Steve, you have no idea how messed up Ohio is. Fortunately I got a chance to meet a current state legislator, former military, who is behind some of law-making meant to ensure those ballots get counted. Unlike last time when many didn't. Yeah, there's something that network news somehow forgot to cover.

Berea-Rose is jumping this weekend -- the boys are back in town. Da Chimpz were at sleepaway camp all week. It was probably harder for us than for them: Alane and I had anxieties that ranged from imagining them forlorn with home-sickness to picturing felonious pranks as in the movie Meatballs.

Anyway, we drove them home this morning, dragged their mud-encrusted gear to the basement, and got some candied bacon started in the oven. As of now, Mojo is on the computer watching Minecraft videos while Cookie as on the Xbox shooting enemies in Halo. Situation: normal.

I so badly want to tell about the dinner-date Alane and I had to a trendy Cleveland restaurant earlier this week. But it was too ridiculous. Food was good, but the neighboring tables were much too close. The guy on one side was an over-eager foodie. And when the guy on the other side decided to get down on one knee to propose to his date, the crowding of the dining room essentially required him to do it from under our table. It was surreal. Alane and I spent the evening in total NYC mode: look straight ahead and don't get involved. And of course, being it was Alane and myself, try not to make eye contact with each other. Because I think we're all at a point now where we recognize the "see what I'm talkin' about" face without the need for spoken words. Isn't that right, Steve?