Well-Oiled Machine

I attended a training for the Legal Voter Protection Team for Obama's campaign last night. For 2 hours, we discussed our legal role in protecting a voter's right to vote and ensuring that every vote counts. Many points throughout the night I thought about how this felt like a Continuing Legal Education seminar rather than a volunteer training to learn my role for volunteering on Election Day/Night. They presented a power point presentation and had people conferenced in on the phone to get the benefit of the training. There were no shortage of questions about how we should handle situations where a voter is being turned away, intimidated, asked to vote a provisional ballot wrongly, or just plain harassed. We learned the rights of the voter so that we can represent them at every turn where something might go wrong. The Voter Protection Team leader and trainer, a lawyer himself, answered competently and thoroughly every question slung at him and never once mentioned a partisan slant to the information. I was fully impressed by the well-oiled machine that is the Obama campaign in Montana.

Even more, I was impressed by the integrity in which the information was presented and portrayed. I had to remind myself at one point that, YES, this IS the Obama campaign. There was no grandstanding about Obama, no bashing McCain, and not even one Palin joke was cracked though she's the most ripe for ridicule in my opinion. They were gracious and helpful and made it VERY CLEAR that our help is totally nonpartisan.

I got a glimpse into the way Obama will run the country and these words come to mind: honesty, integrity, helpful, organized, and competent. If he runs the country half as well as he does his campaign, we will be 10 times where we are now. I have no doubt.

Sleep Deprived?

I haven't slept well in about a week. I have analyzed the patterns in my life hoping to get some clue to why I spend my nights tossing and turning rather than sound asleep like a bear in my den for winter. I can't detect a pattern that makes sense but I considered a few things to figure it out.

First, I thought it was white wine. A couple glasses have kept me from falling asleep readily. But, I haven't drunk enough to keep me up for a WEEK?!?!? And I considered candy. Maybe I was eating candy too late in the evening and it's kept me up. Nope, I cut it out a few nights ago and still no sleep. Then I considered stress: Hubs is in another country, we live on one income, CDoc is living with me, work is Crazy, election coming up ... but none of this is new. Hubs has been gone for 2 months and we've lived on one income for that long now too. CDoc has been living with me for 2 months and it's been quite easy. Work is rarely NOT busy and has bordered on schizophrenic on and off for 10 years; nothing new there... And then there's the election. Could it be that? Obama is doing quite well in the polls (but YOU STILL MUST VOTE FOR IT TO CONTINUE THIS WAY). I worry about the final tally coming out like the one 8 years ago that put us into the dire situation we're facing now. So, while it could be this election, I feel like I'm usually able to handle these situations with little more than tearing off a few fingernails (which are gone, by the way). The patterns aren't adding up.

I've never had sleeping problems before. In fact, I can sleep in the middle of grizzly bear country with merely a sleeping bag and a nylon tent separating us; both of which would be like plastic wrapping on a meat package for a bear. When I awake with a start because I hear noise that could be a bear outside my tent, I tell myself that there's really nothing I can do at this time but ignore it and it'll go away. And I fall back to sleep.

But last night, I was able to sleep through most of the night. And I awoke this morning cozy in my bed with sleep still hanging on me. I didn't want to get up! The only thing I can think of that I did differently last night than any other night: I inadvertently left the heater on for half the night ... (GASP) This is something I have railed on Hubs for doing, claiming that I can't sleep in the hot, dry heated room. Hubs LOVES to be roasting under piles of blankets with cotton mouth and deep crevices in his face from the hot, dry air (I claim it causes wrinkles). And really, I usually can't sleep in that. But last night I awoke at 1 a.m. pissed off at myself for leaving the heater on. So, I stomped downstairs and turned it off and then opened my bedroom window just a wee bit. In seconds, I was back to sleep. Warmth, fresh air. Ahhhhh.

I think there has been a general lack of warmth in our house since Hubs has been gone. And maybe what I need is coziness of temperature if I can't have coziness of affection. Totally lame and I still won't tell Hubs, but it's all I can come up with ...

Whatever it is, I'm doing it again tonight.

YesWeCarve.com

Now this is the spirit of Halloween that I can get behind: Barack O' Lantern. Happy Halloween!

Vote For Change

I had to stomach another debate last night and this one was the worst. I ended up with a hoarse throat, my dogs left the room and wouldn't come back downstairs and CDoc and I could have taken on a whole sports bar during a NASCAR race or Sunday football. I couldn't find enough things to throw at my computer screen (NY Times aired it online) that wouldn't permanently damage the screen so I resorted to slinging eff-bombs. I was spitting mad (literally) and couldn't form words out of rage.

I haven't been this tuned into politics in a very long time and the rage I felt after the debate last night is a good reason why.

I will continue to believe in our American people that eight is enough and we'll vote for Change this time but WOW, don't make me sit through that again.

Obama Waving Freely

I am not at all surprised that McCain/Palin have to sink to low measures with lying and using propaganda against Obama's successful campaign. I am surprised though that that it's not working and that the American public can see through it. It's about time that we reject a campaign that spends more time and money on deceipt than policy. But it's disappointing that our little sleepy town isn't spared from the antics- Obama signs are disappearing on the same street where the other signs are still gaggingly displayed. Our sign is still happily waving in the Montana breeze and if anyone dares come near it, I'll unleash the dogs on them.

And Yes I Can

I am joining the ranks of my sister and her friends to blog about Obama. I've been admittedly obsessed with this campaign so I might as well embrace my fate and just blog about it too.


I have never thought a Presidential race was as important as it is today. I feel we stand at a crossroad with the option to keep going on as we have been down a spirally quagmire to which the end is dark and dreary. Or to take another path with a hopeful and bright journey awaiting. And it's never been more important that we take that other path. And so, I'm going to commit some of my time to writing about a man whom I think would take us proudly and competently down that new path to a better Amercia.


Corny, I know. But Obama inspires that hope for change in me.

Light and Fluffy

I was prepared to write another entry on politics and campaigns. However, it seems wrong to do that twice in a row without a little something light and fluffy in between. Instead, I need to know: What should I be for Halloween?

Surpassing the Low Bar

I am guilty of the same reaction the media had to Palin's performance in the debate last night. I thought she did alright. In fact, last night my reaction was fear and loathing of the month ahead and how much work the Dems have ahead of them to keep the popularity gap widending rather than narrowing. And then this morning I went to look at the Check Point article at New York Times and realized my reaction was tempered by the low standard to which I held her. She did not do well, she just didn't screw up. And that's a major difference. She didn't say anything substantive about her own veiws and when she did say something about her running mate's views, it was usually wrong. In fact, at one point, she said she hadn't been at this for very long so she hasn't promised too much. Well, she didn't help herself out last night either because she continued to promise the same rhetoric about hockey moms and standing up to those big oil companies. And while she's probably going to hold true to her hockey mom rhetoric, she is way off base claiming that she ever stood up to oil companies or will ever in the future. I find it interesting that she makes a promise to do so under the same breath that she corrected Biden's mistake on her favorite chant: DRILL, BABY, DRILL. Palin, according to Check Point, spoke many untruths about Obama, her running mate, AND HERSELF. Granted, Biden had some missteps for which he'll be accountable as well, but Palin's outnumbered Biden's by 2:1.

I hope the American people can see through the credit they're giving Palin on the debate last night like I have. She sounded no more like a Vice President than Bush sounds like a President.

And that's what scares me...