What Happens In A Vacuum

As in Vegas, what happens in a vacuum stays in a vacuum. At least this was the theory I set out to prove last night as I sat down on the couch with my son to watch "Iron Man" (available now on DVD!). The pizza was ready just before six o'clock, and he had done me the favor of preparing the home theater ahead of time: disc in the player, big movie sound turned on, all remotes neatly lined up on the coffee table. We ate our pepperoni, watched deleted scenes first, then plunged directly into the evening's feature presentation.
For two hours, we sat and savored Tony Stark's journey from billionaire playboy weapons manufacturer to super hero with a conscience. We also shared a box of Junior Mints (available now in 4.75 Theater Box!) We took turns taking trash to the kitchen, feeding the dog and letting her out the front door, but mostly we savored our time in front of the TV until it was bed time. That's about the time mom came home.
She had been out watching the vice-presidential debate with her mother. She came in, bursting with ideas and connections from her evening of TV. I busied myself with my laptop computer, peeking at the Cubs score and noting that Oregon State couldn't hold off those plucky BCS-busters, the Utah Utes. But I couldn't avoid the reality of what had taken place. The seal had been broken and all that news was starting to rush back in to our little cocoon. The Joe and Sarah Show was the topic, and like Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction" (available now on Collector's Edition DVD!), it would not be ignored. So I listened to some of the sound bites, and watched a little of the staged theatrics. I tried, briefly, to imagine how any of this would affect the decision that I have already made about the upcoming election. When I was done, I knew that I had made the right choice.