Apparently moose are a dime a dozen up here, and yet somehow I've managed to go ten years without seeing a single moose. Seeing a moose has therefore become one of my life's obsessions goals. I convinced my friend to go moose spotting yesterday. We set off at 3:30 AM and looked all day. No luck. It would seem that, much like the never-boiling watched pot, the searched-for moose is never found. I learned a few other things in the process:

• How to discourage others from frequenting your favorite swimming hole
  
• Where not to forget spare change
  (Any place where there are coin-operated duck food dispensers. The mere act of parking your car is sufficient to cause a hoard of incessantly quacking water fowl to descend upon you rapidly and pursue you relentlessly until you do their bidding. The dispensers don't take debit cards.)
  
• Your daily commute could be far worse
  
• Your daily commute could be far better
  
• Where not to look down - 2nd runner up
  The Aerial Tramway at Cannon Mountain. 4,180 feet is a long way up.
  
• Where not to look down
  The Nansen Ski Jump. Saw it from the road. Apparently you can get closer to it. We didn't try.
  
• Where to take photos of heron
  Fraconia Notch, near the Old Man of the Mountain viewing area. We spotted this fellow from the other side of a bridge. He let us get closer and closer. This shot was taken from about 12 feet away.
  

Moose-spotting tips welcome.

Nashua is slated to get a Whole Foods!!! Exactly when isn't listed on the Whole Foods site. But according to the associate in Bedford, Mass. I spoke with tonight, it will be some time in 2008. We're getting a Whole Foods next year! Woo hoo!!!

New reps for everyone!

According to this story, it's a pretty close race:

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- On the eve of the election, polls showed both of New Hampshire's races for Congress were tight.

In the final WMUR/University of New Hampshire Survey Center tracking poll, Rep. Jeb Bradley was hanging onto a 9-point lead over Democratic challenger Carol Shea-Porter, 49 percent to 40 percent.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Democratic challenger Paul Hodes was leading Rep. Charlie Bass by 9 points, 48 percent to 39 percent.

Don't forget to vote!!!

The New Hampshire Historical society has added the Old Man of the Mountain bobblehead to its Museum Store wares. Not bad, but if we're going bobblehead with our state symbol, I bet Archie McPhee could do better.

The Washington Post's David S. Broder doesn't care for the DNC's revised primary and caucus calendar either.

What was lost in all this ("front-loading") was any sense of public deliberation about the choice of the next president. In the general election, people have two months or more to evaluate two or maybe three candidates. In the early primaries, eight or 10 people may be vying. What is most needed is time -- and a place -- for them to be carefully examined.

Historically, New Hampshire has fulfilled that responsibility. Voters there -- in both parties and especially among the numerous independents who also vote in the primary -- take their role seriously. They turn up at town meetings and they ask probing questions. So do the interviewers at local papers and broadcast stations. So do high school students.

Indeed we do take our responsibility seriously -- VERY seriously. And the fact that we're a small state means that the candidates have far less geographic scrambling to do and can thus maximize the amount of time they spend with the voters, hearing our concerns and sharing their positions.

I've lived in other states -- states with quite a bit of diversity -- but never have I seen folks embrace the democratic process like the residents of New Hampshire. Why the DNC doesn't see value in that enthusiasm is beyond me....

Whatever New Hampshire does, the country will be forced to witness the huge field of candidates flashing by in perpetual motion during the December holidays and the frantic first weeks of January, not standing still anywhere long enough to be measured for the job they are trying to win.

Ah, but here's where you're wrong David. We could move our primary up to 2007. After all, as long as we're going to defy the DNC and their silly sanctions, we might as well make it count. Why sacrifice our delegates over a few measly days or weeks? Besides, moving our primary up to 2007 would surely give us sufficient time to carefully examine the candidates....

I think mid-autumn would be perfect: The weather's beautiful for outdoor events and door-to-door campaigning. And can you think of a better way to promote tourism than broadcasting our amazing fall foliage on the nightly news?

What do you say, Governor Lynch?

The DNC didn't just change the 2008 primary and caucus calendar to place Nevada before New Hampshire, they actually imposed new sanctions on candidates:

If a state, any state, violates the rule on timing/the window, presidential candidates will face sanctions if they campaign in that state. Examples of campaigning include: making personal appearances in the state, hiring campaign workers, and buying advertising and so on.

So the candidates cannot visit, speak, or spend money in any state until the "Democratic" National Committee says they can??? That's not very democratic, now is it? I agree with Kathy Sullivan: "To hell with the DNC." I say we move our primary up and call their bluff. Vote First or Die!!

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting TJ (of Better Living through Chemistry fame) and his lovely wife Cindy at the Common Man in Concord for a pre-Blog Free or Die get together. There was good food, drink, and conversation to be had. So where were y'all? By the way, in case you're wondering, TJ and Cindy really are as cute as BLTC leads you to believe.

I think the Common Man is going to be a go for October, but I'm leaving that up to TJ -- and anyone else who has a strong preference. The only thing that bummed me was the lack of wifi.

Me: Noticing no signal, "Excuse me, do you have wifi here?"

Waitress: "What's wifi?"

Oops.

On a different, sadder note: A regular commenter on TJ's blog, Mr. Fabulous of Pointless Drivel recently got fired for blogging. Unbelievable. That's one of the reasons I have a work blog and a (semi-anonymous) personal blog, and ne'er the twain shall meet. It pays to be paranoid.... Good luck Mr. Fabulous!!!

TJ is apparently getting antsy. Looks like there's going to be an informal, pre Blog-Con get together on the 29th. I think I can make it. What about you?