apropos of anything

Wow. Haven’t done one of these in a while. Here we go:

1. Voting. I wanted to vote on Election Day, but this year the turnout is so high that I didn’t want to take the chance of getting stuck in a line for eight hours and being late for work (despite not having to go into work until 1 p.m. so I can help with election coverage), so yesterday I went with Alicia down to the Pryor St. polling station to vote early.

As it was just above freezing outdoors, I’m grateful Pryor St. had enough space to allow us to line up inside, even if the line did ultimately resemble a snail shell and even if Alicia and I did walk around like bemused tourists as we looked for the end of said line. We thought by going together we’d at least be able to keep each other company while we waited our turn, but for at least half the time, she held my place in line while I drafted emails on scraps of paper and then did a conference call on HER blackberry while typing out the final emails on MY blackberry.

It was about this time that I began to wonder if I’ve become a stereotype.

The line moved quickly (we finished in just over two hours), very much because of the efforts of the poll workers, who were organized and efficient and kept us organized and efficient. They’d learned from the mistakes Gwinnett County made earlier this week too; as we got closer to the actual polls, they made us turn off our cell phones and blackberries because they interfered with the voting machines.

It was about this time that I knew I’d become a stereotype.

I wish I’d remembered to take my camera. This is an election I definitely want recorded for posterity, especially because despite recent stories about the race tightening, I still have faith that my guy will win (and if you don’t know who that is, you must be new to this blog).

Barack Obama cleans up after a spill in an ice cream parlor in Iowa.
Photo courtesy of Time magazine’s Callie Shell.

I voted for the guy who cleans up after himself when he spills ice cream (instead of walking away assuming somebody else will do it). I figure if he does it in his daily life, he will do it as our president. Oh, and also, the guy who gets his shoes resoled (instead of spending $150,000 on designer clothing):

Barack Obama’s resoled shoes. Photo courtesy of Time magazine’s Callie Shell.
Click on the photo to see the whole amazing set.

And finally, the guy who knows he has a lot to learn, who admits it, and who finds a way to make me respect him even more:

“I’m reminded every single day that I am not a perfect man. I will not be a perfect president… But I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree. And, most importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again.”

So anyway, voting is beautiful, and I am so glad and grateful I was able to do it this year. I hope you did too, or are planning to go on Election Day.

(And yes, Geoff, I did vote for Jim Martin too.)

2. Ambition. Or, possibly, insanity. I’m not quite sure what to call my plans for this weekend, which include pulling two volunteer shifts for Barack Obama and also baking four hundred (or more) cookies for the people volunteering for him on Election Day. Alicia and I have it planned out, have taken into account allergies and food restrictions, have determined on which days to mix which batter and which days to slice and bake which dough so that on Tuesday all cookies are at maximum freshness.

We’re making world peace cookies, twice-baked shortbread (some of which we will half-dip in chocolate), lemon and lime bars, and the New York Times chocolate chip cookies.

I’ve had an itch to bake lately, so at least the timing on this is good because I suspect in 48 hours I will be sick of the sight of creamed butter and chocolate chips. That’ll free us up to start churning out cupcakes like Bree Van de Kamp.

If we can pull it off, I’ll feel like we accomplished something, and like we contributed tangibly to the Obama effort, and these days, in my world, that’s the height of beauty.

3. Trying. Over the last week month or two three, I’ve really felt like there is too much going on and that it’s a struggle every day just to keep my head above water. I keep telling myself that in X weeks things will get better, but X is a moving target that just keeps moving. So far, though, I have not yet pulled a Meredith, and for that I am proud of myself, that I haven’t yet decided to stop trying.