I just got back from a week of interviewing students at MIT and Carnegie-Mellon University. The focus this time was to get interns for us this summer. I have to say I was super impressed with the students and the things they had done, not only in technology, but in their communities.

These were mostly 18 and 19 year olds who had started programs to bring computers to senior citizens, built bridges in local parks, and tutored kids. Some came from privileged backgrounds to be sure, but many had overcome a lot of obstacles to reach this level of accomplishment. They were incredibly passionate, eager, and smart.

I know these students are the cream of the crop, but as they are the leaders of tomorrow, I have to say I feel a lot better about tomorrow.

(On a separate note, if you didn't think it was possible for a three year old to scream like someone was killing them for five hours, you'd be wrong. The flight back from Pittsburgh apparently had a kid torture chamber on board. Thank goodness for my noise-cancelling headphones.)

Ugh. I have that achy, fevery, runny nose thing. Nothing like kids bouncing on you to make a bad thing worse. What's more, I haven't been sleeping well. My mind keeps racing; I have 2-3 story lines running in my head. It's like I'm channel surfing in my dreams. Weird.

Two things have eased my condition. 1. Michelle made some killer chicken soup this evening. She's my hero. 2. Our friend Mike loaned us his West Wing seasons 1-3 boxed sets. I'd forgotten how much I love West Wing; it's even better without commercials, in order, all at once.

I loved growing up in Minnesota, but I don't miss this.

Happy 2005! We had our traditional New Year's Day beignets again. I'm looking forward to Hoppin' John tonight. It's good to be married to a Southern cook...

We had a small, very enjoyable dinner party Christmas eve. As usual, we topped it off with dessert and decaf coffee. Once we got our guests out safely and the presents out, we went to bed -- relatively early even.

That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. I even started re-reading a JavaScript reference, normally a sure fire way to put me out. Nothing doing. My mind was racing. I solved all the world's problems in my mind that night. I was ready to get up and write it all down, but I really did want to sleep.

In the morning, I was a wreck when the kids came racing out to see what Santa had brought. Michelle and Ives (my brother) looked like hell too. Turns out the coffee was improperly marked; the decaf was really caffeinated coffee! None of us slept that night; we all shared the mind-racing phenomenon.

We took turns taking naps and building Lego creations for the boys. It was a long, long Christmas day...

I'm home again after two weeks in Asia. I'm still in a weird time zone delirium, compounded by the weird Groundhogs Day effect of travelling from Asia. (I left the hotel at 6:30am Sunday in Beijing and arrived in Seattle at 6:30am Sunday.)

Lots of bloggy stuff to write about -- later...

I'm in Taiwan right now, looking down the barrel of Typhoon Nanmadol, the first December typhoon to hit the area since 1964. What luck! No one seems too concerned here. I got lucky on my trip to Puerto Rico, missing the tropical storm that hit the island. Hopefully, this storm will pass uneventfully.

I'm back after a few days in Las Vegas visiting my parents. Played a lot of golf, most of it badly although I did come very close to a hole-in-one. It was nice to get away.

Well, I didn't win my bid to be President, but then I spent a lot less on my loss than John Kerry did. I knew I was smarter than he is. If you're going to lose anyway, don't spend a lot. Of course, he's loaded, so he probably doesn't mind...

Well, I guess it's a little late to get into the game now on the eve of the election, but I'd like to formally declare my candidacy for President of the United States.

Here's a quick statement on my beliefs:

• The federal government has a very defined and narrow set of jobs, as defined by the Constitution (you know, that pesky law of the land?) Government should do those things well for a change and stop doing the rest.
• People have a responsibility to take care of their families, friends, and neighbors. They should be expected and empowered to do so.
• I don't believe the government should have a monopoly (or overwhelming dominance) of speech, succession, or force. History shows bad things inevitably happen when it does.
• Consenting adults should be able to do pretty much whatever they want until it affects someone else.
• The same holds true for other countries.
• People know how to spend their money best. The government should take the smallest amount necessary to do the small number of jobs it's supposed to do and leave people alone to spend the rest as they see fit.

Anyway, I've been planning my campaign since junior high, mostly because I liked the slogan, "Vote Chor in 2004!" I even had a campaign manager. (Sarah, where are you and why haven't you been working on the campaign?) I've been busy with other stuff this year, so I haven't done much in the way of a campaign, but as this is a campaign 20+ years in the making, I figure there's a huge silent majority out there waiting to sweep me into office. One plus I hadn't counted on back then was getting Secret Service protection. I might actually be able to keep Michael (4) from killing me then.

(BTW, if you really are going to vote for me, you should write in "Anthony Chor" not "Tony Chor". I'd hate to lose in Ohio over a technicality.)