Frozen Reeds, Deneb, 17th Day of Hagwinter, 524 M.E.

If you're anything like me, you've been anxiously waiting all day for the polls to close at 7 p.m, and finally learn the answer to the question all of Georgia has been nervously anticipating - how will the Bulldogs fare in the first College Football Playoff rankings of 2024? 

LOL. But seriously, what a strange and inopportune day for the rankings to come out. Actually, come to think of it, this is actually a good day, what with 99.9% of the media's attention all directed elsewhere, to announce something you'd like the world not to notice. Boeing workers have announced an agreement with the embattled aircraft manufacturer and an end to the strike - it was probably management and not labor that wanted to wait until Election Day to make that particular announcement. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced he was firing his Defense Minister, citing "gaps’ in his approach to the genocidal war in Gaza. North Korea just announced the other day that they're ramping up their nuclear weapons program. 

But you'd have to scroll way down on any news site to see any of that, which is probably what they wanted.

As for the U.S. election, I'm using every bit of self-discipline and self-control I have to not obsess over it. I took a 7½ mile walk today to avoid doom scrolling on line or binge watching MSNBC. When I got home, I meditated for 90 minutes to keep calm and centered. As I write this, it's still well over an hour before the first polls close, and probably many more hours or even days before the smoke clears.

But at least I'll have the CFB rankings to think about in the meantime.