Spoken by presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Hearts go thumpity-thump. Let the blood of hope course through your veins.

Little did I know my blog entry of a few weeks ago reminiscing about Spaulding Krullers donuts would unearth at least two other people and families who'd also been thinking lately about the tasty treats of our childhoods.

We all asked each other, "What ever happened to those donuts? And how can we find out?"

Thanks to my parents, who still live in upstate NY and who went to our local grocer to do a little sleuthing, I found out the donuts are still made. In the red-and-white-striped box. With the blue banners. (The stickers are courtesy of my parents.)

They're made by Stroehmann Bakeries in Hosham near Philadelphia.

So, that's good. If you can get them.

The only bad part, and I'm sort of now remembering this, is that the recipe for that signature sugar coating has been *changed*. It's more like just regular powered donut sugar now. Not that unique stuff you could scrape off with your teeth.

I think I actually discovered this not long before I moved down to Washington DC from upstate NY and had, therefore, written the donuts out of my mind. They just weren't the same.

And I guess I'm not the only one!

Rejoice, the Kruller liveth!

From Small Favor, the latest and greatest Harry Dresden book by the uber-talented Jim Butcher, come some real gems worth savoring.

About navigating a stream of thought, Dresden says:

"I kayaked down a logic cascade as I spoke." [Wow! I mean, wow! -- KLR]

About Dresden's first encounter with his half-brother's Hummer:

"He took the monorail to the other side of the Hummer's cab to unlock the passenger-side door. I showed up eventually ..."

"I squinted around the truck. 'Do TV shows start an hour later in the backseat than they do up here?'"

About Dresden's observation of another key character after a particularly nasty fight with big bad monsters:

"Kincaid, evidently exhausted himself, drew a gun, took the safety off, placed it on his chest, and went to sleep too. 'It's cute,' I whispered to Murphy. 'He has a teddy Glock.'"

Hope that our nation has an opportunity this November to turn a corner, to change perceptions, to raise expectations, and to take actions that will honestly and truthfully and positively help the lives of the majority of Americans.

And fear that our nation, because of fear, will lose the opportunity this November to do all of that.

But I'm walking that tightrope nonetheless.

Because the fates of our nation and, as Barack says, the "people of the world" are at stake.

Yes, it's not just about us anymore. It can't be. But isn't that better? To be about more than us? To make it not about just ourselves? Because it's not just the U.S. any longer. Living in the world of today is about being "more."

Barack has the ability and the life experience to relate to the majority of the *new* America. He doesn't make us less; his experience makes us more, and can help us relate to the world we live in today.

It is so important now to have a leader who:

1) offers ideas and an approach with which the rest of the world can better relate

2) reps the America that is *today* and not of 40 years ago

3) immediately grasps new ideas and stands up for new approaches

4) is someone able to serve four years and more, through what are sure to be very trying times

I'm not being Pollyanna.  Obama won't achieve everything he says he will. He'll change opinions and policy plans like any politician. But we have a better running start with this man who will be someone that others listen to, if only because they need to figure him out.

So, for those of you still on the fence, or those of you who know that you're making a decision based on fear of something that's new -- his name, his face, his background -- sit quietly for a moment.

Listen to your heart. Tap into the hopeful energy that imbues those of us of all races and spiritual practices and lifestyles who know that Obama can help restore some of the energy and idealism and hope and big ideas to America.

Stop by an Obama campaign office and look at the faces of the people there. All kinds. All ages. It's a wonderful thing to see.

Hope is a much more pleasant reason to vote for someone than fear. Follow your heart. Make up your *own* mind, but listen to your heart.

Guy 1 (huffing): So what does he want?

Guy 2 (puffing): He wants us to settle down and have kids.

Bwah! I love it! :)

Just something I've been noticing.

Somebody somewhere in doggy obedience land must have passed an edict that every dog will learn how to sit at a curb before crossing a street by September 1 or something because *every* dog walker I see is stopping and waiting for their dog to do that before crossing a street.

I mean, everybody. Tonight I watched at least 15 different dog owners in a row get to a curb, stop, wait for their dog to sit, watch for traffic, and then proceed when the coast was clear.

It's often impressive and comforting in a way, but I'm just seeing it happen so often I'm left wondering if somebody put out a  mandatory training requirement that, if not fulfilled by a "certain date," will cause your pooch to disappear in a poof of doggy hair.

You dog owners out there -- can you enlighten me?

Or just "crap."

A couple of my current fav TV characters use it and I think it's just a lot of fun. Even more than that other scatalogical "s" word.

Try it. It just feels *good*. And it's multi-situation applicable.

Next time someone cuts you off on the road (bad) or you get a 50% discount from a rub-off coupon (good) or your kid volunteers to vacuum the house (good, albeit suspicious) or your desktop/laptop/thumb drive/hard drive back-up all manage to mangle the latest version of some uber-document (truly bad) or you actually sight Dick Cheney (bad beyond imagining), say "Holy crap!"

ETA: Jane Espenson said "holy crap!" last week.  And the "crap count" continues.

ETA (and until Squarespace fixes the "post a follow-up feature"!): Harry Dresden of the inimitable "Dresden Files" books says it. (And there are plenty more wonderful reasons for you to pick up these books, by the way, but if this is the one that gets you there, fine by me.) And MaryAnn Johanson at my fav site flickfilosopher.com says it, too. And the "crap" count continues. This *is* more fun than an Olympic medal count, any day.

Community and politics: I went to an open house for Election Officers because I'm working on Nov 4.

TV: I wrote a blog entry at flickfilosopher.com about the "Robin of Sherwood" DVD set. I re-watched "Saving Grace" from last night during lunch. Pretty rockin'. And I kept on doggedly dubbing old VHS tapes to DVD via this nifty little SONY machine that does transfers.

Dog Agility Training: I watched my neighbor run her sheltie through an obstacle course on the grounds outside our building.

Sweat equity: I jogged this morning in the sticky heat.

Pet care and feeding: I brushed my cat.

Communications: I put in a day of work for my client via about 8 million emails, two telecons, 8 versions of a "to-do" spreadsheet and one RSVP to a farewell pizza party for tomorrow.

Creativity: I wrote in my journal this morning and I'm writing this and working on my script treatment right now at my coffeehouse.

Household maintenance: I washed the dishes, vacuumed multi-grain chips from the living room carpet, and rescued a spider to be put outdoors (I think that last one qualifies as Pet Care, too).

Driving: Between all those afore-mentioned locations outside of my domicile.

Welcome to my world.

A tingling vibration, right in the toes of my shoes.

Everything was in motion and knew it was in motion at the same time.

Maybe it was there before, but I just wasn't aware.

It felt cool.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.