Sk8J’s Neighborhood

Today was a pretty big day, as not only was it Election Day; not only was it my first time voting for a Democrat for president; not only was I able to vote for an African-American; not only was it my first time voting in Virginia; but it was also my first time involving Nrrd Boy in the process.

We've been talking about it a lot recently; about how there's a very important job that several people want, and that every 18 or older gets to help decide who gets the job. And with the massive amount of racial diversity he's been exposed to since moving here, he's very excited by the idea that someone who looks a little different than him will possibly now become President. And he loved the idea of accompanying me this morning and "helping" me vote.

So I woke up at 5 a.m., hoping to get ready a bit, wake him up at 5:30-ish, then walk down to our local community center/polling place that opens at 6 a.m., do my duty, then get him to school, and hit the Metro, with minimal disruption to my schedule.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

We got there just before 6 a.m., and there was already a line of more than 150 people stretched throughout the Lake Anne Plaza parking lot. Young, old, parents with kids, adults in suits, some in sweats, every color and walk-of-life you could imagine; and they were all in a rather jovial mood considering they had all been hoping to be in-and-out in a few minutes. But as that was obviously not going to happen, people were having a pretty good time talking and joking with each other, as a handfull of GOP and Democratic volunteers walked up and down the lines handing out sample ballots.

Just over 90 minutes later, Nrrd Boy and I made our way to our little cardboard polling booth, and I let him hold the pen with me as we filled in the oval for Obama and Biden. And even though we were just two people in a sea of voters there; in one of many polling places across Reston; in one of many towns across Fairfax County; in one of many counties through Virginia; in one of many states throughout the U.S.; I felt rather optimistic. Not just because of Obama's message of change and optimism, but also because of Nrrd Boy's enthusiasm and interest, and what that could mean for the future.

My last paycheck had something totally awesome included... Under the regular hours there was a column that said 'other' and then a dollar amount that corresponded. 'Other' as it turns out is synonymous with 'summer bonus' in this instance. I have never ever worked a job in which you get a summer bonus! I like this working for a small company that is doing well thing. It's nice.

It almost makes up for the god-awful demanding parents who either a. forgot their kid/s need a monthly or yearly checkup and then get mad at me when i tell them that we are booked through most of july, yes... all three doctors (one doctor is booked through ALL of July so you can suck it-dickwad), and no, we do not have a stash of prime appointments for bad parents set aside. b. get mad at me when I tell them that their precious Hudson/Zoe/Marlena/Chloe/Timothy/Chasen/isnert-name-here can not have a camp form filled out unless they've had a physical in the past 12 months and I don't care that they haven't had one in 2 years, and again, we're booked through till precious is meant to LEAVE for camp and no there's nothing I can do about it. Oh, they can't go to the art farm this year? Whatever will they do? c. slowly explain to me about their going to their 'country houses' soon and that they need an appointment for whatever reason before they go ALL THE WAY out to Long Island because it's SO far away. and d. the stupid travel appointment-makers who have just realized that they are going to the jungles of Africa in 2 days and need to get a series of shots including the Yellow Fever vaccine. We can not help you for 3 reasons - one- the yellow fever vaccine needs to be in your system for 10 days before you go to a yellow-fever-infested place in order to be effective. two- the one doctor in the practice that does travel medicine is not in the office for the next two days and three- you're stupid.

Luckily I do not have to care about most of these people. If you are nice I will call you if we have a cancellation, if you are a cunt and demand I put your child at the top of the list  for cancellations I will do as you ask and put his name on the list with three stars (seriously this woman asked me to put 3 stars next to his name). In this case the stars mean, never call this woman for anything she is an awful human being and that she can go fuck herself. She also called late in the season for his flu shot appt, and bitched me out on the phone when i was still new to the job for not being able to find him a suitable appt. Whatever, lady.

I'm allowed to tell my bosses (the doctors) that so-and-so's mom is CRAZY! and MEAN! and they may well agree with me. It's awesome.

I'll write more about the wackiness of downtown NYC parents soon, their AMEX black cards, and thousand dollar strollers, and the caretakers or nannies of the trilingual toddlers. It's an insane world, and these are some insane parents. And they have no idea I know who they are.

As it turns out, time flies when you're not miserable and bored and trolling the internet regularly for your entertainment.  Weird, right? I know. I thought the same thing. But it must be true. I can't just make brash statements up and say they're true. Well, I guess I could, but whatever. For me time has flown these past 6 months.

I'm still content in my new job. It's way easy, the money's good, and hey, I get free medical advice whenever I need it.  Yesterday I think I got the easiest and possibly largest raise I'd ever gotten in my history of employment. In passing I said to the doctor in charge of payroll, "Hey, do I really get a raise after 6 months?", which is apparently standard practice. He asked when that 6 month mark is. I told him when (April 5th) and he nodded and told me that beginning this pay period (the first after my anniversary) I'd be making an extra dollar an hour. I looked at him as if partly confused.

"What? I don't have to write an essay?" I asked. Now he was the confused one. I told him that at the Container Store you have to write short essays and fill out a five page booklet for your yearly review (if you're complacent enough to stay at a part time retail job that long) after which you discuss your inevitably too-poor performance and all of the areas you need to 'grow and challenge yourself' and the 'opportunities" you have. If you suck up and have no other life you may merit a 7-8% payraise. However you have to be TRULY exceptional to rate that. Most people fall within the 3-4% raise bracket, and I assure you 3-4% (and even 7-8%) of $10 an hour isn't enough to make the physical pain and emotional anguish of never being 'ON' enough for a part time job worth it. (Did I just disclose my starting salary at TCS. FOR SHAME! Doing such a thing was the one verboten thing in their culture [along with gum chewing, and saying or even thinking 'that is not my job'. Believe me, they know when you're thinking it. And you're wrong. It IS your job. Now get off the register and clean up the bathroom before tying that perfectly able-bodied woman's shoe in the gift packaging section])

Why did I stay at a job like that for years? See the previous brief mention about complacency and keep in mind that I have no real drive to do anything. So I was a perfect workhorse. Plus I have the protestant work ethic. I had to do something, I needed some money and I always think myself lucky to have any job. Also, reading over my 2006 performance review- damn, I could rephrase and reuse the accepted and desired terminology/vocabulary! It was money. It was a job. And somehow it was less soul-deadening than denying people health insurance (a previous gig for many years).

So anyway, the doctor looked at me and laughed. He said that no there was no essay portion of this conversation. There was no 'you should do x or y, or maybe x and y, and maybe we'll appreciate you more'. He looked at me, laughed about the idea of detailed essays regarding selling plastic boxes, and then said, "We're happy to have you.".  Fer reals. 

So after a week with Nrrd Grandma, while Nrrd Mom and I were away in NYC, 3 1/2-year-old Nrrd Boy has now started a song which may be the coolest thing I've ever heard.

I LOVE MUD
Mud, mud, I love mud.
I'm absolutely, positively, wild about mud!
I can't go around it, I've gotta go through it.
Beautiful, fabulous, super-duper mud!

I need to get recorded audio or video of it, because it's so, so funny.

Politics or Leadership?  That's what it boils down to, this race.  The race for the nomination and the one to come for the presidency.

I've lived my entire voting life with only the choice of politicians to vote for, because I didn't vote for Reagan.  I voted for the politician instead and while I would do it again today (given the same choice) I'm praying that I won't have to.

That is what the Democratic Party machine isn't fully grasping here.  For the first time since Robert Kennedy's campaign they have a candidate that leads and speaks to peoples' hearts and not a career politician that has accrued power and favours.  LBJ was a politician of the highest order and yes, he could work that machine like a mutha and signed off on some serious shit but you know, he also signed off on some serious shit.  Vietnam War, everyone.  I know he didn't get us into it but you know he kept our country in it, against our will and behind our backs.  That's politics, people.  I think he was a smart man that became an incredibly smart politician and we can only surmise what would have happened if he hadn't been the Vice President to a Leader.

I want some leadership.  The politics of the last twenty years has made so many of us a cynical and fearful bunch of voters who only care about keeping ours safe from the have nots and hating the haves, even if all they have is something different than us.  That's some kind of sad, right there.  We keep getting pitted against one another and another Republican is just going to be about more of the same.

The voters know it and the frustration has led to things like term limits because we know that the system needs to change.  The thing is, it's not going to change by changing the rules that politicians play by.  It changes by changing the politicians themselves. 

Hillary is an excellent politician and she deserves more than just credit for learning and playing the rules to her advantage.  She would make an excellent career politician if she were given the room and a chance to work at keeping the Republicans in check.  She's just not a leader, is all.

*I wandered across this today and think it's one of the most interesting things I've read on just how Obama's campaign has changed politics, forever really.  http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/14/182615/431#readmore  It's titled "Process vs Policy:  Organising"

time's completely flying. i keep forgetting to update this, though i spend so little time these days on the internet that it's truly of little consequence. the job is still going well, and i'm amazed at exactly how fast i can spend my new and improved paycheck.  for instance today i went to dean and deluca and spent 30 dollars on candy. hello violet marshmallows and triple chocolate toffee. i'm trying to pretend that i didn't buy an orange-blossom marshmallow because it's yucky-gross (blame the fancy-pants french).

i'm getting hella into analog photography. on my unfinished uber-list is 'shoot one roll of film a week' and so far so good. i'm having a lot of fun with my diana+ and holga cameras, and then some.

home sweet home

i'm going to go primp and preen. maybe moisturize and do my nails while watching the colbert report. i hope you're all doing as well.