election day musings

Of course we voted today. Although, it still galls me that one has to register as a Dem.or Rep. to do so. I'm still in favor of an open primary, where one could choose their top 2-3 from a multi-party slate. I'd get behind any attempt to get that issue on the ballot. *Get behind* since I don't have the legal degree to write one myself, nor the wherewithal to get the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be an issue anyone else is interested in. I understand why dominant political parties don't want it, but where are the Greens/Libertarians etc.?

New voting machines---where are the privacy curtains? And the machine the savant use malfunctioned while he was using it; it wouldn't let him vote in the Senator race, so the workers had to retire it. What happens to the votes collected on it? And I want a hard copy of my votes...or at least the ability to sign the supposed hard copy. Of course, it doesn't do much good anymore since demanding a recount is no longer possible here in OH. Since when did doing one's civic duty become such an exercise in futility?

I suppose that I could run for office---be part of the solution and all that. Actually spent some time thinking about it while walking home from the polls. However, I would be a rotten representative because I'd put my values ahead of those of my constituents. *You say 80% oppose gay marriage? Too bad.* And knowing that, why do I expect more of my representatives? I probably shouldn't, but I do.

And by the by, Stephen Colbert is my hero.

In other news, the girl and I are getting better at riding up the hills coming home from Whetstone. We actually made it up one hill and onto a flat stretch before I started seeing my life pass before my eyes. It's not a testament to my fitness; I just learned how to switch gears. :jawdrop: Last night, the savant was finally able to switch my seat to the 'big-assed' one that I requested. Unfortunately I might have to have him switch it back; the padding is so thick that I can't reach the ground, even with the seat as low as it can go. I'll give it a week and see if I can adjust---my ischial spines appreciate the cushion.

Knitting feverishly on the bribes---I mean gifts---for the boy's soccer coach and helpers. *(aka Bob@256)* If scores were kept, I'm sure they'd have ulcers, or a complex or something. At last week's game, the boy was out in the field spinning with his arms outstretched while the ball was coming right to him. It hit his foot and continued to go toward the opponent's goal, only by the grace of the soccer gods/goddesses. Nonetheless, we're calling the move "The Vortex" Then, during the next quarter, the boy got in the middle of a clump of kids and must have bumped his shoulder. He walked off the field during the game looking for me to rub it and make it better. It's probably bad form to giggle throughout the game, but that's what I spend most of the time doing *(when I'm not yelling,"BOY!! WATCH THE BALL!!")*

The Girl and I are managing to get through the new creative writing workbook relatively unscathed. Our biggest battles involve length of sentences. She'd be happy with subject-verb-and maybe an object while I'm holding out for a few adjectives and adverbs that are more than 3 letters. We've been spending so much time on this, that there hasn't been as much time for history. Consequently, we're still studying the Greeks, though we have moved onto Athens vs. Sparta. She's pretty disgusted with women's roles in either society, so yesterday we took a break and made May baskets *(we bought flowers as well as using our lilacs)* while I talked a little about how that tradition came from some of the rituals of goddess worship. We gave baskets to our neighbors---even got to ring the doorbell and run for one of them. Also dropped off a basket at 256, but The Girl got caught there. It'll be a few years before she's stealthy enough for TP-ing.

Well, gotta run. The cable on the garage door opener is all messed up, meaning that we can't get it opened. Hope there isn't a birth until it's fixed. :(