and so, it is october.

i voted in the first election for which i was eligible and have voted in every election, in every primary, and on every referendum since. in america, we get to have a say in what goes on, and i take that seriously. i would estimate that i spend an above-average amount of time researching candidates and investigating topics, but that's only because most people spend no time at all. i do read newspapers, both actual paper and online, and i consume both television and radio newscasts.

it's not only politics and current events that i process. sports, health, lifestyles, culture, technology, food, science, fashion, nature, philosophy, art, entertainment, et cetera and so on and so forth - it's all there. i research some through personal experience, some vicariously. i wouldn't characterize myself as a spontaneous storyteller, but if you ask, i will tell you something relevant about most anything.

i harvest content, grind it in the mill of my mind, mix it with other content from the pantry shelves of my intellect, bake it in my thoughtfulness, and produce a loaf of opinion. that loaf contains whole grains and refined sugars, sweet spots and sourdough. some of the lumps are weighty chunks of fruit, some are simply nutty. but it is my loaf, and i will slice it and offer you a piece to share. so bring your loaf, and join me at table. slice your loaf and offer me a piece to share, and we will spread the slices with the sweet compote of friendship... or perhaps the adquate butter of mutual toleration... and we will each consume the opinion of the other, take sustanance from it, and grow stronger.