I Agree with Barack Obama on at Least One Thing

Well, I voted for John McCain. I am quite conservative on some issues that I believe are most important. This being said, there is at least one thing I agree with Barack Obama on. We should have a playoff in BCS/NCAA football so that we can crown a definitive champion on the field of play. As it is now, depending on who beats whom, it may come down to conjecture. With last night's drubbing of Texas Tech by Oklahoma, more questions were presented than answers.

Actually, Alabama is still unbeaten. They still have the SEC championship looming in their future. They may beat Florida, who is expected to beat Florida State in their last game. If they do, they'll have made it unscathed through the not-as-brutal-as-usual SEC. But, with the way Florida has played so passionately lately, who knows what should happen. (I am one of those people who usually thinks that the SEC is the highest level of play, but admittedly this year has definitely been a down one.)

Even today, who will be higher in the BCS? Oklahoma or Texas? Texas beat Oklahoma in a head-to-head, but Texas was beaten by Texas Tech, who was DESTROYED by Oklahoma yesterday. Good luck sorting that out.

I'm a proponent of the top seven in the BCS poll getting into a play-off. Then eight and nine competing in a play-in game. I'm not sure why I like the idea of a play-in, but I do.

I think that college football is SO good, that a play-off system wouldn't be harmful to it. I would at least like an opportunity to see if it is the case.

Okay, I'm stepping down off my soap-box. I hope everyone has a really good week!

General Foolishness

Hey, what's rockin' out there? I'm at my parents' house enjoying doing nothing. Let the record show that finally I've had a vacation day. I slept the latest I've slept: 9:12 a.m. Isn't that amazing?!?

I tuned on my player to listen to some music and it chose to play "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn. (I think he's married to Elizabeth Vargas from ABC news and he was shot in a drive-by.) What a great song! Some country group tried to do this, but boo on that. It was kind of like some group trying to sing Michael Buble's "Home." Ruination! Leave it alone, I say. This holds about 94.8% of the time. Regardless, is there a more evocative song than "Walking in Memphis"? Can't you see where he's going and even who he's talking to? I really dig this, thus it's placement on my player-thingie.

Okay, Obama is on my nerves again. Why did he even say that thing about ". . . And did I mention he's black?" I don't want to not like Obama. But this kind of stuff is annoying at best and off-putting at worst. I understand that the best defense is a good offense, but come on. I am NOT not voting for Obama because he's black. I'm not voting for him for a multitude of reasons. I don't agree with most anything he's for. I am not for nationalized health care. I'm not for raising taxes on the "rich." I'm not for getting out of Iraq. And here's the bad thing. I'm not for Obama, but I'm not FOR McCain either. I just have more in common with McCain's way of thinking. What we really need is a good independent in there who would keep government's intrusion in private lives to a MINIMUM. Boo on that. I really have NO decision whatsoever to make in the election. Actually, I was more excited about the democrat race than I am about the general election.

How about the alleged showing out of Keith Olbermann pitching a fit for the "Meet the Press" moderator's chair? Now, let me say for truth purposes, and this isn't any secret, that when Keith Olbermann suggests that I zig, I would proceed by zagging 99.4% of the time. What is a grown man doing that sort of thing for? Anyway, he's just the same thing, only on the opposite side, as his arch-nemesis Bill O'Reilly. I can't watch either one of them. They are so ALWAYS right on everything, it's sickening. Now, do I think I'm on the wrong side of things? Obviously not, but I can have a discussion with people who have a differing opinion (often Snoopy), agree to disagree, and not think she's a total idiot for not sharing my opinion. How about we act like grown-ups for a while? I was just looking it up, and it seems that Olbermann didn't pitch a hissy over this. See here. I'd like to send out a big "my b" as my students tell me when they're wrong.

Mr. Obama

Wow, I saw a guy who conducted a focus-group. He was being interviewed on Fox News. There were people talking about the Barack Obama/Reverend Wright deal. They were about to come to blows over this. It was crazy. What was funny (funny odd, not funny ha-ha) to me is that there are people who actually think that it was okay for Mr. Obama to remain in a church where the pastor had such views. I understand that maybe you don't know ALL that your pastor believes. I also understand that there may be many things that you don't agree with while "sitting under" a pastor. But knowing about these views, and having gone to church myself, I am shocked that he would remain. It's weird to me, but then again, I'm not going to church now myself.


I'm very afraid what is going to happen this summer. I have a very sad feeling that this election is going to do a very good job of tearing our nation apart.

Thoughts. . .

Okay, if you don't know, I'm conservative. Actually, ultra-so. So all these thoughts are colored by that.

First, would you people downing Oprah (Can you hear me Mr. Edwards?) STOP? Just because she's gonna get more people to listen to him, why must you hate on her? I'm really outraged at whomever the pinhead was who said that Oprah shouldn't be building schools in South Africa, but in South Carolina? What, are you kidding me? Obviously, I don't agree with Obama, but there have been any number of people of notoriety who have done the political thing for the Clintons. Are they afraid of Oprah's impact on the campaign? They should be. I don't totally agree with Oprah, but she wouldn't be out stomping for someone if she weren't convinced of his abilities and qualifications. I don't agree with a lot of Obama's views, but there are other Oprah-ites out there who will check him out because of her. There will be many who move from Hilary's camp to Obama's. It will be interesting to see this play out.

I don't know who I'm going to support amongst the Republican candidates, if anyone. I may go independent. Or I may go Democratic for my primary vote. I've done this before, but mostly in state elections. In Georgia, you have to declare which party you want to vote for. Then you can only vote for folks of that party. In the general election, you can vote for whomever you decide.

Do you see the two gals in the picture? After seeing Not for Ourselves Alone by Ken Burns, I cannot in good conscience NOT go vote. I was thinking about not going to a not-very-important primary in which I could only vote for one or two people. It was spitting rain outside and I was tired. I then got this picture in my head of Susan B. Anthony (the one on the left) looking at me. Although she was a Quaker, I think she might have kicked my ass for not going to vote. I'm not talking about just a roughing-up. I believe she would've gone medieval on me. She worked so hard and never got a chance to vote. Every time I go vote, I think of her and actually appreciate that I am allowed at the polling place and get to voice my opinion. Because of her, I have made myself a promise to be aware of what and whom I will be voting for and to make informed decisions. (The other lady in the picture is Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was the motherly one. You can see what they brought to the project just by looking at them.) I explained this recently to a friend and she remarked that it was very noble, etc. She also laughed and said that my vote only counted as much as some nimrod who knew nothing and just went in there and voted for the first person in each category! Funny.

Also, check this out (from Edison Media Research).

MOST LOVED CHRISTMAS SONGS

1. Nat King Cole/The Christmas Song

2. Bing Crosby/White Christmas

3. Johnny Mathis/Do You Hear What I Hear

4. Burl Ives/A Holly Jolly Christmas

5. Harry Simeone Chorale/Little Drummer Boy

MOST HATED CHRISTMAS SONGS

1. Singing Dogs/Jingle Bells

2. Cartman/O Holy Night

3. Elmo & Patsy/Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (the only one that can be called polarized, not just hated)

4. Jackson 5/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

5. Barbra Streisand/Jingle Bells

Well, I have to say that Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" IS the harbinger of Christmas to me. I can't wait until I actually hear it played on the radio. And I've always loved Bing Crosby. When I watched Holiday Inn and saw this in context, I have to say that it was even better. Even later, when I learned how Irving Berlin came to write the song, I was even more in love with the song. Check this out for a brief account of how he allegedly did it:

http://arizona-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/dreaming_of_a_white_christmas.

What's really funny is that my parents had a five or six record collection from Reader's Digest that included all, and I mean all, of the best Christmas songs. I think that all of the loved songs were on there. Anyway, I used to start playing those albums on my record player on the day after Thanksgiving from the time I was about seven or eight. I learned what now seem to be pretty obscure songs. One of my favorites is "The Holly and the Ivy" which sounds really English to me. On the album it was sung by a boys' choir. Also, not as obscure, but not as played as I believe it should be is "Good King Wenceslas" which I believe was the Bing Crosby version. "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is another good one which doesn't get as good PR as it should. I downloaded an Elvis version that I put on my Christmas 2007 CD. What else made my cut? Well. . .

1. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day -- Elvis Presley

2. Mary's Prayer -- Bebo Norman (This is an INCREDIBLE CD.)

3. White Christmas -- Bing Crosby

4. Hard Candy Christmas -- Dolly Parton

5. I'll Be Home for Christmas -- Josh Groban (This is a cool CD too. Hey, I bought it before I knew Oprah recommended it!)

6. Merry Christmas Darling -- Carpenters

7. Celebrate Me Home -- Kenny Loggins (Yes, I am a total GOOBER for liking this, but I do. Mock me at your whim.)

8. Christmastime Is Here -- The Peanuts Kids (Vince Guaraldi)

9. Christmas Canon -- Trans-Siberian Orchestra

10. All I Want for Christmas Is You -- Vince Vance and the Valiants

11. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree -- Brenda Lee (How do I love this? Let me count the ways. . . )

12. Please Come Home for Christmas -- Eagles

13. Jingle Bell Rock -- Bobby Helms

14. Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) -- Darlene Love (Thanks, David Letterman, for introducing me to this magnificent song and singer!)

15. Grown-Up Christmas List -- Michael Buble (This one is new, not the Amy Grant one, obviously, but I really like it.)

16. Thankful -- Josh Groban (I would kinda love to see a Celebrity Death Match between Josh & Michael Buble, but I do like both.)

17. The Christmas Waltz -- Carpenters

18. Christmas in Dixie -- Alabama (I also wanted Tender Tennessee Christmas, but it wasn't available on i-tunes.)

19. Do You Hear What I Hear? -- Perry Como & the Ray Charles Singers

20. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- Gene Autry

Well, I'm tired of writing, so I'll go away for awhile.