7 Things to Do Instead of Shopping on Black Friday

Traveling this weekend?

Thanksgiving Weekend is probably one of the most nightmarish times to have to travel.  You really don't have a lot of time to get where you have to go and throngs of people are all seemingly trying to get to the same place that you are (at the same time).

Then, once you get there, you may or may not find yourself with some significant downtime.  Plus, the last thing that I want to do on Black Friday is brave more crowds to buy more crap.  So, here are 7 things to do instead of shopping on Black Friday...

#7 - Play Basketball

• Your dad is desperate to get a game in with all the brothers and brothers-in-law.  When you show up try not be intimidated by the fact that, at 6'3" tall, you are the shortest person on the court.  Make sure to get your sister's 6'8", 270 pound, ex-college basketball player boyfriend on your team--it's really going to improve your chances of winning.  When you score on a nice move to the hole, be sure to throw that same sister a bone and point to her since she's the only one cheering and you want to stay on her good side!  Be glad that, even though you are nearly the oldest person on the court, you can still run up and down the court (and make a shot or three)!

#6 - Read

• Pull out that novel you bought at Costco six months ago.  Notice for the first time that this book wasn't written by "Dan" Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code)--it was written by "Dale" Brown.  Realize that though you really don't get the premise of the novel, you need to do something to keep your mind occupied.  Plow through its 400+ crappy pages in a single day and pray you can find a recycling bin somewhere once you're done since you're fairly certain that no one you know is going to want to read that book.  Regret that you didn't get someone you know to give you a recommendation for a decent book for this trip.  Accept that you are likely going to end up breaking your Black Friday resolution (see below...)

#5 - Wander Around Walmart

• You came here to get a prescription filled, but first the pharmacist is "out to lunch" and then--once they get back--they have trouble tracking down the correct DEA control number for your doctor.  Too bad your doctor is on a plane and won't be around for 3 hours or so.  Pass the time by wandering the aisles and making fun of everyone shopping Walmart for "door-buster" deals.  Feel very proud of your resolution to NOT spend any money on Black Friday, until you look down and see yourself holding a book in your hand that you suddenly NEED to buy (because the one you finished earlier was that bad!).  Rationalize your purchase by telling yourself that at least it's not a gift for someone else!  Because, under the fine print of your resolution, it's okay to shop for yourself, just not for anyone else...yeah, somehow that doesn't sound right.  :-/

Blown Away...apparently there's not enough wind in Oklahoma.

#4 - Listen to the Radio

• You don't know a single station, but the radio is randomly set to a country station.  Marvel at why you've never heard some of these songs back home.  They're really pretty good.  Remind yourself to look into getting XM radio when you get back home.

#3 - Sleep

• You are on vacation, so this is probably a good time to catch up on your ZZZZs.  It makes no sense to try and rush out in the middle of the night as well to get trampled by your fellow looters deal seekers. 
• But, I digress...back to the sleeping arrangements.  Too bad your sister just moved into her beautiful new house, so no extra guest beds.  Be glad you had the foresight to bring a camping pad, a pillow, and plenty of blankets.  At least there's lots of space on the floor in the guest bedroom to spread out!

#2 - Be of Service

• When you walk in the door and your sister asks where you've been because she needed you to pick something up from her house, offer to run and pick it up anyway.  You don't have anything else really going on anyway.  Pray that you can find the right Tupperware container of caramel in her fridge.  You're not really sure what it is or what she's using it for, but based on her performance in cooking dishes for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, you know she's on a roll.  You do not want to derail that train.
• UPDATE:  Turns out that caramel was for some pumpkin cheesecake that your sister made while trying out a new recipe.  It tastes as good as it looks!  Thanks Ray Ray!  :-)

#1 - Be Grateful

• It is Thanksgiving Weekend after all and you didn't have to go out shopping all day with your mom, your wife, and/or your sister on Black Friday.  They will be fighting the crowds all day and when they roll in and show you what they bought, you still won't be sure what it is or why they (or you) need it.  

Dia De Accion de Gracias

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving Dinner

Today is Thanksgiving.  I think that expressing our gratitude helps us realize how many blessings we really have.  Here are a few of the things that I have been grateful for today (in no particular order):

• My sisters for their hospitality and opening up their homes to us so that we could gather as a family.
• My mom and everyone else who helped prepare our Thankgiving Dinner
• Whoever made the candied yams for dinner
• Being able to go running today--despite the nearly freezing temperatures
• My dad for taking care of us--I will miss him while he's on his mission
• My brothers for traveling to be able to
• My job--there's a lot of people that would love to have one
• My family

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ax Men

Do you remember that chainsaw that my dad was fixing with my kids?  Well, he finished and ever since he has been itching to put it through its paces.  He found a couple of trees that fell over in a recent storm and got permission to cut them up.  He wanted me to bring the boys down so that they could help on a mini-logging expedition.

Rip Van Winkle

Unfortunately, the boys are out of town, but since I couldn't go with them, I had a little time on my hands. I really think that my dad was looking at this as his birthday present to himself.  He was so excited for this.  I had to run home for a bit this morning and he actually called me twice to see where I was because he couldn't wait to get started.

We loaded up his truck with both chainsaws and headed for the trees. Fortunately, it wasn't that far away.  We got there and went to investigate.  There were about 3 eucalyptus trees that had fallen over.  The biggest surprise was finding some dude asleep in the bushes.

I'm glad that he woke up as we walked up the hill because he would have woken up for sure once we fired up the chainsaws!

Working with the chain saws was actually fun.  I'm proud to report that the chainsaw my dad fixed (I certainly can't take any credit for it!) worked just fine.  When it ran out of gas, we switched to the new chainsaw.  That chainsaw was bigger, heavier, and had more power.  It went through those trees like a hot knife through butter!

The tricky part was the footing.  We were cutting on a steep slope and the ground underneath was slippery from  the accumulated leaves and undergrowth.  Fortunately, we managed to cut up the trees without losing any fingers or toes!

Always wear ear and eye protection with power tools!

Timber!

Just to prove I actually did some of the work!

Probably the most fun was being able to chuck the logs down the hill.  It felt a little bit like bowling!  The worst part was stacking them in the truck.  It was a pretty strenuous workout!  And it only proved the old adage: "When you cut your own wood, it warms you twice."

Before

After  :-)

All done and ready to roll!

My Dad, My Hero

My Dad and My Sister at Her Wedding

My dad celebrated a birthday recently.  He is a great man--truly a gentleman and a scholar.  He is also a giant of a man, both physically and spiritually, so I have always looked up to him.  I consider myself a really good gifter, but he's always really hard to shop for.  What do you get for the man that has everything and is so generous with others?

Here are the Top 10 Things that I love about my dad:

#10 - He is incredibly smart.  He majored in chemistry and then went to law school where he graduated #1 in his class.  What's the connection between law school and chemistry?  There is none really.  It's just that he loves learning and was so smart that he was able to master both subjects.

#9 - He is generous.  My dad is always asking what he can do to help us.  I know he does that a lot for other people too.  And I'm sure that there are many people that my dad has helped that no one knows about.  As a kid, I remember my dad helping people with legal problems or issues without asking for any money.

#8 - He is a patriarch.  Literally, figuratively, and spiritually, my dad is a patriarch of our family.  I am grateful for the blessing of comfort, of health, and of guidance that he has given me and others in our family.

#7 - He is a lawyer.  As a kid, I saw my dad preparing for trial by spreading documents out across the dining room table.  I knew that he loved the intellectual challenge of learning about his clients and preparing for trial.  It made me want to be a lawyer as well.  I always imagined being able to practice law with my dad.  One of the highlights of my legal career was being able to try a case with him several years ago.  It was a wrongful death case and the jury came back with a $2.1 million verdict in favor of our client.  I will always remember doing that case with my dad.

Post-Trial Celebration Pic

#6 - He is a missionary.  My dad served a mission as a young man in South America.  He learned Spanish and was blessed immensely for his service.  Then he and my family went on another mission while I was in college.  He had to shut down his entire law practice to go--knowing that he would have to come back and start over from scratch.  He didn't care, he did it any way.  My mom and he were recently called to serve another mission--to a country in South America.  He will do a great job and the missionaries he works with are lucky to be able to serve with him and my mom.

#5 - He can fix anything.  As a kid, my dad's dad fixed everything.  My dad has the same attitude.  I have helped him change the oil in our cars, fix washing machines, do brake jobs, fix chainsaws, cut firewood, fix broken water pipes, prune trees, and install sprinkler systems.  Please note that I've never watched my dad paint or helped him paint.  He hates painting!  Nevertheless, I firmly believe that given the right tools, my dad could fix anything!

#4 - He is an athlete.  He loves and plays pretty much any sport and he has always supported his kids in playing soccer, baseball, volleyball, football, basketball, and swimming.  When he was in the military, he won trophies in diving competitions and went spear fishing in the Panama Canal.  He loves bodysurfing the waves at the beach.  When he turned 50, he decided to do a "Tin Man" Triathlon (Olympic Distance).  But he wanted to do it on his birthday, so he went to the YMCA, swam a mile in the pool, then figured out a route that would be 25 miles and end at our house, where he finished by running a 10k.  He did it by himself all on his own, and he did it for himself.  I didn't really even know about it until he finished.  I don't think he trained for it.  I think that I decided that someday I was going to do a triathlon myself the day he finished his Tin Man at age 50.

#3 - He is a basketball player.  He tried out for the BYU basketball team as a freshman at BYU (back in the day when freshman couldn't play varsity).   In high school, his church team went to Salt Lake City from Washington D.C. to play in the finals of the All-Church Tournament (this was back when Church Basketball was a big deal--not a joke).  In college, he was named MVP of the All-Church Tournament.  His trophy that he won for that has always amazed me.  I'd like to think that I was as good of a player as he was, but that may well be doubtful.  ;-)

#2 - He is tall.  At 6'5", he towers over most people.  I probably owe my height to him, even though I'll always be looking up to him--both figuratively and literally

#1 - He is humble.  He is probably going to ask me to take this down as soon as he sees it!  Enjoy it while you can!

Happy Birthday Dad!  I love you!

Running in the Rain

Night fell, bringing rain;

Yet I ran--the droplets on

My face gave me chills.

O Tannenbaum!

Our Christmas tree is up decorated (finally?...but did it every really come down?) as of a few nights ago.   I think that it looks especially pretty at night.  I wish I could take some credit for it, but it was all J.  J., thanks for keeping the house decorated and looking good!

Is anyone else getting out the Christmas decorations yet?

My So Called Life....

Despite my spate of recent posts, I am sometimes reluctant to blog because I'm not sure that I have anything that is particularly "blog-worthy."  When I read other people's blogs sometimes, it can be overwhelming when to see how funny, entertaining, and/or talented the bloggers are or how exciting their lives may be.

I think sometimes, however, we can be blinded by how mundane our routine tasks can be that we don't realize that we can still be uncommon despite the fact that we are performing common, routine tasks.

In addition, given that it's November, I've been thinking a little bit about gratitude.  So with that in mind, here are five mundane, common place things from "My So-Called Life" that I've been up to in the past week and that I'm grateful for:

#5 - Went To Church

We were recently released from our service in the Spanish Ward after several years.  Truth be told, I miss it.  Not necessarily the calling I had, but I miss the people.  Now that we are back in our "home" ward, I feel like I don't know a soul and I'm starting over.  It is very surreal.

Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to go to church and for our friends  and neighbors who have been anxious to get us back (at least that's what they tell us!).  ;-)

#4 - Did Stuff With My Kids

I've been frantically working with R. trying to finish up the requirements for his Webelos Arrow of Light.  Poor S. keeps asking me when we are going to work on his Cub Scout stuff!  I told him that we still have months to his birthday so we're good.  R. has only another few days to finish up his last two requirements!  We are in triage mode here people!

As soon as R. finishes those requirements, we can spend lots of time teaching S. how to do really important Cub Scout stuff like a front somersault and how to properly tie his neckerchief!

I've also been spending some quality time with M.  We have a standing date pretty much every night.  Here's how it works.  He starts crying.  I go get him and feed him his bottle.  Then I change his diaper so it doesn't explode in the middle of the night.  M. cries because he hates his diaper getting changed.  However, once it's done he calms down and I put him back in his crib.  He goes to sleep. I pass out, but I am grateful for my kids.  They really are a true blessing.

#3 - Laundry

Is there anything more glamorous than doing laundry?  It reminds me of that quote from Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase ("Clark Griswold") gets his Christmas bonus--a membership to the "Jelly-of-the-Month" Club.  To say that Chevy Chase was disappointed would be an understatement.  As Chevy prepares to go ballistic,  Randy Quaid ("Uncle Eddie") leans over and tells Chevy Chase: "Aww Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year round!"

Laundry is kinda like the gift that keeps on giving the whole year round.  Just as soon as you finish one load, there are more dirty clothes!  I got all my laundry done yesterday, including folding it and putting it away.  I know, I know, it's a miracle!

Exhausting and unending as it may be, I'm grateful for a nice washer and dryer that make the laundry process as painless as possible.

#2 - Worked Out

I went running at least once this week!  It wasn't very far, but I kept up a decent pace and I wasn't too sore the next day!  Ever since the Pumpkinman, my race calendar for the year is pretty much done, so it's been tough to go motivated to go running--especially late at night when I usually have time to do it.  If I don't keep up though, I am going to look (and feel) like Homer Simpson at my next race!

Still, I am grateful for a body that allows me to do fun things like triathlons, races, play basketball with my brother (we played together in the championship game tonight and S. had 6 three-pointers, including 4 in the first half!), and keep up with my kids--even though I'm getting old and slow with every passing minute!

#1 - Got a Haircut

My haircut wasn't quite this short!  ;-)

Yes, this is incredibly mundane, but it can be a bit stressful.  I've never been able to quite find a barber/salon that I like in the city where I live, so I often find myself driving for what seems like hours to get a haircut at the salon in the town where we used to live.

Sadly, I feel like I've had some bad haircuts and it's not that fun.  I have blogging friends who have tried Groupons for haircuts and had bad experiences.  Mine weren't that bad, but I always worry that that's going to be the worst case scenario.

Frankly, I'm not sure what's harder...trying to find a decent salon or actually getting a haircut that J. thinks looks good.  The last time I got a haircut, she didn't even think that I'd gotten one!  Apparently, this one didn't make the grade either.  ;-)  Oh well, everyone's a critic!

I guess I'm just grateful that I still have enough hair to need a haircut at my age.  I can't say that for all of my friends or high school buddies!

My haircut

What mundane things are you grateful for?

Freedom Is Never Free -- Veterans Day 2012

The Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. is my personal favorite on the National Mall.

Today is Veteran's Day.  I'm ashamed to admit that I almost forgot.  Veteran's Day was originally called Armistice Day, which commemorated the cease fire that took place on 11-11-1919 at 11:00 a.m.

We are not the only country which honors those who have served--both living and dead.  In England, they commemorate the holiday having two minutes of silence at 11 a.m.  The first is to honor the soldiers who have fallen.  The second is to honor those who were left behind, including wives and families.

I never had to serve in the military.  But I have a father who did and both of my grandfathers served in World War II.  My Grandpa Hancock was a young sailor onboard an aircraft carrier in the Battle of Midway.  His ship was sunk by a kamikaze plane and he went overboard along with many of his friends and fellow crewmates.  While he waited to be rescued, he left the safety of his raft to rescue his fellow shipmates.  (See my blog post about that here.)

Grandpa Hancock never talked about that experience--at least with me.  To me that makes him even more of a hero.  He served and did his duty with a quiet duty, but didn't seek recognition or fame for his actions.  He was not alone among his fellow servicemen who served with the same selfless attitude.  There is a reason our grandparents are called "The Greatest Generation."

Green Jello

My other grandpa served in the Antarctic and Arctic regions before and during World War II.  His service came at a high personal cost.  It was cold and lonely.  They must have spent one winter eating nothing but green jello for dessert every meal because he had an otherwise inexplicable hatred for the stuff!  (And that's saying something about a man who was constantly trying to get me to eat Limburger cheese and telling me not to be "provincial" about what I eat.  There were other costs too.  Things he never told us about, but that I have come to understand as I've grown older.

His service, however, blessed both him and his posterity.  The things he brought back from his service were (and remain) things of wonder to me as a child: polar bear skin rugs; a stuffed penguin; a narwhal tusk; fur lined jackets (sorry PETA!); musk oxen horns.  I still love going to visit his house to this day and I am always excited to see what forgotten treasure I might find tucked into the corner of a long-forgotten closet.

So today I will remember and be thankful for my grandparents, my dad, and for the rest of our military (past and present) for their service and their sacrifice.

Happy Veterans Day!

Wreck It Ralph

Wreck It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz

We did birthday festivities for R. pretty much all day today.  By the time that I had dropped off his friends at their house, I was ready for a break--even though his friends were great kids.

The highlight of the day was going to see "Wreck it Ralph".  I had E. there (4 years old), S. (8 years old), and a bunch of 10-11 year old boys.  All of them seemed to love the movie.  I got them some popcorn and never really heard from them for the rest of the show.

I had a quick moment where I dozed off for a second there in the movie, but by the time the first third was over, I had gotten into it quite a bit more.  Visually, the movie was great, and the storyline was interesting and fun.  At the beginning, Ralph seems kind of like an oafish brute, but he quickly becomes a very lovable and enduring protagonist.

I kind of really liked his recognition that he was good at breaking things.  I'm sure lots of kids will empathize with Ralph in part.  I just hope that my kids don't try too hard to copy him!

I'd say R. had fun at Golden Spoon

After the movie, I took the boys for fro-yo at Golden Spoon.  I can't really remember the last time I ever went to a Golden Spoon, but it was R.'s specific request.  I had the pumpkin pie flavored fro-yo, it was pretty good, but I should have had them combine a couple of flavors (cake batter perhaps?).

The boys had a lot of fun talking and doing boy stuff.  I'm not really sure what they were talking about, but everyone was laughing and clapping.  In what may have been my best parenting move of the day, I just tried to stay out of the way.

There was one other episode today that is worth mentioning because it was one of those little parenting moments.  Earlier in the day, I was busy doing some stuff in my room and realized that S. and R. were playing together in there as well.

Gratuitous shot from Golden Spoon

Someone must have told S. that it was R.'s birthday, because S. decided to give R. a massage.  I thought that was a really cute gesture on his part.  And I've been working with the boys a lot lately at trying to work on being best friends/brothers rather than arguing or fighting with each other.  Seeing S. do that all on his own made me think that maybe some of this parenting stuff is working!  :-)

S. pampers R. on his birthday

I had to run an errand later in the afternoon, but I brought home pizza--another birthday request from R  We ended the day by watching part of the BYU game together before everyone (but me) crashed.

Happy Bday, R!  I hope you had a great day!

Happy B-day R.!

You were not quite 3 on this trip to Sea World

Dear R.--

Happy Birthday!  I can't believe that you are 11 years old--to the minute!  I still remember going to the hospital and the second that you were born.  We were so happy to welcome you to our family and you have brought us much happiness since then.  I still remember holding your little hand as the nurses worked on you to get you breathing seconds after you were born.

As a brand new dad, I was trying to calm you to stop you from crying, but the nurses (who were a lot smarter than me) told me that it was great that you were crying so that you could exercise your little lungs.  

You before you left the hospital

I really do appreciate your love of learning.  It has been so fun to spend some extra time with you these past couple of weeks.  You blow me away with your thirst for knowledge and the way that your little brain has an almost unlimited ability to absorb information.  Like last Saturday, how we had that in depth conversation about black holes.

You are so talented and you have such a good heart.  I love that you also love music.  A talent that you must have gotten from your mom, since we don't have to remind you to practice the piano or the saxophone.  My mom would always have to remind me to go practice and I never did.  I love that you are so excited to play that you will do it on your own.

I also love your enthusiasm for new things and for life in general.  I hope that you never lose that.  It will serve you well in life.  That enthusiasm will lift the spirits of those around you and help them to feel happy as well.  I love that picture at the top because I can see the enthusiasm and happiness in your face as you reach out to pet that dolphin.  I had that picture on my desk in my office every day for years until I began to worry that it was fading to much, so now I keep it in my desk drawer.

I love that you love basketball

I also love that you love basketball.  I remember hearing you tell someone that basketball was your "natural sport."  It was so cute and I have had a lot of fun being able to coach you in different seasons and shoot hoops with you.  I look forward to being able to do that with you for many years to come!

Thanks as well for being such a good big brother and example to your younger brothers and your sister.  You are so gentle and tender with them.  That is because you have a good heart and a capacity to love others. That is a wonderful blessing that you have been given from Heavenly Father, so I hope that you always appreciate.

I know you are excited for today.  But even more important than your birthday is always trying to be the best person that you can be and to be kind to other people.  And always remember that we love you every day--not just on your birthday!

Love,

Dad

Lunch in Laguna

The View From Our Table

I got a chance to go to lunch today with a colleague and friend from my time back in Washington D.C.  My friend is now the President and CEO of an international company and it was great to reminisce about our old firm and our old colleagues.

Ahi Burger

The lunch got off to a rocky start when the restaurant that had been recommended to me turned out to be closed for the Fall season for lunch!  Luckily, we were able to re-group and we picked a place across the street that was right on the beach (and had no wait).

I had the Ahi Burger with Parmesan-Herb Fries and it was really good.  We also had an appetizer of Coconut Shrimp that was pretty good too.  The restaurant was literally right on the beach and the ocean in Laguna Beach and the view from our table was outstanding.

I wish I could say the same for the service.  It seemed like it took the server forever to keep our water glasses filled. It was too bad really because the service was the only negative about the lunch.

After lunch, I snuck down to check out the beach and saw our server taking a smoke break on the side of the restaurant.  Maybe that's why it took so long to get our food to us!

It's hard to believe that it's November, but I still get to live and work in such a beautiful corner of the globe!  Happy Friday!

PS--This was what my sister woke up to this morning outside her front porch!  She texted me to say that she needed someone to go to the beach for her.  You're welcome sis!  :-)

Winter Wipeout!

Hapari is having an End of Season Sale -- 75% Off!

Hapari Compression Shorts

I know it's November and the last thing that anyone wants to think about is going to the beach or the pool, but I got an email today from Hapari about a big sale that they're doing.  75% off any of their products!

You may remember Hapari and how I blogged about their awesome customer service when we went to Hawaii earlier this year.  (See my blog post here.)

Yes, they do have stuff for guys:

Hapari Board Shorts

Anyway, with the 75% off, their compression shorts (normally $23) are $5.75.  Their board shorts (normally $19) are $4.75.  (Use the code: FALL75)  The sale goes through November 15th.

And yes, Elizabeth, they do have an Australian web site!  I don't know if that stuff is on sale or not though!

Happy shopping!

On Volunteering

Ironman Florida Finisher Medal

I've blogged about how I've been inspired by the volunteers who help at the races that I do.  We really couldn't have the experience that we do--or even do the race--without those volunteers.  They are great and one of the reason that I love doing these Ironman races is because the volunteers make me feel like a rock star!

I came across this video the other day on the Facebook page for Ironman Florida.  I thought it was an amazing, inspirational video and I wanted to share it (partly because I can use some good news following last night's debacle!):

After watching this, I decided that I need to do something to give back.  It's a little early for a New Year's Resolution, but that's okay.  I want to find a race or event next years where I can be a volunteer and cheer on the participants.  Anyone have any suggestions?

I Was Wrong

I love these De-Motivational Posters

My prediction didn't turn out and I'm not going to lie...it's been a sad 24 hours since the election returns started going South.  I still appreciate Mitt Romney for his gracious concession speech.  And I appreciate President Obama for his kind words about Mitt Romney and the Romney family

As a nation, we face some very urgent problems.  Let's hope that together we can figure out a way to solve them in a way that ensures peace, prosperity, and happiness for all.

Mitt Romney and His Family Following His Concession Speech Last Night

I'm Calling My Shot...

1932 World Series: Babe Ruth Calls His Shot

Today is Election Day!  Yay!  I'm glad that I already voted.  The big race is not the race for the Southern Orange County Community College District--it's the Presidential Race obviously.

The polls are all over the map.  No one seems to be able to say with certainty what is going to happen.  But I'm going to go ahead and call my shot--just like The Babe!

I think that Mitt Romney is going to be elected as our 45th President.  I know that the Electoral College math looks tough for him and I agree that it is a big hurdle.  But here is why I think Willard Mitt Romney will win.  (And I say this perhaps more with my gut than anything else, but wasn't it President Obama that proved to us that HOPE was a great campaign strategy?

Hoping for Change

• The polls are all over the map, but it seems like all of the turnout models assume that Democrats will turn out in the same or greater numbers than they did in 2008.  I think that's a bit optimistic.  
• The ABC/Washington Post poll had Obama up by 3 today, but it also oversampled Democrats by +6 (35% Dems to 29% Republicans). 
• CNN went one better.  Their final poll had the race 49% to 49%. But, their sample was overweighted to Democrats by +11!  Wow!  In 2008, the Democrat turnout percentage was only +6, I believe.  I don't think anyone thinks that they will turnout as well this election (even the Democrats).
• It seems like Romney has had the more positive message lately.  President Obama told us over the weekend that "voting is the best revenge."  Romney asked us to "vote for love of country."  Which message do you think is more inspirational.  (And what are we trying to get revenge against Romney for in the first place?)
• Most polls have Obama at less than 50%.  I doubt that he is going to win over the undecideds.  If you haven't been able to figure out whether you support President Obama over the past four years, I doubt you're going to walk into that voting booth today and pull the lever to re-elect the President.
• It seems like the Democrat turnout for early voting is less than it was in 2008.  Republican turnout on Election Day will be much better.  On balance, I think that this factor favors Romney.
• Finally, it seems like Romney has momentum and enthusiasm on his side.  This is totally anecdotal, I know, but I see headlines like this:

Plenty of available seats for President Obama's final rally in Ohio...maybe they were out voting?
Did I mention that this rally had The Boss (Bruce Springsteen) and Jaz-Z performing?

I wish I had more than that to go on, but I don't.  Political pundits and prognosticators are all over the map too.

I want to be clear that I'm not blindly "hoping" for Romney because he's Mormon.  To the contrary, I'd be more enthusiastic if he were not Mormon.  I think out political climate is so toxic that I worry that the scandal-mongers be on high alert to take Romney down from the moment the election is decided.  The long knives will be out for Romney no matter what he does and I worry that there could be blow-back on the Church.

As Exhibit A, I give you the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who recently said that it was "laughable" that Senate Democrats would work with Romney if he won the presidency.  Sure, Reid is a partisan hack, but he's also Mormon.  Just like Romney.  But even Harry Reid can't seem to overlook the party affiliation to try to achieve any bi-partisan results.  I guess we'll see how it goes...

So there you have it.  I've called my shot.  I could totally be wrong about my prediction.  I'm just hoping that I'm not...

Who do you think is going to win?