My stress level is a lot lower today due to the fact that (thankfully) Election Day is over and (sadly) so is the World Series.

Tuesday's elections - in my view, anyway - did not yield may surprises. Luzerne County voters said no to another term for Judge Peter Paul Olszewski but gave Judge Thomas Burke ten more years on the bench. That's about the way I thought it would go. Olszewski couldn't overcome the implied guilt by association to the on-going corruption scandal. Burke's name, to my knowledge, has never been mentioned in connection with the scandal, so I figured he'd be safe. The PPO vote, I thought, could have gone either way, but I figured it was more likely to go "no" than "yes."

As for the open seats on the LuzCo bench, you had to figure that William Amesbury would win one of them. He was on both the Democrat and Republican tickets. The fact that the judicial age limit will prevent him from seeking retention may have also played in his favor. The other seat went to Tina Gartley, who beat out the Republican Richard Hughes. Again, that's pretty much the way I thought it would go. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Luzerne County, so Gartley had the edge there. And, I think there may have been a movement among the voters to choose a woman if for no other reason than to break up the old boys' network that brought us all the corruption.

A couple things did stand out, however. One is the loss by long-time Wyoming County DA George Skumanick. He squeaked out a victory in the primary, but lost Tuesday to Democrat Jeff Mitchell. My station talked to Mitchell yesterday and even he seemed a little surprised by the whole thing. As to why Skumanick lost, I can think of two possible reasons. One is his pursuit of charges in the cell phone sexting case that surfaced in the Tunkhannock Area School District back in the spring. Some voters may have felt Skumanick was overzealous in his handling of the case, especially in his threat to file charges against the kids.

The other thing Skumanick may have had going against him was the fact that he has been DA in Wyoming County for 20 years. I didn't realize it until I started preparing my notes, but he's wrapping up his fifth term as DA. That's a long time in DA terms. Maybe voters just felt it was time for a change.

The other thing that stood out was that a good number of incumbents seemed to lose. I'm not talking about row offices, but rather about mayors and council people. I didn't take any official count, but as I was entering vote totals, it appeared that many incumbents in communities all over the area came out on the short end.

Also coming out on the short end were my Philadelphia Phillies. They lost the World Series in six games to the New York Yankees. I can't say that the Phillies deserved to win. If you don't hit and you don't pitch, you don't win. In this series, the Yankees were the better team. They hit when the Phillies didn't; they pitched when the Phillies didn't. Now, if you play a second series next week, the results might be different. But, for this week, in this World Series, the Yankees were better.

My general take on it is that it's something of a miracle that the Phillies got back to the World Series in the first place. They ran hot and cold all season rather than playing consistently good baseball, and the pitching was always shakey. Fortunately, the Phillies got "good" Cliff Lee for two games in the series, otherwise it might have been over in four instead of six. In terms of hitting, Ryan Howard picked a bad time to go on a strikeout streak, and Rollins and Victorino weren't much help. When Carlos Ruiz is the second most dependable hitter in the lineup, you're in trouble.

101 days and counting until spring training 2010.

Halloween is almost here and that means the end of one Death Pool season and the start of another.

This past season was pretty good for me, Lady Macbeth. Three people on my list are no longer eligible to be on my list - Mark "Deep Throat" Felt, Ted Kennedy and Patrick Swayze. By no means will I win the pool, but to have three scores is pretty good for me. Usually, I have one or none.

Anyway, now that it seems I'm on something of a roll, the people on the new list (which includes a lot of holdovers from the previous list) better watch out.

20. Billy Graham
19. Nancy Reagan
18. Betty Ford
17. Kirk Douglas
16. Fidel Castro
15. Ariel Sharon
14. Kim Jong Il
13. Jerry Lewis
12. Louis Farrakhan
11. Stephen Hawking
10. George H.W. Bush
9. Ernest Borgnine
8. Olivia De Havilland
7. Eli Wallach
6. Abe Vigoda
5. Mickey Rooney
4. Robert Byrd
3. Phyllis Diller
2. John Wooden
1. Rod Blagojevich

First of all, it sounds like winter is getting an early start. The forecast for today and tomorrow calls for snow, especially in the higher elevations. Could be three inches or so there. Most places won't see that much, and what does fall from the sky will probably be rain. Still, the mention of the word "snow" on October 15 is not comforting.

Secondly, hearing one song a couple of times reminded me of another song that I like very much. The first song is "BLUE SKIES" by Noah and the Whale, the same group that brought us "FIVE YEARS TIME." Embedding on both songs is disabled, so you'll have to click the links if you want to listen.

The second song is "Got You Where I Want You" by The Flys. I think it's the bass lines that tie them together. They're not exactly the same, but similar enough.

... that maybe I had given up on this blog thing comes a sign that, no, I have not.

For me, the sign came this morning in the form of an AP article stating that Pennsylvania is planning another run at putting tolls on Interstate 80.

If you recall, the idea first surfaced a couple years ago during budget negotiations (which did NOT drag on for 101 days, BTW). The big picture involved generating billions in revenue by a) leasing the Turnpike to a private company and/or b) allowing the Turnpike Commission to turn Interstate 80 into a toll road.

So far, neither scenario has come to pass. A Spanish-led consortium tried to lease the turnpike, but lawmakers didn't think they were offering enough money. And, the feds put the kibosh on the I-80 plan.

Now, according to this latest AP article, the Turnpike Commission plans to present the feds with new evidence that tolling 80 should be allowed. I don't know what that new evidence is, but I suppose we'll find out shortly.

At any rate, I'll believe there will be tolls on I-80 when I see construction start on the toll booths.

Today seems to be a day for tying up loose ends. I've finished the ironing that I didn't get to over the weekend, made an appointment with the bank, and made the bed. So, while I'm at it, I might as well update the ol' blog seeing as how I haven't posted anything here for almost a month. It's not like I haven't thought about it, because I have. But, I just never got around to putting fingers to keyboard until now.

So, what have you missed? Not much, really. The Phillies are still on track to make the playoffs, though I wonder how far the pitching staff will be able to take them with these injuries popping up all over the place. I also have concerns about the hitting. The Phils tend to run hot and cold, and if they're cold when the playoffs roll around, forget it, especially if the pitchers aren't healthy.

Pennsylvania still doesn't have a budget, but at least there's an agreement in place now. So, there could be an actual budget by late this week or early next week. That will put the budget somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 days late. Can you imagine a scenario in which YOU were 90 days late with something? How well do you think that would go over? I'm just sayin'. 

I went to my high school reunion over the weekend. After 25 years, the Class of '84 still looks good.

I spent the rest of the weekend at Penn State catching up with a good friend and molding young minds. I also briefly met the husband of an acquaintance from college and had a quick chat with a former news director who once considered me for a job. It's a small world and a smaller business. 

I am not a cat person, but I do like "Cat People." I especially like how Quentin Tarantino utilized this '80s classic in "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS," his film set in the '40s. Brilliant!

I've been thinking about posting for a while, but never seemed motivated by one particular thought. I guess I have now compiled enough particular thoughts to make posting worth the effort. So, in no particular order:

• I kinda feel bad for the Mets and their fans that it was Eric Bruntlett who saved the game for the Phillies by turning an unassisted triple play. Utley or Rollins I could see. But, Bruntlett? Well, at least it's another win for the Phightin' Phils.


• I don't feel bad at all for former Luzerne County judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. The federal judge who rejected their plea agreements on the grounds that they were not taking responsibility for their actions has now rejected their appeal to reconsider the initial rejection. What did they not understand about taking responsibility?


• Speaking of responsibility, are there are any responsible people in Harrisburg? Anyone at all? We're now going on eight weeks without a state budget - and the alleged negotiators aren't even negotiating! That's ridiculous. Any incumbent lawmakers who manage to make it through to the November ballot will not be getting my vote.


• Staying with politics, all this talk about health care reform is making me sick. There's no sense getting worked up about it because here's how it's going to go: Congress will pass and Obama will sign some sort of watered-down watered-down plan that really won't reform much at all. But, it will at least get the ball rolling and open the door for real reform when - shocker - the initial bill turns out not to do enough.


• Cliff Lee is a stud and Ruben Amaro Jr. is a genius. Amaro basically traded four average minor leaguers for an ace pitcher and a decent bench player. For once, the Phillies definitely got more than they gave up.

JAMANI DRUMMERS: Saw this act at Musikfest. They're ladies from the Lehigh Valley channelling the rhythms of Africa and the Caribbean! They performed at Volksplatz.

VALERIE NICOLE: Also saw her at Musikfest. This singer/songwriter is from Berks County (if I recall correctly) and appeared at Leiderplatz. The video is from the year before when she also played Liederplatz. She says she has some deals in the works that sound like she might soon be heard on a commercial.

BEAUCOUP BLUE: I caught this act last year at Musikfest and, when I saw them on the bill again, I hustled on down to Liederplatz to see the show. They're a father/son duo from the Philly area. They've had a few supporting players both times I've seen them.

Also at Liederplatz, I caught a bit of this band, RADIO FREE EARTH. Check out their Web site and click on the podcasts to get a sample of what they're like.

I have a lot of questions rolling around in my mind these days, not the least of which is whether the Phillies will trade for Roy Halladay. So, now that you know where my priorities lie, let's take some of those questions one by one.

1. We might as well start with the Halladay question as it may actually be the first one to be answered with any certainty. Will the Phillies make a deal with the Blue Jays to get ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay? I certainly don't know, but as the July 31 trade deadline nears, it appears that more teams are getting involved in the mix. I haven't ready anything about the possibility of a three-way deal, but the Blue Jays are reportedly talking to other teams, including Boston and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

My view is this: Halladay is a proven commodity who, barring injury, should be a solid acquisition. However, because he's thought of so highly, the asking price is high. Toronto is demanding a lot of young talent in return, and my fear is that the Phillies will give it to them. Specifically, the Jays want pitchers JA Happ and Kyle Drabek plus another prospect or two in exchange. So far, the Phillies seem to be willing to give up Happ OR Drabek, but not both. I think that's about right. The organization finally has some talent in the farm system and I'd hate to see them give too much away. So, will the Phillies trade for Roy Halladay? I think it all depends on which side blinks first.

2. Where is all that stimulus money going? Well, if you've seen the signs along the highway, you know where some of it is going - to put up signs along the highway. PennDOT is spending $60,000 to put up 30 signs (you do the math) at sites where road construction is being funded with stimulus money. HERE'S an article about it. There's one sign along Interstate 81 south between Moosic and Wilkes-Barre. I believe the signs were part of the stimulus deal. It only adds up to a fraction of the $1 billion or so in stimuls money that Pennsylvania received but, still, I can't help wondering if that $60,000 could have been put to better use - like maybe repairing or replacing other road signs.

3. When will Pennsylvania's full-time legislature manage to pass a budget? God only knows. The budget is already almost four weeks late, and unless lawmakers came up with some sort of agreement this weekend, it's likely to go at least another week or two. This past Friday, state workers received the last partial paycheck they'll get. Until a budget is passed, they'll get nothing. And what should they do in the meantime? One piece of advice from state officials is, "Go to the food bank." What? Seriously?

Because 252 people can't do their job and pass a balanced budget by June 30 - tens of thousands of families now need to rely on food banks, low-interest loans, etc. to carry them through. I understand that the workers will eventually get what they're owed, but still. This is ridiculous. I understand that it's a tough economy, tax revenues are down. I get that. But, these lawmakers are elected to make these decisions. The governor submitted a proposed budget in early February. Are you telling me that in the four or five months that followed, our full-time lawmakers were unable to come up with a compromise plan? Did the $3 billion deficit come as a surprise? They had to know cuts and/or tax hikes would be necessary. What are they waiting for? This will most certainly factor into my decisions on Election Day.

What the hell is a plinth? I didn't know either, until I came across THIS article in the Guardian newspaper in Britain. It defines a plinth as "an architectural setting for sculpture that distinguishes it from the surrounding world, defines it as 'art,' ennobles and elevates it."

I found that article after reading THIS article in another British newspaper, The Independent. In said article, a critic blasts the latest artwork to appear on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth as "catastrophically boring."

Let's backtrack a little. Set in the NW corner of London's Trafalgar Square, the FOURTH PLINTH was originally intended as the base for some sort of equestrian statue that I'm not sure ever materialized. It is currently reserved for a statue of Queen Elizabeth II to be commissioned after she dies. For a long time, the Fourth Plinth stood empty. But, in the not too distant past, someone came up with the idea of using the plinth to showcase a series of public artworks. HERE you can see a couple of the more recent plinth-fillers.

Anyway, a few days ago, the latest plinth project got underway. It's called ONE & OTHER and is the brainchild of a sculptor named Antony Gormley. It's quite brilliant, really, because Gormely didn't actually have to sculpt anything. He just came up with the idea to let ordinary people get up on the plinth and do whatever they want. So, for a 100 day period that ends sometime in October, 2400 people will each have the Fourth Plinth to themselves for one hour at a time. For 24 hours a day, there will always be someone on the plinth, doing whatever the hell he or she wants. As I write this, there's a guy in business clothes standing up there with his bicycle.

If you'd like to see what's going on on the Fourth Plinth right now, click HERE.