2008 Election Prediction: 10/29/08

Here is what I see happeneing on November 4. Just my prediction and it will probably change every few days until the election.



Needed to Win: 270
Total Obama: 283
Total McCain: 255

Map via CNN's Electoral Map Calculator

Sub-leasing Marie's House this Summer

i'm glad you are moving in because 1. it gives me extra money, i hope. and 2. jessica is going insane there alone
*pause*
and 3. you're cool...

Thoughts on New Orleans

French Quarter
Okay, well, the French Quarter is cool because it's the French Quarter. That's about all it has going for it. Other than that, it's a 12x7 block section of New Orleans that is full of buildings that are falling apart and haven't gotten a coat of paint for what looks like 25 years. The streets are really narrow so it's kind of hard to appreciate the architecture because you can't get a good view of it. However, there are a lot of cool things in the French Quarter so I guess that's enough to keep people coming back.

Hotel
We started out staying in the Holiday Inn - French Quarter. It was kind of crappy. The room was nothing like we expected and neither was the location. We had a courtyard (read: big cement block that had six hotel room doors leading to it with a lovely view of a taller building's wall) but our door didn't lock. The elevators were roughly the size of my closet and we waited 19 minutes to get an elevator we could fit in to checkout. We left a day early and went to the Embassy Suites, which is where my dad is staying the rest of the week for work. Not in the French Quarter but much nicer.

Food
If there is one thing New Orleans has going for it, it's food! Great shrimp and crawfish (which I had never had before). Also ate enough Beignets from this place to last me at least three life times.

Delta
Never fly Delta. I will not book tickets with them again. We apparently paid $500+ per ticket to have "most likely reserved seating." After two hours and two different supervisors, we got confirmed seats.
However, our plane coming home didn't use a jet way so, when getting off the plane, we just walked down a flight of stairs right on to the runway. That was pretty cool. I kind of felt like the President (just with a smaller set of stairs and a much less impressive plane).

Bourbon Street
I'm really waiting for a news story about the bars collapsing on people. Other than that, just another street. Not too impressive but at night (I only saw it during the day), I imagine it lives up to its reputation.

Art
So many artists in New Orleans it is unbelievable! Some on Jackson Square were so good. My dad is thinking about going to get a painting sometime this week. I told him we definitely need one. I also found out about George Rodrigue. He paints the Blue Dog pictures. My favorite is Hot Dog Chili. Contest: whoever buys my that silk-screen is my new best friend for 2 years.

Other Random Stuff
* We saw the house that Tennessee Williams lived in when he wrote Streetcar Named Desire.
* Apparently, New Orleans had a big fire too. Copy cats.
* St. Louis Cathedral, the standing Catholic church in America (or something cool like that).
* The signing location of the Louisiana Purchase.
* The Mississippi River (uh, yeah).
* The Superdome, complete with it's new shiny white roof.

All-in-all
All-in-all, it was a cool trip. I'm glad I've seen New Orleans and when people talk about it, I can say I've been there. Would I go back? Probably not. If my dad's company is paying for it again, sure. Family vacation? No. Much better places to visit. Once is enough for me.

Random Stuff and Turning 20

Turning 20
Today I'm 20 years old. Not really a big deal (what good is 20) but I'm not a teenager anymore. I'm sure that has some kind of meaning to me that I just don't really realize.

New Phone
My dad's phone completely died two days ago. Wouldn't even turn on. Mom said our contract was up the begining of the month so we went out and all got new phones. It's crazy how expensive it is to upgrade phones. We're all done now though and have brand new phones. I have a Black RAZR. I know, I always said I didn't want one because everybody has one. Well, I think I've figured out why everybody has one. It was the only cool phone Cingular (yes Cingular, I refuse to call it AT&T) has. The only other phone I wanted was the Samsung Blackjack but it was almost $200 and it wasn't that cool.

New iPod
Also, since my iPod died about three months ago, I got a new iPod for my birthday. I got the black 30gig. I did the refurbished thing and got both an iPod and the two-year extended warranty for the same price as a new iPod. It'll probably come while we're in Indy. Figures.

Do-It Best May Market
Leaving for Indianapolis today for the Do-It Best May Market for work. I'm there Friday-Tuesday. On Saturday night we go to the Indianapolis Speedway for an exclusive tour of the track, a garage tour, open admission to the Hall of Fame Museum, a buffet-style dinner, and a chance to meet Dario Franchitti. I don't know who he is but he sounds important in the world of racing. I know, I don't like racing either, but the speedway has always fascinated me. Apparently, Vatican City, the Roman Coliseum, the Kentucky Derby track, the entire Wimbledon campus, the Rose Bowl Stadium AND Yankee Stadium can all fit inside the Indianapolis Speedway. Sounds pretty cool to me.

New Orleans
I get back from Indy on Tuesday and our family leaves Friday to go to New Orleans. It's the first time my mom, sister and I have been there. Dad has been there once before. My dad is working down there for a week and the boss is flying our family down and the three of us will be there Friday-Monday. I'm totally stoked for this trip. We're staying in the heart of the French Quarter and only a block away from Bourbon Street. Jackson square is like three blocks away. It's going to be amazing!

Late Homework Night in the Lobby

So I am up late doing homework/studying in Hillenbrand's lobby. Since I am now writing an English paper, I am on my computer and just happen to be IM'ing in the process. At mid-night, this is what transpires:

"So the Asians are leaving to get some McDonalds."
"That's nice that they told you, did you ask them to bring you back some fries?"
...
"I don't talk to those. I just overheard."

My Celebrity Look-Alikes pt.2

I don't like Sen. Thompson? Apparently, I dont.

From CNN.com:
"We were pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Sen. Thompson professes to be a believer," said Nima Reza, a Dobson spokeswoman. "Thompson hasn't clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him."

Last I checked, I hadn't given James Dobson (a semi-psycho, mind you) permission to speak for me at all! Contrary to what a lot of people think, he most certainly does not speak for all evangelical Christians.

To go along with that, why does Senator Thompson have to be an over-the-top, radical-right-ring Christian to be President? Why can't he just have morals and values and that be good enough for us? Apparently, it's not. We need some crazy fire-and-brimstone pastor as our President. I'm here to tell you that all evangelicals do not think like this and that I most certainly do not.