Obama Primary Voting

Barack's going to get the Democratic nod, I think. He's statistically tied with Hillary in Iowa and trending strongly upward there, whereas Edwards and Clinton both have been stagnant in the polls for quite some time. Obama's supporters are more likely to caucus than those of the other candidates, as well.

Then, you turn to New Hampshire and see the same thing occurring in the Granite State, with Obama starting to trend strongly upwards there, as well. Judging by the Pollster data alone, it appears that his support stems directly from Clinton dissidents (and Gore supporters, many of whom I assume initially supported Hillary):

The GOP version of Barack is, of course, Huckabee, who is going to lock up the GOP nomination fairly soon. His polling patterns directly duplicate Obama's, except those patterns are even more dramatic in the case of the former Arkansas governor.

The race then turns to Huckabee v. Obama; Obama carries (and strongly) the female vote, along with the typical Democratic states, and he makes substantial inroads into the swing states. Regarding voting demographics: I'm guessing he'll carry everything up to and including 40 and 50 year olds. The under 30 crowd is going to be a complete wash for him, and I think that group will be fairly mobilized. Obama's going to be declared President in 2008, barring any catastrophic revelations. I'm now on the record, let's see if I call it as accurately as the 2004 election.

It Must Be Finals Time

I heard a "THUMP" while studying for finals last evening at the Wells Library. I looked to my right and saw the following:

It's a little blurry because I took the picture with the iSight camera on my MacBook Pro and was in the process of turning the computer when the camera snapped. The young lady stayed in this position for about six or seven minutes.

Night Shifts and Cancer

I'm listening to NPR right now. They're interviewing an AP writer about a recent report that ties night shifts to an increased risk of cancer.

The interviewer just asked the AP writer something along the lines of: "Do you think this report will have a large impact in the business world, or do you think it will be largely ignored?"

AP writer: "I think it will have a huge impact on the business community."

My response? Righhhhhhhtttt. This report's not going to have a significant impact at all, unless the government steps in.

Reined In

(Photo - MATT DETRICH / The Star)

Pretty good weekend for football.

Colts lose to Pats - the arrogant Colts fans on campus have to realize they can't run their mouths 24/7.
Adrian Peterson throws down a monster game - Billy, you guys have something special up north.
The Pack wins - hey the Bears had a bye, I had to cheer for my number 2 team.
IU gets 6 - we'll need one more to truly be bowl eligible, but hopefully that will come against Northwestern this weekend, and/or Purdue after that (I'll be there).
Drew Brees continued to redeem himself after a terrible start this season - my fantasy team is finally reaching its potential.
Notre Dame loses to the Navy Midshipmen - probably my favorite aspect of this weekend. The talking point among the Irish fans has been the poor quality recruits that Ty Willingham had and that Charlie Weis has inherited. Well guess what? No matter how poor those recruits were, they were better than Navy's. The Irish were out-coached.

Space

The Guardian just released a report covering the work spaces and studies of various writers. After passing over most of the pictures, I think David Lodge (top) and Mark Haddon possess the rooms that I would be most inclined to include in my own home:




Haddon's room strikes me as being incredibly personable: the wood floor, the doors at the end of the room, the art, the odd light fixture. His chair is also intriguing. My only concern is it seems to be a very warm feeling space, and I would most likely have difficulties remaining awake while burning the midnight oils. It also strikes me as being somewhat dim. I'd pop a few lights in there, brighten it up. That would help with the whole issue of warmth, as well. But I find the prospect of walking out those doors and finding a garden of some sort is incredibly tempting.

Lodge's space is all about business, and I despise the floor. Other than that, though, it seems incredibly well-suited to churning out pages upon pages of essays, or perhaps opening up the Biochem book. I love the windows and the overhead adjustable lights. The bookcase being situated behind the desk is also a nice touch - it opens up the space a bit. If it were my space, I'd ditch the telephone.

I'll post a picture of my own space some time soon, perhaps a 'before' and 'after' cleaning picture, as well. Obviously, it doesn't even approach the level of these spaces, but I suppose that's part of the dreams we possess as students.

Because Fall is Here

"I lie in thick grasses covered with sun and listen to the music made there."
-Janisse Ray, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

(Photo from Luzern, Switzerland)

Interviews, etc.

I never seem to blog.

Interviews for medical school have been going well - visiting the various schools and programs is enjoyable. Seeing various parts of the country that I've never been to before has also been a treat. It's also interesting to notice the different types of students the various schools attract. My method, though, has been to schedule one interview per week, on a Wednesday. Last week I had a visit scheduled on Tuesday, followed by another trip on Wednesday. Five flights in three days, followed by English papers on Thursday and a Biochemistry exam on Friday. It's tiring, but enjoyable.

Fall seems to be knocking on the door, as well - I can't wait for the trees to change in Bloomington.

The following photo is from a trip Britt and I took to McCormick's Creek toward the end of summer.