And they let us check out, too. For only a small charge...

With all the other saints in Christian life, perhaps it's time for a Patron Saint of Elections?

Almighty God, whose servant Chad, for the peace of the Church, relinquished cheerfully the honours that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray Thee, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, that the cause of Christ may be advanced and thy blessed kingdom enlarged; in the name of Him who washed His disciples' feet, even Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Visit the Parish of St. Chad and light a candle for the souls of lost and mispunched ballots everywhere.
(Thanks to RonK.)

You have to figure there are 8-ball emulator sites everywhere on the net. Certainly I can remember at least two published in beginning BASIC programming books. But this guy, hmm, well, he's different. Some people obsess about Marilyn Monroe, others about the perfect golf course, but this guy... Well, let's just say I'm glad he doesn't live in the neighborhood. I don't want to know what he has in his basement. Probably a lab to rival that in Area 51 during Independence Day.

Pharmacists are returning to the use of mortar and pestle to prepare medicines.

For as long as there's been a medical profession, there's been controversy about whether people with inherited/inheritable diseases and conditions should be treated. One group's thinking is that we should save everyone we can. Another group believes that keeping those folks alive allows the problem to be propogated, and we should let them die to eliminate the disease. The Internet is exposing similar thoughts. Here's a business idea that would have not gone anywhere before the 'net. But now such things can be pushed to lots more people, cheaply, and kept alive. Call it passive spam marketing or something similar. Is this a good or bad thing? Can college classes for credit in Internet Marketing Ethics and Morality be far away?

Can Lego be cool? Yeah, when they wear sunglasses and suspend themselves in the air. But I wanna know what's the deal with those 3 guys hanging around behind the bent-over fella.

Do you miss Adventure's twisty maze of passageways? Try this.

Amazing what you find when roaming blogs and breast web rings: blogs in the kitchen!

Mellifluous Mike Citiloo-Who and Chef Cathy Citiloo-Who welcome you to Dancer Druid Lizziloo-Who! Thanks to Periwinkle Haze for the link to Who Names.

Another successful Halloween party >documented in the druid labs' online photo albums!

Thunderstorms and freezing rain. Now that's an attractive combination. Inti danced around for a few hours before the rain let up enough for us to venture outside, and then made tracks for every mud puddle and deep trough on the way. Some of the neighbors' drainage ditches make for good pools, says she. My new hiking boots rubbed against the back of my left ankle but otherwise kept my feet toasty and dry. The boots stayed dry, too, after the liberal application of Camp Dry.

The maple out front is vibrating with color and dropping leaves with alacrity. I can't even describe it - the colors are lurking somewhere among orange, red, fuchsia, bronze. The sugar maple in the back is bright yellow. The burning bush is red. This is the very last of the color we'll have for some time - the witch hazels won't bloom until February, probably, and it will be a long time before we can consider that a display, as young as they are.

Though it's disconcerting for darkness to come so soon in the day, there's something really comforting about the darkness of autumn in general: the heavy skies, leaf-littered forest paths. As the light diminishes the shade-makers let more of it through to us. There always comes a day in autumn when I'm walking out front and I double-take the feeling of sky above the four elms that line the south of the driveway. When did that happen, I ask every year. The deep shade is gone. There's light on the driveway. The disintegration of the garage door is much more evident. Sticks and leaves litter the valleys of the roof. And we can actually see it now, after the cottonwood which hangs heavy and low over the roof let go of the last of its leaves in October.

And yes, I'm reading The Dream of the Earth by Thomas Berry. Makes me want to stay outside all the time, forever.

"It's impossible to foresee the consequences of being clever." Christopher Strachey, quoted in Risks Digest 21.09.

I'll admit I was eyeing the dog backpack today at Galyan's. Long solitary walks are the romantic memories of my youth: late afternoons spent walking to and along the beach in spring and fall. The feelings of escape and reflection call me once again.

Of course I'm years and years older and afraid, somewhat, of the world and particularly the untamed, isolated places, the very places I crave to be. But after these recent months of spousal companionship 24 hours a day, I'm thinking that it's time to overcome that fear. In fact, it's essential for me to find the space I need. Now.

Inti would be happy to walk to the ends of the earth with me, as long as I brought along that hard, slobber-covered orange rubber ball. I know I'm good for eight to ten miles in a day, and with rest and soft surfaces, so is she. With her I'd have a slightly improved margin of safety, though the peace of mind would make that margin seem much larger. But we'd need water and some sort of food for day-long walks.

There's no denying that my walking, my daily 2.5 miles, is only happening because of her. Though it's a gift to me, it mostly looks like a gift to her. So she should carry her own weight, shouldn't she? I wouldn't be out there but for her…and besides, what an opportunity to get some cool dog stuff!