Monday Update

Hey guys, it's been a couple weeks since I was able to post anything. I had to do a 6-day work-week last week, and I've been pretty busy lately. Anyhow, you missed a lot, and I'll try to update you.

- My car was smashed by a hit-and-run driver last Friday. Midge and I went out for dinner after I picked her up for work, at a restaurant about 20 blocks from our house. When we returned to our car, we found the rear bumper sitting on the sidewalk next to the car. A cranky old guy who lives across the street was moderately helpful. He spoke to the driver after the crash, writing down the license plate number. He also shamed the guy into leaving a note. The problems? He wrote down the plate wrong, and the driver left a fake phone number. The police came out and took a report, but without a good plate number, nobody's on the hook. If you see an old converted ambulance in Southeast Portland with damage on the front-driver's side bumper, possibly with Crater Lake plates, he's our guy. The rear bumper was entirely ripped off, and now the car is driving kind of wobbly. The initial estimate was $1,300, but I'm taking it in for another look today. My insurance will cover most of it, but I still have a $300 deductable. Hooray!

- The hillbillies had another episode, this time a medical problem. We were watching TV late Saturday night, when a fire truck and an ambulance showed up. The younger hillbilly's girlfriend came teetering out of the house with the help of the EMTs, and was carted off. We believe it was an O.D. But that's pure speculation.

- Halloween was fun. Midge dressed up as a space alien, with a giant purple beehive wig, a futuristic silver dress, purple fishnets, black boots, and a ray gun (loaded with real earth water!). She wanted us to match somehow, so I dressed like a cosmonaut. We found an odd white jumpsuit at Goodwill, and Midge had some old felt samples. So I hot glue gunned the letters "CCCP" on the back, with a big Soviet flag on the back, and a smaller one on the left breast. I also put hammer and sickle insignias on the shoulders. It was sweet. I also had a gold chain, a medal on a red ribbon, and a burly black mustache. We went out with some friends, hitting several places in our neighborhood. We wound up on Belmont, and wandered home at about 3am. It was a long night.

I was briefly abducted by an alien.

"Am first man from village to walk on moon."

I don't know how CCCP=Soviet Union. Don't these people speak English?

"Have medal for bravery. Am national hero!"

- My class is going okay. I don't yet feel like I'm an expert or anything, but I'm making progress.

- Finally, the election is tomorrow, and it's going to be a long day for me. I have to produce a special 3pm newscast, go home, then come back to help produce our election coverage. I am in charge of the interactive map that our anchor will use to show which states the candidates for president have won . I will also need to prepare information on big races across the nation, for the Senate and also ballot measures. It's going to be stressful, but it should be fun.