Ends to be tied, because, whether you realized it or not, they were, in fact, loose

Well, as should have been expected, I was wrong about the outcome of the mayoral elections. Apparently, NDB's top municipal spot is mired in controversy (and I always thought being "mired" required some amount of humidity), as the leading candidate failed to gain a majority of staggering enough proportions to claim uncontested victory in the elections. The runner-up, losing by only a paltry few electoral votes, is claiming that number one has no right to the throne. The solution? What the fuck, let's make them both mayor!

Clearly, this answer is totally unsatisfactory (though nevertheless in effect at the moment). Here's where it gets mucky: these two mayors are members of the same coalition. Apparently, with 30+ parties vying for political dominance, some decided that, in order to maximize votes among other things, they would form coalitions. So down in NKT, the coalition leaders are refusing to make a choice between the two, garnering all kinds of invective from the individual supporters and people who, while not actually taking sides, think that the whole thing is a bit ridiculous and embarrassing. Further voting with the next round of elections promises, if not to solve the problem, at least to offer the opportunity for further voting. Still, daily life on the streets of NDB remains the same: dusty.

In the personal arena, I was promoted to head of the English department in a staff meeting about two weeks ago. It was an elected position that I neither campaigned for, nor really knew even existed. It's not much more work, and no more privilege, but the recognition is nice. Of course, being the only English teacher who can speak English might have had something to do with it.

Oh yeah, and someone requested I post a Christmas list. So, this is what would be nice to have, most likely for Easter:

• Flash drive.
• Voice recorder. (small, preferably digital)
  
• Good books.
• Beef jerky.
  

And that's about all I can think of.

Also, the email subscription box on the right, if you haven't figured it out, appears to be working. Let me know if there are any issues with the email you receive. The same goes for feeds.

And finally, I have decided that donkeys, which once occupied only the highest sphere of humor (I believe that I'm not alone on that one), are in fact the most profoundly sad and depressing animal on the face of the earth. I am convinced that the worst of karmic outcomes is to be reincarnated as one of these creatures, and I am dunked in a veritable septic tank of catharsis every time I see one, which is about every 20 meters.

So that's that. We're reformatting the office computer, so it's up in the air as to whether I'll be on in the next couple of days. But there's a fresh Third World Product Review in the pipe, and this time you'll be able to experience the magic at home. Suspense...

PS: Get the votes in on that survey, because it's going to end in the next couple of days in favor of another questionnaire of slightly more significance. The heated arms race between Omar and Spaghetti continues, and I for one am utterly crushed that Yasmine Bleeth is only a very distant third. Get your act together, people.