• Tonight’s the night! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
• Tailgate party at work today.  Did this again to celebrate.
• Earlier this week Dad sent me a link to a really marvelous collection of color photographs of the United States from 1939 to 1943.  Click here.
• Nathan saved his allowance for a beginner’s magic kit.  It arrived last night.  He’s having such a great time.  I’ve enjoyed watching him—not just when he shows me a trick, but when he’s going through it on his own, reading and analyzing.
• Hey, Mazda drivers?  “Zoom zoom” is an advertising slogan, not a mantra.  Your vehicle is a capable grocery-getter and people-mover, not a race car.  (Mazdaspeed 3, RX-7, and RX-8 drivers, yeah yeah, but still…)
• Just got a $331 electric bill.  That’s a new record for us.  You know, it’s all about stretching and seeing what you can accomplish.
• More stuff I can’t believe anyone likes:  Drambuie, The Rolling Stones’ “Angie,” on-screen keyboards, winters north of Nashville that aren’t mitigated by proximity to an ocean, and ridiculously large fake breasts.

• I believe my elder son has brought me a back-to-school cold.
• Next month we’ll celebrate ten years in our house.  This is a strong second for longest I’ve ever spent in one place.
• Today I started trying to figure out how much money I need to replace my deceased desktop computer.  I’ve been on my alternate desktop (that still has a real serial port) and my laptop for months now.  (Oh, what horrid conditions!)  It looks as if I can solve the problem for under $500, which pleases me.
• BioShock Infinite!  Gears of War 3!  I love killer franchises.  Num num num.
• IndyCar goes to Chicagoland this Saturday night.  I’ve tried hard this season to be a more nuanced observer, and consequently I’ve warmed to the road/street courses a bit.  (I’m sure attending one didn’t hurt.)  But I still prefer ovals.  Danica, “they” are trashing you, sweetheart.  A podium finish, very soon, is highly recommended.
• Damned if I didn’t almost let the clock run out on the Star Wars exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.  Thanks, BamaDan, for the prompt.  Looking forward to it.  I’m not telling the boys until we’re on the way.  (Being in charge of instant gratification surprises is one of my favorite things about being a dad.)
• It has depressed me how vigorously and disingenuously many (most?) supporters of the Ground Zero mosque have tried to paint its opponents as ignorant, hateful, and/or un-American.  I understand that your position is rationally defensible.  Please understand that mine is too.
• I’m kicking around the idea of indefinitely taking Sunday off from posting.  My Sunday traffic tends to be for shit anyway, and I have a feeling I’ll take more care with Saturday and Monday posts if I do that.

Stop saying ginormous.  It’s a completely unnecessary non-word. The rain is welcome, but I wish it would bring significantly cooler air behind it. We do have only low 90s right now, and nothing past mid-90s is forecast.  I am thankful for that. What’s the best Wings song?  Sometimes I think “Band on the Run”; other [...]

World views are funny things.  Sometimes we’re not on different pages.  Sometimes we’re on different planets in different solar systems in different galaxies. Both boys are having a good first week at school.  Between the start of that year and the reintroduction of soccer practice into their schedules, they’re pretty tired at night. As I [...]

I’m working on the main Oshkosh air show post.  I’ll have it up this weekend.  Thanks for your patience. We got brief, rain-generated respite today, and we have a chance for more tomorrow.  After that, it’s straight back to 100º next week.  Go away, August. Reggie Gibbs has written a few pages on his recent [...]