Terps in ESPN Power 16

Looks like I wasn't alone in being impressed by the win at Illinois two nights ago. ESPN has the Terps as the 2nd-highest ACC team in its first Power 16 of the year. Yeah, I know, that and $5 will get you a Grande Mocha Ginseng Latte at Starbucks. But still, kinda cool.

Luke Winn over at Sports Illustrated digs the Turtles also.

Venezuelan Amphetamine

When I read about Gary Williams' freshmen this pre-season, gaurd Greivis Vasquez was described as someone who plays with a lot of emotion. Uh-oh, that's sportswriter code, meaning that he makes up for a lack of talent with a lot of high-energy play, right?

Not really. Turns out, at least in the early going, that the kid has plenty of talent. And describing his game as high-energy doesn't quite do it justice, either. Anyone who watched Maryland's solid win in Champaign, Illinois last night could see it; this guy loves to play almost as much as Gary loves yelling at his players! I know, hard to believe, but true. He was also the best player on the floor in the second half last night; he was the difference in getting the win in a very hostile road environment, and with the Terps missing one of their starters. Win or lose though, he'll be fun to watch over the next few years.

Terps are 8-0, up next - Notre Dame in D.C. on Sunday.

Dusting off the Carboy

It's been years since I've done any homebrewing, but that's changed for the better in the past few weeks, as I now have a partner in brewing. Barry has already proved to be a bit impatient about the whole process - no Dad, we can't drink it yet - but it's more fun (and less work) with two people, so I think we'll be able to sustain operations and not have another three year haitus.

We've got two batches going now, a Scotch Ale that will be ready to drink just before Christmas, and a German Dunkel that will be ready...when it's ready.

Let's see, what else; the new Bond film, Casino Royale, is excellent, if a bit on the long side (2 1/2 hours).

I saw this bizzare boat docked at the Inner Harbor last night when I went running - certainly doesn't look like any boat I've ever seen before, and it runs on biodiesel. In March it begins an attempt to break the record for circumnavigating the globe by boat; the record is currently 75 days, set in 1998.

Finally, for the uninitiated - an explanation for this post's title. Here are some carboys, aka fermentation vessels.

Who's a Big Winner?

The Dems have taken back the House, and have at shot at the Senate as well. But other than the obvious winners (Dems) and big losers (GOP), who else wins, if the Democrats do their jobs? Here are my thoughts:

• The United States. I was worried after the 2004 election that the nation, collectively, wasn't too bright. It appears as though we do have the capability to vote smartly, we're just a bit slow.
• The World. Any checks on His Shruberiness' power are good for the world at large; one never knows who may be next on his hit list.
• Science & Technology. Honest, factual discussions about global warming and alternative energy sources may actually make their way to Capitol Hill!
• Nancy Pelosi. As the first female Speaker in history, she's poised to bring the radical homosexual agenda to Washington. Thank God! The radical warmongering criminal tyrannical cowboy agenda hasn't been working out too well, time to try a new direction.
• Stewart & Colbert. Their Midterm Midtacular election coverage was better than anything on CNN and MSNBC by far.
• James Carville. If not for him, that bloviating gasbag Bill "one-armed-bandit" Bennett would have displayed even more arrogance during CNN's coverage, if that's possible (how full of yourself do you need to be to write multiple books on morality? What a prick). Fortunately, Carville shut him up for a few minutes with the subtlest of jabs - a mention of an inconsequential casino ballot initiative. The Rajin' Cajun' strikes again!
  

Return of the Weekend, Electioneering Villainy

I was studying for the PE for a good two and a half months, and while I certainly wasn't in total seclusion, large portions of my weekends were eaten up. This past weekend was busy too, but in a good way; a birthday party for a former co-worker Friday night, an awesome afternoon in front of the TV Saturday afternoon, watching every minute of the Terps' big win at Clemson, and a challenging yet fun cross-country 8K on Sunday. Plus, we met my parents' new kitties, Csaba and Zigana - and introduced them to Marty - and we also got the final craptacular Star Wars prequel out of the way (no, I don't think it was better than the first two, it was just as insufferable; thankfully I'll never have to watch any of those three ever again!). This is the part where I promise photos on Flickr, but honestly, I doubt I'll get around to it anytime soon. That's just how it is.

Today is, of course, Election Day [Sponsored by Diebold - "Gee, we really hope all this crap works"]. And what better way to extend the Halloween season, than with some election day tricks? Seems that during the last few elections, it's the GOP that has been caught trying to suppress votes, while in the 60's, it was the Dems inflating votes all over the place. So which is worse, stopping a live person from voting, or ensuring that a dead citizen's vote is counted? And what do these styles of electioneering say about the respective parties? It sure would be nice if the Greens/Libertarians/etc. got in on this; then perhaps we'd have an alternative to two-party rule at some point.

Back in Business

Now that I have the PE (Professional Engineer) exam out of the way, I can get back to some writing. Unfortunately, I probably won't have much time today, so I'll just link to some solid, if somewhat intuitive, observations about next week's election, courtesy of one of the bloggers over at Balkinization.

The point about Senate over-representation by small states has always been a fascinating argument to me, because I believe that the original intent of the Constitution was to ensure that smaller states had an equal say in national affairs. But why? Why should a vote in North Dakota count much more, in terms of the make-up of the Senate, than a vote in New York? And will that advantage in small states that Republicans still be around in 50 years, as Midwest and Great Plains states' traditional industries continue to die out, concentrating populations in those states' big cities, complete with large immigrant populations and racial, ethnic, and cultural -gasp- diversity? This is based on my assumption that the charming people in fillinnameofredstate wouldn't be nearly as terrified of all those people that didn't look and act like them, if they had a few more of them living next door. Call me naive, it's just a hunch.