I have respect for John McCain, and among the Republican nominees, he is far and away my preference to receive the nomination. Mike Huckabee is a man of principle, but they are scary principles. And Mitt Romney is a slippery son of a bitch. I trust him about as far as I can throw him. And that's not far, because I wouldn't be able to get a hold of him, because he is a slippery son of a bitch.

Back to McCain. In addition to being courageous, scrupulous, and against torture, the man has my kind of sense of humor. I missed this story when it happened, several months ago at a New Hampshire high school, but it's just as great now. As recorded by CNN:

"During the question-and-answer session, one student rose and asked a pointed question about McCain's age, 71: 'If elected, you'd be older than Ronald Reagan, making you the oldest president. Do you ever worry that, like, you might die in office or get Alzheimer's or some other disease that might affect your judgment?'

The Arizona senator chuckled slightly as comments of "Oh my God" filled the room. In a self-deprecating reference to his memory, McCain said his children have joked about their father "hiding his own Easter eggs," but quickly added that he is a "24-7" worker and will out-campaign any of his rivals.

McCain ended the exchange in his quintessential style: "Thanks for the question, you little jerk.... You're drafted."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

On account of my job, I have access to databases of public information. Things that are public include: property transactions, SEC (stock) filings, death notices, marriage records, newspaper archives. Now, independent of one another, these things are nothing. Aggregated and made easily searchable? Then if I know some basic biographical information, I can compile a pretty good biography. In fact, I am required to do so, in exchage for my biweekly paychecks.

For the amusement of my readers, then (and since I have no idea who reads this, really mostly for my amusement), I will include in future postings things I have found out that are really none of my business. My idle curiosity tends toward the cinematic, so mostly I like to see where movie stars, et. al, live. (Since you can't purchase land without filing, and because land is assessed by state/county governments, I can probably know where you live and how much your house is worth.)

There's absolutely nothing for me to to with this information, unless I want to fly out to LA and knock on Bradley Whitford's door and be all, "Hey, Josh, loved you on the West Wing! Mind if I stay for dinner? Can you call Matt Perry and Aaron Sorkin over?" Not likely. But I like to know, anway.

So, a new feature:
What Research Discovered Today: Location of Joan Fontaine's home.

Today I am wearing the wool skirt I got from the store (that is, the Banana Republic) for something like $10. I think the skirt is sitting where it is supposed to -- that is, at the waist -- or, on me, directly below the breastbone, because, as we know, I don't have a torso. This feels awkward, not only because I've got a waistband sitting under my armpit, but also because of the distinct absence of somebody making fun of me about it. But I'm at work, and nobody at work is going to do that, because they are boring.

You may notice that every complaint or discomfort in my life, no matter the source, is exacerbated by the environment of my workplace, which has no joy in it. It's okay, though -- 34 days until March (application decision month).

"[insert number here] days until March" is my new mantra.

New year, new blog, baby! Change is good.
For historical/archival purposes: The old blog is here.