Back from Dubai

And boy was it one hell of a week. I hardly got a chance to sleep. We did a lot of drinking and for some reason we all woke up early everyday. There were 5 of us that stayed at this guys house and we all kept wondering why even though we were out of Bahrain, we were still getting up before 9 every morning. We just couldn't sleep much.
The softball part was fun. I didn't get a lot of playing time but a lot of good came out of the games. There was one game where I think we all turned a corner and became closer as a team. We played my old team and were down big late in the game. We somehow managed to catch up and win the game in dramatic fashion, highlighted by a 3 run homerun by our cleanup hitter to take a one run lead. Some insurance runs followed and after giving up a 2 run homerun to the opposing team, we snagged the last out and celebrated like we won the championship. It was one of those statement games where we just never gave up and came together. Despite losing in the championship game, the one game still made it worth while. Sitting in the stands during our offtime and hanging out together also contributed to bringing us together. We all rooted for the ladies teams who supported us and just had a lot of fun. The guys that I stayed with in the house were great. We all stuck together throughout the tournament and I became really good friends with them. I got to know them a lot better and regret the assumptions I made in prior blog posts about them and the team. It's funny how life shows you the quality of people you're surrounded with but hides who they really are until you've already opened your mouth and inserted your foot. I regret writing those things in the past. A feeling i've never had in all my years of blogging. I know i'm very opinionated and I usually think before I speak but this wasn't the case on my posts regarding the softball team and my position. I've apologized to a few of them personally already and will try to get the rest of them at some point this week. Even if I don't play for the base team again, the one thing I at least want to do is salvage the friendships I made in Dubai.
Now that i'm back, it's back to getting my priorities in order. That's a little difficult considering i'm absolutely exhausted and our new puppy is draining all my energy. I don't know if i'm over-caring for it but it's better to be safe than sorry. I swear I walk that dog maybe 8 times a day. And i'm at work for at least 10 hours a day. On top of not getting any sleep, i'm not getting much of a chance to just sit and rest and even check email. I don't even want to mention work. Playing catchup from the trip is hellacious. I'm trying to pace myself since I know if I completely dive in to finishing it, i'll complete it all in no time, then i'll sit around bored the last day of the week. I'd like to think i'll get some rest this weekend, but with the puppy and all, i'm sure i'll be busy. It's tough work housetraining them. You gotta take them out constantly so they don't pee or crap in the house. Then I have to try and teach her how to sit and stay and all that stuff. She's still young so we're slowly getting her in to learning how to do those things. One step at a time.

Hey Gramps!

Happy Birthday to me!Cha, cha, cha.I live in Minn-ie.Cha, cha, cha.I look like a monkey.Cha, cha, cha.Cause I am For-tee!Cha, cha, frickin' cha!Actually, my birthday was last week but you tend to get a little behind when you're as old as I am. On Saturday, Lady Di surprised me with a birthday party at a local restaurant. My folks and my sister's family came in for the weekend and I thought we were just taking them out to eat. At the restaurant I discovered twenty-five extra family members waiting to sing Happy Birthday to me. It was humbling and heartwarming to see so many well wishers. Or maybe they all gathered just to see how much wear and tear forty years had inflicted on me.Our group was so big, the cake Lady Di brought wasn't enough. So she sent our nephew, Kubes, out to get a backup. This is what he brought back.In case you can't read it, it says, "Looking Good Kubes Happy Birthday". Did he just get a cake telling himself how good he looks? Or maybe it was supposed to read "Looking Good From Kubes", and he just didn't want to pay for the extra frosting. Regardless of the message, the cake still tasted great after a huge Mongolian grill bowl of meat and vegetables.After eating, the kids helped me open my many nice gifts and luckily they were either golf or book related. No embarrassing gifts meant to augment or improve what time has diminished.Well, now that I've reached the big 4-0 I suppose I will have to get used to some different routines. I will have to get more fiber in my diet now so I will start drinking more Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Throw in a couple ibuprofen and chase it with a shot of Geritol and I will be ready for the morning. I can spend the afternoon at the Cane Emporium and then drive the Cadillac home on the freeway at 53mph. Then I can enjoy supper at 4:30 in the afternoon and finally get caught up on what Matlock is up to.Well, it's almost 9pm. Time to put on the night cap, put the teeth in the water glass and set the alarm for a bathroom run in two hours. Can anyone help me turn off this Internet, Google, dot e-mail doo-hickey?

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Well, we're back. And we survived. Summer was a champ on all flights. Awesome. But who wouldn't be sucking on a boob for 2 hours straight? She slept for most of it, and when she wasn't sleeping, she was checking out her new surroundings. The stroller cover proved successful, and even though I felt kind of lame using it, I was glad I did when we landed in Milwaukee and another family with the same stroller as us found theirs with a wheel snapped off. Suckers.Highlights:Warm weather. While rather humid, the warmth was very welcome. Poor Summer was a hot sweaty mess the whole time, and her hair was matted to her head most of the time, but at least she knows what it feels like to sweat now.Good food. If there's one thing my family knows how to do, it's eating.Hanging out with my cousins and their kids.Playing games.Seeing our friends Matt & Seena Swinyard, and their son Caleb, who I knew in Florida, and now live in San Antonio.Handing off Summer to Grandma and Grandpa while I slept.SONIC!! With no huge lines!Summer having fun on the plane.Great-Grandma BarriosGreat-Grandpa BarriosAfter a ride on the motorcycle.At Kreuz Barbecue. Deeeeelish.It was just a touch windy that day.With Matt & Seena & CalebIn small town Martindale.My Aunt Linda and her granddaughter Ayla.Mi AbuelitoMi AbuelitaMy cousin's 3 kids on the bottom, my cousin at the top.I told my cousin's son Rocky to pose and this is what he gave me. I have many more pictures of equally stunning yet different poses. He's 4. The model's proud mama, my cousin Jessica. Love her. I don't love how pale I look next to her.4 generations of Barrios women! As my mom said, we're watering down the gene pool.Overall...definitely different traveling with a rugrat, but definitely doable. Here's to lots more trips!

Why is KK deleting almost all my posts in certain threads?

Hey TW guys:
Can you please review the various posts of mine that Karl has deleted in the "Obama bows" thread? He's really going overboard lately, as you'll see from the content of my various posts that aren't breaking any forum rules at all. He's similarly censored me at times in the Obama Birth Certificate thread as well.
Maybe if you're intent on allowing KK to continue moderating, you could at least advise him not to delete posts made by those posters he doesn't like in any of political threads in which he's participating himself unless there are obvious, clear cut, and egregious rule violations?
A classic example of this capricious and spiteful deleting was when one poster complained that the network news was not covering Obama's mistake in protocol regarding his bow, saying in part:
"Also, when stories break like this threads topic, rarely do you see much about it on the major networks. In this case I don't think any of the 3 even covered it as a mistake or improper protocol. However they are much more likely to be critical of the slip ups of Republicans".
I responded thusly:
"I don't think it's even been established that there was a mistake or improper protocol, let alone why that should merit time on the network news. The one expert cited in this thread said there is no formal protocol in this area."
KK apparently found that statement in need of censorship and would not allow me to post it. An objective review of the entire thread up until that time -- post 313 -- would show my post in reponse to that didn't even come close to breaking any rules and was perfectly legitimate. I could not imagine DD, Spencer, or any TW guy deleting that post if they had been moderating the thread themselves.
This is just one example. There are many others like it. It is a pattern with him, and I respectfully ask you to put a stop to it. Obviously, many others here feel the same way. If I insult somebody, delete it if you want. Fair enough. If I say something risque, delete it. Fair enough. But when I or any other poster expresses a legitimate viewpoint that happens to be at odds with KK's worldview, it should be allowed to stand unless it clearly violates a forum rule.
I realize this is a private message board and you guys own it and this is not a democracy and you can do as you please and all that, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little more fairness and objectivity around here when it comes to such matters.

Top 10 Record Setting Programs On American TV

Television has become a staple part of life for the majority of people and in some countries television is now regarded as an essential human right (ridiculous in my opinion). Through the years, many shows have come and gone, but some have stuck around and become world record setters. This list looks at 10 of those programs. 10 Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito PBS Record: Longest running cooking show. Originally airing in October 1989, and continuing to the present, Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito has been running on public television stations coast to coast in the US and also worldwide for 20 years. Host Mary Ann is responsible for all the content on the program, and she has to avoid certain recipes that wouldn’t hold up well under the hot lights of a television studio. She has also published 10 cookbooks covering Italian cuisine and focusing on Sicilian and Neapolitan favorites. 9 Gunsmoke CBS Record: Longest running scripted drama. Gunsmoke was an American television staple for 20 years between September, 1955 and September, 1975. The show, set in Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870’s, was an extension of a highly popular radio program of the same name, but the TV show featured a different cast. Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) was faced every week by western despots who had no respect for the law or his friends, Chester, Festus, Doc, and Miss Kitty. 8 The Simpsons Fox Record: Longest running scripted comedy. Animator Matt Groening originally created The Simpsons as a series of short clips to be featured on The Tracey Ullman Show in the late 1980’s. The show became one of the first ratings hits for the fledgling Fox Network when it was expanded into a weekly half-hour primetime show in December, 1989. The Simpsons initially focused on juvenile rascal Bart, but eventually switched to the lovable Homer as the star of the show. In 2007, The Simpsons was released as a full-length feature film, and the television show is currently still going strong in its 20th season. 7 The Price is Right CBS Record: Longest running game show. Although The Price is Right originally aired in 1956 with host Bill Cullen, it was discontinued in 1965. When it returned in September, 1972 with new host Bob Barker (coming over from Truth or Consequences), the new version found unprecedented longevity. The Price is Right changed hosts with the retirement of Bob Barker in 2007, but it has continued to outlast a changing television landscape for 37 years, and has survived to the present, largely due to a resurgence of the show’s popularity on college campuses. 6 Sesame Street PBS Record: Longest running children’s program. The Children’s Television Workshop and muppet creator Jim Henson combined to create a powerful children’s show in 1969 that featured education and entertainment. The show originally aired in November, 1969 and has continued to the present for an amazing 40 years. Many of the “jokes” in the programming are intentionally aimed at adult viewers, and Sesame Street has the unique ability to attract both toddlers and their parents. 5 General Hospital ABC Record: Longest running program filmed in Hollywood. Although it is set in Port Charles, New York, daytime drama General Hospital is the longest West Coast production on American television. The show debuted in April, 1963 as a half-hour program, and expanded to a full hour in 1978 to remain a constant fixture on ABC for 46 years. The show’s highest point was achieved in the early 1980’s with the marriage of Luke and Laura (the highest viewership of any daytime drama for a single episode), and a wacky plot involving secret agents, world domination, and a mysterious object known as The Ice Princess. When popular Laura (Genie Francis) left the show briefly, she was replaced as Luke’s love interest by a young and savage Demi Moore. 4 Pro Bowlers Tour ABC, CBS, Fox, ESPN Record: Longest running sports program. This event originally aired in 1962, and was an extension of the Professional Bowlers Association. The Pro Bowlers Tour was highly responsible for the popularity of bowling in America during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and the championship game regularly drew many more viewers than did college football. When ABC ended its yearly run with the Pro Bowlers Tour in 1997, it was briefly picked up by CBS and then the Fox Sports Network through 2000. Finally, ESPN gave it a permanent home in 2001, where the Pro Bowlers Tour has been able to continue enjoying its uninterrupted run for 47 years. 3 Guiding Light CBS Record: Longest running daytime drama. Soap opera Guiding Light made the jump from NBC radio to CBS television in June, 1952 and is scheduled to air its final episode in September, 2009, giving it a run of 57 years. The show has survived and rolled with many marketing swings (color television, African American characters, expansion from half-hour to full-hour, etc.), but was finally axed on April 1, 2009 by CBS. Although the last official episode will air on September 19, host Proctor  Gamble is still in negotiation to move the program to another venue and perhaps keep the series alive at a new home. 2 CBS Evening News CBS Record: Longest running network newscast. Originally airing in August, 1948 with anchor Douglas Edwards, the CBS Evening News has been the flagship program for the CBS network for 61 years. The anchor desk is extremely stable, and has featured only six news anchors during its entire run. The venerable Walter Cronkite followed Douglas Edwards, and Cronkite was eventually succeeded by Dan Rather. Following a brief pairing of Dan Rather with Connie Chung in the mid-90’s, Rather continued as the sole anchor until a scandal forced him to resign in 2005. He was briefly replaced by Bob Schieffer, and the current anchor desk is held by Katie Couric. 1 Meet the Press NBC Record: Longest running show in worldwide broadcast history. Meet the Press is a Sunday morning talk show that began in November, 1947, and features a moderator and topical guests discussing everything from politics to the economy to foreign affairs. Eleven moderators have graced Meet the Press, including original moderator Martha Rountree, Roger Mudd, Chris Wallace, and its longest-serving moderator of 16 years Tim Russert. When the ever-popular Tim Russert died unexpectedly in 2008, he was briefly replaced by a retired Tom Brokaw, and finally by David Gregory, which all adds up to an amazing 62 years of continuous television broadcasting.

United’s New First Class, Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City

Wednesday, April 15
8:40 pm Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HKG) to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (SGN)
United Flight 869 First Class Seats:04F, 04E
Duration: 2h 30m Boeing 747-400 935 miles traveled
After checking out of the hotel we grabbed a cab down in front of the W. The hotel staff member assisting us on our way was a little bit concerned that we were heading off to the airport ‘only’ 2.5 hours before our flight, but I wasn’t in the slightest. There was a bit of traffic heading in the opposite direction but the roads were all clear for our drive.
We pulled up to the airport and headed inside, strangely there wasn’t anybody in either the business or first class checkin lines ahead of us. I say strangely because even though I knew the load for our flight was going to be exceptionally low, there’s a Singapore flight leaving around the same time.
Bags tagged to Vietnam, off through the government formalities, and onto the train to head out towards the far gates where United is housed. Instead of heading up to the Red Carpet Club, and admittedly it’s the nicest RCC in the system, we headed in to the Thai Airways lounge. We were immediately welcomed upon presentation of our boarding passes and escorted to a pair of seats on the first class side, while the attendant kept our boarding passes for a moment in order to photocopy them.
The business and first class sides of the lounge are separated by a pseudo wall, the first class side a little bit more nicely furnished, much smaller, and fewer people. The first class side has table service, and we were offered a menu and drinks as soon as we were seated.
Here’s the small-ish first class side of the lounge
The lounge shares a buffet area with business class, but also has menu service. Here’s the menu:
And the buffet area:
I made myself a plate from the buffet:
Okay, two plates.
The bathroom and showers are also shared between business and first.
We caught up on e-mail and then it was time to head downstairs to our departure gate. Even though we were flying UA, the lounge attendant came to let us know when our flight was beginning to board. Not 30 seconds later we could hear the airport announcement for it.
I had grabbed a bottle of water in the lounge, but it was confiscated from me at the plane-side check for liquids. Hmmph.
I didn’t care, it was a short flight, I did want the bottle of water because after all even though I was flying in first class it was going to be United first class – one never knows what kind of service to expect!
Still, it was my first time flying United’s new first class. Obscene, huh? I simply haven’t had the opportunity, and any time I thought I might I always winded up with an aircraft swap. At least the 767 fleet is finally completed (though I admit, for a frequent coach-to-business upgrader like me I’d take the old seats since they came paired with a whole bunch more seats and a better shot at upgrades).
My bottom-line impression is that the seats aren’t all that much better than the old first class suites, except that they are newer (the old seats were certainly threadbare, but they were comfortable and I always slept well in them) and of course come with a much larger video screen and video on demand instead of tapes. The new seats had a bit of an intangible ‘cheap’ feel to them (maybe just too much plastic?), and though they did have storage space it seemed like there was a bit less than with the old suites.
The seat is perfectly comfortable for lounging, andit’s nice to sit in UA F with the seats not worn so thin. With the armrests up in bed mode the seat is way too narrow, claustrophobic. But the armrests are your only (minimal as it is) privacy, so Id be reticent to put them down with a full cabin. The seats are really a generation old, the current world standard of F seating offering some measure of separation between you and other passengers in the cabin. This one is just really quite open, in some ways like the Thai Airways first class seat.
Not sure how common this is, but for my seat the compartment which stows the tray table is already showing wear, not quite closing properly. And I still don’t understand the shoulder restraint that pairs with the seatbelt. The seat controls are too far away, just a tad beyond easy reach, and there just aren’t enough controls. The video controller is even farther away.
Here’s the first class cabin
And the main event, the seat itself
Our route from Hong Kong down to Ho Chi Minh City.
We had been offered predeparture water or orange juice. Ok, ANA doesn’t do predeparture beverages and that’s the law. But in first class, when it’s legal to offer more, it would be nice if they would. This felt so ‘business class’.
Shortly after takeoff we were offered beverage of choice and a dinner selection. Now, granted this was a flight scheduled at 2.5 hours but there was no menu. Rather the flight attendant affered “A turkey cheese wrap or lamb.”
Umm, lamb? Like, how is it prepared? “Oh, it’s Indian.” Well, I know I don’t want the turkey cheese wrap as my first class dinner, so I’ll try the lamb. My wife did the same, and I believe so did the other 3 passengers (2 of whom were non-rev) in the cabin.
It was actually rather tasty, not terrible in the least, but note that the entire meal was served on a single tray. Not that fond of the dessert, though.
After dinner I got up to use the restroom. I went inside it turned out that the toilet was clogged. I told the flight attendant who replied, “Oh, I know.” Hmm. I guess the look I gave him spoke volumes, as he put an out of order sign on that lav shortly thereafter.
The other first class bathroom was visited by one of the non-revs who left a rather distinct sign of his presence that lingered long after his visit. That wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault of course. But it rendered both first class lavatories virtually unusable. And it was certainly a contrast with ANA, where the toilet paper ends were folded over by the flight attendants after each passenger used the facilities… just one of the little signs indications that the bathroom receives ‘attention’ as it frankly needs to on a long journey.
Ah, United.
Flight attendants collected the noise canceling headsets about 30 minutes prior to landing, so I wasn’t able to finish the episode of Entourage I had started. It was late, I wasn’t much up to doing anything on the computer or reading, and so I pretty much just zoned out to the flight map for the descent.
Upon deplaning we were the first ones out the jetway, and there wasn’t a single person manning the immigration booths. As soon as we were seen walking in that direction, though, the whole immigration team scurried into position. We walked up, my visa was given great scrutiny, and we were let into baggage claim. After getting our bags and walking out into the arrivals hall we immediately spotted the sign with my name on it being held by a representative of the Sheraton, who assisted us outside with our bags and called for the hotel Mercedes.

live-blogging election day

5:05 p.m. GMT, 12:05 p.m. ESTI'm way too excited to sit still, so I thought I'd channel some of my energy into live blogging the election. It's especially difficult here in England, because we are already coming up on night, and don't yet have too much news, so the fingernails are quite stubby by now, as you can imagine....As I've mentioned in this blog before, I have voted for Barack Obama. This is the 3rd time in my life that I'm eligible to vote for president, and the 1st time that I have voted for a major party (having voted Green in 2000 and 2004.) It might be interesting to know how it feels to back someone who wins!5:41 p.m. GMT, 12:41 p.m. ESTMy ballot was cast in California, and Daiku's in New York, two states the reliably tend to swing blue. However, we have family in two very hotly contested swing states- Missouri and Virginia. I'll be looking closely at those states- anyone else voting there? I have heard reports of long lines in VA, some places where it took people over 4 hours in line before they could vote. I only had to mail in an absentee ballot. I take off my hat to everyone who has endured any difficulties in physically voting today.Being in England for the most heated parts of the election has been a blessing and a curse. It's difficult to feel so detached from the process back home, but such a relief to be away from the 24-hour news cycle and some of the more vicious aspects of the election.6:44 p.m. GMT, 1:44 p.m. ESTmemories...2004: I lived in Irvine. I had no t.v. I remember going to the gym on election night to try to see a bit of news. And then, at home, I remember waiting up until all hours of the night, constantly hitting the "reload" button, hoping against all hope the the Ohio tallies would start bearing positive news. Alas, they never did. I wore black to teach the next day.2000: I lived in New York City. I came home straight away after work, excited to watch the results. My mom and I had just voted for Ralph Nader that morning, and I remember being very encouraged that he would get the 5% of votes needed to ensure federal funding for the Green party. Then the election took a turn for the weird... at around 3 a.m. I realized I wouldn't be finding out results that night. Gore lost. Nader didn't hit 5%. Who knew then that a terrifyingly traumatizing 8 years had just begun?one way or another, I guess I'm destined to stay up late on election nights!8:24 p.m. GMT, 3:24 p.m. ESTEven though the presidential race seems to eclipse all the other ones, there are of course many other important races and issues that people are voting about today. One of those, an issue close to my heart, is a ballot initiative in CA that would ban cruel confinement of farm animals. (Proposition 2) This would be such a landmark law, since changes to the agricultural industry in CA, due to its sheer size, could not help but have a ripple effect. Another, which I voted against, is Prop. 8, an initiative that would seek to limit marriage only to those between men and women. What's even sadder is that 3 other states have anti-gay measures on the ballot too. (including Arkansas, which is seeking to make it illegal for gay couples to adopt children). In a world where so many children desperately await adoption, I find that last measure especially crass and mean-spirited. Here's something interesting to ponder. CA legalized interracial marriages before the U.S. supreme court. Talk about "activist judges"! Back then, 96% (NINETY-SIX!!!) of Americans were against people marrying from different races. Today, only about 50% of Americans oppose same-sex marriage. Makes you think, huh?11 p.m. GMT, 6 p.m. ESTthe earliest polls are closing now! let's get this show on the road! now it feels like something really is happening.11:22 p.m. GMT, 6:22 p.m. ESTwe just heard from a relative in Georgia. apparently, someone left a dead cat by her Obama sign. this happened to some of their neighbors too. it's gut-wrenching, and so wrong on so many levels.12:05 a.m. GMT, 7:05 p.m. ESTFinally, the BBC has started broadcasting election news! The first results were not too surprising, VT for Obama, KY for McCain. Interestingly, MO seems to be a stalwart swing state- no one is calling it one way or another yet! My mother-in-law, in Missouri, said that they've gotten 3 phone calls and a flier, all reminding them to vote, all from the Obama campaign. The organization of his campaign is so reassuring. She also said that a worker at a local polling place was illegally demanding 2 instead of 1 form of ID, but that he was quickly booted from his job. Yay, progress!12:21 a.m. GMT, 7:21 p.m. ESTChris Hitchens was just on the BBC, calling the McCain campaign "cheap, nasty, sordid."12:25 a.m. GMT, 7:25 p.m. ESTThe BBC is showing people gathering in Chicago, anticipating a celebration. the sense of excitement is so palpable!It just occurred to me how privileged Daiku and I are that all of our friends and family are politically in sync. Frankly, I don't know how I'd deal with someone close to me who saw it fit to vote for McCain right now.12:31 a.m. GMT, 7:31 p.m. ESTNorth Carolina, Ohio, and W. Virginia just closed. The fact that W.Virginia is not even projecting immediate results is itself telling. Tellingly awesome.12:40 a.m. GMT, 7:40 p.m. ESTIt is so weird to be watching an election without a t.v. and without American news! Apparently, U.S. networks are calling W. Virgina for McCain, but the BBC, in its imminent conservatism, is holding out. Calm and measured. At least we get to hear Rick Gervais talking about Obama here- a definite plus!Ohio is especially close to my heart. We have friends from there who were election monitors in 2004, and the stories of voter fraud and disenfranchisement that they tell are bone-chilling. Let's right that wrong, OH!12:57 a.m. GMT, 7:57 p.m. ESThow weird that the NY Times (top) is saying Obama is leading in SC while the BBC (bottom) is calling SC for McCain?...huh...?1:04 a.m. GMT, 8:04 p.m. ESTPA for Obama!!!!1:23 a.m. GMT, 8:23 p.m. ESTwell, here's something you don't see every day! (I know, I know, it's ephemeral, but let's revel in the novelty, shall we?)NYTimes Map, projecting an Obama lead (!!) in TX1:36 a.m. GMT, 8:36 p.m. ESTbazu rides the Tube, London, November 20081:52 a.m. GMT, 8:52 p.m. ESTwas it just me, or did the BBC anchor just refer to New Hampshire as North Hampshire? Ha- it's late at night, we'll give him a pass.2:36 a.m. GMT, 9:36 p.m. ESTI don't know how much longer I can stay awake! I'm still biting my nails over VA and MO- so far it doesn't look like Obama will win either. That will be a bummer for many of my family and friends! Ohio for Obama, though! Yessss. Louisiana just went to McCain. Sad and telling. How sad that the Republicans helped wipe New Orleans to the ground, and now the state goes to the GOP, once again.According to a commentator on the BBC just now "fundamentally, America remains a center-right nation." That is truly sad. Somehow, as good as this looks for Obama, this is not shaping up to be the landslide that many of us had dared hope for. It seems that things are too entrenched for real surprises over any given election cycle. This is sad too. Very bittersweet evening.2:47 a.m. GMT, 9:47 p.m. ESTI just had a mini-meltdown, brought on by sleep loss. I incorrectly though I saw that CA had passed its ban on gay marriage and I freaked out: "Oh noooo! I can't believe CA banned gay marriage! I can't believe it! Ellen and Portia are null and void! Ellen and Portia had a vegan wedding!!! Noooo!" Fortunately, I was wrong, but hopefully that gave you a glance into my addled brain right now! There is still hope. Come on, CA.2:52 a.m. GMT, 9:52 p.m. ESTas I live and breathe: I just saw the BBC anchor shut down John Bolton, because he was "chattering away as [they were] trying to talk to people in Florida. Suck it, John Bolton! Seriously, though, Bolton is a huge symbol of the Bush years, someone who took the W administration's bellicosity to the United Nations, to our country's great shame. I'd like to see him, like GW, like the trauma of the last 8 years, disappear. Being smacked down by the BBC is a good start!2:57 a.m. GMT, 9:57 p.m. ESTObama just pulled ahead of McCain in VA!!! Go, VIRGINIA!! And he's also ahead in FL! GOBAMA!3:12 a.m. GMT, 10:12 p.m. ESTJust saw Erica Jong and Eddie Izzard praising Obama on the BBC... the evening is getting surrealer and surrealer! Erica Jong used a very interesting term to refer to Obama "coolth" - talking about the aura of calm that he projects, that we are probably unconsciously all responding to. I understand that no politician, especially a mainstream politician, will be ideal, and we will have opportunities to become disillusioned with Obama in due time, but for now, I'm with much of the world in believing in him, and believing in the opportunity that he covers the U.S. and the world.3:20 a.m. GMT, 10:20 p.m. ESTJohn Bolton continues to make an ass of himself, lashing out at the BBC, yelling like a cornered animal. He needs to get off the world stage. Now.historian Simon Schama (left), trying not to punch John Bolton (right) on the BBC3:31 a.m. GMT, 10:31 p.m. ESTWhat does a vegan eat while nervously watching election results? A delicious potato-spinach dip, inspired by a Yellow Rose tester recipe. I just recently finally found nutritional yeast here in the U.K., and I'm taking full advantage of it. There is some champagne* chilling in the fridge. Life is good.*cheap sparkling wine from TescoOther exciting election results I'm watching: Elizabeth Dole is gone! Her dirty campaign apparently did nothing for her. It looks like Al Franken is in the lead for the senate seat in Minnesota! That is amazing. Losses for negative campaigns all around.3:36 a.m. GMT, 10:36 p.m. ESTIs this a mistake...? This is the map of Utah on CNN right now... pure science fiction!in what universe does Obama beat McCain in Utah 50%-48%??3:41 a.m. GMT, 10:41 p.m. ESTThis is looking really good in Virginia! Come on, VA, we're rooting for you! 2% lead for Obama, around 50,000 votes. click on image for a bigger, clearer, picture3:59 a.m. GMT, 10:59 p.m. ESTLooking down to the closing of the polls on the West Coast, and cinching this thing for Obama. I am, however, saddened that it looks as if anti-gay and anti-abortion measures seem to be passing in several states.Dennis Kucinich on the BBC, talking about a new economic reality to come with Obama's presidency4:01 a.m. GMT, 11:01 p.m. EST