Open Thread.

(Update (Jeralyn): I am still dealing with Comcast problems. Seven days and they still can't figure out how to connect my phones and keep my internet going. A tech is here now. I will post later, assuming I still have internet.)

Tonight the first Democratic debate is being held in Las Vegas. The big unknown is whether CNN will create an animatronic Joe Biden to appear at the debate.

Other possible questions - Mrs Clinton, how do you react to President Obama calling your use of a private email server a "mistake?" My suggested answer - the President also called the Benghazi committee a political hit job.>/p>

To Sanders - why did you just become a Democrat? Not sure how to answer that one.

I'll live blog the debate tonight. It starts at 830 pm I think.

Open Thread.

Comcast is simply impossible to deal with. I've had no internet from Thursday when I moved to late yesterday. Every excuse in the book for not being able to transfer service, hours wasted on the phone, techs who never call back despite promises to do so. A special raspberry to Shawn and Elisha (Alicia or Alisha?) in Seattle and Vince in the Philippines. Worthless, all. I ended up going to the Comcast store late yesterday afternoon and Brandi C. spent an hour doing various things and setting up a fourth account for me and said all I had to do was go home and activate it. She was very close to fixing it, only it wouldn't activate, and I spent another hour or two on the phone with two to three more people, and the last one did something that finally allowed me to activate it. Unfortunately, I didn't write her name down.

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

The picks:

Florida @ Missouri +5, Wisconsin -1 @ Nebraska, Georgia -3 @ Tennessee, Virginia @ Pittsburgh -10, Central Michigan -7 @ Western Michigan, Illinois @ Iowa -11, Maryland @ Ohio State -33, Oklahoma @ Texas+18, Oklahoma State @ West Virginia -6, Ball State +10 @ Northern Illinois, Connecticut @ Central Florida -3, Syracuse PICK @ South Florida, Georgia Tech =7 1/2 @ Clemson, Iowa State @ Texas Tech -10, South Carolina +21 @ LSU, Wake Forest @ Boston College -6, Navy +14 1/2 @ Notre Dame, Middle Tennessee +8 @ Western Kentucky, Tulane +14 1/2 @ Temple, Indiana +7 @ Penn State.

Go Gators!

Open Thread.

I decided to move back to my new place, even though the fire restoration isn't finished (if it's even begun.) I'm only taking what I need for now, since the floors will be replaced within the next few weeks. The rest is going to storage until the restoration is completed. I did finally find a temporary place to stay, and my insurance company was great and offered to pay for it, but I would have had to move from one unit to another in the same building after 5 days, and I think I've had enough moving for a while.

I hope this move goes better than the last one. But already, Comcast's computers are so confused by my moving back and forth, they've locked my three accounts, even to their employees, so no one could get in last night to do a transfer of service, let alone an activation. They'll work on it today, but if it's days until anyone hears from me, that's why -- no phone, no cable, no internet. Since I'm paying on three accounts, I hope they figure it out soon.

In between all this, I'm tying to get my tax info ready for my accountant, and working, so it's very busy here.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The movers will be here at 8:30 to start packing me up and I'm still not sure where I'm going. I think I found a place to rent for the rest of the month, but it's not yet signed and done. Cutting it close is an understatement, since I have to move out on Thursday.

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome. And please stop the insults to other commenters. I don't have time to babysit the threads. Even long time readers may find themselves in timeout if they keep doing it.

I will be moving again this week. It's been very complicated since I have no place to move to yet -- the repairs on my new place won't be done before the end of October, and I have to be out of where I am by Friday. And of course I still have to work.

I doubt I'll be blogging (it's also tax time), but I'll try to put up some open threads throughout the week and hopefully BTD will have a few posts.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm flooding the zone this week. the picks:

Mississippi State+5 @ Texas A&m, Mississippi -7 @ Florida, Arkansas +7 @ Tennessee, Arizona State @ UCLA -12, Washington State +18 @ California, Hawaii +26 @ Boise State, San Jose State +21 @ Auburn, East Carolina -5 @ SMU, Notre Dame @ Clemson Pick (3 units), Boston College +7 @ Duke, Ohio State -23 @ Indiana, Alabama PICK (4 units) @ Georgia, Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan +3,
Louisville @ North Carolina State -3, Houston -6 @ Tulsa, Central Florida PICK @ Tulane, Pittsburgh +4 @ Virginia Tech, Minnesota @ Northwestern -4, Kansas +19 @ Iowa State, Texas +15 @ TCU, Iowa +6 @ Wisconsin, Purdue +22 @ Michigan State,
Michigan -14 @ Maryland, West Virginia +7 @ Oklahoma, South Carolina +3 @ Missouri.

Go Gators!

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm in court all day. Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

The sequel to Shantaram is finally coming. Gregory David Robert's Mountain Shadow, will be available Oct. 13. You can read the first five chapters here.

Shantaram introduced millions of readers to a cast of unforgettable characters in the hidden heart of Bombay through Lin, an Australian fugitive, working as a passport forger for a branch of the Bombay mafia. In The Mountain Shadow, the long awaited sequel, Lin must find his way in a Bombay run by a different generation of mafia dons, playing by a different set of rules.

On TV tonight: Blood and Oil (with Don Johnson) and Quantico, The Great Food Truck Race, and on Unimas, Nino Santo, which is a very strange drama that pits young doctors against a religious cult figure in the jungle, where the doctors end up questioning whether science is more powerful than faith. It's based on the real legend of Niño Fidencio, a 1920's faith healer who never made it to sainthood, but is considered one by many anyway. It just started last week, and only airs on Sunday nights. It has subtitles.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Was about even last week- a little under .500 and breakeven for the year. This week's picks:

UCLA @ Arizona +4 (3 units), Missouri @ Kentucky -2 (3 units), Mississippi State +3 (3 units) @ Auburn, Texas A&m -7 (3 units) @ Arkansas, San Diego State +16 (3 units) @ Penn State, Virginia Tech @ East Carolina +10, Western Michigan @ Ohio State -32 (3 units), Massachusetts +30 @ Notre Dame, @ Florida, Ohio +11 @ Minnesota, Maryland @ West Virginia -17 (4 units), Northern Illinois @ Boston College -4 (3 units), Indiana @ Wake Forest +3, Bowling Green -3 @ Purdue, Navy -6 @ Connecticut, Georgia Tech -7 (3 units) @ Duke, Southern Mississippi +22 @ Nebraska, LSU -24 (5 units) @ Syracuse, Central Michigan +28 @ Michigan State, Kansas +15 @ Rutgers, Central Florida +15 @ South Carolina, BYU +7 (3 units) @ Michigan.

Go Gators!