Ulceration... I mean, Democracy in Action

M & I took the day off today to try to get some freakin' rest and relaxation. All morning I felt like I'd been run over by a sanitation truck and dragged - just dog tired, sore all over and super sensitive and cranky. After saying goodbye to our houseguests and catching some extra Zs, we exercised our consitutional rights (or 19th amendment, anyway) at our new polling place. I expected to work myself up into a froth, since M said that the new place was a church and had Jesus swag right up front when you were trying to vote, but after some encouraging polital discussion with some locals we know who were coming in, my mind was on other things. I will say this, however: that church, on 12th between 4th and 5th? The gymnasium would make an excellent loft. I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, one of our acquaintances outside had mentioned that she'd heard reports of people going in and out at some polls and voting several times under the names of people they knew who were not voting, and looking at the folks who were hired to run this shindig, I was not surprised that people could get away with it. Besides the usual elderly ladies, there were a couple that seemed a few pegs short of a Lite Brite picture, if you know what I'm saying. Nevertheless, they are civil servants, and are working long hours for very little to help us carry out our rights, as M pointed out, so Buddha bless 'em.

Am I the only one who checks that I pushed the right levers several times and kind of freaks out when I pull that big handle and everything disappears with a big ka-CHUNK? No? Moving on...

I noticed M was in there a long time, and when she got out I told her how my Dad used to joke "I don't want to see any dancin' in there," and how this referred to voter intimidation in past decades, whereby party bosses could tell if you were cherry-picking cross-party if you shuffled around in the booth. M told me she was checking her votes over and over (a-HA!) and also talking with her Poppie, who passed earlier this year. She said she used to talk to him every election day, as he was the one who had taught her how important it is to vote. I'm sure he's smiling on the other side at her every day.

We took a lovely walk through the park, which was showing off some spectacular Fall colours, despite the passing of grey clouds fairly often. It sure is nice to be able to take a day off and just walk amongst the falling leaves, stopping to watch the ducks or listen to a waterfall in our own mini-forest. We both agreed that we are truly, truly fortunate. Then I hugged a tree for a while - yes, literally - and headed home, gathering leaves to put in our kitchen table centerpiece on the way.

So here we are, some private time and some nice napping later, and M is starting to freak out. It's nigh about 7 PM, and the first results and predictions are starting to come in. I am still trying to hold on to the relaxation, refusing to turn on the television or concentrate on what are way too early returns to invest my emotions in. Fortunately, we stopped and picked up the new Star Wars trilogy set, so we can distract ourselves with the epic story of the noble rebels defeating the evil empire. Appropriate, yes? But I'd better get in there, because M is inching towards the television, and saying things like "maybe we can only watch just a couple of the extras... the short ones... and then turn on the news."

My bile is starting to rise already. It's going to be a long, long night.

Keep the faith...