Things to do before I die

I was working on my list of 100 pieces of classical literature I need to read, and I can across a very motivated person who had that list as a sub-list of his "Things to do before I die". I thought that was extremely ambitious, and seeing as how I like to think of myself as an ambitious person, here's my list (in no particular order).

Finish reading my top 100 pieces of literature
Run (and finish) the Boston Marathon
Coach my sons/daughters little league/pee wee football/basketball team
Hike a large portion of the Pacific Crest Trail
Get a Masters Degree (in something, I don't really care what:)
Climb Mt Hood
Relive our Panamanian Honeymoon
See a Tottenham vs Arsenal game at White Hart Lane
Be at a Cubs World Series Game (I really have no control over this one though, so if it doesn't happen, it's not my fault...blame the goat)
Roast a whole pig
Visit Ireland

If there's anything you think should be on my list that's glaringly missing, feel free to share.

Top 100 (and 5) 90s Alternative Rock Tracks

Here it is, in no particular order. I put these together to make a playlist for myself, and Ian Taylor said it was worth putting out there for everyone else to see. Feel free to share any of your favorites that may be missing...I did limit the number of tracks from any one artist to five, so I wasn't listening to the same band too much on the list.

Man, those were good years!

Song		Artist
Smells Like Teen Spirit		Nirvana
Creep		Radiohead
Under The Bridge		Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wonderwall		Oasis
Plush		Stone Temple Pilots
Black Hole Sun		Soundgarden
Heart Shaped Box		Nirvana
Say it Ain't So		Weezer
Lightning Crashes		Live
Everlong		Foo Fighters
Good		Better Than Ezra
Low		Cracker
Lithium		Nirvana
Even Flow		Pearl Jam
Possum Kingdom		The Toadies
Today		Smashing Pumpkins
Santa Monica		Everclear
Monkey Wrench		Foo Fighters
I Stay Away		Alice in Chains
Loser		Beck
Song 2		Blur
She Shines		Gren
Everythings Zen		Bush
December		Collective Soul
Stickshifts and Safetybelts		Cake
Lump		Presidents of the United States
She		Green Day
Jane Says		Janes Addiction
Karma Police		Radiohead
My Friends		Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tomorrow		Silverchair
Landslide		Smashing Pumpkins
Creep		Stone Temple Pilots
Plowed		Sponge
Hagfish		Stamp
Undone		Weezer
Glycerine		Bush
Far Behind		Candlebox
Mr Jones		Counting Crows
Teen Angst		Cracker
Novocaine for the Soul		Eels
Stutter		Elastica
Stars		HUM
Champagne Supernova		Oasis
Come as you are		Nirvana
Better Man		Pearl Jam
Disarm		Smashing Pumpkins
Interstate Love Song		Stone Temple Pilots
Sucked Out		Superdrag
Bittersweet Symphony		The Verve
One Headlight		The Wallflowers
Zombie		The Cranberries
Away		The Toadies
Hunger Strike		Temple of the Dog
Where It's At		Beck
The Distance		Cake
Long December		Counting Crows
I Got a Girl		Daisy Tripping
Numb		U2
Buddy Holly		Weezer
Tonight, Tonight		Smashing Pumpkins
Popular		Nada Surf
Name		Goo Goo Dolls
Basket Case		Green Day
Been Caught Stealin'		Janes Addiction
No Excuses		Alice in Chains
Brick		Ben Folds Five
Nine Inch Nails		Closer
Hey Jealousy		Gin Blossoms
Pixies		Here Comes Your Man
Alive		Pearl Jam
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand		Primitive Radio Gods
High & Dry		Radiohead
Spoonman		Soundgarden
In the Meantime		Spacehog
What I Got		Sublime
If you could only see		Tonic
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me		U2
Seether		Veruca Salt
Counting Blue Cars		Dishwalla
Jeremy		Pearl Jam
Don't Look Back in Anger		Oasis
Bullet with Butterfly Wings		Smashing Pumpkins
El Scorcho		Weezer
Hero		Foo Fighters
Special		Garbage
Bohemian Like You		Dandy Warhols
Shine		Collective Soul
Pepper		Butthole Surfers
No Rain		Blind Melon
Machinehead		Bush
I Alone		Live
In Bloom		Nirvana
Misery		Soul Asylum
Found out about you		Gin Blossoms
Molly		Sponge
Iris		Goo Goo Dolls
Carnival		Natalie Merchant
You		Candlebox
Peaches		Presidents of the United States
Pets		Porno for Pyros
Linger		The Cranberries
The Middle		Jimmy Eat World
Tubthumping		Chumbawamba
Fly		Sugar Ray
I'd Walk		Proclaimers

What if they stole another one...

If you've been watching the electoral college numbers recently, you've seen Obama with a very large lead heading into the final weeks and days before the election. We're talking a potential 2-1 margin of victory when it comes down to the electoral votes.

What if it doesn't hold up? Will we attribute that to the Bradley effect, essentially that people in polls say they'll vote for Barack because they're ashamed to say otherwise? Will pundits say it was just a late surge of folks who really just liked Palin's down to earthiness and didn't mind the lack of experience, policy understanding and really any substance at all?

Will we ever ask the question, "Was this election legitimate?"

I'm not really a conspiracy theory type. I did think after the 2000 election, we would have people who were upset because our system does not necessarily equal 1 person 1 vote. I thought there would be outrage once people found out we weren't a true democracy. I was wrong. I think maybe it didn't upset people all that much because it was a close race, and people weren't really all that invested in Al Gore (I voted for Nader, so I really wasn't invested in him at all). This time though...

There's a lot to lose. People are already losing their houses, their jobs and their security. So if something fishy were to happen here and a 2-1 lead began to shrink, then all of the barely democrat states suddenly went republican, then some of the weak democrat states slid over that way, what would we do?

Would people in this country ever say, no, that can't be right. Are there enough people out there who would question their government strongly enough to do anything about it. I don't know if I ever want to find that out...and I certainly don't want to find out tonight.

Anyone Else Done with Election Coverage?

How many points are the democrats leading by Pennsylvania? How much money has Barack spent in Ohio? Where did Sarah Palin get that amazing lobotomy? Turns out, I don't care anymore. I keep hearing about these undecided voters, maybe they care. Who are these fickle people that need to hear all about the campaign trail in order to make up there minds? Don't they know that they're taking up valuable time on Fresh Air, where Terry Gross could be interviewing Kevin Smith about his new cinematic treasure, "Zack and Miri..."

I don't think I've ever hung out with an undecided person in my life. I'm currently surrounded by lefties (except potentially at family gatherings), and I don't think there's anything a politician could say, or that the media could report about that would shift those votes. Maybe if it was reported that McCain were a pinko commie, or that Barack was an alien (not an illegal one, but actually AN ALIEN...maybe not though, since a large portion of the the democratic population belong to P.E.T.A., people for the ethical treatment of aliens. Find out more at www.stopalienautopsies.org.)

I think NPR should have 2 stations during election season. One has election coverage all-day, everyday (the current plan). The other shifts topics every hour on the hour to keep those of us with Adult ADD attentive and informed all day long. This other station will also be used during pledge drives for those of us who have already donated!

Does anyone out there know what's going on in the world that doesn't involve Barack, McCain or Mortgage Backed Securities? Fill me in if you do...