Casual observations...

*Traffic on the interstate is much more manageable during the middle of the day. It's like a special little reward for leaving work for extended periods of time. However, traffic at the Taco Bell drive-through is far greater around lunch time. So much so that people trying their best to not go to Taco Bell must suffer the consequences of those that do. Truly an outrage.

*Belmont University looks like Eastern European remnants of the Soviet Bloc these days. Now that the debate (see last entry) has passed, those ominous chainlink fences and security checkpoints just don't seem as useful. On a related note, getting to sleep was much easier last night without the sirens, helicoptors and clanging security gates.

*This whole month-long drought followed by torrential downpour followed by month-long drought thing is entertaining, but a little overdone. A nice healthy schedule for rain would be appreciated by all. Pace yourself, Mother Nature. Otherwise, people will start listening to Al Gore again.

*It's fun to hear the progress Obama is making to win votes from the supposedly braindead, redneck, backwards, racist, fundamentalist, crooked buffoons in red states that voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. That's quite a "constituency for change", no? It's nice to know that your value as a human can be redeemed solely by whether your vote agrees with the new breed of political hipsters.

*Brady Quinn supports McCain. The support of the Cleveland Browns' backup quarterback should be all he needs to pull out a victory in November. At least Quinn's team has a victory this season. McCain needs to be associated with winners these days.

*It still doesn't top seeing a Bentley parked at Captain D's in Birmingham, but there was a Bentley parked at today's chicken finger-specializing lunch spot. Today's choice was the unexplicably-named "Maniac's". It is a true sign of the economic hardship in our country when a man and his Bentley must resort to eating delicious golden-fried chicken fingers for lunch with the rest of us.