--199 days. We've broken the 200-day mark. Oh no, what will we do!?

--I believe I am about to turn down a p r o m o t i o n that would net me an instant 20% r a i s e and another 20% next year, if things went just right. Plus, it would be a great opportunity (though there will be others down the road, undoubtedly). But, the subject matter of this opportunity has freaked me out, and I'm not sure I would be able to handle it. Yet, I need to decide if I am just being a puss or if I truly couldn't deal with it by tomorrow. This is nuts. I've gone wacko on this the last day and a half. It'll be nice to be done with the decision tomorrow.

--That is the short story. If you want the long story, I can regale it to you sometime. Oh, and don't hold me to the above...I made this "conclusion" about 20 minutes ago. I'm going to sleep on it and seriously think about it before making my final decision. And that will probably happen minutes before I make official the decision to my superiors.

--Well, at least purist-type baseball fans will get their wish, with what is most likely to be an unbelievable pitching matchup in the Series. Too bad St. Louis didn't win...just to screw the damned networks by regionalizing and minimizing the market size of the Series. Oh well. I don't think anyone on either coast cares about Houston either. So, that's fantastic. :)

--My early-ass, Astros-just-made-it prediction: White Sox in 6. Laz, please turn over your whole apartment. If you find it, I'm willing right now to add a bonus. Nothing big (especially in a losing situation), just a share in my joy, win or lose. :) I'm serious.