did you just threaten the yaris?

If I read your post correctly, Katie, you threatened that the Yaris had "better last long... OR ELSE." Or else what? You'll waterboard the poor beast? I, for one, think the Yaris deserves your love and affection, not threats.

Now that we've got that important matter cleared up, on to the debate. I agree that it was an underwhelming affair. Mostly because John McCain insists on sticking to his well-worn talking points (clamping down on spending, victory in Iraq, tax-raising liberal communists), rather than engaging Obama on the realities of the country's problems. Many commentators miss the McCain of 2000. Clearly he's a different politician in 2008, but what about the McCain of this year's Republican National Convention? The speech he gave that night was a serious admonition of his own party--have we heard that kind of "straight talk" since then? McCain had the opportunity to change the race by laying out the failures of the Bush administration and staking his claim on a new course for the country. He squandered it. Hard to make a strong case against Bush, I guess, when you're surrounded by former Bush operatives.

But let's get off politics for a second and turn to a more neutral, mixed-company sort of  topic: music. Last night, Katie and I paid a visit to Barbes--a low-lit watering hole in Park Slope--to see guitarists Charlie Hunter and Doug Wamble. In the interest of brevity, some talking points on the show:

• Charlie Hunter's records don't always impress me, but seeing his seven-string in a live setting is whole different animal. Those hands never stop moving.
• I like Doug Wamble--especially his old-timey singing--but he needs to lay off the clean electric. 
• The last time I saw drummer Bill Campbell, he was the focus of a very avant-garde quintet at the Tea Lounge, with lots of wild, dynamic ups and downs. In this setting, he was more subdued, but no less interesting.

And finally, today's Yiddish word of the day is schlep. It means: "to proceed or move especially slowly, tediously, awkwardly, or carelessly." And it's used in this hilarious--but 100 percent inappropriate--Sarah Silverman video.