Flashlights can keep you from feeling old.

Woke up around 5 AM and couldn't get back to sleep upstairs, so decided to sleep downstairs. Unfortunately, in the dark I missed the last step and my own step was longer and with a harder landing than expected. At the time, this didn't seem a big deal. Later, after waking at the right time it was a big deal as my right knee randomly sent me nasty reminders not to do that sort of thing. These reminders come in the form of pain or a strange "I'm bending now, never mind what you want" falter. At least I haven't actually fallen over. Most of the time it's fine, but I don't know when I'm going to get a reminder, so today I'm using a cane. When a cane is a prop or walking stick, it's not bad. When it becomes a necessity it makes me feel old. I expect I won't need to use it in a day or so.

Oh, the flashlights? On the nightstand that was by the bed there were not one but two portable light sources. Had I used one of them I'd not have missed that last step. D'oh!

Some radio ads don't suck.

Heard my first radio campaign ad this morning. It starts off like a commercial for a mechanic or car advice show. One person tells how something doesn't work right, is always pulling to the left, and though he's tried to get rid of it and had it twelve years, it keeps running. The reply? "You have a bad Wellstone..." and goes on with a few things about Wellstone's voting record.

I suppose this is one of those nasty evil vicious "negative attack-ads" the DFL (Minnesota's version of the "Democratic" Party) complains about. If they don't want Wellstone's voting record brought up, doesn't that say something? Wellstone's TV ads bring up Enron and such and say how he'd keep that sort of thing from happening. Just like he had for the last twelve years, huh?