Thoughts on Nashville / And a Poll

We flew to Nashville this weekend for a dear friends wedding. I must say Levi and Zeke are two of the best traveling kids in the world. Levi is such a pro now that he just automatically handles the bins, shoes, and jackets at the security checkpoint. He even saw there were no bins in our line and walked over to the next one to get some more.

Observations:

If I lived in Nashville (or the south in general) I would weigh 300lbs. That is a fact. Between cheesed up Mexican food, Moe's Burgers, Freelanders, and 84 ounces a day of sweet tea I would be HUGE! Plus "portion control" doesn't exist in the south.

Side Note:
Hey people, just because you are eating at Panera doesn't mean when you order that bacon, turkey, avocado, three cheese sandwich with Chipolte mayonnaise on a french banquette is any healthier for you than McDonalds (shout out to NYC putting calorie counts on all menus...the truth of how bad for you 'healthy upscale food' can still be is incredibally depressing).
______________

Within 15 hours of being in Nashville Levi asked me two questions he has not ever asked me before:
1. Who am I going to marry (Erin Eicher of course)?
2. Why did Jesus die on the cross?

Exploring family and faith all in one car ride.
______________

Tip of the hat to the rest of the country who has to drive everywhere. I felt guilty that Levi and Zeke didn't get to go play at a park because we had so many errands to run in the car.
______________

Whoever laid out the streets and highways of Nashville completely sucked at their job. Why is a street called a "PIKE?"
______________

Levi got to feed three mice to four Cayman Aligators at the local Fish, Lizard, and Snake store/zoo. It was amazing.
______________

Churches are HUGE in Nashville. I had the distinct feeling that being a minister in Nashville is like getting to play football in the NFL. Sure the field is the same in the pro's as in high school, but the stadiums are sure bigger!
______________

There were a lot of McCain / Palin signs, but just as many Obama / Biden ones as well. And in downtown Nashville there was a HUGE campaign office right off of Rosa Parks Blvd. (8th Ave. N) before Humble street (for those who are in Nashville and want to go get some Obama Swag).
______________

Financial Times of London - Endorses Barack Obama.

The Gallup Poll of Likely Voters

Perhaps you have seen the latest Gallup poll pushed on the Drudge Report that has Obama at 49 and McCain at 47 with likely voters. This could get a lot of press depending on what's going on in the news cycle, but don't hyperventilate about it.

Nate Silver from Fivethirtyeight.com who New York Magazine called "The Spreadsheet Psychic" explains why Drudge shouldn't be so hasty in latching onto this poll as an indicator of the state of this race. See Nate's post about it here.

Poll: High School Rulez!

I really like the poll thing. So I thought I would try one of the several different poll websites out there. Poll Daddy seemed like a pretty good site, and it's free. We'll see how well it works, and I will try to come up with interesting polls.