Going stir-crazy in my winter wonderland

Holy crap, it's snowing in Georgia! Seriously, there's like an entire inch of snow accumulated on my deck! Back in Cleveland it would take a white-out before I was housebound, but these crazy southern drivers can't even handle rain, so no way am I venturing out on to the roads today. But alas, I've spent the better part of the week wallowing around in my sickbed (ventured to school briefly yesterday and the day before, and krogers out of sheer desperation, but mostly just here) so now I can feel myself starting to go a little nuts. I told myself that if I read one article on MCMC and Gibbs samplers I could go back to reading The Amber Spyglass, or maybe watch the latest Harry Potter installment, but my brain still feels all lazy and fuzzy...maybe another cup of tea and then I can drum up the motivation to bundle up and go for a walk in the park...

(Still) Not Dead

Just recovering from yet another round of The Crud. I don't even think I can blame my little gymnasts for this one; based on the timing, I think this was all me. C'est la vie.

But in the meantime, I've been slowly starting the research process to make up my mind in time for our February primary. I've been digging these two sites, because they let you weigh how important a particular issue is to you with how much a certain candidate agrees with you on said issue. As a healthcare voter, I've been waffling over Obama, with much useful information from Ezra Klein on mandates (and why they matter) and Obama's healthcare record in Illinois (via Jon Cohn). Amelia seems to have made her mind up, but the discussion in comments to this post is excellent food-for-election-thought. Lastly, the Kaiser Family Foundation has a nice side-by-side comparison of healthcare plans, for as many candidates as you select (among other healthcare news and analysis).

Somewhat more generally, the American Association for the Advancement of Science has provided this handy website all about the various candidates' positions on science and technology. And the Scientists and Engineers for America have created the Science, Health, and Related Policies (SHARP) Network to help you track your representative's record on science and health issues. (haven't had a chance to dig in to either of these)