Post-Turkey

Had a good trip down to see our families. We got a couple of extra days off, so we were able to stay a little longer than usual. What that meant was that we got to spend even more time driving back and forth than usual. Pretty tired.

My dad and I got to go to the Arkansas-LSU game on Friday, which was a lot of fun except for the game itself. It wasn't the most humiliating ass-kicking of the Razorbacks I've ever personally been witness to, but it was in the top ten. We still had a great time, though, and if you know my dad at all, you realize what a remarkable thing it was that I got him to go.

Tired now. Bed soon. More later.

Harps and Halo (2)

Well, after worrying about trying to hold off on getting Halo 2, it turned out that I went two entire weeks without an opportunity to get it. Well, I had chances, obviously, but I wanted to get it at Best Buy, since the $15 worth of McDonald's Monopoly money I had would bring it down to $15.

I'm only about an hour into it, but so far it's good. Very good. Very, very good. If somebody made a game based on Starship Troopers (the book, not the crappy movie), it would probably be very much like Halo 2. A little slice of console gaming heaven. Well, maybe not all that, but it is an excellent game.

The major attraction, though, is online multiplayer via Xbox Live. Haven't tried that yet, but it's next on my todo list. My only other Live experience was a little bit of Crimson Skies this past weekend, during which some twelve year-old announced via voice chat that I was "gay with women." I'm not sure what he meant by that, but I assumed he intended it as an insult. I felt much better after I fragged his ass a few times. Little punk. :-)

Update: If you want to keep track of my progress in Halo 2 multiplayer, go here.

Savin' the World

I've been successfully resisting the siren call of Halo 2 until after payday next week. Or rather I had been until I started one of the books Dan sent me for my birthday. Now I have a definite desire to destroy some minions in defense of the Earth. I finally got Xbox Live setup a couple of days ago, so I'll be ready to go as soon as I have a chance to grab Halo 2. My gamertag is GeckoHog, if anyone cares (alas, Geckoman was already taken).

Nothing to report on NaNoWriMo. Literally nothing. Just not inspired this year, I guess. At this point I think I can safely blow it off and quit stressing over how far behind I am. On the plus side, though, I'm nearly done with a short story I've been working on. I'll post it when it's finished.

Happy birthday to me!

I've successfully survived another trip around the sun, so I guess everything is at least ok. Dinner out with Heather Marie and snuggling up on the couch to watch videos isn't exactly a jet-setting celebration, but it was just about perfect for me.

I'm getting nowhere with NaNoWriMo. I got nothin', and not much time to write it. I guess I'll make some time tomorrow night to just spew out some random crap and see if anything comes together for me.

I stayed up far too late last night watching election returns, but I tend to become something of a political junkie every other November, so it's kind of fun to geek out in front of the TV for an entire night. It seems strange now to think about watching returns without Internet supplements.

So, here's my last comment on politics until the next cycle:

I have to keep reminding myself that the Internet and blogs are not characteristic samplings of opinion. Centrist, moderate, middle-of-the-road people don't get much attention, which just amplifies the voices of the lunatic fringe on both sides. If someone's sole impression of "the other side" is gleaned from forums and blogs, then they're viewing the world through some pretty skewed glasses.

Here's a newsflash: unless you're one of the lunatic fringe on your side, then the vast majority of the other side is almost exactly like you. No more insane, stupid, or evil than you are yourself.

That's all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blather.

2008 Election Prediction

No, that's not a typo, I'm really getting in an early prediction for Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

Hillary Clinton by a landslide.

That is independent of what happens tomorrow, because regardless of who wins, the Democratic party is going to lose.

If Bush wins, they'll be thrown into four more years of unconstructive vitriolic disarray, except this time with some blame-tossing and self-hatred thrown in. There's no obvious GOP successor at this point, so the general election is looking wide open.

If Kerry wins, it will be as the anti-Bush, not as John Kerry. At least half of his base doesn't particularly like him, they just want rid of Bush, and as soon as W is out of the picture, they'll abandon him like flies from a dried cow pie. Kerry has run a pretty divisive campaign, often belittling everyone who doesn't support him, and since that's looking to be nearly half the voting population, he can forget about extending his coalition. So, come January, and assuming he doesn't lurch left or right, Kerry's going to be trying to govern with a mandate from about 20-30% of voters. Ask Jimmy Carter how well that works.

So, come primary time in 2008, we've either got an outgoing GOP administration with no one waiting in the wings as a successor, or we've got a weakened, ineffective Democrat in office desperately trying to hold together a party who doesn't much like him. What ever will the Democrats do? Hillary to the rescue! She'll be able to sweep into the Democratic primaries, energizing the base, pulling in both the hard left who abandoned Kerry and the disillusioned folks who may have lost faith by then. Finally, a candidate Democrats will genuinely like!

Unless the GOP can put together a ticket that can somehow pull the same base numbers as a Hillary ticket, then it'll be a slaughter, probably with some pretty big coattails, too.

Look for Hillary to take on a bigger role in the Senate over the next three years (especially if Daschle loses in South Dakota), but not necessarily one fully supportive of Kerry, to start building her support early. She won't necessarily openly try to undermine Kerry (that would hurt with Democratic loyalists in the primaries), but she probably won't do all that she can to help him either.

So, that's my prediction, four years out from an election whose campaign hasn't started yet. If I'm right, people will say I'm a genius. If I'm wrong, I'll delete this post and deny everything. ;-)