I'll be on vacation to Montreal and Quebec City the next week and a half (4/12 to 4/23), just to take a little time off, have some creative quality time with my "girls" and, in QC, attend the " Festival de la bande dessinée francophone de Québec", Quebec's renowned comics show. Of course, some of my close friends (you know who you are) will get cards while I am up there, so check your mailbox. I'll try to keep up things while I'm away, but until then, see you 4/24.

This year, the bushfires in Australia has been the deadliest and most destructive ever. In fact, it even made the front page news of Tuesday's "St. Petersburg Times" -- my local newspaper in sunny Florida, where we often have disasters of out own, in the form of hurricanes.

Yes, Aussie fires (as well as those here in the states) have made the news many times before, but, because of its sheer terror, compounded by the fact that I have friends Down Under (including Daniel VanderWerff, the author of the "School Spirit" comic strip who lives close to the fire area), I've been implored to give to the Australian Red Cross, where I gave A$20 toward the relief effort.

How about you?

...they want to take the Soul Train to Washington.

Obama has been elected president. America has truly entered a new era. Hopefully in the next four years, Happy Days will be much more than an old sitcom.

Save this Wednesday's newspapers -- this election has truly been historic.

...yet some people are apathetic about it. In a little over a month, McCain, Obama and scores of minor candidates will be looking for votes from American voters. But, despite a lot of reasons America is going down the drink -- Bush and his silly war, the economy (you ought to see today's (9/30) front page of the St. Petersburg Times -- a picture on a crumbling, sweaty Ben Franklin from the $100 bill), "No Child Left Behind" (until college), Christian right-wingers demonising gays and abortions (God doesn't need a "P.R." man (hint, hint)), national security after 9/11 (Bush's policy -- "too much is never enough"), and so forth -- there are some that just don't care whether they cast a vote or not.

Personally, I've always been a voter. But it's the state and federal races that I consider the most important, and the ones that I pay rapt attention to. This year, it's much more important, since the next president will set the stage for the next four years, especially after Bush leaves the office. I already have my ballot -- my state has a vote-by-mail option for everyone (not just absentees), as well as early voting. Personally, not voting because you're too busy is a very stupid excuse, as you have ample chances to vote. (I won't be mailing my ballot in until another couple of weeks -- so I could get more info and news on the candidates.)

The main reason why I'm writing my own think piece is that I was inspired to do so by fellow blogger Raina Telgemeier -- the artist and writer responsible for the "Baby Sitter's Club" graphic novels (check'em out!). See her editorial here:

http://goraina.livejournal.com/196986.html

I would like to get your opinion too (so does Raina). And remember:

"Get yerself down t' the pollin' booth! People who don't use their vote deserve what they get!" -- Andy Capp, who flipped a coin to decide who to vote for

P.S. for Canadians -- Your turn will come... the day after Thanksgiving (Columbus day for us yanks).

Tags: us election, vote

Hurricane Ike is making landfall now as we speak at 1:30AM ET (9/13) as a 110 MPH "2" storm -- one more click and it could've been a "3".

Hope everyone in the area is staying safe -- especially the dolt in the bear costume frolicking in the waves. That would make a great sketch for Late Show with David Letterman -- "can a Guy in a Bear Suit Survive a Storm Surge?"

...How to Be a Police State:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/2/amy_goodman_two_democracy_now_producers

280 protesters at the Republican convention in St. Paul were arrested Labor Day (Monday 9/1), including Amy Goodman and producers of her TV/Radio program, "Democracy Now".

Shades of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where hundreds of protesters were arrested for peacefully protesting against the outgoing Johnson administration.

"Land of the Free" -- as long as the Republicans are in power, that line in the "Star Spangled Banner" makes no sense.

Just spotted this on Radio-Info's boards -- in October 2007, a DC-area woman frustrated with Comcast cable with their poor customer service walked in to their office and registered a complaint -- with her hammer:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702359.html?hpid=artslot

Poor customer service, enough to drive everyone up the wall -- "it's Comcastic!"

Tags: cable customer service television

"Fay" will be making landfall as a Tropical Storm Tuesday (8/19). And it's very likely that we're out of the woods where I live.

As for Shelley -- while the storm will be barely TS by the time it reaches Orlando, I wish her the best for the misery that she'll have to put up come Wednesday.

But we have 3.5 months of hurricane season to go.

And I still have Perry Como on my mind when I think about "Seattle".

I'm also on MySpace too -- check it out.

Hurricanes.

"Fay", merely a Tropical Storm, is expected to hit Florida by Tuesday as a cat-1 Hurricane, especially where I live.

And since we don't exactly know where it's going, my guts churn, anxiously thinking about it.

This is why hurricanes are the worst in my personal list of disasters -- not only because of what they are, but of all the uncertainty of where it would go. The days of hoping that it won't hit you where you live.

Jenn, a comic-strip colleague of mine, has recently moved to Seattle. My high school friend Shelley wants to move there too.

Three years. Mark my words. I want to be out of Florida and living in Seattle (or anywhere around there) by 2011.