Had I Known, I'd Have Clued Him In
Today, election day, was a Most Auspicious Day in the House O' Piffle.
Charles, as many of you know, a newly minted Yank (yeah, yeah: 1/2 Yank, 1/2 Canuck. Still sexy and semi-foreign, thank God, and with a legitimate claim to root for Team Canada in Olympic hockey) got to vote in his very first election!
Huzzah! Huzzah!
And how did this Political Science major feel?
"Good."
?'Good'?
Merely 'Good'?
"Yeah. I didn't get to use a machine. I wanted to use a machine."
Poor guy. He's waited all his life.
How anticlimactic. Voting by magic marker.
At least he was 'pre-registered' and got to go right in and vote, unlike me, who waited for an hour to re-register and then got to vote. Some state wide thing.
I love our town. Where else would you be standing in a non-moving line while, one-by-one, you got entered into a computer by a poor exhausted election worker who hadn't even finished his lunch (it was 7:20 pm by the time I got to him, the line stretching back down the hall, past the door and doubling back on itself, probably another 40+ souls long) with your fellow townsfolks cracking jokes and no one complaining? I even got to shake the hand of the hither-to-unmet neighbor (who lives a mile down the road) who pulled over and plowed my drive last winter and then went on his merry way before I could even thank him?
I swear.
I live in Utopia.
Utopia with cow poop on the breeze.
Charles, as many of you know, a newly minted Yank (yeah, yeah: 1/2 Yank, 1/2 Canuck. Still sexy and semi-foreign, thank God, and with a legitimate claim to root for Team Canada in Olympic hockey) got to vote in his very first election!
Huzzah! Huzzah!
And how did this Political Science major feel?
"Good."
?'Good'?
Merely 'Good'?
"Yeah. I didn't get to use a machine. I wanted to use a machine."
Poor guy. He's waited all his life.
How anticlimactic. Voting by magic marker.
At least he was 'pre-registered' and got to go right in and vote, unlike me, who waited for an hour to re-register and then got to vote. Some state wide thing.
I love our town. Where else would you be standing in a non-moving line while, one-by-one, you got entered into a computer by a poor exhausted election worker who hadn't even finished his lunch (it was 7:20 pm by the time I got to him, the line stretching back down the hall, past the door and doubling back on itself, probably another 40+ souls long) with your fellow townsfolks cracking jokes and no one complaining? I even got to shake the hand of the hither-to-unmet neighbor (who lives a mile down the road) who pulled over and plowed my drive last winter and then went on his merry way before I could even thank him?
I swear.
I live in Utopia.
Utopia with cow poop on the breeze.
Labels: The Life Rural
posted by Diana at 9:45 PM
13 Comments:
You get to use magic markers? We have to use No 2 Pencils (scan-tron ballots.)
Conngrats to Charles... happy voting! (but the results - GAH! What is UP with people and their hate?)
Has he been voting in Canada up till now? I wish I had a vote down there...I'd want to Canadianize a few hot issues!
So.... how do you feel about the results?
And by the by, I have to forgive you the longer times between posting... because I have to forgive myself. :)
Karen
And he didn't even ask me how to vote. My heartfelt congrat to him and you for your efforts in preserving democracy as it should be.
The Ole Liberal RF-er
We get to use pens. It was fun coloring in the little oval.
I've never voted on a machine. Now I want to vote on one.
Teri- Yup. Fat tipped ones for the fat ovals. Gah! indeed. I remember not long after moving here, hearing in passing on the radio that WI had no death penalty and being thrilled. While that referendum isn't binding, it made me terribly sad. The marriage ban one just angers me beyond words. How can my adored, rather liberal state be so bigoted?
Ruth- No. He's lived in the States for a long time and didn't feel right voting in Canada if he didn't live or pay taxes there. Wish you and most Canadians had a vote down here, too.
Karen- As I just heard the news that Montana went Dem AND Virginia is also looking hopeful, very hopeful, I'm thrilled. Taking back the entire congress will go a long way in braking the insanity. I also heard that bastard, Rumsfeld is leaving. Hope it's more than a rumor. I spit on that asshole, Joe Lieberman. What a selfish little fucker.
Dad- Yeah. He didn't ask me, either.
Dana- It was rather fun, wasn't it? I've used pens, pencils and the little metal pen-thingy that you poke holes in the ballot with. Never used a machine, either. I'm a bit distrustful of them, though. They'd need to be hacker-proof, something that'd be very hard to do, I'd think.
Congratulations to Charles, and it is indeed a happy day. Like Charles this was my first election that I voted in as well. :)
Sanjay- Well a big, fat 'Congratulations!' to you, too! And a hearty 'Well done!' for good measure.
I got to use the magic marker for voting too. Congrats to Charles for his first year voting! Too bad about some of the results.
Oh, I Googled Watts Nativity Carol (also listed as Cradle Hymn?) and Amazon has a recording on Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I played a short clip but didn't recognize it.
Pass my congrats on to Charles for his first U.S. voting experience--Did his good Canadian karma bring us the day's happy result?
Beth- Yeah. But the evolving good news on the national front, not to mention many of the governor races (sorry, there, in MN) is a big, good thing.
Ruth!- I just did, too, and suddenly there's lots. I didn't listen to the recording, but found the lyrics. I searched for an hour, maybe Christmas before last, and found nothing, despite trying all sorts of permutations. Guess with the 'net, if you don't succeed, just bide your time and try again. THANKS!
Stace- May be, may be. He loved your kitten post. Two kittens saved in our household. Many more if it's kitten per individual republican vote.
My belated congratulations and envy to Charles. I hope to be able to join him at the voting booth one day (it can be figuratively, not literally), but I've still got at least a six year wait. Vote twice and say one's from me!
Post a Comment
<< Home