"Keep me posted" means "Don't keep me posted."

What bothers me about McCain wanting to postpone the debate isn't the curious implication that he can't focus on more than one thing at a time, though that is perplexing.

It isn't the self-contradictory nature of the whole thing. In this situation, saying you want to stop campaigning is in itself a form of campaigning. That's interesting to think about, but not quite bothersome.

What bothers me is the idea that, in times of trial, open communication with the citizenry is the thing most easily dispensed with. What irks me is thinking about how that mentality might play out on the heels of the least transparent administration ever.

It's like this. The debates represent our least filtered access to the candidates. Sure, the debates are still tightly controlled environments. But for once, the candidates have to stand up in front of all of America, on live TV, and tell us directly what they think. No going back. No stepping aside. No teleprompter. No pause button. No do-over button.

Normally, we just get the few decontextualized snippets that some reporter decided we should hear (and, FTR, I think the press plays a critical role in an open society, so I don't mean that derisively). Or, we get the campaign manager telling us what the candidate really meant to say, or what the candidate really would like to say. Or, we get a "joint statement" that's been edited and re-edited so as to put on the best possible face.

I guess McCain wants to seem like the gets-stuff-done guy. He wants to seem like the guy who can't be bothered with political pageantry when there's a job to do. Really, I think he just seems like a career politician who thinks that problems are best solved by retreating to our ideological bunkers and passing some piece of legislation with that old reliable Washington-knows-best mentality. Facilitating open communication with the proletariat? Pooh-pooh! We have no such time for these non-essential activities! Please to be satisfied with this pre-typed, spin-doctored statement.

It bugs me. Here we have the first in a small handful of best chances to hear from the candidates themselves. Here we have our best chance to foster some of the transparency that is crucial to a democracy. And when McCain needs to clear his schedule, that's the first thing he thinks about disposing of? Look, cancel your Letterman appearances or whatever. But don't take away my chance to hear my elected leaders be answerable, without hiding behind some campaign manager or PR man, for their actions and beliefs.

We're finally ridding ourselves of an administration that felt it was answerable to no one. Now, suppressing evidence in order to drag us into an ill-advised war is much worse than postponing one debate. And maybe McCain has learned from Dubya's mistakes and plans to be a more open president, should he be elected. But so far, he is not establishing a pattern that inspires my confidence on that front.

I can't help but see this move as related to the campaign's curious decision to bar most of the press from the simple act of taking pictures of Sarah Palin as she meets with world leaders in her "No, really...I do know foreign policy!" tour. It's not like this is an outrageous request. It's standard operating procedure for all politicians, at least until now. But now we don't even get the decontextualized snippet. Is one picture going to convince me that Sarah Palin knows diddly about foreign affairs? No, of course not, anymore than her proximity to Russia is going to convince me of that notion. So in one sense, you might say it means little.

But like McCain's suggested postponement of the debate, it doesn't exactly make me believe that the McCain-Palin administration would foster the free and open exchange of ideas that they, as alleged mavericks, claim to be all for. I've already lived through eight years of being told to shut up and trust the government because they're the smart ones. I don't need four more years.

They say good things come to those who wait. If that's the case, I am owed a lot of money and a hot husband.

But at least in this case, the old adage proves true.

As many (but not all) of you know, I have been looking for a new job for a while, waiting for the right opportunity and then finding that I am simultaneously the most and least employable person in the world (true story...ask me about it sometime). And as many (but not all) of you know, I have now finally landed the sought after job. Yay me! A good step up in responsibility and salary and, hopefully, a good step down in boredom and in desire to tear my hair out.

Now, to the task of making it through the last week and a half at my current place of employment...

I kind of like Sarah Palin. Or at least, I want to. She's spunky and personable and she's got the chance to go where no woman has gone before. That last point isn't everything. If it were, I would've voted for Hillary.  But it is always nice to see a woman with the potential to open doors for other women--especially doors that should've been opened a long time ago. But I digress. And as far as her knocked up daughter goes, I think people should just mind their own beeswax (though, if the Republicans really want people to stop gossiping about her family, they could always stop trotting them out at every opportunity).

One chief complaint of Republicans has been the notion that Obama gets a free pass from the media. They've asserted that he gets softball questions, glowing profiles, and various other forms of preferential treatment. At one point in time, that may have been somewhat true. I'm self-aware enough to admit there was an atypically long candidate honeymoon period. But that ended long ago, and the problem with their carping is that no one--and I mean no one--has gotten a freer pass than Sarah Palin, at least to this point.

Palin gets a free pass on her "reformer" credentials. They're running her on a platform of anti-pork fiscal conservatism, ignoring the fact that it turns out she was for government waste before she was against it. Now, I won't begrudge her that flip-flop. If you hold a foolish position, then a flip-flop is the wisest possible decision you can make. Too bad this nuance escaped them four years ago when John Kerry was running.

Of course, if they admit all this, then they'll also be admitting the bill of goods under which they sold us four more years of George Bush and his plan to fast-track this country toward cesspool status. Instead, they'll just pretend the flip-flop never existed. And so far, no one's had the stones to call them on this. Not the media, nor any members of the hypocrisy-blind party.

Palin also gets a free pass on her suspect religious beliefs. Now, I don't really give a rat's butt what religion any of the candidates hold, per se. If they're going to enact policies that will benefit our country and our world, then we'll be copasetic. Whether those policies are informed by their religious beliefs, or by their shrewdest of political instincts, or by the little green tree slugs in their heads that told them to do this--whatever. But when a candidate's religious beliefs--or beliefs of any variety, for that matter--suggest that he or she is either (a number 1) lacking in judgment, or (b number 2) likely to be in favor of detrimental policies, or (c number 3) both, then perhaps we start to wonder.

Let's all travel back in a time a few months to that magical era when Obama had to answer about 86 million times for statements made by Jeremiah Wright. Now, the seed of the Wright controversy was not wholly without merit. If it comes to light that a candidate might have some ill-founded beliefs on race (suggesting that s/he might enact ill-founded policies on race were s/he to be elected), then that's a problem. Fine then. Ask away.

The problem really came in when it became clear that Obama did not agree with Wright's statements. The problem really came in when it became clear that the threads tying Obama's beliefs to Wright's beliefs were basically non-existent (unless, of course, you only form relationships with people with whom you agree 100%). The problem came in when, despite all this, the issue did not die. There's no evidence that Obama was even present when Wright made his statements. There's no evidence that he made any sort of endorsement. Quite the contrary, in fact. And Wright is just one person, albeit an important one, in the culture of his church.

Palin has her own set of peculiar beliefs. Her church is affiliated with the Third Wave movement. In layperson's terms, Third Wave is a brand of spiritual triumphalism that believes its adherents are being empowered to rise up, overthrow some bitches, and rule the world. Perhaps we would not want to put this sort of person one heartbeat away from the role often referred to as "Leader of the Free World"? Moreover, Palin herself has been seen speaking from the stage in support of the programs this movement uses to train their foot soldiers (unlike Obama, who was never seen speaking on stage in favor of Wright's beliefs on race). And these are institutionalized, ongoing programs (not excerpts from one sermon).

If you're really interested in what sort of garbage ideas these people run on, just rent Jesus Camp and watch their tubby camp director lead young children in a hysterical chant of "This means war! This means war!" I'm not entirely sure I want that sort of person to have any input into educational policy for our children. Are you?

If Palin no longer agrees with this crap, then fine. Again: if you hold a dumb belief, then flip-flopping makes you smart. If Palin has seen the light on this topic, I'd be happy to hear her regale us with tales of how and when she realized that spiritual warmongering is a load of horse hooey lacking even a shred of religious support or the barest measure of common-sensicalness. Maybe that can happen right after she tells us about how and when she realized that building a Bridge to Nowhere is probably a dumbass idea too.

Oh, wait...sorry, forgot. We can't admit that, can we? Why is this not troublesome to anyone in the media or in Palin's own party?

The running joke along one side of my family tree is that all those born of our seed have "addictive personalities." Our history would indicate that this is accurate. But most of us are not cokeheads or sex addicts. We just live our lives at a slightly sub-addiction level at which there is no true enslavement, but also no half-assedness.

That said, here are a few things that I am addicted to.

1. Hair gel. And not just get, but mousse and hairspray and shampoo and conditioner and anything else that promises to tame my mane. My accursed blond mop is definitely not curly, but also not straight. I suppose that makes it "wavy" but I think "ratty" is probably a more accurate description. Some days, I want the products that will allegedly give me bouncy waves and curls. Other days, I want the products that will give me shiny, straight hair. So I need a full arsenal of both. If it's a miracle product, I'm there. Less frizz? Sign me up. Moisture? I crave. Volume? I need. The only thing better (worse?) than a hair product with tempting but often empty promises of hair nirvana is a hair product with tempting but often empty promises of hair nirvana that is on sale.

2. Running do-hickeys. By far the most expensive, but also the most useful, is my Garmin. I use it several times a week. I went with the slightly less expensive model that didn't have a HR monitor, but now I wish I had the HR monitor. Sigh. I also have a hydration belt, hats, an iPod carrier and special headphones, and an endless supply of those Propel packets. I love energy bars and I was addicted to energy gels until I almost threw one up 10.5 miles into a mid-summer run and that kind of killed the romance.

I'm also shamelessly addicted to running and workout attire. I am fanatical about what I wear: no cotton, not even in the underwear. If I'm going to wear cotton underwear while running, I might as well just roll around in a pile of wet grass for a few hours before I go. Last weekend, it took 15 minutes to talk myself out of buying a long-sleeved black wicking tee. I didn't need it. It's too hot to wear long sleeves inside, and now that the days are noticeably shortening up (yes, in September--'tis sad), I am certainly not going to go running outside in black. But it's sooooo pretty...

This weekend, I'm in the market for a single water bottle with one of those fitting-over-your-hand-thingy straps, reflective tape, and a foam roller. This addiction also extends to track jackets, even though most of those are misnamed since they don't really wick at all. But they still look cute with my normal clothes.

3. Breakfast cereals. I currently have seven breakfast cereals in my house, eight if you count the massive cannister of oatmeal I finished up this morning. This is typical. I'm convinced cereal is the most perfect food ever. I eat oatmeal just about everyday for breakfast, even in the summer. It's so versatile. Over the course of my life, I've probably tried about four or five dozen different oatmeal combinations, and every last one was damn tasty. This morning I added some Grape Nuts Trail Mix Crunch (one of the other seven cereals), mixed berries, milk and cinnamon. My favorites are:

oatmeal, sliced peaches, cinnamon, milk
oatmeal, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg and little bit of brown sugar, milk
oatmeal, peanut butter, sliced apples, milk
oatmeal, these orange-flavored dried cranberries you get from Trader Joe's, milk
oatmeal, a scoop of protein powder, blueberries, flax seeds, milk

Tasty! I'm also a fan of almost everything Kashi makes, including the box of Go Lean I've got right now. But lest you think I'm totally virtuous, the other five cereals in my house have a tad more sugar to them. I've got Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch (proof that God loves us), Lucky Charms, Reese's PB Crunch and Honeycomb. My concession to health and maturity is that I now consume these only for desserts or snacks, instead of breakfast. Mostly good, except on days like yesterday when I had Honeycomb for lunch, then again for snack, and followed my dinner with a dessert of Reese's PB Crunch and Lucky Charms. What? It's almost shopping day. I'm running low on food!

4. School supplies. I finished my MA a year ago this past June. So it's been just about exactly two years since I last confronted the first day of a new school year. And really, what traditional school supplies do you need for grad school? I got by with a pen and a notebook for jotting stuff down. A laptop and a stack of pretentious books are the real tools of a grad student. But still, every year around this time, I find myself stocking up. Most importantly, there's the notebooks and composition books. I do use these for some of my writings, though I buy way more than I can ever fill. But when single subject notebooks are on sale for 5/$1 or--even better--10/$1, how can you not buy 30? It's $3, people! 3/$1 composition notebooks: sign me up for 6!

Pencil boxes can be used to organize all sorts of things, especially when they go on for a quarter each. I have a gorgeous set of 30 fine-tip markers that I have never used once. I love blue ink pens, and my habit of losing them means I'll need a fresh supply of 25 or so every fall. That allows me to lose one every two weeks. Colored pens are also nice to have, if they can be gotten for the right price (and in August/September, they always can). And I'll also need some three-ring binders and file folders, just in case this is the year I finally organize my paper once and for all.

5. Target. Mostly because it enables my addiction to all of the aforementioned.