Brain trust... not

Wow, the brain trust at GOPTrust are running horrible ads of Obama gazing at that angry minister guy... on TV in New York City! Are they crazy, desperate, or just trying to use up all their money? How lame.

The Tide IS Changing!

... At least in Maine coastal towns right near my hometown of Edgecomb. From the Associated Press on October 30, 2008:

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine -- Meteorologists are baffled by rapid tidal changes along the Maine coast, which damaged some boats and piers.

Witnesses say low tide turned and became high within a matter of minutes on Tuesday afternoon. The changes occurred six or seven times. The National Weather Service says reports from several locations indicated that water levels fell and rose from 4 feet to as much as 12 feet during the event.

In a public information statement, the weather service says the cause "remains a mystery and may never be known."

It said significant rapid rises and falls in tide levels were observed around 3 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Bristol. The statement said rapid surges can be caused by the underwater movement of land, most often due to an earthquake, or due to slumping of sediments along a steep canyon or shelf, but no earthquakes were reported in the area Tuesday.
A similar event occurred on Jan. 9, 1926, in Bass Harbor, the statement said.

Best online comment (via Wooden Boat magazine's online forum): Maybe Obama changed the tide?

Thank you, BrianW.

Favorite new word: Seiche

Boo

Don't know why I haven't posted lately. Maybe it's the economic turmoil. Scary enough, but Halloween was pretty darn scary in my 'hood. The Greenwich Village Halloween parade lures thousands of people from god only knows where to my neighborhood, and half of them end up on my stoop. And I caught four French people (guys and gals) peeing in my building's garbage area. Mon dieu!

Best costume: a simple Barack Obama mask, grinning from ear to oversized ear, atop the head of a very unsmiling tall black guy. Odd and cool at the same time. Pictured, left: friend F. and werewolves on Bleecker Street.

Anagramalicious

McCain/Palin

CLAN CAMP IN
CALM CAN NIP

Obama/Biden

A DEAN BOMB I
ID BONE A MBA

Clearly, it's the doggiest of dog days in August. I'm still formulating my astute and perceptive political analyses. Please stay tuned.

Okay, I admit I'm home and have CNN on in the background. I was chatting with K., who's at work, the poor dear, and I was put on hold and tuned my ear in for a moment to John McCain's speech about his new running mate and all I heard was "I found a partner who will help me stand up..."

Maybe we CAN

Wow, I just wrote (and erased) eleven sentences that tried valiantly to sum up my sense of, yes, hope. That Barack Obama is our potential next president (oh yeah, and he happens to be black) and that Hillary is getting a good share of well wishes for trying (I send my own). Bygones, Hill, bygones. I can't wish for the dream ticket, of the two together yet, but might accidently actually dream about it while asleep.

Our lame national networks are showing prime time repeats (huh?) and CNN has a miserable audio lapse (what's the word for that?) during Obama's nomination victory speech (I guess we can't quite call it that yet -- what's the phrase for this? Pre-nomination?) and I myself am of course distracted momentarily by the amAzing PBS presentation of Cuban singer Willy Chirino celebrating his 35th year in show business in Miami ("Never Go Back to Georgia" caught my ear and held it... LOVE that song.) I digress.

Nope, that's all I had. What plays out in the next four months will be very, very interesting. I'm in no way qualified to speculate so I'll shut up now. And go and just be happy for a little while.