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Back in 2003 I wrote about the experience of seeing a then unknown-to-me Damien Rice at WorkPlay, my favorite little music venue down in Birmingham, AL:

About halfway through the show, I realized what I was seeing. There are two different ways to interpret the word 'performance'; the first implies a simple recitation of a memorized work, and the second implies a live artistic expression. This guy was not just performing, in the latter sense of the word, he was brilliant.

It's rare to see something so breathtaking, and even rarer to recognize the fleeting breath of genius when it whispers in your ear. I put down my camera, draped my chin over the retaining wall in front of me, and listened, constantly fighting the urge to concentrate by closing my eyes. I could listen anytime I wanted, at home, but this was my only chance to see.

For those of us who spent the past eight years muttering that Bush scared us so much we could barely sleep at night, we now know where the sleep deficit went. I present Sarah Palin, who slept through the past eight years straight:

[direct link to YouTube]

I usually save the political stuff for solecist, but I look at her and think, if the Republicans win in November, the only thing keeping this kook from the presidency is the heart of a 70+ year-old man with a spotty health history.