How do you guys drink this stuff?

For the first time in years, California's primary will be meaningful, at least in terms of the race for President. In the Bay Area this week, though, you'd hardly know it, because a far more important event is upon us: Apple's winter MacWorld exposition at the Moscone convention center in San Francisco. You may recall that this is the same venue Steve Jobs used to introduce the iPhone in 2007, and many other interesting new devices over the years.

What will the black turtleneck surprise us with tomorrow during his keynote address?

• A laptop computer that is as light as helium?
  
• Movie rental through iTunes?
  
• The revelation that he is actually David Blaine?
  

While all this was playing out today, I was in my office several blocks away, trying to soldier through a long day on the heels of stupidly not going to bed until 1:00 am  a poor night's sleep.

I've never been a coffee drinker, but I've still needed an occasional caffeine fix, at which time I've been known to succumb to a can of Coke, or lately, a glass of hot tea. Something came over me today, though, and I found myself making the afternoon walk of shame to Peet's (screw you, Howard Schultz!).

I will admit that the coffee gave me a nice buzz, but it still tasted like hot dirt. I don't think this will become a habit.

When I got home tonight, still jittery, I found that my absentee ballot had arrived. Eager to put a √ near Barack Obama's name, I was rewarded instead with quite a letdown: after progressively stupidly registering as an Independent when I applied for a California driver's license in December, I can apparently only vote for a candidate running as an Independent...at least in the primary.

And who is on the ballot as an Independent, you ask? One example (I shit you not): someone named Mad Max Riekse. Sorry, Max, I've lost interest in voting in this primary. I'm turning my attention back to MacWorld.