Book Log 2006 #55: Worlds to Explore, edited by Mark Jenkins

While current issues of National Geographic covers such topics as dance and soccer, Worlds to Explore goes back to the Society's roots by presenting over 50 classic articles (edited) on explorations of remote corners of globe. Most date to before 1950 (a few before 1900), and are arranged by the location being explored.

I think I'd have liked it better if, rather than one book of edited articles, the Society published several books, one per location, that included several full articles. I'd also have liked it if there were more maps and photos. For a book from the National Geographic Society, there was a conspicuous lack of both.

Still, there's some great reading here, both from an exploration context and from the underlying social context (let's just say that reflections on the native population weren't always that charitable).

After going to the Celtics game last night, I can now tell you with all certainty that Red Auerbach did not die of a heart attack.

He was killed by the Celtics Dancers.

Red was a long-time opponent of this sort of thing, so when the team put this group together while Red was still living - and NBA TV then went and made a special about the team's formation - how could it have not led to his demise?

In any event, it appears that the primary qualification for being on the team is to have hair long enough to toss around sexily. There was a lot of that.

This was also my first time seeing the TDFleetBanknorthShawmutCenterGarden's new scoreboard (or, as Wikipedia puts it, "HD entertainment board"). Which, from our seats near the floor, looked like the Mothership ready to land at center court and disgorge the P-Funk All Stars. While it has four "sides" (one for each screen), it also has three circular video ribbons and a flared bottom that looks like a bell for a rocket engine.

Oh, and there was a game, which the Celtics lost in grand fashion, blowing a 15 point third quarter lead en route to a 106-103 decision for the New Jersey Nets. The Celts didn't play poorly per se, but rather decided at some point to stop defending. They also don't have much of an inside game, which doesn't help matters. We did not stay for the post-game concert featuring Akon, which I know will come as a surprise to all.

So I just read that Miami has accepted a bowl bid - to play Nevada at the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise. For whatever reason, this just makes me grin like an idiot. Enjoy the famous potatoes, Hurricanes.

In a completely unrelated football note, the playoffs ended with a thud yesterday for my high school, as they lost 34-0. Tough way to end a good season.

A couple of football points (with apologies to Greg, who probably hasn't read this thing since August):

* Turning things around quite well from the last couple of seasons, my old high school made the playoffs this year (in the first year of actualy playoffs, more on that in a bit). The Manchester-Essex Hornets get to take on Ipswich, a team they've not played in over 40 years due in large part to the size difference in the two schools (Ipswich has roughly 200 more students in a school that serves two fewer grades).

Which leads to the playoffs. For many years, there was only a Super Bowl for each of five divisions, making the season very much like top-level college football in that losing one game pretty much knocked you out of the running. For my first three years of playing, this is exactly what happened to us.

Over the last few years, the body that oversees state high school sports reapportioned schools over seven divisons, but still with only one game. Finally, it's now set up so that each division has a playoff involving one of four conference winners (the exception being the bottom division, which is too small).

The upshot of all this reorganization is that there's more fairness with making the playoffs - MERHS made it this year with an 8-3 record - but less so in terms of playing teams from schools of a similar size. At least that's my perception where Manchester-Essex is concerned, but it's a small enough school that I think playing in anything but the lowest division would lead to this problem.

Anyway, more ranting than planned, good luck Hornets!

* For the first time since at least 2003 (and quite possibly earlier), I'm going to make the playoffs in the fantasy league I run. I think I've even clinched a bye. I won't bore you with details (again), but I'm pretty happy given that my team was centered on Shaun Alexander and Donovan McNabb... who played in the same week I think three times.

Book Log 2006 #54: Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen

A combined history of a product and a family, Sweet and Low tells the tale of how the Cumberland Packing Corporation went from a small time independent sugar packager to dominating the artificial sweetener market, and the familial implosion that came in the wake of success. It also purports to tell the history of post-WW2 Brooklyn and America's obsession with weight and dieting, though in those areas I think the book description is a little over the top.

Even so, the story that the book does tell is fascinating, especially as you see how the changes in the business changed the family and vice versa. It helps that the story is spiced with things like disinheritance, embezzlement, and Mob ties. The book jacket - which gives the basic story in comic form - is icing on the cake. Definitely recommended.

Book Log 2006 #60 and 61: Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury

In the summer between 7th and 8th grade, I participated in a summer reading group started by my 7th grade English teacher. Actually, "participated" is way too strong a word. I took the books home with every intention of reading. But as the days ticked off the calendar, I never quite got around to reading them.

So, on the day before we were supposed to meet to discuss the reading, I figured I should at least start one book, read what I could, and skim the rest. Taking the thinnest of the volumes, I dove in.

I never got around to skimming, and needless to say I never went to the meeting. But I did find a book that I've enjoyed ever since, and have returned to from time to time, much as the characters in the book would get some bracing from the title substance during the cold of winter.

Dandelion Wine struck a chord with me, probably due to the fact that I was not that much older than Douglas Spaulding, lived in a small town (smaller than Green Town, certainly), and, like Douglas, had a certain sense of nostalgia (though I don't think mine came from the same place as his). And while I'm taking away some different things from the book now that I'm older, I still enjoy seeing the transition from unfettered youth to the knowledge of what's to come.

Sadly, not much of this came over to Farewell Summer, the long in the making sequel. It's a much more straightforward work, where the conflict between young and old that slips in and out of Dandelion Wine comes home to roost. It's too literal and too linear, and is really kind of a downer. Do yourselves a favor and skip this.

Blogalicious College Football Top 10

1. Ohio State (idle) - Next opponent: TDB (1/8/07).

2. Michigan (idle) - After watching Florida struggle with Free Shoes U and USC ring up what might have been the most lackluster 20 point win by any team this season, I'm surprisingly still on board for a rematch. Next opponent: TBD.

3. USC (def. Notre Dame 44-24) - what a strange game this was, as it was hard to feel that USC was ever challenged, but at the same time that they weren't really dominating (first 10 minutes excepted). I fear that they are going to make the Fake Bowl, and that OSU will win 54-3. Next opponent: at UCLA.

4. Florida (def. Florida State 21-14) - this game was odder still, even if it was in Tallahassee. I know, rivalry game and all, but Florida needs to play high on the hog next week to have any title hopes. Next opponent: Arkansas (@ Georgia Dome).

5. Louisville (def. Pittsburgh 48-24) - not that they're going to get this high in any mainstream poll, but I think they're the best team of all the ones left with fewer than two losses (even though they got beaten by one of them). Next opponent: Connecticut.

6. Boise State (def. Nevada 38-7) - the Wolfpack went into this game leading the division in turnover margin - and promptly went a -3 for the game. Going 12-0, the Broncs should get a shot at a BCS game. Next game: TBD.

7. Rutgers (def. Syracuse 38-7) - welcome back, Scarlet Knights. All may not be forgiven, but we'll be amicable as long as you're in contention for a BCS bid. Next opponent: at West Virginia

8. Wisconsin (idle) - When do you get no love as an 11-1 team? When four of your wins come against Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State, and Buffalo. Next game: team TBD @ Capital One Bowl.

9. LSU (def. Arkansas 31-26) - had to let one two-loss team in, and LSU is probably the best of the bunch given that they beat Arkanasas on their field to end their national title run. Next game: TBD.

10. Massachusetts (def. Lafayette 35-14) - Our State University opens the playoffs with a big win. It doesn't hurt that their starting QB is named Liam Coen (unrelated, as far as I know) Next opponent: New Hampshire.

Out of top 10:

Notre Dame - here's a reality check - the last ND coach to lead the Irish to a win over USC was Bob Davie. Sorry, Charlie.

Arkansas - their running game is no problem, at least. Just need to tune up everything else before taking on Florida.

West Virginia - lost to South Florida - in Morgantown. They went from national title hopes to out of the BCS in less than a month.

Appalachian State - sorry, time to suck up to the Minutemen. Besides, how do you let Coastal Carolina hang around that long?

I was surprised to hear about this explosion this morning, given that we only live a couple of miles away. There is enough intervening stuff (hills, water, buildings, etc.) to buffer the noise. That or we're both heavy enough sleepers to miss it.

My brother and his wife, who live less than a mile from the site, did not get our night of uninterrupted slumber. Based on the noise that woke them up, they thought a plane had gone down. No damage to person or property for them, which is good. In fact, the relative lack of serious injury is pretty amazing. So there's that to be thankful for, at least.

As I'm wont to do when I have nothing to write about, I went back and looked at past entries from this time of year. Turns out I have a tendency to write about unseasonable warmth (which we had last week in spades; roughly a week ago from right now the car's outside thermometer read 70 degrees) and Thanksgiving food. Then I ran across a piece in the Globe about how no one's stuffing is as good as your mom's, but when you marry you get not only in-laws but their (inferior) stuffing.

This leads me to admit that I like my mother in law's stuffing quite a bit. It not really that comparable with my mom's, which was a much more traditional cooked inside the bird sort of affair. So, in this case, I feel completely justified at liking both versions.

I can't say the same for that staple of middlebrow American Thanksgivings, the green bean casserole topped with French's French Fried Onions. My mother in law doesn't make this (being English and all), and no one in my family makes anything close.

Getting back to the Globe article, the author also mentions that there are two types of families: football families and parade and dog show families. I grew up in the former, and while I don't care for the parade, I am very happy to flip between football and the dog show. This is especially true this year, given that the early game is Miami versus Detroit. If the turkey doesn't knock you out, this match-up will. Later offerings - Dallas versus Tampa Bay and BC versus the U of Miami - aren't much better. The best game of the day - Denver against KC - is on the NFL Network, which I don't believe my in-laws get anymore.

Maybe NBC can repeat the dog show?

Blogalicious College Football Top 10

1. Ohio State (def. Michigan 42-39) - well, that settles that. Or at least half of that. Next opponent: TDB (1/8/07).

2. Michigan (lost to Ohio State, 39-42) - OK, I was in that camp that didn't want a rematch in the national title game. But now I think that there'd be worse things. So for now, the Wolverines hang tight. Next opponent: TBD.

3. Florida (def. Western Carolina 62-0) - I suppose having a game like this late in the schedule is a nice breather, but it seems a little odd to be playing a patsy when everyone else is fighting for their lives. It doesn't help that the Gators next game is shaping up to be a breather, too. Next opponent: at Florida State.

4. USC (def. California 23-9) - if USC does run the table, it's going to be hard to deny them a trip to Glendale. Next opponent: Notre Dame.

5. Notre Dame (def. Army 41-9) - kind of a breather here, too, but at least Army is in the same division as Notre Dame (nominally). An interesting match-up this week, at least in terms of who you root for: the team everyone is sick of because they've been in the title game so much of late, or the one everyone is sick of because they're Notre Dame? Next opponent: at USC.

6. Arkansas (def. Mississippi State 28-14) - an ugly conference win on the road, perhaps looking ahead a bit to the regular season finale. Next opponent: LSU (11/24).

7. Wisconsin (def. Buffalo 35-3) - this really should only count as half a win. I suppose it's a nice way to guarantee a win to close out the regular season. Next opponent: TBD.

8. Boise State (def. Utah State 49-10) - you know, Western Carolina may not have been that bad an opponent. I bet they'd be competitive in a game against Utah State. Next game: at Nevada.

9. West Virginia (def. Pittsburgh 45-27) and Lousiville (def. South Florida 41-8) - I like the idea of keeping these guys together, the Chang and Eng Bunker of the Big East. Getting to be too few one-loss teams to do this, though. Next opponents: WVU v. South Florida; UL at Pittsburgh.

10. Appalchian State (idle) - the Mountaineers took the top seed in the NCAA Division I Football Championship (the NCAA is apparently hoping to confuse us by not using the 1-AA label). Next opponent: Coastal Carolina.

Out of top 10:

Rutgers - for a week it was great fun, thinking that lightning would strike and we'd get a most unexpected team in Glendale. But then they had to go and get slapped around by a Cincinnati team that needed the win just to become bowl-eligible. Sad times along the banks of the Raritan.

I will admit to being somewhat concerned about US Air's hostile takeover bid of Delta, not because of the anti-trust concerns (the combined airline would be the US's largest carrier and would basically own the Boston-NYC-DC shuttle routes), but because US Air sucks. If forced to fly a legacy carrier I opt for Delta (with American a close second), for no reason other than having good luck with them. On the other end of things, I think the only airline I avoid more than US Air is Continental.

Looking at the data, they're all about the same on on-time performance (Continental beats the other two nationally and at Logan, while Delta is better than US Air at Logan but not nationally). Quick comparisons suggest that I should really avoid Northwest and United. Interestingly, two of the best airline for being on-time - Southwest and Frontier - don't fly into Logan. I suppose that says something.

Following up on Rutgers, Chris Rosenberg sent along an article from a local paper detailing how the Scarlet Knights can wind up in Glendale playing for the national title. They are:

Step one: win out

The biggest step, as without this nothing else matters. This may also be the toughest step, as Rutgers has to go to Morgantown to take on West Virginia to close the season. They've never beaten West Virginia at home. West Virginia is also on an 11 game winning streak against Rutgers.

Step two: have the loser of Ohio State-Michigan take a tumble in the polls

Probably the next most important step, but also the least predictable given that it's about off the field stuff. The article thinks that the best bet here is to have Michigan win, as the combination of a loss at home and lack of wins over currently-ranked opponents (just Texas; Iowa and Penn State were ranked when they played Ohio State but aren't now) would lower Ohio State in the eyes of the polls.

There's also some talk about not having a re-match in the title game (not sure if it's a lot of talk, saw an article on it on ESPN or Yahoo), so voters may try to do the math to keep it from happening either way.

Step three: USC loses to Cal or UCLA

Certainly possible, but USC gets Cal at home and then has to "travel" to UCLA.

Step four: Notre Dame loses to USC

Also possible, as the game is in L.A. and Notre Dame hasn't won this game since 2001. Alternately, ND could lose to Army this weekend and then beat USC to take both out of the picture. That'd be something.

Step five: Arkansas loses to LSU

Difficult given the way the Razorbacks are playing, but they have to go into Baton Rouge and may be looking ahead a bit to the SEC title game (assuming they don't lose to Mississippi State this weekend and go into the LSU game needing the win to make the title game).

Step six: Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC title game

Thus giving Florida its second loss.

Theoretically, all the other teams that could be undefeated (Boise State) or have one loss (Wisconsin, Louisville, and Wake Forest) would be too far back to catch up. Though I'd have to think a little bit more about Wake - they end the season with two ranked teams (Virginia Tech and Maryland), and (assuming wins over those two) an ACC title game tilt with nationally-ranked Georgia Tech. While none are highly-ranked, that'd be a lot of wins over ranked teams for the computers and voters to consider.

So there it is. It's just that easy, Rutgers.

Had a follow-up visit with the doctor yesterday (nothing serious), and was given a vaccine for pneumonia. I didn't know such a thing existed. Doing a little reading on it, I'm not sure why I got one - it seems like they're mostly given to the elderly, little kids, and the immunocompromised. I don't fall into any of those groups. I suppose it's related to the breathing thing, which I guess puts me more at risk to getting pneumonia. In any case, it's good for several years, so I won't have to deal with it again for a while.

My arm is hurting a bit where I got the shot, which I find odd (it didn't hurt yesterday) but is apparently not unusual.

Anyway, more fun to come with the flu shot. I've only gotten one of these before, thankfully without the common complaint of the shot making me sick.

The other odd thing is that I've apparently sprained my right middle finger. Not sure how that happened - unlike what Dave Barry says, I don't use it when driving - but my best guess from when it started hurting is that I did it in my sleep. Which comes as a surprise to none of you.

Blogalicious College Football Top 10

1. Ohio State (def. Northwestern 54-10) - the countdown has begun. Next opponent: MIchigan.

2. Michigan (def. Indiana 34-3) - Manningham's back, and just in time. The Wolverines look for their first win at the Horseshoe this century (OK, it's only their third oppotunity, but it just sounds so dramatic. Next opponent: at Ohio State.

3. Rutgers (def. Louisville 28-25) - they're undefeated and in a BCS conference, so there! You reap what you sow. Next opponent: at Cincinnati

4. Florida (def. South Carolina 17-16) - the Ol' Ball Coach nearly pulled it off. The importance of special teams has never been clearer. Kind of sad to think that the Gamecocks are on the bubble for a bowl, they play the big teams so close. Florida, meanwhile, should coast to the SEC title game. Next opponent: Western Carolina.

5. USC (def. Oregon 35-10) - solid home win over a ranked opponent. Now they just have to do it two more times in a row. Good luck with that. Next opponent: California.

6. Arkansas (def. Tennessee 31-14) - it only took 10 weeks, but the Razorbacks are getting BCS notice. Now you just need to win next week to get into the SEC title game. Next opponent: at Mississippi State.

7. Notre Dame (def. Air Force 39-17) - if they win next week, do they get the Commander in Chief's Trophy? Next opponent: Army.

8. Wisconsin (def. Iowa 24-21) - they never win pretty, but the Badgers have fought their way to 10-1. They'd be toast of the conference... if they didn't play in the Big 10. Enjoy the Outback Bowl. Next opponent: Buffalo.

9. Boise State (def. San Jose State 23-21) - undefeated and unloved by the BCS. Sorry, Broncs. Next game: Utah State.

10. West Virginia (def. Cincinnati 42-24) and Lousiville (lost to Rutgers 25-28) - they know how the other feels. Misery loves company. Next opponents: WVU at Pittsburgh (11/16); UL v. South Florida.

Out of top 10:

Texas, Auburn, California - two losses and out you go.

Hawaii - they blew out Louisiana Tech, but already had two losses.

Legal scholars and foodies, take note. The burrito is not a sandwich.

At least that's the ruling of a court here in Massachusetts. For those not wanting to hit the link (or if the Globe has hidden the article in the part they want you to pay for), a Panera in Shrewsbury sued their landlord contending that by renting another space in the same plaza to Qdoba, they violated a condition of the lease allowing Panera to be the plaza's exclusive sandwich-maker.

Now, cases like this makes me wish I had gone into practice. I'd just need to make sure I had enough Oust for the conference room.

Book Log 2006 #53: Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

The final book in the Grail trilogy, and I have to say it was disappointing. I didn't buy into the new female character that was introduced (too forced), and I was able to sort out how the quest was going to end pretty early into things (though the ultimate resolution fit the overall story).

I'm a little concerned about the final book in the Alfred the Great trilogy going the same route. I'll apparently be able to find out in January 2007.

Book Log 2006 #52: Knights of the Black and White by Jack Whyte

The first book in a promised trilogy about the Knights Templar, this hefty novel covers their founding and the search for a treasure based on a previous legend. There are various side stories involving a princess of Jersualem and an assassin in her employ, which just adds to the bulk.

For all of what happens in the book it never feels like its moving all that much. There's also a shift in the middle of the book with the addition of a new knight, and the shift pretty much pushes the main characters out of the picture for a decent number of pages.

So while it filled the time while commuting, I don't think I'd search out the next installment.

Not sure why, but election nights have maintained a Christmas Eve-like level of wonder and excitement for me. I don't leave milk and cookies out for Wolf Blitzer or anything, but there's something about watching the process unfold over the night that I find fascinating, inasmuch as it verifies that our system, flawed as it is, still works.

I turned on the TV last night at about 8:01, just in time to see Deval Patrick get named the winner of the governor's race here. No big surprise there. Spent the rest of the night (minus an interlude for House forced by our recording two shows at once) flipping between CNN, Fox, and New England Cable News to catch results. This was the first election where I spent almost no time with the on-air networks, focused mostly on the last few minutes of Nightline's coverage on the bedroom TV (no cable). I suppose this comes, at least in part, from the networks not going to election coverage until later in the night, by which time I'd gotten used to flipping between the cable outlets.

Between CNN and Fox, I am surprised to say that I favored Fox's coverage a bit more. CNN had way too many talking heads, from Blitzer and Jeff Greenfield walking back and forth looking at various large monitors (it felt like they were window shopping at the mall), to Anderson Cooper moderating two different groups - one group of four with Carville, Begala, JC Watts, and Bill Bennett, the other of three people I didn't recognize. Fox kept it to a few of the expected people - Hume, Barnes, Kondracke, and one other guy whose name I think I'm misremembering (Juan Williams?) - and had better graphics, I thought (though CNN's "see-saw" depiction of the balance in the House, Senate, and governorships was neat).

Not surprisingly, the Fox coverage was a little more subdued. I had expected funerial music and a black border around the screen, really.

Not much to say about the crop of people we elected up here. No real surprises, and while I'm still wary about Patrick's ability to pay for everything he'd like to do without soaking us further, I'd rather have him giving it a go than continuing on with the current leadership. Besides, this frees Healey up to stump for Mitt.

The ballot question on wine sales in food stores lost pretty handily, which was our one surprise. The folks opposing this question seemed to get more ads on air in the last week or so, not sure if that made the difference or not. That makes it a pretty bad election year all around for the Stop & Shop supermarket chain - Deb Goldberg (whose family founded the chain) lost the Democratic lieutenant governor primary, and it's estimated that they put up about 70 percent of the money in support of the question.

Blogalicious College Football Top 10

1. Ohio State (def. Illinois 17-10) - it's apparently possible to be looking ahead more than one week in advance. That or purple scares the Buckeyes more than I thought. Next opponent: at Northwestern.

2. Michigan (def. Ball State 34-26) - do they know they were playing Ball State and not Louisville? I know it's the same mascot, but the similarities end there. Next opponent: at Indiana.

3. Texas (def. Oklahoma State 36-10) - do you get the sense that there are a whole lot of new Rutgers fans in Austin nowadays? Next opponent: at Kansas State.

4. Louisville (def. West Virginia 44-34) - well, they kept West Virinia below their usual scoring average. That has to count for something. Still, I didn't know these guys played in the WAC. Next opponent: at Rutgers (11/9).

5. Florida (def. Vanderbilt 25-19) - the Gators gave up 391 yards to Vandy, and played a little more closely than they'd like going into this week, given how the Gamecocks are playing most teams close. Throw in Spurrier, and it should be an uncomfortable week of practice in Gainesville. Next opponent: South Carolina.

6. USC (def. Stanford 42-0) - hope the Trojans enjoyed themselves this week, as they've got actual opponents for the rest of the season. Next opponent: Oregon.

7. Auburn (def. Arkansas State 27-0) - it's kind of funny to think of Georgia and Alabama as a favorable schedule, but with Arkansas playing Tennessee and LSU to close the season, Auburn has room to be optimistic about the SEC title game. Next opponent: Georgia.

8. California (def. UCLA 38-24) - they've come back nicely from their season-opening blowout at the hands of Tennessee, and should continue the trend this week before taking on the Trojans. Next opponent: at Arizona.

9. West Virginia (lost to Louisville 34-44) - defense wins championships, even in college. Next opponent: Cincinnati.

10. Hawaii (def. Utah State 63-10) - the (Rainbow) Warriors became the first team to accept a bowl bid, taking a berth in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl to be played on Christmas Eve. This guarantees that the stadium will be at least one-third full. They'll play a Pac-10 team (my guess is either Arizona or Washington State, depending on how they finish up). Next opponent: Louisiana Tech.

Out of the Top 10:

Tennessee - No two loss teams allowed. Sorry, Tennessee!

Cal Poly - lost to Montana, who should get promoted to the WAC or something.

Temple - planted the seed of a new losing streak in the fertile ground of Lincoln Financial Field, getting thumped by Central Michigan.

Book Log 2006 #51: The Mission Song by John LeCarre

I'm not sure if this is LeCarre's best post-Cold War book, but it's pretty close. Bruno Salvador, the son of a missionary priest and a Congolese woman, is an interpreter specializing in local languages of East Africa. Now living in London, he is chosen to interpret a secret meeting between some locally powerful players in a section of the DR Congo (formerly Zaire) and a British group that may or may not be an official government delegation. From there, his background and involvement with a nurse originally from the area being discussed leads him in some very unexpected directions (I know that's a little vague and blurbish, but I'm not going to get into specifics).

LeCarre has done very well making the transition from the Cold War to a much grayer world (with some less savory forays), and his focus on Africa (between this book and The Constant Gardner) throws some welcome light on to what are generally unknown issues and conflicts. Recommended.

I just got this announcment:

"On Saturday Nov 4 and Sunday Nov 5, work on COFAN is being scheduled during the 5:00am - 7:00am maintenance windows. The work's primary purpose is to further increase the level of resiliency of COFAN's core to fiber failure by re-balancing traffic within COFAN's internal mesh. This is achieved through adjustments in OSPF routing on selected core links. These adjustments do not affect data delivery to the Schools, except for guaranteeing the extra resiliency."

While most of the words look familiar, is this English?

We've just started our spring registration period at work. Generally, I like registration because we're busy and there's more interaction with students (which is not always positive, and sometimes more one-sided than I'd like, but generally positive).

What takes away from it is when we have to shut the whole thing down because of a server error which wasn't corrected until after noon. We wound up just moving everything back a day, which was a pretty easy solution based on events. Still, it a definite hip deep in pie sort of day.

Luckily, I got to unwind after work at the Barenaked Ladies show. It was the usual good time, I liked the songs from the new album, and they played "Grade 9," which is always a treat thanks to the riff from "Tom Sawyer." It's like the Canadian rock equivalent of lobster stuffed with tacos. They closed with "Brian Wilson," encored with a couple of newer songs, and - bam! second encore! - with "If I Had $1000000."

Opening act was Mike Doughty's Band. Don't know how it measured against his stuff with Soul Coughing, but he was a solid opening act. Certainly better than the woman who opened for David Grey.

We're now less than a week from Election Day (thankfully), so it's time for the vaunted Blogalicious endorsements!

Governor: OK, it's pretty easy to start with who I'm not endorsing: Kerry Healey and Christy Mihos. Healey gets the gate for a myriad of reasons, from her ugly campaign to her sparse record. I wouldn't have endorsed her if she were running unopposed.

Mihos, meanwhile, has run more of a personal vendetta than a campaign, a tantrum disguised as a run for office. He had a chance to use his fiscal conservatism and socially moderate stance to attract the large group of moderate, unenrolled voters that helped Romney win in '02, but didn't make the connection.

That leaves us with Grace Ross and Deval Patrick. Ross, like Jill Stein in '02, is a thoughtful presence in the campaign. But she's a little too far to the left for my taste. This leaves Deval Patrick.

But I can't quite endorse him. He's also thoughtful, and inspiring in a way that we've not seen in the governor's race in some time. But he's a little too glib for me; Mihos's comment that Patrick favors uttering "sweet nothings" is probably the most insightful thing he said in the entire campaign. Patrick is in favor of a lot of things, but doesn't seem to have a cohesive plan to pay for his ideas. Or even pay for some of the ideas he'll inherit, though all the candidates are hazy there.

There's also the issue of Patrick's forgetfulness, which between his advocacy for Benjamin LaGuer and how he voted on the tax rollback, is clearly his favorite defense mechanism for answering questions he's not prepped for. I'm not saying that he needs to remember everything in detail - I have no idea how I voted for the rollback - but saying "I don't remember" is as much of a dodge as using the question to give a different answer.

I like Patrick, and think he's probably the closest candidate to what I believe, but I can't quite pull the trigger. Thus, I am endorsing no one. I may still vote for Patrick if I feel like adding to the assumed landslide, or may vote for Ross to give some votes for the Greens. Or I may go the wife's route and write in Shawn DeVeau. We'll see how I feel when I'm in the booth.

Attorney General: Middlesex County DA Martha Coakley is facing off against Larry Frisoli, and is expected to win handily. I knew nothing about Frisoli until this morning, when I got a flier from someone at North Station. Main points to take away from it:

* Does pro bono work on cases against NAMBLA
* Is an avid outdoorsman and is a high mucky-muck in state soccer
* Is in favor of changing auto insurance rates to reflect individual driver history, rather than set rates by age or class
* Would have convicted drug dealers register their addresses, similar to what's done for sex offenders
* Wants to force private universities and colleges to take a certain percentage of state residents, and force them to give an in-state rate.

There's nothing about the Big Dig on the flier, which concerns me given that prosecuting cases related to it will be high on the AG's agenda. And as someone who works at a private college, I can't say I'm thrilled with the idea that the state's going to muck about in our business.

Martha Coakley it is. Maybe I'll write her in for governor, too.

Secretary of State: Incumbent Bill Galvin is taking on former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein. I didn't get to vote for Stein in '02 given the close race that year, and wish I could vote twice for her now. Jill Stein gets the nod.

Treasurer: Tim Cahill is running against Green Party candidate James O'Keefe, and based on how it's gone so far Tim Cahill can stay.

Auditor: For some reason, the antipathy I feel for Bill Galvin doesn't extend to Joe DiNucci, who has been auditor for decades. Rand Wilson of the Working Families Party is opposing him, which is about as thankless a task as can be. Joe DiNucci gets my vote, for what it's worth.

US Senator: Speaking of long-time party hacks, Teddy Kennedy is vying to get into his fifth decade of representing Massachusetts in the Senate. And in asmuch as I dislike the hackishness, I (like many here) have a hard time not voting for him. But I'm going to resist the urge, though not to cast a ballot for Ken Chase, his opponent. Instead, I am going to endorse me. It'd be a nice change of pace, and the raise would be welcome. Remember, that's C-O-E-N.

Question 1: Only slightly less distasteful than Healey's ads is the entire campaign over this question, which would OK wine sales in supermarkets and similar locations. The campaign, styled as a battle between consumer choice and public safety, has been a proxy war between the retailers who will benefit from the question's passage and the liquor store owners who stand to lose business. If there was a voting option that would punish both sides, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.

Without that, though, I'm going to vote yes on Question 1. While it does increase the number of liquor licences, cities and towns are under no obligation to issue them. So if this passes and you're really concerned about the impact, get to know your licencing board members.

Question 2: This quesion would effect a number of changes in voting laws, most notably by introducing "fusion voting," where a candidate would be listed on the ballot under each party's endorsement. Voters could then vote by party, giving votes to smaller parties while voting for better known candidates.

I like the idea in theory, but in practice this sounds like a disaster. So I'm voting no here. Come back when we get touch screen voting that could handle this better.

Question 3: There's something very unthreatening about letting day care workers unionize, to the point where there doesn't seem to be any unified opposition to the question. The Globe endorsed a no vote, saying that the issue should go back to the legislature based on its complexity. And for the Globe to not endorse a union position (the SEIU is heavily involved in this) makes me think that their arguement has some merit. No it is, then.