The first in a series

of random, brief comments I blurt out that still seem somewhat amusing a day afterwards:

"I don't turn on anyone. I just spin."

So

I was back at Berkeley to witness the glorious 37-16 romp over Leland Stanford Junior University on Saturday. It was wholly satisfying. However, the day before, I was a bit saddened to see that the building where I took my final class at Cal--and outside of which, afterwards, I had a beer with my housemates, on the green where we had often played spirited games of croquet--was, well, gone. There is now a big hole there, with huge metal spars coming out of it. To come in 2009 is a new state-of-the-art (and super-green-compliant) biomedical research facility:



which is all for the good, I think. I just get nostalgic.

So, Warren Hall, fare thee well. You weren't pretty:



but I remember you.

I missed a few states, but not a bad performance.

I didn't expect North Carolina or Indiana to go for Obama, but they surprisingly, and very narrowly, did. It's good to see them in blue. Oh, and I missed that one Nebraska electoral district that went for Obama, splitting Nebraska's vote 2-1. But two states off, plus one EV, is pretty good. You may worship my predictive abilities starting now (yes, it may just be that I relied on a lot of very good polls, but let's keep that quiet).

My final presidential election prediction.

Since the economic problems gave Obama a huge bump in the polls, the electoral map has changed. For what it's worth, here's my prediction for what is likely to be one of the most historic elections of our lifetimes. If I'm completely right, you all owe me a beer.

Obama 338
McCain 200

States

Obama: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, DC, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii.

McCain: South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska.