A collection of my thoughts over the past few days, elucidated for mass consumption:

I'm so beyond ready for this election season to be over. I'm tired of the scraggly old fart and the smooth, slippery young dude. I'm sick of the hairplugs and caribou Barbie. I'm done with the constant noise, noise, noise, noise. Call me the Presidential Politics Grinch, but I'm ready for it all to grind to a screeching halt.

Once the election is over, I wonder how long before the ethers of the 'web calm the heck back down and all of the political furor that has erupted upon them can dissipate. Then I think to myself, There's no way that's going to happen. This election season has been far too divisive to ever return to normalcy.

Gotta love the divisiveness, man. It's just delicious.

They say that Sarah Palin, in the event of her and McCain's loss for the presidency tomorrow, is thinking of being a talk-show host. This is pretty ill - I'd bet that it would be a flop. But even if it's not, I don't expect her to be the next Oprah. (But that's because no-one can dethrone Oprah.) She'll be another Tyra at best.

And while the prospect of her having a daily talk show is pretty gross, I can't help but think to myself - what's worse? Her with a show on the tube or her as a serious candidate for president in 2012? (Because, let's be honest, a talk show will kill her chances when it devolves into paternity tests and seances with mediums.)

Frankly, I'd rather have the nutter on the telly (where I can turn it off or change the channel) than in control of the nuke codes.

I got a message from the Nader campaign earlier today talking about how on national polls, they're getting three percent. And the big message from the e-mail is 'let's go for five percent!' It's pretty sad when your campaign is shooting for five percent in a national election.

If anything, it's just solidified what Nader's campaign is all about - it's not with any hope of winning, it's just in order to get a message out there, and to convince a few - even if it's only a very few - of the veracity and lucidity of their message.

It's not unlike a lady I know in my local area - she's running against a long-standing incumbent for school board. She doesn't have any hopes of winning, really, but she she's running on an ideal - that things need to change; that the status quo is broken; that, even if no-one else will stand up and voice their opposition, she will.

I'll vote for her tomorrow morning with pride, and I've explained her platform to everyone in our voting district, trying to increase support for her. Who knows? Maybe it'll be a big upset.

But even if it's not, her idealism should be noted.

And to wrap this all, up, I'd just like to reiterate the importance of going to vote - make sure that you know who the candidates are, what their stances are, what the issues and amendments you're voting for are - and cast your ballot accordingly. Don't be an uninformed voter - don't go in that booth without having carefully considered all situations and ramifications for supporting who and what you're supporting.

Make sure that when you come out of that booth that you can say you've voted with your conscience - and that, whatever happens, you've been an informed, active part of the political process.