Random thoughts

... Jacob has begun saying "John McCain hurt eye." When he was 1, he tried to look into a shampoo bottle and got it in his eye. He cried and said "Shampoo acky, hurt eye." To communicate danger, we sometimes say things like "no cord, hurt eye." On his own, probably because we talk politics around here a lot, he has started saying "John McCain, hurt eye." He pays attention, I guess.

... Yet more Wall Street problems. What's the difference between a totally free market and trickle-down economics? Nothing. They are both fabrications of the mind with no basis in the real world. What a scam. Think about this for a minute. Rich people convinced us that if we make them even more wealthy, they would actually give some of that back! Hilarious! Yet all those golden parachutes keep opening like clockwork. (I just got an image of Bill Gates re-paving my street).

... I went canvassing this weekend. Knocked on 60+ doors. No luck on most of the first half, but I actually think we made a small impact on the second half. This is how elections are won... with boots on the ground.

... My mom's birthday was today and we took her out to dinner. She will get her knees replaced in one week. Keep her in your thoughts. It'll be a long road back to health for her, but she really needs this done.

... Gotta love sports. The Broncos are a fun team to watch on offense. I have proper expectations based on their crappy defense, so I get to enjoy the fireworks with no need to fret over long playoff runs. Time to enjoy gaudy statistics! CU still looks a year away and Virginia is rebuilding, so my focus is on the NFL this time around.

... On the schadenfreude side of sports, Nebraska got beat 52-17 at home, which always makes me smile. If that wasn't enough, the Cubs lost 3-games-to-none in the first round of the playoffs when expectations were just crazy considering history. All of my friends and I take a sick joy in pain felt by each other in sports. I don't think anything tops the heartbreak the Northsiders inflict on their fans, though. It never gets old.

... I'm currently reading "Bearing the Cross," and it's a great book. I think I'm going to finish my 24-book challenge with "Angels and Demons," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Stranger in a Strange land." Next year Book and I will start out with "Southern Storm" about General Sherman's decimation of much of the South. Book and I have a morbid fascination of "drunk uncle Billy" (If you see a picture of him, you'll know why we call him that) and his rampage through Georgia.

... I keep getting calls at my office from homeowners who are desperate to avoid foreclosure and it's heartbreaking. They are all upside-down on their homes and facing financial ruin. I really feel for them. Although there is little I can actually do for them most of the time, I always try to point them toward some (hopefully) helpful options. Times are tough and people are absolutely feeling it. My phone is a testament to that.