I’m fully aware – now – that there are twenty selections this week. My mind wandered a bit as I was generating the list, and I didn’t notice until I hit eighteen (the number, not the Alice Cooper song, which, as far as I know, I don’t have a copy of). I figured since I missed last week, and I’d a pretty good list past eleven (it’s “one louder”, after all), I’d just round up:

1. “Runaway” – Bon Jovi
2. “Brain on Ska” – Mustard Plug
3. “Stay” – Alison Krauss
4. “Train” – The Clarks
5. “Baby Please Don’t Go” – Frank Zappa
6. “This Mountain” – Kasy Chambers
7. “Long Way Back Home” – Barenaked Ladies
8. “Sin City” – Steve Earle
9. “Roger & Out” – Neil Young
10. “Sunrise” – Pulp
11. “Mexico” – The Refreshments
12. “Motivation” – Sum 41
13. “Satisfied” – Robert Reilly
14. “Counting Blue Cars” – Dishwalla
15. “To Love Somebody” – Blue Rodeo
16. “Train” – 4 Non Blondes
17. “Sign of the Cross” – Iron Maiden
18. “Barracuda” – Tenacious D
19. “I Want (live)” – Dana Manning
20. “Move Over” – Spice Girls

In any case, that’s my list, and pretty much it for this post; I’ve a bunch of half-formed ideas to write about rattling around, on such diverse topics as fear in American society, how Twin Peaks is even better the second time around twenty years later, and why, even though it’s right there in the pages of Marvel Comics, Spider-Man would never make a deal with the devil (honestly, he did), even if it meant saving the life of someone close to him; but I’m not quite there on any of them, and I’ll have plenty of time next week in the evenings from the hotel.

 Yep, the road trips start up again next week.  Not sure how I feel about that. 

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I guess I ought to say something about Iowa…On the Democratic side, I was kind of happy to see Obama take it, although I’d honestly be happy with any of the top three; I don’t actively dislike any of the candidates, but can’t get particularly excited about any one over the others; and each would probably do about as well as the others would.  In any case, it’s exciting that the larger field includes a mixed-race guy, a hispanic, and a woman (and a couple of them even have a shot at winning); it’s nice to see some contrast in the usual parade of old white guys.

The Republicans, although I won’t vote for any of them, have a more interesting race. With Holy Roller Huckabee winning Iowa, it’ll be fun watching the corporate/establishment party majority break him down so they can make sure one of theirs gets the nomination. It’s always that way; they want the Jesus-y voters, but not the Jesus-y candidate; President Bush, for all the God-talk, is actually just a corporate tool who can (usually) read all the right fundamentalist dog-whistle code words into the mic. My completely unscientific prediction? Romney and Huck are going to tear each other to bits, and McCain will rise, not because he’s particularly compelling, but because he’s paid his dues with the party and, as there are no obvious puppets present this time, it’s just his turn. He then gets trounced in the general.

Barack and Roll!