Craig v. Kerry
This week I have been avoiding blogging a bit because all I want to talk about is Craig's List at www.craigslist.org. I knew about Craig's List (you probably do too) but I didn't know they had it in Sacramento--I thought it was just in the SF bay area. Turns out it's practically all over the country now--free on-line classifieds, no ads, no fees, no nuttin'

Blah, blah, blah, you're thinkin', what's so great about that? Well check this: within 1 week of posting and answering on Sacramento Craig's List, I sold an antique I've been trying to sell for 6 years for a good price, found green cleaners that I had been trying to find for 3 years, found someone to come and haul away stuff real cheap and I've made friends that will last a lifetime--(guess which part is a lie).

Bill, in the meantime is glazing over again at my household frenzy. Instead, at our last community meeting when other people's announcements range from "I'm having a potluck next week" to "my daughter is in the Nutcracker again," Bill opens his eyes, leans forward in his chair, rubs his hands together vigorously and says with no preface, "lately I'm thinking Kerry with 50 to 51 percent of the popular vote and a slight edge in the electoral college, Bush with 47 to 48 percent of the vote and Nader with 1 percent."

This was big stuff to me. You'd think the room would erupt in applause; it's a pro-Kerry crowd, green party membership notwithstanding. But instead, the announcement circle passes to the next person, "I lost my keys last week in the laundry room. If anyone finds them..."

Tonight I arranged a private interview with Bill to find out more about his prediction.

"What was it again?" I asked (at an inopportune moment).

"Ask me later," he said.

Later, I asked and he laid it out like above, adding only that with Nader not getting on the ballot in California it will take a huge chunk out of this percentage, but in no way, obviously, harm his chances of affecting the outcome of the election.

"Does the fact that you're calling him Nader now instead of Ralph have any significance, Bill?" I ask.

"Nope. I still call him Ralph sometimes," he says, throwing a tissue into a wastebasket.

"What's this whole prediction based on?" I ask.

"On my intuition," he says.

"Nothing else?" I hope.

"Nope," he says cheerfully. "Hey, did you see that McGreevey* resigned?"

"I'm excited," I say. "Who's McGreevey? Is he on Craig's List?"

*See New Jersey Governor quits, says he's gay