Tiny Odd Note - I was actually surprised I didn't hear very many comments about the photos I shared from Halloween or my Birthday, or notes about the issue of Yard Signs. Maybe you all thought nothing more need be said, or you just enjoyed my writing and photos, and went on to your busy days. The idea of feedback on journals is a strange thing. Sometimes people write me here, and I answer privately. Other times I just love that you all stopped by and left a note, and I just smile and move on. It's just an observation. You don't need to respond, unless you really want to.

But I found my wistful longing for comments to be unusual.

On Being Well-Rounded - Two interesting quotes crossed my internet reading today. First:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein

The gal who posted this commented further:
I'm not sure I'd use Robert Heinlein's list quoted above, but you can come up with a decent one that isn't too far off and that prepares us for this new world where we can't buy our way out of so many problems- all of us need to know how to cook a decent meal, handle an injury or illness crisis, tend a sick kid, fix a broken step, darn a sock, dehydrate a tomato, tell a story, grow a potato, build a sun oven, bake a loaf of bread, put up fence, season cast iron, mend a rip, care for a dying person, sing a baby to sleep, clean a toilet, knit or crochet a sock, fix a roof, use a weapon, plant a tree, immobilize a limb, make someone understand a counter-intuitive idea, save seed, sharpen a knife, chop garlic, make beer, have courage, fix a bicycle tire, make soup, give a pep talk..." --Sharon Astyk from The Competence Project

I'm going to have to ponder these two lists, Heinlein's and Astyk's, and consider which of those I would do, already know how to do, or what missing skills I might recommend. It might be interesting to see what else people come up with -- maybe I'm most interested in Ianuk's list? or Dayle's list? Oh, and Morgana's. And Lynn's. *grin*

If you write your own list, send me a link to your post or a private email if you're not much of a "blogger." I'll collate them [anonymously if you like] and we'll share our ideas with one another.

Election Day - Finally, how I spent my day yesterday. I won't say too much, because it's being said in excess all over the place. But here's the narrative of my Tuesday. Got up earlier than usual, after listening to downpouring rain in the wee hours of the morning. I love the sound and smell of rain. Got online and double-checked once more that I had my polling location correct. Since I moved about 4 years ago, I spent time last month confirming that my voter registration was finally here in my residence hometown. I hadn't gotten *ANY* voter information in the mail this season, which was distressing me greatly. But my roomie shared her thousand-page-volume with me (well, it felt like a phone book), and I was prepared based on the input from radio, tv, internet, and friends as well as the actual published voter information.

The whole voting took 35 minutes: finding parking, walking a block to the church, standing in line behind about 6+ people, finding out there were 2 precincts there and I should be in the other line, standing in line behind 12-15+ people, finding my name on the last supplementary rolls print-out, getting my ballot, voting, checking the ballot to ensure every vote was filled in correctly, turning in my ballot, receiving my first "I Voted" sticker (because my old precincts never had stickers, so I used to just pin my official ballot receipt stub to my shirt, in lieu of a sticker), and walking a block back to my car. Not that bad.

At the end of the day, I found out some friends from my old shire were hosting a private instant-messaging chat room just to "watch the elections together." So I listened to the radio on the hour+ drive home, logged on, and multi-tasked more than ever before. I had the radio on (for my favorite radio station's analysis). I had the computer open, with the chat window in one corner. On the computer, I had 3-7 different election results maps open at any one time, on which I could hit "refresh" or zoom in and watch the numbers update as precincts were reporting. And on the tv, I had "mute" on and the closed captioning for watching what was going on. I had the most fun keeping "Comedy Central" coverage on the television, since I enjoy Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert so much.

Between my friends' commentary, the radio, the tv, and all the election maps online, I've never been so plugged in to the election results. And I've never wept over watching the results roll in, until last night. I wept. I believe that Obama's campaign was never about "vote for me because I'm black." But it's hard not to acknowledge the historic accomplishment that America just elected their first African-American president -- not that it was about electing a black president, it's just that he *happens* to be black. Even that is astonishing and amazing and awe-inspiring -- that our country, in my lifetime, has moved to where race can be incidental for many people. It's not for everyone, but it is for many people.

Some other journal posts, websites, photos, videos, and songs have brought me to tears last night and today. And I'm seriously disappointed and distressed that Prop 8 in CA passed. My opinion happens to be that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. You may disagree with me, you may agree with me, or you may not have an opinion on the topic. But I cannot help thinking that Loving v. Virginia (thank you, Janice, for teaching me to burn this in my brain) came along and over-turned ALL state laws that had race-based discrimination for marriage. I can only hope I live long enough to see the equivalent case come before the Supreme Court, in which ALL state laws that have same-sex discrimination for marriage are over-turned. Having some states yes, some states no, and constant battles is distressing. I want to see a federal mandate that allows couples to marry, regardless of their gender.

This is my opinion. I'll fight for your right to disagree. I'll fight for our rights to speak our disagreements. However, all vandalism and violence is abhorrent. If you feel the need to vandalize or lash out in your opinion, please feel free to destroy your own property, not mine.
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Today's Blessing That I'm Thankful For: Feeling proud to be an American