It’s like a huge wave crashing over my head. My hair is plastered to my face and a gale force wind is whippin’ everything into a frenzy. There are plenty of strong feelings in the brew–or stew. Well, maybe not stew since that needs to set a while and there is no setting down.

At work, I have the TV on alot. By now I absolutely despise the 24-hour news cycle. Careening from evangelical drug and sex scandals to botched jokes to fires. The only thing missing is a terror attack, but at least we had the Hussein verdict. Peppered throughout this “NEWS”–NOT–is a rolling commentary by a parade of pundits. Former somebodies, current nobodies, pollsters and jokesters all weigh in. It is deafening.

And I was talking to my dear friend who is in the other party. I began to say something about Iraq and a concern I had. He interrupted to tell me what I was going to say and what “your people” are saying. But hey, what I was going to say had nothing to do with anyone’s opinion except mine. It wasn’t a Red State-ment or a Blue State-ment. It was MY statement.

I wanted to share my thinkings with him. I was seeking out his response to my thinkings. Like having a dialogue. Like thinking things through outloud with someone that I often disagree with, but who I often learn from. And in this hyper-pundited atmosphere, I was shut down.

I AM NOT RED. I AM NOT BLUE. I am not my hair.

What is up with mean people? I thought that people were getting low in their candidate attack ads. And I was going to be mean back. You know, insulting and name calling back at the mean people.

Then I saw Michael J. Fox with Katie Couric. I recognize that if I wanted the other side to have a reasoned discussion about a topic with high controversy and conflicting ethics, I share that obligation. Thanks McFly.

See for yourself. (flash video, 7:20)

Know how to walk away, after your team has scored the runs.

“Whatever” is what I think about the brouhaha (or did I mean brew-haha?) about Tiger’s pitcher Kenny Rogers. Here’s the thing, after he washed his hand that had some kind of sticky–albeit not necessarily illegal–goop it was the first inning. He then, with perfectly clean hands, proceeded to pitch a 2 hit game. 41 years old and he pitched 8 innings in the frozen Motor City. And the Tigers’ WON. Oh, and it was game two of the World Series.

Makes me think about little pieces of dirt in my current “hometown.” Sometimes, it seems, that the dirt that is exposed is just dirt, and doesn’t make a bit of difference about whether someone is fit for public office. And sometimes the dirt is bad, and should be a disqualifier. Here, like with Kenny Rogers, it seems that in many cases there is honest (and in other cases sometimes some not-so-honest) disagreement.

Go Tigers! And whiners be quiet, Devil’s Night is coming up.

Frank DeFord of Sports Illustrated dogged Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens this week identifying him as “primarily narcissistic and the very opposite of funny…mean-spirited…vulgar and unforgivable.” Not a big endorsement of the man who is releasing the first of an upcoming series of children’s books.

Yes, that gentle giant, T.O. is helping kids to be better people. His first book, Little T Learns to Share, is about–now get this–sharing! I haven’t seen the book, due out in mid-November but it I bet it includes classic themes.

Like “You give me the ball, and I run with it. You share your stuff with me, and I’ll take it. You scratch my back, and I will yell if you stop. You pay more attention to me or I will take pills until I turn blue.” And, of course, “You do love me, don’t you?” Followed by, “I don’t care, anyway you ************”

This is a bit too ironic for me. But maybe, these books aren’t written BY Mr. Owens but FOR Mr. Owens. I hope he takes them to heart–but I am not buying his books (or his jersey) for the little brats in my life.