Halloween Hoopla

Despite what stores would have you think, it's not Christmas yet...it's almost Halloween! Here are some of my suggestions for a good time.

Watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" on Thursday, October 28 at 8pm/7pm Central. This is my second favorite Charlie Brown special (if you don't know my favorite already, click here).

If you're looking for some Halloween reading, I recommend checking out Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The Dude and I checked out the audiobook for a recent road trip and we both really enjoyed it. I never thought I'd be discussing Jane Austen's romantic triangles in the same conversation as learning about the differences between single bladed and double bladed swords but there's a first time for everything!

Last but not least there's the easiest, oldest, and best way to celebrate Halloween: buy too much candy and enjoy the "leftovers" when all the trick or treaters are gone! (or sooner, if you can't take the temptation)

Who's got fun Halloween plans this year?

Get Out the Vote!

As you've probably noticed from ads and street signs, it's election season. Everyone has something they want to change or improve in their local or national government and this is the most important way to be heard, so get out there and vote! It's one of your greatest rights and privileges.

Here in Texas we have the option of early voting, which makes the process a lot more convenient. Harris County readers can find early voting locations here: Harris County Early Voting

In Harris County you can generate a sample ballot here and get non-biased candidate information in the League of Women Voters Guide.

If you live elsewhere, a simple Google search should be all it takes to find all the information you need. Now get out and vote!

Smell Like A...Monster?

I loved the Old Spice commercials that came out a few months ago but I adore Sesame Street's take on the ad campaign. Looking good, Grover!

A Different Point of View

I saw this picture on a couple different websites today. No matter how many times I see it, I need a second look to figure out what's going on.

As cool as it would be if these were books under plexiglass, they are actually repeating tiles made from pictures of the shelves of a local bookstore. I'd love to stop by here the next time I'm in NYC!

Forgiveness and Football

Today Donovan McNabb and the Redskins (it sounds weird to even say that) return to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. The Eagles are led not by young QB Kevin Kolb but by Michael Vick, who has been playing incredible football in the last few weeks. Sounds great, right? Except I still haven't figured out what I think about Vick.

When he was convicted of running a dog fighting ring I felt it was unforgivable and that I could never respect him again as a person, let alone root for him in football. But now I have been wondering whether I'm being too harsh. I am a strong believer that our justice system should not only focus on punishment but also rehabilitation. Outwardly, Vick seems to have rehabilitated and be truly sorry for his actions. But how do I know whether that's true? I don't think I ever will.

The Sports Guy wrote a great article about this very topic; his wife still hates Vick but he disagrees. I think this is a really polarizing subject because it gets to the heart of a crisis in this country as more and more people are incarcerated.

What do you think? Do I trust Vick's current actions and wholeheartedly root for him? Or does someone who treats animals so badly never deserve success?