What to say, What to do.

To say it's been a crazy few days would be an understatement of Sisyphean proportions. I keep pushing, the world keeps sending more rocks.

I've added laundry to my list of home duties now, which reminds me I have a few loads to do tonight... On top of the meals, cleaning, shopping, school pickup, taking care of PB&J in the evenings, yard work (the leaves must come up within the next two days...), and the full time job. There are days I feel a bit stressed, but then I look at K's belly, and think, "Eh, there are more important things going on." All conditions are temporary. (That's in the Buddhist canon.) If the meat is still good, it's Steak and Potatoes tonight. Else: Teriyaki Chicken and Herbed Jasmine Rice with Butternut Apple soup as a starter.

Work continues to be alternately rewarding and annoying. I feel more like a veteran on some fronts, and a total newbie on others. I'm beginning to wonder if a change may be in order. I'm trying to push what I can to the new sysadmin, so I can concentrate on more development stuff. We'll see.

So while all this is going on, there was this little 'election' thingy that happened. I've got a few thoughts about that I'd like to share. (So what else is new?)

Everybody's saying what an upset this was for the Democrats and how the Republicans, specifically the White House, better watch out, better not cry, etc... I'm not convinced. For all the cries of 'Go Blue', things still look pretty purple to me. Which, is as it should be, in my estimation. A nice even mix of opinions and people. Debate is good. It makes you think about your position a bit, and decide if you're right or not. Usually you are, sometimes you're not. But as long as there is debate, we can learn about ourselves, our feelings, and learn to decide how best to do what is right.

Of course, that didn't stop me from voting pretty much down party lines. True Blue, as they say.

I get most of my info on how to vote from the web, now. I check out the candidate's sites, and see where they stand on the individual issues. I then vote accordingly. I don't watch TV, so I'm not subjected to the various smear campaigns that seem to be the staple of political advertising now. Nobody says that they're a good choice for their position any more. It's always how much of a bad choice the other person is. As if the candidates realize that voting is already considered a choice between the lesser of two evils, and as long as they can make the other person look more evil than they are, they win. I refuse to watch political ads any more. I'd rather make up my own mind, thanks.

On that note, I have a couple more bits of election related effluvia to mention. One is that, aside from one candidate, we received almost no Republican campaign materials at our house. We did get several Democrat voting guides, but nothing from the Republican party. It was almost as if they were resigned to the results before the election was run. Weird, I thought.

Another weird item was that of the Republican candidates who did leave a few bits of junk mail on the porch, none of them made mention anywhere in the literature that they were, you know, Republicans. There were no party affiliations at all listed on one particular candidate's literature. I actually had to look him up to see whether he was a Rep or a Dem. I'm wondering, in a time where people tend to vote party line, why you wouldn't do that? Unless you thought that the word 'Republican' might turn away votes. Now what does that say about the confidence of the candidate in their party? Not much.

Also, if it hadn't been for much of the Democrat literature we received, I would have completely forgotten that Ohio has a new Voter ID law in place. Again, strange to see that the Republicans made no mention of it, while the Democrats ensured that people knew they had to bring ID with them to vote this time. I'm wondering if the Republicans were counting on people who don't take ID with them wherever they go (people who don't drive, young voters, poor voters, etc.) to be turned away at the polls. It wouldn't surprise me, given the obvious lack of interest by the Republican party in this particular state, in people who aren't filthy rich.

Ah, well. Now the hard part begins. Now the Democrats who've been elected actually have to do something. What they're going to do with still a mostly purple House, purple Senate, red White House, and purple Judiciary, I have no idea. But they have a little control, and Bush is actually going to have to work for the last couple of years. If you think a three year old can whine (and I do), just wait. Watch the White House and see what kind of whining and complaining comes out of there for the next two years. The tune is going to change, alright. It's going to go from, "It's not a problem." to "It's not my fault!" Just watch.

OK, that's my political post for the year.

Now, speaking of work, and a lack of excuses...