OUT SAVING THE WORLD

2007
A long December
And there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember
The last thing that you said as you were leavin
Now the days go by so fast

And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven
I wish you would

The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters
But no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl

And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California
I think you should

Drove up to Hillside Manor
Sometime after two a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower
Makes you talk a little lower
About the things you could not show her
And it's been a long December
And there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass

And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean
I guess I should

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 10:58 AM |

LOS ANGELES -- One of many reasons I moved from California back home to Wisconsin was that I wanted to enjoy snow and winter weather during the holidays.

So, where am I when the first big snowstorm of the season hits, dumping 10 inches of snow on fair Milwaukee?

Visiting Los Angeles, of course.

My flights last night were cancelled, so I'm doubling my stay and enjoying the 72 degree temperatures with sunshine and palm trees. When I get back, I'll have to dig my car out of its snowy cocoon at the uncovered remote parking lot, and then shovel my driveway and sidewalk...Oh joys...

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 4:38 PM |

8:40 p.m. -- (Some compiled thoughts from the last twenty minutes or so)
* Minus a gabillion points to the MSNBC reporter at the Ben Steele headquarters for telling us all what his source told him "off the record, on background."
* Quit calling it a "wave" or a "tsunami."
* I said no more tsunami, dammit!
* Wisconsin results are trickling in. Gov's race: 49-49 with 3% counted. It may be a long night...

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 8:47 PM |

8:02 p.m. -- Only sort of back. Minus a gabillion points from Chris Matthews for saying Herb Kohl owns the Milwaukee Bulls.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 8:15 PM |

7:15 p.m. -- Taking a break. Be back in a bit.

7:06 p.m. -- They brought Brokaw out of storage!! I hope they Swiffered him before putting him on the air.

7:01 p.m. -- Minus one point to Chris Matthews for saying "Missourahh."

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 7:07 PM |

6:59 p.m. -- Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is blasting Crazy In Love at his party behind the MSNBC reporter. 13 more states about to close...

6:55 p.m. -- A Fair Wisconsin volunteer at the door checking to see if my landlord had voted.

6:50 p.m. -- Who decided the potential Democratic takeover of Congress was to be referred to as a "tsunami?"

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 6:57 PM |

6:48 p.m. -- I want pizza.

6:43 p.m. -- Minus two points to David Gregory for saying "Missouruh."

6:36 p.m. -- I feel like my true calling in life is to be an elections official. There are just far too many F-ups I'm hearing about in Wisconsin. I bet I could run a mean election.

6:30 p.m. -- The hamsters in MSNBC's CG box still aren't running properly.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 6:37 PM |

6:27 p.m. -- Standby, firetruck just pulled up to the house two doors down. At least MFD knows where Hilbert Street is, it's only a block long and I wonder sometimes.

6:24 p.m. -- One point to Keith Olbermann for a snarky comment on the "weather update."

6:24 p.m. -- Intense discussion of the weather radar in Tennessee. I wonder if The Weather Channel has special Decision 2006 coverage.

6:21 p.m. -- Two counties near Joplin, Mo. have run out of ballots. Yoinks! This is why I never wait to vote until after work. Speaking of elections in Missouri, I wonder how many cigarettes Wendy Noren smoked today. Also, I miss Henry Lane.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 6:29 PM |

Sorry for not blogging for a while

I really should tell you all about:

* The Buel-Marciniak Wedding
* Homecoming in BoCoMo
* My adventures in democracy a/k/a voting this morning

But for now, I just feel like trying out liveblogging a bit while I watch TV coverage of the election results, which is one of my favorite pasttimes.

6:17 p.m. -- One point awarded to Keith Olbermann for a Bob LaFollette reference.

6:15 p.m. -- Anytime I see David Gregory, all I can think of is the clip they showed on Conan O'Brien of Gregory dancing during one of the Today Show outdoor concerts. The man can groove.

6:10 p.m. -- Despite the fact the polls are closed, they're still hurting for things to talk about. Republican voters generally oppose abortion and higher taxes? That's the hard-hitting analysis I'm tuning in for.

6:04 p.m. -- During a live shot to George Allen headquarters in Virginia, the reporter stops dead in his track for about 10 seconds, then mumbles something about "technical problems." This is looking like a full-fledged KOMU May Tape special.

6:02 p.m. -- They put up the Washington state senate race graphic instead of the Vermont graphic. Awkward silence.

6:00 p.m. -- Polls close in the first seven states. MSNBC clearly has some kind of technical meltdown; Chris Matthews isn't looking at the correct camera for about 45 whole seconds. Keith Olbermann has this look on his face that says "Ha! Ha! I am a smoother anchor than you, Chris Matthews! I know which camera to look at!"

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 6:09 PM |

Sworn!

"I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Wisconsin;

I will maintain the respect due to courts of justice and judicial officers;

I will not counsel or maintain any suit or proceeding which shall appear to me to be unjust, or any defense, except such as I believe to be honestly debatable under the law of the land;

I will employ, for the purpose of maintaining the causes confided to me, such means only as are consistent with truth and honor, and will never seek to mislead the judge or jury by any artifice or false statement of fact or law;

I will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate the secrets of my client and will accept no compensation in connection with my client's business except from my client or with my client's knowledge and approval;

I will abstain from all offensive personality and advance no fact prejudicial to the honor or reputation of a party or witness, unless required by the justice of the cause with which I am charged;

I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, or delay any person's cause for lucre or malice.

So help me God."

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 3:20 PM |

A Blog Post, Wherein, Due To Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 20:1.6 Dealing With That Pesky Matter of Confidentiality, Thus Robbing Me of All Quality Blog-Fodder, I Instead Choose to Banally Muse on Wisconsin Weather Instead of Discussing Anything Actually "Interesting" or "Funny"

I am experiencing my first "fall," or "autumn," if you will, since 2002, or really 1998 depending on whether Missouri's Autumn Lite (60 degrees in November!) counts.

Here, then, is today's weather and this week's forecast:

SUNDAY: Sunny, high 65
MONDAY: Sunny, high 71
TUESDAY: Sunny, high 70
WEDNESDAY: Showers and thunderstorms, high 69
THURSDAY: Showers, high 56
FRIDAY: Partly cloudy, high 53

And, to top that off, the National Weather Service's local office, in what I can only hope was written by someone with a reasonably thick Wiscaaansin accent, typed this Midwestern-sounding gem in the most recent Forecast Discussion:

"LOOKS PRETTY DARN COOL FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK."

Aw geez, Norm. Pretty darn cool indeed, der.

What I had forgotten is Los Angeles had about a 25 degree temperature range over the entire year. 85 was summertime, 60 was wintertime. Therefore, I am enjoying the novelty of the 20 degree swings in one week, as well as the heat-A/C-heat-A/C switcharoos on Thermy, the thermostat.

I did not actually name my thermostat "Thermy." It came that way. Deal.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 11:49 PM |

Pass!

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 11:28 AM |

Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?

ONE day. Today, Thursday, is the day the Supreme Court says it "expects" to mail results from Madison.

Here is the OSTW coverage plan for this event:
Check here between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon CDT starting tomorrow, Friday the 8th(that's the usual time mail comes to my house). I will post a pass, fail, or "crap, nothing in today's mail" bulletin.

I'm J-Dub and I approve this message at 12:43 AM |