A Pennyloafer Saved...

...may be a belly laugh earned. Here's a fun game:

Sock and Awe.

Just click on the above title of the game, and a new window will open. I'll give you three guesses to come up with the current event that inspired it!!

It's not just fun, it's habit-forming AND improves eye-hand coordination. So that's not awful, is it? Sounds all American Dreamy.

 

I'm Thankful for This Experience

Given the historic nature of last week's election, I wanted some time to reflect and digest before recording my memories. Today is my "How I Spent Election Night" Post. If you continue scrolling down, you can follow (in reverse order...) my day on Election Day. I blogged from morning until Ben & Jerry's. I didn't blog about post-poll-closing because I'd left my cell phone at home accidentally, which let me enjoy the evening fully immersed, rather than trying to record as I went (Rick appreciated my full attention for a change). Here are my observations after the fact.

On election night, after the polls closed and we'd gotten our free ice cream, Rick and I went to our favorite sports bar to watch the election returns, expecting that at least one of the TVs would be tuned to a station covering politics. Heh. Boy, were we unprepared. And given our city, I don't know why!! Here's the scenario.

We live in Cleveland Heights, the most liberal and most integrated city in the most liberal (by many accounts) county in the state. Cuyahoga County is reliably "blue". But Cleveland Heights is seriously crunchy granola. It's situated between 2 large universities and 2 small colleges, with 2 huge competing research hospitals flanking one of the universities. Our population tends to be students, faculty, and highly educated folk from all over the world that feed into the hospitals, research spin-offs, and academic world. Which means we also are balanced in a racial manner, too: my immediate neighborhood is interestingly mixed. 2 blocks north is the Hassidic neighborhood. Our own street is only 2 blocks long, yet is almost a tiny sample of the world as if it were on a prepared slide for a massive microscope. I love it.

"Our" bar is called The Winking Lizard. The closest one is practically walking distance from us, only about 2 miles away. The interior has multiple rooms, and each room has multiple TVs. Each room had only one TV dedicated to a sporting event, and the volume was selected to the CNN tv! :-) What? Worry about missing the election returns? I say again, "Heh!" EVERYONE in the bar was engaged with the goings-on, and talking with neighboring tables. It was an emotionally electric atmosphere.

And friendly!!! I have never seen such friendliness before, and this is a very friendly neighborhood! I felt so warm towards my fellow Cleveland Heightsians (or whatever we are...), and it wasn't just because 98% of us were there to cheer on then-Sen. Obama. Everyone was polite, too. No one got vulgar about the opposing ticket, though the opportunity was there. I really feel good about that. I mean, a few snarky comments were made, sure! But nothing foul, nothing that couldn't be said in front of a child or say, your great-grandmother. In fact, all that I heard that was said that night was considerably milder than things already said in the media or on SNL. I don't know if we were acting out of superstitious fear of 'jinxing' the election. All I know is that I appreciated the considerate behavior.

Many people left before the end; whatever the outcome, Wednesday was still a work day, after all. Rick and I stayed to hear the speeches, which beyond what could have been imagined, given the campaigns. We stood there in stunned relief with other bar patrons and workers, sometimes just listening, sometimes smiling at each other, sometimes spontaneously hugging each other.

There were lots of joyful tears.

Out on the street, people were honking horns and yelling cheerfully to each other. Strangers and friends hailing each other from across the street with the good news made it seem like New Year's Eve or some other grand, universal, secular holiday.

I've never experienced anything like it. I think it's unlikely I ever will again.

 

A New Generation of Activism

Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.

I don't quite fit the demographic, agewise. I'm "Generation X", part of the "over-educated, underemployed, undermotivated" generation allegedly coddled by the parental Boomer Generation. (I think this video is incorrect about the parents of so-called "Generation We" being the Baby Boom Generation. The Boomers were born at the tail end of WWII, and would therefore be grandparents, even great-grands of the people covered by the labels "Millennial" or "Generation We".)

I do appreciate the motivation and the ideas expressed in this video. I'd like to see how much of this actually happens, now that the longest and most contentious presidential campaign in U.S. history has ended.

 

Sigh. *Phew*!!!!!!!

Wow.

This was a huge night.

We watched the election returns at the Winking Lizard, Coventry. Great place for sports, we knew that; it turns out to be a hoppin' place for election coverage, too!!

It was satisfying to have a support system for all the ups and downs of the evening.

The entire bar was sympathetic. Well, almost! There was one guy in our section that had opposing views. We were very polite to him, and we tried to make it seem like we were there for the Miami of Ohio v. Buffalo game. Except when stuff happened on CNN that was cheer-worthy which wasn't coincident with events on the football field in Buffalo...

I'm so grateful. SO grateful. This was always bound to be an historic moment. I'm just so enormously grateful it's turned out to be historic in a turn that seems most helpful to the country, rather than in a means that will keep the country on its current path.

I'm sure Sen. McCain is a fine man, I just don't want him in my White House. I don't trust his temperament, I don't like his policies, and I feel like his plans would have run this nation into the ground more even than the last guy did. I also feel like he's far too restrictive on the individual person, yet very liberal with business and industry. That seems at odds with nature to me.

No: I think justice was done today. The right one for the job got voted in. I thank God moment by moment for the grace of this day.

 

Election Day, part 13: SWEET! SWAG *still* means "Stuff We All Get"!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for FREE ICE CREAM!

Thank you, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream!! It was very yummy. Rick had the eponymous Cherry Garcia, and I nearly finished the very delicious Phish Food. Rick was delighted to finish that for me, as I intended.

 

Election Day, part 12

"In our secular world, elections are the closest thing we have to sacred." Heard on the Diane Rehm Show just now.

There are plenty of things in a secular world that are, in fact, sacred. But I agree that elections have a particular degree of 'sanctity'. With ALL the baggage of radical imperfection that cannonization brings!

 

Election Day, part 11: SWAG means "Stuff We All Get"

This time it's Starbucks, for my celebratory cup of coffee.

3 companies are dangling 'carrots', as it were, for people who voted to haul their patriotic behinds into their stores for free stuff: Starbucks is giving away a small (they call it "tall") coffee, Ben & Jerry's offers an icecream cone, and Krispy Kreme wants to give us a free donut.

Except it's illegal to offer goods in exchange for votes, so now, REALLY anyone can go up and ask for this stuff.

Isn't that interesting, though? To see such marketing ploys as potential bribery!

I'm glad, though, that the watchdogs are out. Ol' 43 has often seemed to be steering us dangerously close to a Third World status, behavior-wise. He treats the Constitution with as much regard as a paper placemat: he filled out all the mazes and the puzzles, colored the picture, spilled his Coke on it, and let someone else clean up. Child.

I can't wait til he returns to Crawford for his life in stand-up comedy; he's not leaving the country!

A delightful postscript to my visit to this Starbucks: I was originally going to just go in for my free cuppa. However, since we are out of coffe at home, and I love Starbucks coffees, I figured I'd buy a pound of something yummy. I don't normally buy their coffee: Costco's Kirkland brand coffee is far more economical and just as high in quality, if not as wildly wide ranging in variety. (As my tastes are simple, that hasn't bothered me.)

ANYWAY. I chose my beans, indicated my grind preference, and they informed me that I now get a SECOND FREE CUP OF COFFEE, because they give you a free cup of coffee when you buy a pound! Plus, they were giving free 'shots' of some seasonal latte with candied ginger bits on top of the whipped cream.

(I know!!!! Can you believe my luck?)

I left, caffeine-laden in both liquid and ground bean forms. The liquid-form caffeine was the only thing keeping me from happy-dancing all the way to the car, not wanting to waste One. Precious. Drop.

CAFFEINE BLISS!!!!!

Oh, if only there were a punctuation mark more expressive than a mere exclamation point. That could be the caffeine talking.

 

Election Day, part 10

Campaigning like a champion! Go, man, GO!

Of course, in Cleveland Heights, he's pretty much preaching to the choir. I don't think I've seen 4 McCain signs in the whole of the city.

At the Northwest corner of Cedar and Lee in Cleveland Heights. I'm so glad he has such a beautiful day. Many people are honking and waving in support!

 

Election Day part 9

Overflow parking, Board of Elections.

It's not in use today, as the BOE is not a voting location. Early Voting ended yesterday evening at 7:30pm. Now everyone must go to their regular polling location.

Please excuse the rotten photograph. (It shows a sign giving directions to alternative parking for folk who would have needed it during the previous weeks.) My cameraphone has lousy resolution when I use the 'zoom' function. This is the difference between "digital" and "optical" zoom: "digital" stinks, and looks like this.

 

Election Day, part 8: It Eats These Things...

My vote just got counted! GOBAMA!

You have no idea with what relief I send this post!

I had a panic attack yesterday that was so severe I nearly had to go to the ER, fearing it was a heart attack. It was all election-related. It meant the world to me to be able to vote, and to know that my vote counted.

 

Election Day, part 7

Voting instructions!

It was a lot like taking an acheivement test: you fill in the oval next to the candidate you want to win, just like you used to fill in the oval (or circle) of the answer you felt was correct. Same thing, really.

Voters had three options for filling out their ballots: wait for a booth to open, sit at an open spot at the table, or use a provided clipboard. These instructions pictured are, in fact, ON a clipboard. I didn't want to wait for a voting booth; there was a chair available at the table, and I pounced. The table was the very same table from which the election staff were handing out the ballots. In a way, I kind of thought that was almost a bit of a conflict of interest. I'm not sure if that's the right way to express it, but it's close...

Sitting at that table, we were right up against each other, and it sort of felt like taking the SAT or the IOWA test. "You can copy from mine, if you want..." I offered, to conspiratorial chuckles. Bewildered words were exchanged about the "fringe" presidential candidates -- Chuck (Constitution Party) and Bob (Libertarian Party) and Ralph ("Oh yeah! I forgot Nader was running! Huh. That's pretty funny..." said one of my neighbors.) It made for a true community experience. I enjoyed it like I've never enjoyed an election before.

I felt so connected to my community, to my country. It made it big and small and local and national and global all together.

I am SO GRATEFUL that I wasn't denied my Constitutional right to my voice in this election.

I love having this right. I love exercizing this right.

I love that there were so many people celebrating this opportunity to exercize this valuable right. I hope they learn to feel the way I feel, too, and come out with me every election.

 

Election Day, part 6

At the table!

The moment of truth: will I be on the rolls, or not? Do I get to REALLY vote, or am I one of the lost Provisional Voters?

 

Election Day, part 5 (I Think; I'm Losing Track...)

In the high school gym, and the line is moving. Our precinct has 5 voting booths. So has the other. At the end of each there is one machine which scans the sheet on which your votes have been marked. It lets you know if a mistake has been made, such as double marks or insufficient marks.

We have seen friends here! Neighbors, too. Cool.

 

Election Day, part 4

A-a-a-al-l-l-mo-o-o-o-ost there!

 

Election Day, part 3

Our precinct map.

What surprised us is that they split our street. Our street is only 2 blocks long, and the part of the street that is not in our precinct is the part that is closest to the high school, which is where we vote. Huh???

I'm glad I'm not the one making decisions. Or at least, not the one having to justify the decisions made.

 

Election Day, part 2

Inside! It's VERY warm. People are very polite and speaking in hushed tones. Could be the early hour. Still, it makes it feel like we're going into church or a museum or court or something. Especially with all the cell phones going off...

 

Election Day, part 1

In line to vote at Heights High. We got here at 6:49. HUGE line. Kinda wild!

The woman behimd me said her friend in Columbus has been in line since 5:30!

I've never seen anything like this.

How In America...???

This is gross.

I'm sad and desperately angry.

Saturday, Rick and I were winterizing the front yard when we were approached by two different Get Out the Vote pollsters. The first simply made sure we were going to vote, checked first to see if we'd already voted, and ascertained that we knew our voting location. He was also campaigning for Obama, and since we are sporting an Obama-Biden yard sign attached to our porch railing, that was pretty straight-forward.

The second pollster checked our names against the "registered voters" list she was carrying. Rick was there. A woman who hasn't lived in our house since before us is there. I'M NOT.

I'm not on the voter rolls.

There were no answers available from the poll worker.

I can vote tomorrow by provisional ballot. It will not be counted until the second count of the votes, the count which certifies the count according to the Constitution, and even then it may not count.

I am furious.

What makes it worse is that I suspect that it is because of my last name.

During the last presidential election there were a large number of voters removed from the rolls, ostensibly because they were "redundant" or "non-voting" or "believed deceased" or other lame excuses. Almost all of the names happened to be Hispanic-Latino names. One of the names removed was my husband Rick's name.

Rick is not Hispanic. Rick is not Latino. Rick is a mix -- a beautifully American mix -- of mixed European heritage on his mother's side and Filippino on his father's side. Filippino is not Hispanic or Latino. The Republic of Philippines is in Asia. If he can extract anything separately from that already honorable heritage, it would be a mix of very far-back Chinese and indigenous Island tribes.

So this year, aparently, it's MY turn.

I'm not Hispanic or Latino, either. My background is a Euro-mix, mostly British with a good dose of Swedish. But here's the thing. It shouldn't matter what a person's heritage is when covered by the curtain of the voting booth. It's supposed to be anonymous, anyway, right?

I suppose I should take comfort in the obvious fact that they didn't track me down to look at me to verify my ethnic status before eliminating me from the voting rolls. Anyone reading this who hasn't met me in person, you should know that I have strawberry blond hair, hazel eyes leaning toward green, and pinkish skin that burns severely in the sun, the sorts of traits that make strangers comment on my Irishness near St. Patrick's Day and Scottishness near Bobby Burns' Birthday or quote Braveheart to me.

Still, no one should be denied their right to vote based on their ethnic heritage. Not me. Not my husband. Not countless others that I don't know that have also been denied, that have surnames similar to mine.

Blind bureacrats desperate for power don't care about any of that. Nor do they care about justice. Because if they did, they wouldn't be tampering with the consititutional rights of citizens of this country at election time.

On the other hand, the current president and his administration have treated the Constitution like a bathmat. So there's really no big surprise there, right?

All the more reason for the current administration to be eliminated as fully as possible; so now, more than ever, I hope like screaming heck our next president will be Barack Obama. We need someone we can trust.

Until such a time as we get a trustworthy leader (it won't be John McCain, that lying, cutthroat, trash-talking jerk!!), this is not the America I know.

 

 

Funny!

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

See? Campaign ads don't have to be about cheap shots and misinformation. Or name-calling. This one is reasonable, clever, and it's actually rather fun.

 

A Modest Proposal

Could Joe the Plumber please take a break from the campaign trail and install our new toilet?

Thanks. That'd be great.