I feel for Missouri voters this election cycle. I was just there, and they are being bombarded with lies, lies, and more lies from those against Amendment 2.

I have a frillion voicemail messages, all politicians and the RNC. They block their caller IDs, which is guaranteed to make me think they’re hiding something. I snapped and told one caller to go to hell. She hung up, I hope just before actually going to hell, ie: Missouri in this election cycle.

It was a visit with the in-laws, so it was iffy. But I made it.

I coughed on everyone. I did manage to avoid snotting on everyone, through sheer force of will.

I’m not a Cardinals fan, but we were in St. Louis for their World Series win, and we went to the parade. It would have been nicer had I not felt like hell, but it was pretty fun in any case.

But now baseball is over and I mourn.

And on the other, INFAMOUS!

John Vick has kindly awarded me a $50 Amazon gift certificate for my poem “Hitting for the cycle.”

I am delighted. Thank you, John!

I’m also delighted to find that two of my poems will be in the inaugural “Shit Creek Review.” I haven’t stopped giggling in days. The nice young men in their clean white coats might arrive at any second.

In modern-day Wyoming, teenager Katy McLaughlin dreams of working on and, one day, taking over her father’s ranch. She tames a mustang and names her Flicka, then finds that she and her new equine companion are more alike than she imagined. After her father sells Flicka, Katy schemes to win back the horse by entering a dangerous race. Based on the novel by Mary O’Hara.

Why, that sounds exactly like My Friend Flicka, except in the novel by O’Hara, Katy is Ken, a pre-teen, who has to work on the ranch, who wants a horse of his own, who picks one that isn’t a mustang, who then tries to save her life after she is injured when she tries to jump a too-high fence. There is no race, no scheming, no selling of the horse, no girls, and dammit, why not just start from scratch instead of twisting an old novel to fit a new generation? It’s silly.

I apologize to Tiger fans everywhere.

The World Series starts in a few hours. Last year, I didn’t watch more than a few innings, but this year I can wholeheartedly root for the Tigers. I even have a Tigers hat that sits awkwardly on the giant melon I call my head.

I can’t quite root for Kenny Rogers, but the Tigers represent the AL Central. I hate to make a prediction since I may whammy them, but I think they’ll win handily.

Or at least changing the way I read.

The site, which I’ve pimped before, allows you to put books on a “to be read” list, a “currently reading” list, and a “recommended” list. You can also do reviews, which I do just to keep things straight.

So, how is it changing my reading? By keeping things straight. I can get low on titles and simply bring up my reading list and order another book from the library. No more trusting in my shaky memory all the time. No more standing at the library, slack-jawed and wondering what the hell I’m in the mood for. Mind you, I still browse. I have a need for book browsing. But I can hear about a book, or see it on Amazon, and immediately slap it onto my list.

22 reviews, 15 recommended books, 3 current reads, 39 in my to be read, and that’s just since August 12. I cannot tell a lie–I read too damned much.

The wife of one of my coworkers runs a cookie shop, and she’s always looking for new and popular cookies to make for her customers. What’s your dream cookie?

Mine? Snickerdoodles. I adore them.

It’s about time, dammit.

For more info, clickie on the pictures.