Enoch

it's a really interesting idea. A shame in some ways that you can't have coalition presidencies. I sometimes think half the problem is being 100% one way or another. But I wouldn't have even thought of putting it this way. We tried it. It didn't work very well. We then amended the Constitution so that it would not happen again.

Clark, Richardson, and Vilsak are all more attached to the Clintons. They'd be near the top of the list if Hillary were the candidate, but I don't think the same goes for Obama. Some other names to think about: Tim Kaine. He was one of the first major elected officials to endorse Obama, and is a popular governor of a formerly-red state that Dems think they can pick up (VA). Odds go up if he wins tomorrow's primary. Tom Daschle. Lots of Barack's staff used to work for the former Senate leader. Kathleen Sebelius. Very popular second-term governor of Kansas.

I did end up making the "White Lady" I mentioned above, and I'm enjoying it right now. It's a satisfying drink that really doesn't deserve such a lousy name. That may well be the girliest drink I've ever heard of. I'm sorry, but I think that various laws of masculinity require that you chug a fifth of Jack Daniels before you can reclaim possession of your testicles.

The one about the Giants-Cowboys game a few weeks ago was better. Link.

1) Cream 2) I believe the latter has some kind of chocolate flavoring in it. Creme de Cacao, perhaps? Anyhow, Kahlua has always tasted like partially-rotten fertilizer sludge to me, so I avoid that whole class of beverages. Walsingham's discussion has me thinking about putting together a citrus-y ****tail or two this evening. Based on what I have in the cupboard, perhaps I'll make a White Lady, which is equal parts of gin, orange liqueur (in my case, Cointreau), and lemon juice.

Now it's starting to sound a little more like a variant of a Whiskey Sour. Most proper sour mixes are essentially sugar and lemon juice. You've probably upped the sugar content, but added the caramelization and orange/tangerine content, which I'd imagine would add a few layers to the flavor. Perhaps a Walsingham Sour? I don't know much about brewing/mixing one's own liqueurs, but you can infuse flavors in spirits (generally clear ones like vodkas, gins, or white rums) pretty easily, and homemade mixers made with fresh fruit are infinitely superior to what you can buy bottled at the market.

Given that the syrup you made seems to be reasonably close to a non-alcoholic version of an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau, it sounds a little bit like a 42nd Street. Probably a bit sweet for my tastes, but it seems like a decent wintertime drink. One question: Normally using an ice-filled shaker (which is probably necessary due to the viscosity of the syrup) means using a stemmed glass with no ice. Why the double-helping of ice?

R.E.M. -- Cuyahoga This may be my favorite R.E.M. track. Although I think that "Turn You Inside Out" still has the edge.

The problem with downtime is that downtime generally means "no fun gameplay is going on." If the gameplay isn't fun or interesting, the best story and most compelling characters in the world aren't going to get noticed. Most of the downtime gets moved behind the scenes because watching your characters set up camp and cook dinner is boring, and is a distraction from the rest of what's going on. (Kinda the same way that adding bathroom breaks to Lord of the Rings would've killed the atmosphere of the setting and the flow of the story.) For all the interesting stories going on, these are still games we're talking about. And, yes, game designers need some creativity in integrating narrative/character elements into game elements. (One great example: PS:T had clever character comments when you tried to, say, take Grace's bodice off or switch-out Morte's teeth. Some character-consistent content that tells you something about your companions integrated into the traditional RPG chore of inventory management. Neat!) The current RPG tactic seems to be to bribe you into enduring the story- and character-based downtime with advantages in future gameplay via new abilities or bonuses (e.g., XP and influence-based feats). But while that gives gameplay-fans a reason to enjoy the talky stuff (and vice-versa), that doesn't make the transition from action-mode to talky-mode less jarring. As for the limited interactions with other characters, part of the problem is D&D. Too damn many class and alignment options for players means they have to put lots and lots of joinable NPCs in the game so that everyone can put together a satisfactory 4-person squad with their main character. More characters means less depth for any particular character. And, the plethora of options for the PC at character creation (race, class, alignment, diety, etc.) makes it effectively impossible for other characters to react to your choices in a satisfactory way.

You see, that's the thing about democracy-- you actually have to work with people who disagree with you, and alter your proposals to accommodate their objections. If you want stuf that isn't done "half-assed," you want autocracy. I get to vote next Tuesday. Leaning towards Barry O. Yeah, some of his foreign policy statements have be puzzling, but unless there's a clear yes/no issue out there, you can almost never assess a candidate's foreign policy potential from the buzzwords that pass for policy statements in the election campaign. (Take a look at what W said on the subject on the '00 campaign trail...) Unless there's a candidate who has been a Secretary of State or something, nobody really has a whole lot of experience in this kind of thing. Clinton alarms me a bit. From a pragmatic point of view, I think Obama would be a better candidate in the general election. The unsubstantiated, vitriolic hate for Hillary from the far right could keep the GOP base fired up (and giving money) in a race when the embarrassingly poor performance of it's incumbents would normally leave it quite dispirited. From a policy point of view, she is the most centrist of the Dems running, which normally plays well with me. But I'm not convinced that we should really be wanting to bring back the whole Clinton crowd again. Sure, the current batch of clowns has made them look brilliant by comparison, but they had more than their share of screw-ups. My fiancee swears that this is just latent sexism on my part, but even as a fairly centrist democrat, I don't have particularly good memories of the days when Bill & Hillary were leading the evening news every night.

(link)

Tom Waits -- Tango Till They're Sore

Tonight I worked late, and stepped out of the office to discover that it was an unseasonably mild evening. I decided to take the scenic route home. I commute by subway, usually taking a short ride to a transfer station, then changing lines and taking a longer ride to a stop a few blocks from my apartment. On nice days like today, though, I'll often walk directly to the transfer station (it's about 3/4 miles away). Anyhow, on this particular night, I was feeling quite fortunate to live and work where I do. Here's a partial list of things that I walked either directly by or within a block of: - The National Building Museum - The Verizon Center (home to the NBA's Wizards and the NHL's Capitols) - The Harman Center for the Arts (home of DC's excellent Shakespeare Theatre Company) - The National Portrait Gallery - The main branch of the DC public library - The Surratt Boarding House (the ground floor of which is now a Japanese restaurant) - Lots and lots of good restaurants, bars, and such. All in all, a pretty damn cool place to stroll through on a daily basis. Sadly, living around here ain't cheap. The fiancee and I have been looking to buy a house or townhome to live in somewhere a little further out in the suburbs. (Apartment living has its trials-- when you can tell that your neighbor's girlfriend is faking it, it's time to move.) Even in the current "buyer's market," the supply of homes that are: A) Not in the ghetto; B) Not totally falling apart; C) Reasonably close to public transportation; and D) Available for less than $600,000 is not particularly impressive.

I'd avoid the deathtraps. English courts haven't looked very kindly on that sort of behavior.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! That is all.

Charlie Parker -- Now's the Time

Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan -- Blight of the Fumble Bee

Medeski, Martin, & Wood -- Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus

Wow. I feel a strange urge to call in sick this morning and JAM.

Springsteen -- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half

Anybody else notice that inventory icons occasionally disappear? One way to get it to happen: Dismiss a party member in the area where they go when not in the party (Veil Theatre for most), then re-recruit them immediately (without leaving the area in-between). Every non-equipped item in their inventory will be invisible and un-selectable. Their encumberance is unaffected, and hotbar links to the items still work, but you can't see them. The icons, however, come back when you go to a different zone. (Before I realized that they would re-appear, twice I went back to reload old saves (losing some progress) and made sure to empty Gann's backpack before dumping him to talk with Safiya back at the Veil.) Apart from spending too much time trying to figure out this issue, I'm enjoying the game a lot. The Epic-ness is pretty silly (I keep thinking that the game would be so much better if it started around level 8 or 10 rather than 18), but the characters and story have been holding my interest sufficiently. I've just gotten past the guards outside As you might guess from my leaving Safiya behind, I'm playing a Wiz/EK with a Rogue dip.

Beatles -- Dear Prudence

Don't you work at a convenience store? It's a somewhat dismal workday for me. I slept terribly last night due to a bit of a cold I've been dealing with. I've already come close to nodding off at my desk once, while I was waiting for my tea to cool to a non-scalding temperature. Plus, it's raining outside. I'm feeling a bit better now that I've downed my tea, but I have a feeling that it's going to be a long afternoon.

The Clash -- Clampdown A perfect soundtrack for my walk to work at a government agency.

Well, if you're the type of person who drives partly for the enjoyment or exhiliration factor, and if you live in a place where driving is enjoyable, you absolutely need a manual. And it does have benefits in efficiency and maintenance. But if you, like me, view driving as a chore rather than a pleasure, automatic is the way to go. Also, if you live in a busy city with a lot of traffic (as I do), driving with a manual while stopping at a light every other block is a complete pain in the a$s. An automatic also leaves you with a free hand most of the time, which can be quite useful for flipping off the passers-by.