How you like me now?

So the long and short of it is Obama won. Gloating over politics seems silly, but there is nothing wrong with getting excited about your candidate winning. Especially when the state of Virginia has been the state of the red for the eight years that I've been voting. Apparently there has been a demographic change. Not in the county I live in mind you, old rich people aren't too dynamic when it comes to changing their hearts and minds. It felt good to know that my vote mattered though.

To be clear, I felt like either candidate would have been a breathe of fresh air in light of the Bush administration. The economy sucks, we need good international P.R. bad and education/science/technology have taken a back seat for far too long. McCain didn't have answers for all of those issues, but I think he would have done a better job than Bush. His time for that was back in the 2000 primary though. In 2008 he was just more of the same and to be frank we couldn't live through four more years of more of the same.

Obama is hope and one of the first politicians I have ever been inspired by. Not only is he an eloquent speaker, but the words have real thought and meaning behind them. His speech on race in March of this year was some of the most profound and truthful ideas I have ever heard from a politician. That speech and the many others since made me a believer. The proof is in the pudding of course. Four years is not a lot of time to reverse what is turning out to be a a very low point for our country. It will be tough, but I can't imagine anyone else I would want to lead us out of this tunnel.

40k Again?

I skipped posting on Friday because I was out of town and on vacation. Crystal starts teaching at a new school this year, so Thursday we took all of her teaching materials and supplies to her new classroom. Friday we went up north to shop. IKEA was a bit of a bust, but we should have known better given we don't really need any furniture. I stopped in the Potomac Mills Games Workshop and was convinced by an employee to pre-order a 40k starter kit when I got back to Richmond, probably a mistake considering past experiences.

I am hoping this time will be different for a few reasons. I will have a rulebook so I can learn to play (L2P) at my leisure and in the comfort of my home. There is now an official GW retail store in Richmond, were before I was relying on a third party shop that was in all honesty a crappy place to build my interest. It is a board game when you boil it down to it's core, so I can probably convince my wife and brother to at least play once with me. I still have on nerd colored glasses for miniatures that will probably never go away, expect a model railroad post when I have a child.

Please don't be fooled into think I am completely retreading mistakes of the past. I still have my waders on while braving this geek river. The starter kit was a $10 pre-order and retails at $60. Probably a huge investment when I was a sophomore in college, but not going to break the bank now that I am three years removed from a ramen noodle budget. I picked up a calendar of events from the shop when I went in to give them my ten dollars, hopefully I can pick and choose events that will have like minded adult players. I say this a lot, but wish me luck.

Ex Machina
In the calm before the storm (I ordered five trades Saturday night) I went to my local comic shop Thursday to look for something to read. I walked out with Ex Machina after hearing good things about it on Fresh Ink and knowing that it was written by Brian K. Vaughan (Y). The writing is very well done, something I didn't expect given the books political nature. The art is so-so I guess, the artist uses pictures as a reference for all of the panels and occasionally the expresions on chacters faces can be a bit off putting.

Politics = Boring

I have always had my nose buried in a history book, so politics and all things government related were an obvious extension of that interest. My wife sits on the opposite end of the spectrum, the sardines to my political peanut butter if you will. In the twelve years we have known each other I have made every effort to change her outlook from boredom to mild interest. She voted in the 2000 presidential election, primarily because of my efforts and by the time the 2004 election came around her interest was her own. With the 2008 election fast approaching she is doing research on each candidate in an effort to convince her parents and sister to vote and to vote by the issues that effect them.

Proud as I am of my wife's new found interest, her task is proving to be a bit of a headache. McCain and Obama are just too similar on too many social issues. The big divide is of course the war in Iraq and the international relationships both candidates could foster or crumble should they take office. This is a big deciding factor for many, but when you look beyond that they are both steering toward the middle of the road. Both candidates are on the "green" bandwagon. McCain is even parting with the republican base in his less strict views on abortion. Taxation is still by party line of course, but McCain distances himself again with his support of stem cell research. On education McCain would continue "no child left behind" and a push for private school vouchers. I could expound on what is so terribley wrong those educational stances for 5-6 more paragraphs, but I'll move on.

At the end of the day the war and education (Crystal is a teacher) have already helped me make my decision. Any information we can provide to uninterested parents, siblings, friends and coworkers will hopefully make for a more informed conversation at least.

Cyclist Hero
Sure politics don't get most people's juices flowing and on a Wednesday to boot. How about a good story told in photos of sportsmanship and caring for your fellow man? 2k from the finish line Chris Horner saw a crashed Billy Demong and offered him a ride. Class act!