Here’s why, from the comments below:

are others of you living in the so-called battleground states being inundated with recorded phone messages about the candidates? so far i’ve had “calls” from tommy thompson, ann richards, fred thompson and a host of others. today was the capper, though, when i picked up the phone and heard: “hello, this is laura bush.” i retorted, “bite me, laura,” and hung up. it was deeply satisfying.

I know what you mean. Those calls generally arrive on Election Day here.

Oh, lord, I knew this would happen. I have a busy week in front of me, and Kate just threw up. Fortunately, she has a stay-at-home dad to nurse her, but he can’t make her Halloween costume or write the memo and essay I have due at week’s end. Here’s hoping this will blow over quickly, and spare me in the bargain.

Better get to work on this stuff now, then. No time like the present…

…for bllllloggging!

As the person who sent this to me wrote, “No partisan gag is too stupid, as long as it mocks the same folks you mock.” Presenting: The Lie Girls. Moderately unsafe for work, but amusing.

That’s the new rule for the week: If it’s partisan politics, it has to be funny.

UPDATE: The bug flew in and out the window quickly — I think we’re calling it the After-School Virus. After a second heave and two glasses of 7-Up, Kate seems to be good as new. Ah, the mysterious healing abilities of youth. I don’t get over hangovers that fast.

What a day it was to be off: The temperature reached 70, the fall color was blazing, and my neighbors all seemed to have the day off, too, so we could gather in the street and pickalittle talkalittle about the big bust down the street yesterday. Six cop cars and a sniffer dog descended upon a house in the next block, which we’ve suspected of housing un-neighborly activity, which may or may not include a) drugs; and b) trick-turning.

(“The girl down there looks like she’s had a …real hard life.” — one of my neighbors. “Whatever the price of admission is, it must include take-out food.” — Alan, noting that the visitors tend to be middle-aged men bearing clamshell styrofoam boxes.)

When Laura Lippman visited last summer, her first observation was about how lovely our neighborhood was. And yet…it harbors vice and sin! They should make a weekly TV show about us. “Fort Wayne Vice.”