Election 2012

Left my house at 7:19 when the polls opened at 7:00 to go around the corner to vote at the neighborhood school where I attended grades 2-5.
I expected the line to be out the door and it was long, but thanks to the coffee I bought in support of the school band's trip to New Orleans, I was entertained in line and caffeinated beyond belief by the time it was my turn to finally vote. Eventually we got to chatting in line (I've never met a stranger and I was buzzing from the caffeine) The gaydar was pinging on the gentleman in front of me who was wearing his american sign language interpreter badge and I brought up the fact that people had been giving Mayor Bloomberg's interpreter a hard time. Turns out he knows her personally and that she really is licensed to interpret for the theater. She has been an interpreter for Broadway and he himself did some work as an interpreter at the Alley theater until they lost the grant.
I was nervous as I had to figure out (again) how to use the electronic polling booth and to make sure I made the choices I wanted to make. Was I willing to have my taxes raised for this or for that, etc. My hands were literally shaking (from the caffeine overload and the magnitude of the event) and I think if I didn't know how to read I would have been inconsolable. I did not find the electronic voting booth to be very intuitive until I got the hang of it midway through entering my #.
I am proudly wearing my sticker so I can show it to my children later in the day and get the dialogue started with the young ones and I have already gotten several comments from co-workers. Don't care. Important to show my kids.

I could have been having a colonoscopy today instead.

Nov 6: I am thankful for having the ability to exercise my RIGHT to vote freely and independently in the American democratic process.

Nov 5: I am thankful to have a whole day to spend with my children and have a break from their studies and my day-to-day grind. We played and ate and wrastled and bonded and even managed to get a play-date in.