Best of

People. People, people, people. (Yes, I am using people in that annoying middle-school-teacher way for a reason.) I know you want your friends, your friends' bands, your employers, your aunts and uncles to win Best of Eugene. But every time you put a duplicate ballot in the box, you make winning a Best of Eugene award mean less. Also, somewhere, a baby bunny cries. Let's go over a couple of quick things:

1. No, you may not fill out a ballot for your boyfriend / mom / sister-in-law / grampa in Kentucky. I don't care if they told you you could. I'm telling you you can't.

2. Using different colors of ink will neither disguise your handwriting nor make me think the ballots are coming from different people.

3. Voting for a few different things here and there while keeping the same votes in key categories will also not disguise your evil, ballot-stuffing ways.

Got that? I'm keeping a stack of these puppies, and it's growing. And it's very obvious when they come in.

Also, while I'm yelling at you, don't forget to put your name on the ballot and vote in at least 20 categories. Ballots that do not follow the rules will not be counted. No joke.

So I skipped yesterday. Sorry. I'd like to say it was the impending doom of having to get four fillings today, but I only just found out this morning that today is the Day of Dental Hell. Also, as you may have noticed, it's raining. A good day to wear flip-flops, too.

Yesterday did turn up one lovely example of what I shall ever so creatively call Oregon In the News: The New York Times did a nice piece on Clear Creek Distillery (as always, if it wants you to log in, go to BugMeNot). Pear brandy always reminds me of being a curious 14-year-old, asking my stepfather what he was drinking; the hot, fruity scent was wafting across the table at me. "Would you like to taste it?" he asked.

It was a very effective way to leave me disinterested in drinking. At least until college, anyway.

While I'm talking Oregon, don't forget the Tillamook Mac & Cheese contest. I can't claim to be inspired to such heights as to include crab — or maybe it's just that my wallet can't reach to such great heights — but there's something tantalizing about this all the same.

Which is more than I can say for most of the internet today. Short of doing another trawl through my unread bookmarks — all too many of which have to do with Harry Potter or Joss Whedon, it seems — I've got nothin'. You want something to do? Go vote for Best of Eugene! And come by and pick up some flyers while you're at it.

There. That should keep you busy for a while.