As with most American households, we drink a lot of pop. We go through a ton of it on my gaming nights where 6-10 people consume a lot of beverages. By the time all is said and done, I'll guess we go through around 160 cans per month. Even though we recycle them very faithfully (our recycling can is always chock full!), I still feel guilty for all the waste of having to ship all that liquid. It also still takes energy to recycle all those cans and bottles.

Recently I started using a lot of Crystal Lite to help me cut down. That is helping, except when I need a caffine boost and don't feel like coffee. I also miss the carbonation sometimes. So I started looking at different home soda solutions. I landed on www.sodaclubusa.com. They basically sell you a system that let's you create soda water using a special refilling system and gas cartridges. They also sell a ton of soda flavors. After it arrives, I'll post my reaction to their system and their soda flavors.

This is environmentally friendly  for a number of reasons.

First is uses reusable bottles.The model I purchased (Using a coupon code from retailmenot.com I saved $30!) is the Penguin plus package. Perhaps its the Linux penguin geek in me, but in reality, I thought that the glass decanters will last longer than the plastic.

Baby wearing Moms of the World Unite!  Down with Motrin.  Wearing your baby is not taxing or painful and all the wearing/carriers tell you that.  If it hurts take it off and adjust!  Don't be a stupid mama!

I am posting my letter to the President of Mcneil Consumer Healthcare which was one of the culprits responsible for the tasteless add.  You can no longer view the add on their website because Motrin took it down and took their whole website offline in the process.  Shows you how much they know about websites.  Yikes.  Anyway the one of the reasons the ad was taked down was because of on mom's conscious effort.  I'm trying to attach her video as well but may have to get Chad to do that later!.

Here is my letter:

I voted in my first presidential election in the scandal of 2000.  Imagine how I felt after watching the HBO special "Recount" realizing how much my vote counts.  Then in 2004 I voted primarially because Chad made me.  I was disillusioned and hurt by my first voting experience.  Now in 2008 I have been vindicated and I can say that I do feel that my vote does matter.  I don't believe it is just because the person I believe in and hoped for did win.  There are others I did vote for that did't win.  I believe my vote mattered because the person I voted for ran a trementous, positive, well-strategized campaigne in a way that no other politician has in history and in a way that no other Democratic nominee would have had they been the choosen 'one'.

Through the last 8 years I have watched movies like Independence Day and cried at President Bill Pullmans speech before they pound the crap out of the aliens.  Or thought of President Palmer/Allstate fro 24 and wished that he was our real president and that "little bush" was actually a funny cartoon on comedy central.  Then I shake the stars out of my eyes and reality sinks back in. GW Bush has crushed our hopes, dreams, prosperity, and liberty as Ameicans in ways thata I can hardly speak of with out getting worked into a tizzy.  But look now over the capital hill!

The transcript can be found here.

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from
parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the
forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our
destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To
those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who
seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have
wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved
once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the
might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring
power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding
hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our
union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope
for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

I wept after this point. Just think. We get to hear this man and his ideas in this manner for the next 4-8 years. I'm sorry grateful and happy. What a night!

Starting today this country is on a new path. One that includes all people in the hope for a better life. I hope my 20 month old son Shane can remember cheering for Obama tonight.

This isn't the end. This is just the beginning. The American people now have hope to redeem ourselves from the last 8 years. I love America! I'm so inspired right now and Obama hasn't even given his speech yet!

My wife just said, "I hope there are many more presidents like this for Shane to vote for when he grows up". Me too honey. Me too!

MSNBC has released its electoral voting map.

This looks cool and perhaps less boring than CNN/MSNBC (Fox?... They will be sooooo depressed on Fox tonight). I plan on checking them out tonight. Click on the link above or the graphic below to go to their site. Its being broadcast on Current TV on cable. Its 107 on my Comcast cable channel list.

I also found this really handy election results page on HuffingtonPost.com. It has just about every single results widget from all the major networks and web sites out there.

The Google Gadget seems to have gone down. So I removed it. Go here for the MSNBC Gadget on StephandChadSutton.com instead!

This was the first time I have ever been able to vote for President without a bad taste in my mouth. I was almost able to do it with Gore, but his campaign, much like McCain's, turned him into something he wasn't -- some kind of horrible robot politician.

I was able to choose from the old voting system or a touch screen. These touch screen computers are the kind that also produce a paper record. It did really speed up the process. It also let me review the paper ballot before confirming my vote. Overall it was a very smooth process. Stephanie, Shane, and I went around 9:30 after the morning rush. No waiting!

I'm hearing that there may be over %66 voter turn out, which will be the highest turn out since 1908! This bodes so well for Obama and the whole country. When this many people vote, the true voice of the people is going to be heard. Had this kind of turn out happened the last two elections, I think our country would have been on a much better track. Ultimately the mess our country is in is OUR FAULT. The people voted (or didn't as is the case) for Bush twice. Twice! 

This does not excuse our government's behavior, but it doesn point out the responsibility we all have for our own situation. How about we never again elect idealogs with no ideas (or at least no good ones)? OK? Good!

The website http://www.realclearpolitics.com has a really neat feature. It shows you the poll numbers for each state and how they would call it. But it also let's you create your own electoral map too.

Here is my map. I think the race will go down pretty much like this. The major states being OH, PA, & VA. I think he will also get CO and NM.