Tuesday, November 08, 2005

You Can Stop Calling the House

I voted. I get annoyed when campaigns call the house. I understand it's effective (I used to work campaign phone banks when I was an undergrad so this is all karma related), but damn it, it's not just one or two calls over a week, it's several a day. If I hang up, the recording calls me again the next day. Last year the calls woke me during my numerous necessary pregnancy naps, this year they woke Gideon during his necessary naps. They ring our doorbell, litter the stoop with flyers . . . I get it, I read the paper, there's an election.

My other issue with voting is our new polling booths. Ever since they went electronic (which I like), we're voting in the open. I miss the big old booths with the big curtain and true feeling of privacy. The tiny four inch "blinders" don't cut it. I feel exposed.

For instance, the guy behind me was having issues and despite being well into his 30's, it seemed like he never voted before. "What's this? And this?" he kept asking polling attendant. "What does L mean?" The polling attendant was stumped. I stopped voting, turned around and answered "L means Libertarian." The guy chuckled "Libertarian!" which I first took to mean Hah! Like I'd ever vote Libertarian! but apparently he never heard of the word libertarian and thought it sounded weird, like I was making it up. Then he asked the attendant, "What does write in mean?" and "I don't understand, what am I supposed to do with this proposition?"

That man was an idiot, but I think he had the right for me not to know he was an idiot.

After covering Gideon with "I voted" stickers we went on with our walk. A woman approached us on the path announcing she was an Episcopalian and was there to talk about our savior Jesus Christ. I said, "No thank you" and kept walking. She yelled, "Do you guys need help with anything?" and I replied "Nope, we're good."

But that was a lie. My house is a mess (it's always a mess now). I could have really used some help cleaning the bathrooms and doing laundry. I asked, "Gideon, should I put that woman to work?"

Gideon can't talk, but a mother knows.

We agreed. We both wanted to be left alone.

6 Comments:

At 7:01 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

We don't have these problems here in Miami -- regarding getting calls and such for voting ... We have other problems like senility and forgetting that you voted and voting again....or cataracts that are growing so much through our eyes that we punch the hole one too many times...or we all of a sudden forget how to speak english.

d.

 
At 7:56 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

I left the polls earlier today because there were whole families standing around handing out stuff- as if they could hand me ANYTHING that would make me vote for their candidate- short of a wad of big bills, maybe- but then I'd go in and vote for who I wanted to anyhow.

I hate the new 'booths' too- I'm pretty sure the old lady was staring over my shoulder.

and I told you about the kid who called, didn't I? Said her name was Gaby and I should vote for ____ because he cared about children and the other guy doesn't??

I wrote to the newspaper about THAT one. I wished I' d told her to tell her mommy to go fuck herself.

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger RL said...

Damn Shann, next to you I'm Mother Theresa! (wink)

 
At 8:35 AM, Blogger Abulsme said...

I must admit, I did not vote this time around. Where I am all we had was some local city stuff, and I knew absolutely zero about any of races or issues. So I figured it would be irresponsible to vote. Plus, since we moved in January I haven't bothered figuring out where I am supposed to go to vote.

Of course, I should have educated myself on all that, but I didn't.

I am bad.

 
At 10:28 AM, Blogger Michelle M. Buchanan said...

I got a call the other evening, at 10PM. My response was "I was going to vote for him, but now that you woke my baby up I changed my mind"

 
At 2:01 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Michelle -- HAHAHAH. I can't wait to use that myself.

 

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