for your vote" affair, but a couple of things jumped out at me:

Apparently the "Wyoming Way" is to fix a problem when we see it. I can only assume that, being the proud Republican she is, Ms. Lummis voted repeatedly for such other notable Republicans as George W. Bush and Barbara Cubin, in apparent contradiction to her claimed valuing of reducing government spending and showing up to work every day. How is voting to continue the problem solving the problem?

There's also a pledge to uphold the values (not rights, but values) in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which is kind of redundant what with the Bill of Rights being a part of the Constitution and all. (And hey, why doesn't she care about Amendments 11 and up? I guess women's suffrage isn't that important of a value?) Since we're talking values, what about cruel and unusual punishment, speedy trials, and habeus corpus in the face of the looming specter of terror? Or do those values only apply to people that don't read the Koran?

But the most striking element of the letter was this paragraph:

For the record (because I still haven't had this clarified), just what are these "Wyoming values" you keep talking about? Are they so unique that they are instilled only in those born within the borders of this great state? That must be the case, since you've claimed again and again that your opponent Gary Trauner - who may not have been born in Wyoming, but chose to make his home here - can't possibly share them. 

The message here is clear: I'm just like you, and my opponent is an outsider that can't possibly understand you. If this sounds familiar, there's a reason. It's just that this is Lummis being "more mindful" of it.

So in answer to your request for my vote, Ms. Lummis, I'm sorry but you aren't getting it. It is my judgement that your Democratic opponent shares my values more than you do.

Lying through my teeth is not one of my Wyoming values,

Regis

Haven't We Been Here Before?

I heard a radio ad this weekend from the NRCC, blasting Gary Trauner as a "typical liberal Democrat" that wants to give amnesty and benefits like social security to illegal immigrants and other such distortions. Ignoring the logical gap there (if illegal immigrants get amnesty, won't they pay taxes like the rest of us and thus contribute to social security?), I occurred to me that this is just business as usual.

Remember the House race in 2006? We had a rubber stamp Republican that couldn't campaign on her own merits, so she started slinging mud. When that wasn't enough and she was dead even in the polls with Trauner, the NRCC came in and slung some more mud for her. It must have been enough, as she won by a razor-thin margin.

We're facing the same damn thing here in 2008, except it's a bleach-blond rubber stamp Republican instead of a brunette rubber stamp Republican. Dammit, we're smarter than this, Wyoming. And we deserve better than Cynthia Lummis.

Those who ignore history get the exciting opportunity to repeat it,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Billy Joel

I know, I know, you're all thinking that Billy Joel is about as commercial as you can get and that I can't stick to the original Hump Day Happy Hour plan, but I don't care. This is "All For Leyna," off probably my favorite Billy Joel album, Glass Houses. It's possible that, with less than two weeks until Election Day, "Pressure" would have been a more germane selection, but whatever.



How can a man take any more?
Regis

Seek Versus Expect

The Casper Star-Tribune had this piece up today, and it's worth a read. It's mainly about Nick Carter's campaign for the Senate seat currently held by John Barasso. But I read something more than just some anecdotes about former prom dates and putting up yard signs - it's about a fundamental difference between the candidates running to represent our state in Washington for the next two, four, or six years.

It's the difference between seeking and expecting votes.

Which candidates are going door to door across the state? Which candidates are showing up at forums in our towns (and then sticking around for a bit to talk face to face with those in attendance)?

Those would be the same candidates that actually have to work for votes: Gary Trauner, Nick Carter, and Chris Rothfuss, all of whom face an automatic uphill battle because they don't have an "R" after their names. After last week's candidate forum at Sheridan College, I overheard a woman I know to be a staunch Republican tell Rothfuss that he had some good ideas, but it was too bad he was "in the wrong party."

This blind allegiance to party (which I've heard each of the three address in some fashion at least once, if not at some length, as a problem that stretches back to the founding of this nation) is an issue, especially when coupled with the staggering advantage that our Republican senatorial incumbents have in fundraising (both Enzi and Barrasso have over 100 times as much cash on hand as their opponents). Limited funds make it harder for these challengers to get their names and messages out - in recent polling, 37% of Wyoming voters said they didn't recognize Carter's name and 55% Rothfuss'. Which is nothing short of a big damn shame.

Should that really be such an issue? Despite the fact that Wyoming has twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats, we've had a Democratic governor for 24 of the last 32 years; current governor Dave Freudenthal won reelection in 2006 with 70% of the vote. Trauner lost to Barbara Cubin by a fraction of a percent in 2006 and is currently polling dead even with Cynthia Lummis.

Clearly this isn't a permanent situation, nor is it utterly hopeless. But if our incumbents don't have to do much of anything to win, why should they do more? Why should they have to reach out to their constituents when it makes no change in the outcome? Why should they seek when they can expect they'll get the votes? They're going to win, right?

It just the people that lose.

-Regis

Brace For Impact

Just a reminder: National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner. If you're even remotely interested in writing, I highly encourage you to check it out and give it a shot. Yeah, 50,000 words in thirty days is a lot, but it can be a lot of fun. And if I can do it, with my amazing dearth of insight and lack of originality, then you probably can too. Oh, and if you join and want a writing buddy, hit me up.

I still have no idea what I'm writing about this year, but that's okay - I was in the same boat last time.

Catch the excitement,
Regis

What We Need More Of...

... is science. And, by extension, Chris Rothfuss. 

I finally got to meet Dr. Rothfuss tonight at a candidate forum for state- and national-level legislative races at Sheridan College, and I was pretty jazzed (it may not have showed so much, as I had just gotten back from concrete testing outside Rock Springs, my day started at five this morning). The guy is clearly smart - he earned a BS in international studies and then a master's in chemical engineering at the University of Wyoming, and then a doctorate and another master's from the University of Washington, and more (just read his bio) - but he can relate to people. He's also got a good sense of humor and a grasp of nuance that involves more than tap-dancing and legalizing around the issue at hand. This is definitely a guy that can get the ball rolling on energy issues.

Even better, he's got the mindset that the people of Wyoming - and the country as a whole - need in the Senate. Dr. Rothfuss isn't interested in a political career, or party interests at the expense of success, he wants consensus. Not just a narrow majority, but 70+ vote consensus that serves the interests of all involved. Neither Democrats nor Republicans (nor Libertarians, or Greens, or Constitutionalists, or whatever) have a monopoly on good ideas, and being able to see and admit that is huge to me.

It's worth pointing out that Senator Enzi - the incumbent that Dr. Rothfuss is challenging in this election - was absent from the event (as was Senator Barasso); he sent a letter that didn't really say much of anything in his place. Interestingly enough, his campaigning vehicle was spotted outside Republican Party Headquarters in downtown Sheridan this afternoon/early evening, which leaves me with one question: if he was in town earlier today, why couldn't he make an appearance? I can't even find a campaign website for him, so we know two things: (1) he doesn't have a public campaign schedule I can check and (2) he doesn't seem to be taking this election too seriously. Which is a damn shame, because if he wins it'll be because his name has an "R" after it and too many people in this state will go off that and that alone. Which isn't to say that he's done a bad job, but color me underwhelmed.

I can also move Nick Carter (he's running against Barasso) into the growing list of candidates I'm actually voting for, instead of against their opponent. He's got a position on (or rather, against) blind party loyalty much like Rothfuss and Gary Trauner, who was also in attendance.

Which brings me to the big surprise of the evening - Cynthia Lummis showed up! Of course, it's just as underwhelming to see her talk in person as it is to hear her on the radio or read about her in the paper. When she was spoke, it felt like I was being talked down to by that aunt that everybody has and doesn't really like; when she didn't, she just sat there with either a valium housewife sort of smile or a regal look at her assembled subjects, I'm not quite sure which. She didn't seem to make any effort to listen to Trauner - who was in fine form tonight and had a couple great jabs that I'll get to later - or W. David Herbert (the Libertarian in the race) when they spoke, and she disappeared as soon as the forum was over. Maybe she had another fundraiser to attend?

Oh, and if you missed it and you're in Sheridan, the forum will be broadcast several times on Channel 14 in the near future, so try to catch it.

End ramble,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - CSS

Here's hoping this delayed post works. CSS has been popping up in Pandora and I've been digging it, so I'll pass "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" on to you.

Music is my favorite mistress,

Regis

A Brief Reprieve

I've got good news and bad news for Cynthia Lummis.

I'm about to leave for Rock Springs to do some concrete testing - yeah, I'm beside myself with excitement. As such, I doubt I'll be able to keep much of an eye on the wacky things that come out of her mouth and campaign, so she gets a break for the next few days, probably through Thursday or Friday. That's the good news.

Of course, I'll comment on anything that looks worthwhile when I get back, so it's really just a short reprieve. Rust never sleeps, or something.

I'll try to get a Hump Day Happy Hour to post automatically, so be sure to come back on Wednesday for that.

On the road again,

Regis

It's Too Easy

...but I'm posting it anyway.

Say what you will about her and the campaign she's running, but Cynthia Lummis isn't doing this by halves: she was absent from a League of Women Voters forum in Laramie yesterday, much like the woman she seeks to succeed is far too often absent from her job in Washington. In fact, both Senators Enzi and Barrasso were also not present; they were represented by campaign staffers and Ms. Lummis was represented by her daughter.

All three of their Democratic opponents - Gary Trauner, Chris Rothfuss, and Nick Carter, respectively - found time to show up.

Are certain parties depending on the good people of Wyoming to vote for them just because they have an "R" after their names, rather than any real effort put forth to win votes on actual merits? This is one entitlement program I'd love to cut.

Look, it's still snowing,
Regis

That Tears It

Senator McCain at last night's debate:

But the point is that I know how to handle these crises. And Sen. Obama, by saying that he would attack Pakistan, look at the context of his words. I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him.I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it. But I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Sen. Obama did. And I'm going to act responsibly, as I have acted responsibly throughout my military career and throughout my career in the United States Senate.

I call bullshit.

Senator, if you have some secret knowledge that nobody else does, you should pass it on. As I understand it, you're pretty cozy with the president. He might be interested.

Or not.

Of course, you could be full of hot air and just saying this in an increasingly desperate bid to get elected. So either you're a liar, or you're too self-centered to put "Country First."

The Straight Talk Express is off the tracks,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Dio

No introduction will do this justice. Prepare to rock!



Ride the tiger,
Regis

Something Positive

This post is long overdue.

I've said for a long time that I greatly prefer to be for something rather than just against something else. And as much as I enjoy taking on things that I disagree with and feel need to be brought to light, it's high time I discussed why I'll be voting for who I'm voting for in Wyoming's congressional race.

My support for Gary Trauner was initially sparked by a sharp dissatisfaction with Barbara Cubin. I had met her back in high school when I went on the Close-Up trip to DC, and my initial impression was one of utter falseness and pandering; we'd been warned not to ask for cookies by our accompanying teacher. Her lackluster record and deplorable attendance over the next several years have resulted in me never once voting for her. But in 2002 and 2004, I was just voting against her, rather than for her opponent. That changed in 2006.

Gary Trauner already had my vote as soon as he started running against Cubin in the last election. But when I got to meet him face to face at a meet-n-greet at Java Moon in Sheridan, I knew that actually I'd be voting for him, and not just against the incumbent.

It's a great feeling, being excited for a candidate. It's less inspiring, and harder to get interested in the process, when you just pick the candidate that's less bad than the other, or just someone else that's bound to do a better job than his or her opponent.

Believe it or not, I consider myself fairly moderate. I'll be the first to acknowledge that neither major political party has all the right or good ideas. A lot of the time, the best course of action is found somewhere between the extremes of views. The nation is supposed to work on compromise, where the interests of all involved parties are met to the greatest extent possible. That doesn't happen with rubber stamps or demonization or focusing on negatives.

Gary Trauner is a guy that will seek balance. If elected, he's not just going to work for the people that voted for him. He recognizes that there has to be a balance whenever governement acts. It has a role, it has a place, but it is neither the end-all-be-all nor the worst possible solution. He's for balanced budgets, for common-sense approaches, and for taking on the underlying cause of problems rather than slapping on a band-aid. And he runs a clean campaign on why you should vote for him, not why you shouldn't vote for his opponent; he doens't resort to labels or the lowest common denominator. He goes door to door and talks to the people he wants to represent. And he isn't buying his seat.

One particular thing I really like about the man is that he's really just asking for a shot. If he gets elected and the people don't like the job he does, then they can vote him out in the next election.

Not to put the cart before the horse, but I doubt that will happen.

So here's how I see the race for Wyoming's seat in the US House of Representatives. On one hand, we have a candidate who's working for your vote, that runs on what he'll do and why you should vote for him, that is making a case to represent the whole of the state. On the other hand, we've got a negative campaign seeking to give us more of what we've had for longer than I can remember - and if you're like me, you don't much care for what we've got right now.

It seems pretty obvious to me, and I hope you agree.

-Regis

Round Two Reaction

Once again, no knockouts but we did see some action tonight. Obama wasn't exactly dazzling, but then he never has been in a debate. He still came across as cool and levelheaded, particularly when viewed next to McCain. At least the senator from Arizona looked at his opponent tonight with something other than a look of utter disdain and disgust, but he largely came across as smug and, for lack of a better way to put it, a prick. Cracks about hair transplants, "did we hear the size of the fine?" and a smartass "thank you" didn't give him an air of respectability. Some more observations:

• McCain seems utterly incapable of subtlety. Obama's repeated comparison of taking a hatchet to the budget instead of a scalpel, McCain's reuse of the already debunked misleading claim that Obama voted to raise taxes 94 times (by the same standard, how many times have you, Senator McCain?), equating military strikes against Bin Laden inside Pakistan - an area that hasn't if the Pakistanis can't or won't act with all-out invasion of the nation as a whole... the last thing we need is another four years of a black-and-white view of the world in the White House.
• The format sucked. Either there wasn't enough time, or there needed to be better enforcing of the time limits. Mics can be cut, you know.
• The way McCain rants about earmark spending all the time, it was kind of odd to hear him admit that there are some earmark projects he considers worthwhile.
• "Nailing Jell-O to the wall?" Seriously? If you're going to make an analogy like that, follow through and don't mush it together with the claim of new proposals that keep popping up. 
• McCain also seems incapable of balance - $18 billion in earmarks versus cutting $300 billion in taxes, the US having 3% of the world's oil supply when we consume 25%.
• How many heros does John McCain have? When you say that Ronald Reagan is "my hero," it's kind of lazy to call Teddy Roosevelt "my hero" as well. 
• Speaking of TR, in addition to "speak softly and carry a big stick," he also said "it always pays for a nation to be a gentleman." Continuation of not talking to "enemy" nations a la Bush is not being a gentleman.
• For crying out loud, McCain needs to stop using Senator Lieberman as an example of bipartisanship. He isn't a Democrat any more, and won't be caucusing with Democrats in the Senate come January.
• Apparently, just knowing there's an increased supply of oil (by, say, drilling offshore) will cause the price of gasoline to come down, regardless of how long it will actually take to get that extra oil flowing. Maybe this is just a mental recession after all.
• It's pretty damn ballsy of McCain to talk about how great his judgement on when we should send our troops in and when we can win without even mentioning his support for and claims of easy victory in Iraq.
• Excellent riposte by Obama.
• I like how Obama sat and focused on McCain while he talked. I was less than impressed with McCain getting up and moving around while Obama was speaking.
• Yes, history shows that countries that are strong militarily need a strong economy. It also shows that you can't win an occupation.
• Contrast this with a consistent emphasis on diplomacy and working with our allies around the world by Obama. Who offers the "steady hand on the tiller?"

There wasn't really a clear winner; I'll give the edge to Obama again, since he was the grownup to McCain's brat. The real loser was the debate format - we need a forum where they have more than sixty seconds to reply, and the ability to actually go back and forth.

Only one more to go (thank God),

Regis

The Debate, Round Two

Just a reminder - the second presidential debate is tonight at Belmont University in Nashville. This time, the focus is on domestic and economic policy. Tom Brokaw is moderating.

Questions remain after last week's showdown: Is McCain too mavericky to look Obama in the eye ever again? Will preemptive victory be declared by either candidate? Can Obama maybe point out that supply side economics don't work? Which candidate is a little bit country, and which is just a trifle bit rock 'n' roll?And when is the damn swimsuit competition?

The fun starts at 7:00 here.

Here we go again,
Regis

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

There were a series of candidate forums in Casper yesterday. I guess they'll be broadcast at a later time (they weren't yesterday, LAME), so for now I only know what the newspapers report. In the mean time, I'm keeping my eyes open for a complete transcript.

It looks like Cynthia Lummis may be planning for a new career in the event she loses the upcoming election to Gary Trauner, given what I can only guess is an attempt at comedy:

Lummis proudly declared her Republican pedigree.

"I believe my party stands for limited government, low taxes, for keeping spending under control, and for balancing budgets," she said. "As a member of the Wyoming Legislature for 14 years, we did exactly that."

While the Republican Party, at the state level, has certainly been a part of Wyoming's current time of success (note: state-level Republicans can still go above and beyond), the Republican Party on the national level has become a Bizarro-style inverse of what it was supposed to stand for. An additional $4 trillion to the national debt is not my idea of "under control." The last balanced budgets we've seen were under President Clinton; George H. W. Bush (aka Bush the Elder) and Saint Ronnie Reagan, that shiningest of stars in the sky of modern Republicanism, never submitted one. And I guess we still have "limited government" after the PATRIOT Act, Bush's expansion of the executive branch, and stuff like No Child Left Behind - but you kind of have to compare it to IngSoc.

Of course, Lummis could just be another mindless Republican rubber stamp in waiting or a complete idiot (not that the two are mutually exclusive), but calling her either would be so much worse than suggesting she's just an aspiring comedienne. So let's give her the benefit of the doubt and go with that, shall we?

So Dubya, Cheney, and a duck walk into a bar,
Regis

You Spin Me Right 'Round

Had I been eating breakfast as I hit CNN on the way to checking today's weather forecast, my desk would be a Cheerio-strewn mess. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds on Sarah Palin: 

"She exceeded expectations that were too low created by people who don't know her record or her abilities."

"She benefited from the media's quick judgment they made of her after a few interviews."

I dunno... maybe if the media had actual access to the candidate than a few interviews to go on, and maybe if Governor Palin got asked more questions which she had to answer (without an "I'll try to find you some and bring them back to you"), then maybe we'd have a better estimation of her record and her abilities. The only reason Sarah Palin didn't get eaten alive last night was the lack of real followup questions. When is she going to hold a press conference?

At any rate, this one's for Tucker Bounds.

I would like to move in just a little bit closer,

Regis

The Vice Presidential Debate

As with the previous debate, here are my observations:

• Sarah Palin comes across as a high school debater. She seemed edgy, except for when she was laying the "I'm so gosh-darned charming and cute, *wink*" routine on with a trowel. Was it just me, or was she kind of hunched over?
• Joe Biden had the calm that Palin lacked. In spades. He could have done without the numerous heavy sighs (I assume they came from him, and not moderator Gwen Ifill), which felt dismissive. Granted, I'd have been doing a lot more than sighing, but still.
• It was actually kind of refreshing when Palin said she would answer the questions her way, not the way that Ifill or Biden or anyone that understands the concept of a debate would. That said, real answers would have been better.
• Kudos to Ifill for calling Palin out when she didn't answer a question. Negative kudos for not doing it again (and again, and again).
• Apparently a McCain administration will be different from the last eight years, and I now know how: this time around, it'll be the vice president that can't pronounce "nuclear."
• John. McCain. Is. No. Maverick. This bears repeating, Joe. 
• Nevermind, John McCain is too a maverick because Joe Lieberman, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney like him. So there.
• Seriously, is it too much to ask for someone that doesn't say "noocyooler?" Really?
• I love Biden's looks of utter surprise when Palin makes questionable claims. I like to think it's his bullshit meter going off.
• "Paying taxes isn't patriotic. Democrats want you to pay more taxes, so they want you to be less patriotic. *Wink* Also, my flag lapel pin is so big it borders on tacky."
• I don't think I heard Biden say "literally" more than twice. I lost count of how many times he said "but the truth is..." Good trade.
• We need to cap our carbon emissions, and we need to drill more oil. Yeah, that'll work.
• Sarah Palin has a large, eclectic family of all sorts of differing views. They're pretty much all teachers. 
• How in blazes can she say "Ahmadinejad" and still say "noocyooler?" For crying out loud!

In the end, Biden looks like a real candidate, while Palin looks like she's totally out of her league but wants to make the grownups like her by talking very seriously and then charming her way into our hearts, *wink*. She did better than I thought she would, which is about as faint of praise as you can get. 

That's the ultimate Bridge to Nowhere,

Regis

Just a Reminder

The single Vice Presidential Debate is tonight. The only big question left for me is, will Sarah Palin answer more questions than she tapdances around? I'm not holding my breath. If she gets really desperate, maybe she'll even pull out a flute.

Pew pew pew,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Toots and the Maytals

I've been having to remind myself all day that today is in fact Wednesday, probably because I had to drive down to Rock Springs on Sunday for some concrete testing. I had the rare pleasure of getting to listen to The Joint, the XM reggae channel, for part of the drive. This week I'm sharing the experience with "54-46 Was My Number" by Toots and the Maytals.

Give it to me four time,

Regis

Word

The Casper Star-Tribune had a solid editorial on Cynthia Lummis' campaign this week. It's good to know that I'm not the only person that sees the connection between how a campaign is run and how the candidate, if elected, will act in office.

Simply put, we deserve better than what Cynthia Lummis is offering.

I predict a 100% chance of mud,

Regis

The Debate

Some observations:

• I was right - some blows landed by both candidates, but no decisive knockouts.
• Did McCain admit that, under President Bush, the US has committed acts of torture, or am I losing my mind? He said that he differed with Bush on the issue of torture (which must mean that Bush is pro-torture), and later that we would never torture again (which means that we have indeed tortured in the past). It's pretty stunning to hear Bush's number one supporter say as much.
• Obama came across as more composed. McCain, for the most part, kept his composure as well but had a few moments that seemed almost childish and vindictive.
  
• That study of bear DNA in Montana was actually successful, Senator McCain. Maybe you should find another example of government spending to rail against, maybe recreational halibut fishing or the study of crab mating?
• What is the lesson from Iraq? Don't fight stupid wars in the first damn place.
• A reduction of $300 billion in tax revenue is better than an order of magnitude greater than the $18 billion in annual earmark spending. Also, haven't we seen that supply side (trickle down) economics hasn't really worked in the past?
• McCain struck me as kind of (but not quite, maybe borderline?) condescending with his repeated utterances of "you don't get it." He also repeated himself too much.
• Obama definitely came across as more thoughtful, but he could have been a little more succinct. I think he "gets it" more than you do, Senator McCain.
• I lost track of how many times Obama had to refute a charge from McCain as "not true." Yes, there was some level of misrepresentation on both sides, but it seemed to come far more from McCain's side of the stage.

In the end, I've got to give it to Obama. He parried McCain's attacks and made the better case for his election. Less than a week until the Vice Presidential debate.

Senator McCain better put them ads away,

Regis

Get Your Game Face On

After some confusion and overdramatic posturing, John McCain will indeed be attending tonight's presidential debate (the first of three) at the University of Mississippi. I generally look forward to debates and other situations where the candidates get to face off, and this is no exception.

Even though some are already calling the result in favor of McCain.

That's right, before the debate has even started the McCain camp is declaring victory. These little puppies have been popping up around the web today. Being the reasonably reasonable guy I am, I can see having them on hand and ready to bust out immediately following the debate should McCain manage to trounce Obama (my prediction - some hard back-and-forth brawling but no knock outs; Obama will look better but not necessarily be the clear winner). No, the big red flag I see raised by the preemptive release of these ads isn't so much arrogance as it is carelessness. If McCain and his campaign can't wait to declare victory until after the debate concludes, what else will McCain jump the gun on as president?

Maybe he'll throw hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars at hasty and ill-conceived rescue operations for a flailing Wall Street? Or pay thousands less on his taxes before enacting his new tax proposals? He might even launch a preemptive strike against a national threat like Iran, North Korea, or even Spain, those evilest of evildoers?

Senator McCain, I suggest you get your head in the game, or this will be the closest you come to winning anything this election. What's that saying about counting chickens before they hatch, again?

One step at a time - that's all I really want from you,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Laura Veirs

Holy triple action, Batman! After today's cavalcade of ridiculosity, I know I need some music. This week, I present "Phantom Mountain" by Laura Veirs, and artist whose work I am familiar with from places. One, her songs "Saltbreakers" and "Galaxies" periodically pop up in Pandora, and two, this video by Doug Savage, the cartoonist behind Savage Chickens (I have a link to it below, check it out). I actually have one of his cartoons - specifically, this one - as my desktop at work right now. Anyway, the talented Ms. Veirs had a music video contest about a year ago and Mr. Savage's entry won.



These power converters are awesome,
Regis

Sign of the Times

McCain has suspended his campaign, as the current financial meltdown is so important he has to get back to DC - and that's pretty important, considering he's missed 412 votes out of 643 this session, and 109 out of 110 since March. At any rate, he's got himself a shiny new campaign sign:

Source.

God forbid we expect the president to be capable of multitasking. Is that really too much to ask?

Keep the bubble gum away from McCain,
Regis

Cynthia Lummis and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

It looks like Cynthia "I'm Not Barbara Cubin, Honest!" Lummis, the Republican nominee for Wyoming's lone seat in the US House of Representatives, maybe should have stayed in bed yesterday.

She appeared on Sheridan radio's local events show "Public Pulse" with Gary Trauner, her Democratic challenger, and more or less got schooled; the show is available for download here for about a week. (For the record, I fail to see how transporting oil from Alaska to the continental states - as Trauner supports - when it's cheaper to sell it to Japan as the price of oil is based on the global market will really make a difference, but that's my only real complaint). Host Kim Love struck me as pretty balanced - a pleasant surprise after the last time Trauner was on the show, when the interview could easily be summed up as "Label label label, you're to the left of Charles Rangel on this point, label label." While I'm admittedly biased, it seems to me that Trauner came across as more on top of the current economic situation than did Lummis. Of course, this is bad news for her in an election that's looking more and more to be "about the economy, stupid."

But it gets better. Later that day, Rachael Seidenschnur, Lummis' current and Cubin's former press secretary, called into a Trauner news conference about Washington's proposed Wall Street bailout and, after using a false name and identifying herself as a supporter, tried to ask a question about "Nancy Pelosi's and the rest of the Democrats' energy bill this past week." Seidenschnur admits calling the conference (verified by phone records) but denies using the false name or claiming to be a supporter. Of course, audio recording by the AP disagrees. Lummis has declined comment. Seidenschnur is now leaving Lummis' campaign.

Because I'm such a swell guy, I'm going to give Cynthia Lummis and her campaign a couple words of advice.

First, don't lie about stuff that's easy to get caught on. I don't care if lying has worked pretty well for former Wyoming congressman and current VPOTUS Dick Cheney, just don't do it. I thought we Wyomingites were supposed to have this special value system imparted by the sole virtue of birth, or something.

Second, don't shoot yourself in the foot. It should be common sense, but I guess it bears repeating. And speaking of your foot, keep it out of your mouth.

It's pretty much accepted at this point that a Congresswoman Lummis would be a clone of Barbara Cubin, but with a slightly better wardrobe and improved attendance record (at present, Cubin has missed 47.4% of votes cast during the 110th Congress, the worst record of any living representative). This brings me to my third and final suggestion: even though you really don't have much in the way of positives to run on, maybe you should try it instead of relying on negative tactics. I know I prefer having someone to vote for, rather than against.

Lucky for me, this election is looking an awful lot like Michael Jackson Day in Springfield (which is also Veterans Day) - it can be two things.

It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - TV On The Radio

It's time to rock out or something, so let's get down. In honor of yesterday's arrival of the novel "Dayshift Werewolf" - a past winner of the 3-Day Novel Contest about misfit monsters - here's TV On The Radio's "Wolf Like Me." I'll even go so far as to deem it the best song about lycanthropy ever, topping even "Werewolves of London." Which means, of course, that Kid Rock will eventually ruin this song with a half-assed sample too, so you'd better enjoy it before that talentless hack gets his grubby mitts on it.

Gotta bust that box gotta gut that fish,

Regis

Oh, the Brutality

I went running last night and kind of almost sorta maybe did most of the 28-minute run for Week 8. It wasn't really a continuous process, and I wound up doing four or five blocks at a solid run at the end (I was listening to "Fashion Zombies" by the Aquabats, and decided to keep tempo). It would have been a nice evening, but I somehow managed to chafe the living hell out of my nipples.

Frak me, does this suck. I dont' know that I've ever chafed 'em before. I've run in the same shirt before. I guess I should look into something a bit more high tech? But that's not even the big question right now.

My larger query is why I even have nipples in the first damn place? This is seriously making me rethink my stance on intelligent design.

There is no explanation - these children are just victims,
Regis

Reflection

Seven years ago I was a freshman at the University of Wyoming; it was my second week of school. I was eating breakfast at Washakie (I'm reasonably sure that I had, among other things, a bowl of yogurt) when I looked up at one of the televisions on the wall and saw the second plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. I watched the towers fall, I understood that they'd fallen, but the full impact of the situation didn't sink in for a while. I was left with a kind of hollow feeling, a realization that something bad and world-changing had happened, but it felt so far away.

I went back to my dorm room and picked up my Bible (something I didn't do near enough before, and still don't do enough now). I was reading about how vengeance and justice are in God's hands when Dillon came up to my room and asked what I was doing. I read him the particular verse; he agreed that it was comforting, but his tone was too cheerful or naive or ignorant. He hadn't heard what had happened, so I told him what I'd seen.

Later that day on my way to class, there was a group of people outside the Engineering Building, talking about the attacks. One man claimed with absolute confidence that it was the work of Osama bin Laden. I knew who bin Laden was (I'd written a satire for my high school paper about how he was behind Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys, true tools of terror that they are), but said we shouldn't rush to judgment, we had to make sure we went after the right people in retribution. I guess we were both right.

Hump Day Happy Hour - The Faces

I realize this is a day late, but I'll make it up to you. This week, I give you The Faces, a band which stands as the best proof available that once upon a time, Rod Stewart wasn't lame (though I will say that, for the record, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is pretty awesome on a few different levels). The band also included a post-Jeff Beck Group/pre-Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood. Here's "I'm Losing You."



And since I've got to make up for the tardiness of this posting of aural awesomeness, here's "Stay With Me."



Don't say you love me,
Regis

Canada, Ho!

My 3-Day Novel Contest entry - bearing the amazingly creative title Eye For An Eye - is now in the mail. WInners will be announced in January, so try not to get too antsy waiting for my results. [SPOILER ALERT: I'll get a participation certificate. And there'll be like seventy pages worth of feasts and a marriage and Aragorn gets crowned... wait, that's Return of the King. END SPOILER ALERT]

I can tell it's Friday - I'm wearing a Hawaiian shirt, there's reggae playing ("Pressure Drop" in Pandora FTW), and my motivation for the week is as nonexistant as Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience. It's almost a shame I don't have any red leather pants.

Almost.

You wanna be in the show, come on baby let's go,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - The Hives

In case you hadn't noticed, we're smack dab in the middle of the Republican National Convention - an event that doesn't require much vetting to get on the shortlist of things that make me want to drink. I managed to catch most of the Democrats' big speeches, and I must say I enjoyed the experience (though I still feel like Hilldog is nagging me, no matter what she's saying), but my attempts at watching the red hot GOP action have gone down in flames. And while that may very well qualify them to be president, I still couldn't make it through two minutes of either Fred Thompson or Joe Lieberman. I just couldn't do it, it was that bad.

At any rate, here's one of my favorite non-American bands, Sweden's favorite sons, The Hives. "Walk Idiot Walk" is off their 2004 album "Tyrannosaurus Hives" and has the rare honor of being butchered by me, on the accordion, at an open mic night at the Library in Laramie. I also think it might be about soon-to-be-Former President George W. Bush.



And it's bad,
Regis

I Am The Champions! (3-Day Novel Edition)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been to the top of the mountain, and it is good. By which I mean, rather, that I have completed my submission, Eye For An Eye, for the 3-Day Novel Contest with tens of minutes to spare. I'll admit, there were a lot of points where I didn't think it would come together, but damn if it didn't fall into place at the end! I'm pretty jazzed about this, even if it only clocks in at 15,892 words (technically placing it at the longer end of novelette status, but whatever). I may even be inspired enough to finally finish my incomplete work from last year's National Novel Writing Month, Trouble Wears a Blue Plaid Shirt.

I've got until Friday to get it in the mail for judging, but I'll get it out sooner than that. Winners won't be announced until January, and I have no illusions concerning the outcome. But really, that isn't the point.

I met my goal - to complete a work of brand-spanking new fiction in three days - and I did it.

No time for losers, I am the champions... of the world,

Regis