You better, you bet

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

Oh … my … god. It’s 11:15 Friday morning. I’m sitting here pounding my way through copy, waiting to head out to the playa for Burning Man. Hunter’s got a half-day at school, and I have a lunch meeting and still have to stop at the store for three days worth of dinners, a few more batteries and a throwaway camera or two.

I was up late packing the Jeep, and as I sit here, the thing I’m most concerned about is whether I closed the drain on the cooler. Hold on a sec … OK, it was closed, but now I screwed up my whole 3-D puzzle of tightly packed camping equipment. I hope it’s not raining out on the playa.

So, anyway, on to important matters. It’s Biggest Little Best of Northern Nevada time again. This is our annual Best of Reno contest. You know, every year we get huge reader participation in this thing, for which I thank you, but this year, I’d like to ask you a favor. We’re counting only online ballots again. (We just run the paper sample ballot so you can sit down and read all the categories before you vote—and of course to give our crack ad staff the chance to sell ballot ads.) So anyway, please, register on the N&R website, www.newsreview.com/reno, and then fill out the online ballot. We won’t sell or illicitly use your registration information.

Now, here’s the favor: I use the information this poll offers throughout the year. It’s a real resource for me and people like me. Would you mind not voting for things you don’t really think are the best? Every year, we end up with some wacky winners just because one business or another has a lot of locations or runs catchy jingles on the radio. I don’t mind if you vote for chains, if you really think they are the best, but if you are just voting for one because you’re familiar with the name, hold your vote for things you actually care about. We’re more interested in who’s really the best than we are in getting a billion votes in every category.

Thanks. Have a good burn.

Addendum: I’m ba-a-a-ck! Good times were had by all!