Today I am in Minneapolis helping get my oldest daughter settled into her place before classes start next week. She's a sophomore transferring here and it's her first time away from home. Bittersweet doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about today. She's a wonderful girl, so smart, so talented. I'm so happy to see her striking out on her own on a huge campus in a huge city. I know it's scary for her, as it is for me, but I also know she'll do just fine.

The last year has been so trying for our family, and I know Kathryn just gets lost in the shuffle - she always takes care of herself and her responsibilities and that makes it far too easy to almost ignore her most of the time when there is so much else to take up my attention. It hasn't been fair to her, for her, and now she won't be there at home to just see. The simple joy of a parent watching a child. Sigh.

I'll miss you, my daughter, more than you'll know and for reasons you won't know. I love you. Sigh...

David Duchovny checks into rehab for sex addiction. If you are really, really quiet and you listen really, really, really hard you can actually hear the faint murmur of women all over the country saying, "Pick me, pick me"...

I questioned before if Obama was the real deal. If he's the candidate for change, why is his running mate Biden of all people? What a lame choice, talk about same-old politics.

"But he had to pick someone like Biden to help him get elected", I hear you saying. Please. Obama is just another politician, and getting elected and re-elected is all they are truly about. If Obama gets elected he will not be substantially different than any other president we've had in office for decades. If he really did try to shake up Washington, all his advisors - you know, the same ones that told him to pick Biden - would tell him he wouldn't get re-elected. So when push comes to shove, Obama won't make any real change if it endangers his re-election.

Still not convinced? Consider Obama's rhetoric before and after he had the nomination sewn up. He's moved to the right of his initial ideals by changing his mind on offshore drilling and the domestic spy bill just to name two examples.

Vote for whoever you like, it just doesn't really matter.

Wil Wheaton mentioned something in a recent blog entry that I thought was very interesting, something that makes me think about the movie The Karate Kid. What Wil said was this:

"... until I take time off and recover HP. Problem is, I always feel guilty, like I'm being a deadbeat while Anne does real work during these times."

He was referring to the need as a creative person to take time off for himself, to recharge - and that it makes him feel guilty because his wife still has to work at her "real" job. I think this is likely a common feeling with creatives, and I know my wife Melanie feels this way sometimes, too. But what you creative people out there have to realize is that we partners with "real" jobs most often do our own recharging through you.

I love it when Melanie has creative bursts. It's a joy to watch someone you care deeply about be so into their creativity - so into life. We do what we do because you can't, and you do what you do because we can't. It's all about balance, just like Miyagi says to Daniel. Two creatives can make a life together work, just like two non-creatives can. But to have one of each - that is beautiful balance.