Time to change my non-violent ways

I am usually not a violent person, but the self checkout machines at the grocery store make me really want to hurt something. My experience today went something like this:

Checkout machine: Please place the item in the bag.
Me: *places in bag*
Checkout machine: Please place the item in the bag.
Me: It's in the bag!
Checkout machine: Please place the item in the bag.
Me: It's in the fucking bag!

That's way more frustration than a box of Cinnamon Life and some calcium-enriched orange juice is worth.

In better news, I just picked up Breaking Dawn from the library. Finally. Not that I have time for fun reading now anyway. Next up, information ethics!

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

It's the final presidential debate. Quick poll: will the candidates answer the questions, or will we be treated to another night of rhetorical dithering?

I love Bob Scheiffer's question about the negativity of the campaigns. He makes a great point. It's easy to say nasty stuff about someone indirectly through television ads, but it's a lot harder when you're sitting at a table with him. I like the part of Obama's answer where he said that the campaign shouldn't be about portraying your opponent as a bad person. Cause I agree, it shouldn't. It should be about their ideas.

It really is too bad that nobody knew in advance that "Joe the Plumber" would be so important to tonight's debate. Luckily, "my friends" is popping up less frequently. Barack and Bob =/= John's friends. Instead, McCain has to talk to a pretend friend. I guess that makes this debate more like a town hall meeting? Let's all talk to Joe!

John McCain comes off much better in this debate than in the last. He's making a lot of the same points (the projector at the planetarium?), only a little clearer, and he's not busy shuffling around the stage. However, he still seems very, very smug, and it's clear that he really dislikes Obama. Obama, on the other hand, is generally poised and articulate, and I think he's done a very good job picking apart McCain's accusations against him. (His answers about health care and about the Ayers and ACORN attacks were both very good.)

I could rant a lot about the education section at the end, but I won't. (My roommate and I were both talking to the TV some there...) This is me... not ranting. This is so healthy for me. I let the Eskimo snow go in class yesterday, and right now I'm letting vouchers go. Because John McCain can't hear me through the TV.

A sidenote: I had to drive out to Reagan earlier, and I saw a sign on one of the I-66 overpasses that said "Vote for That One" with "Obama '08" inside the "O." It made me laugh.

Also: Haha, Stephen Harper, you still have a minority government.