I haven’t updated all that much lately because I had (well… still have) a sinus infection that has pretty well drained me of all my energy, caused nausea, caused insomnia, and has just made me feel like someone hit me with a Mack truck.Â? I missed half of last Friday after I started vomiting uncontrollably at work and had to get my tail down to the clinic and I missed yesterday because I woke up (after 9 hours of sleep) feeling congested and nauseous.

So… here are the things happening lately that seem to be on my mind.

[+] To those who are going nuclear about Barack Obama’s comments on small towns: Unless YOU live in a small town, spare me your self-righteous indignation until he actually insults YOUR way of life. I mean, seriously, people might find his comments “elitist” but… I’ve read comments from people in Pennsylvania towns who actually AGREE with him. (I can agree with much of it given where I live.) Hilary actually comes off as “Pollyanna-ish” to a lot of people which makes it seem like she’s less understanding of the issues we face in small towns than Obama is.

[+] I’ve been listening to a lot of really great podcasts from Speaking of Faith lately that have been intellectually stimulating and have given my brain something constructive to do while I work. Some of the better ones have been conversations with Ingrid Mattson and Leila Ahmed on Islam, Joe Carter on African-American spirituals, Jimmy Carter on his faith life, Chaplain John Morris on the soul of war, and Krista Tippett herself on how her faith life. They have podcasts on other issues of ethics and faith but I’ll admit I have just stuck to ones that interest me or ones that match my beliefs.

[+] Apparently Mother Nature is displeased with those of us in Big Sky Country (well… the Pacific Northwest in general) because we’ve got a winter storm tearing through and we’re supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow here on the prairie.Â? I was skeptical at first but it might actually happen given the rate of snowfall at the moment and the lack of visibility out the window of my study.Â? This is going to probably wreck my commute on Monday but into every life a little rain snow must fall.

[+] Dooce.Com has introduced me to another snarky ex-Mormon blogger in SLC: Sarah Nielson.Â? She’s definitely less vitriolic than Heather but still sarcastic in a brilliant way.Â? I guess she’s another one to add to my Bloglines?