mom placation was ironing by which mens perrypops in a womansuit is the new child mystericating teats that can taint baconated digestive broads plastercasting gnostically from the great gospel wwjh

also: geography lesson (maybe he is more advanced than this, i forget how old he is!)

i hate forms you have to fill in in word

Big word. I always have to beat my clients about the head to convert stupid Word forms to PDF.

Man I've been so stressed and beaten down with this new job. It's not the material of it necessarily. Working with student radio, tv, newspaper and a humor magazine is WAY more interesting than working with dumb departments like human resources. But this department is so behind web-wise and the workload and expectations that were handed to me are insane.

It occurred to me on the walk in that I've only been in this job TWO MONTHS and have gotten TWO BRAND NEW SITES up in that time. I seriously had no idea that I've been in place for that short amount of time and amazed myself to realize what's been accomplished. I'm going to be sure to point that out to my boss and highlight that, hey, those timelines are not normal by any stretch.

Family has been killing me too. Besides my father getting out of prison last week my aunt (who's like a mom) is in the middle of a nasty divorce and is sitting in her house without electricity b/c she can't afford her house payment and bills on her own. My brother and his family have had their water and lights turned off this week. And my stepfather (who is a union electrician) lost his job last month. The fourth time this has happened this year. Their only other income is my mother's disability.

Anyway, I've been funneling so much of my money to them but still feel helpless and depressed b/c it doesn't seem to help much.

argh. Sorry for the massive dump.

oh susan, i'm so sorry!! it's admirable that you accomplish so much while dealing with all of this!

JUST VOTED BITCHES

not sure when i was last up this early, the world is very bright and sharply defined

am now enjoying a "good on you voterguy" breakfast feast from the AWESOME ANCIENT BAKERY in my neighborhood. today is going to be a good day.

Thank you, TZA.

I've been losing it the past couple of weeks and just need to take deep breaths. It's just hard b/c I've been unhappy with my career for awhile and have been trying to plan a change. But I feel the need to ensure a good money flow. I really want to build my savings and investments up so I can start college funds for my four nephew/nieces. It's just hard to plan for the future when you're trying to keep your own and everyone else's head above water.

I've been told repeatedly that I shouldn't feel compelled to give my family money but it's really hard to know they're suffering while I have a positive balance in my account.

well luckily coworker txted and said she is going to be in close to 10 bc i slept through alarms (yes, plural!) again!! of all days! woke up at 9 instead of 6:45!!! asl;dkgj. hope my line is not horrendous.

i have seriously ceased functioning well at this point and i need to jump start or something, but i don't know how, or when i will have the time.

This line is LONG! There is 1 booth for my district and several hundred people here. There is some other district that appears to have 2 boots but I've seen about 10 people join that line since I've been here. Roomie has been here 35 min longer than I have and is still about 50 people from the front!

Jerabeks bakery has invented a bohemian pastie that is a pastie filled with ham, saurkraut, and swiss. in this way i know that america is going to be ok.

Susan - I would probably give my family money in that circumstance, too. It's 'cause you're a liberal. (If nothing else, I kind of feel like that is going to get you into Heaven.) </end my bizarre not-a-religious-person religious notions>

If JOHN got up early and voted, I feel good about Obama's chances. I mean, dude probably only went to bed at about 4 a.m.

Okay, I'd better go vote. I can't believe John voted ahead of me. So confused now.

But will he be up until four this morning watching returns? I know I won't make it. Should probably take a nap when I get home.

Most fun ways I've recently supported family: bought the kids' Halloween costumes; paid for my brother's SXSW submission.

Roommate now entering voting booth! I'm getting so verklempt!

Are you in line now?

I've been here about an hour and a half. 5 people from front now!

If JOHN got up early and voted, I feel good about Obama's chances.

John voted for Bob Barr, though.

aren't you people worried that no matter how many votes obama gets, no matter how significant his majority, the republicans will rig this election like they have the last two?

No, because they didn't rig 2004 and it's debatable that they rigged 2000.

xpost

I am a little bit, Justine. Although I think past debacles have made people a little more observant.

I feel so excited! This is the first time I've gotten to do prez voting in person - voted absentee the last 2 elections.

xp I was thinking John always voted for Jello Biafra, so I guess Bob Barr is progress.

I am always worried about everything, RR, but even if I thought the Rs would try to steal the election, I think there's just too many states leaning Obama to make it plausible. (Also - what Dan said).

ugh i don't know how i am going to sit through work/class now!!!

I came home and got the dishwasher going. Next I will take out my pent-up anxiety on the laundry.

But class would be horrible. (It was bad enough last night, especially since they made us watch 1980s videos about how nursing touches people, complete with "Lean on Me" on the soundtrack. I swear I am not making this up.)

The bad news: A lot of voters have been wrongly purged from the polls: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/voter_purges

The good news: More often than not, courts have been blocking attempts to stop people from voting: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/gop_voter_suppression_more_mis.php

There were a lot os shenanigans in 2000 and 2004, and again in 2008, but this "stealing the election" talk serves more to discourage voters than to prevent supression or fraud. There are a lot of people working very hard to make sure the elections are fair and legitimate. I feel better about this election than either of the previous two.

What the Obama camp is doing to protect voters: http://washingtonindependent.com/16281/obama-lawyers-defend-%E2%80%98vote-fraud%E2%80%99-efforts

Those are cool booths.

Am I a curmudgeon for not wanting to donate my Facebook status to "get out the vote". Just seems kind of. . pointless.

Nah, I'm not sure how it would actually help get the vote out. Maybe better to write your own message anyway.

I know, those booths are HOTT

Hello all, to enrage dan further I am in venice and about to go eat dinner in one of the world's truly great bars. Tinged a little with regret that to save money I booked us into a self catering flat with no internet and bad cell service so my information nipple is shriveled and dry.

I'm drinking a lot of today's display name, though.

I don't know if I'm madder about the European jaunting or the fact that you just used the phrase "information nipple".

iNipple -- coming January 2009. And won't Steve Jobs' demonstration of it be something.

Meantime, what's with people in Andover?

"Minnesota Nice" apparently isn't?

Minnesota Thorough!

holy crap

Honestly, the only thing about that story that surprises me is lack of HSTNGS content.

^^^ Dan painfully OTM.

State bird: Common Loon
State butterfly: Monarch
State drink: Milk
State fish: Walleye
State flower: Pink and white lady slipper
State fruit: Honeycrisp apple
State gemstone: Lake Superior agate
State grain: Wild rice
State motto: L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North")
State muffin: Blueberry
State mushroom: Morel
State photograph: Grace
State song: "Hail! Minnesota"
State tree: Red Pine also known as Norway Pine
State sport: The most dangerous game

Hey, our beloved former governor, Jesse Ventura, did once say you'd never hunted until you'd hunted MAN.

One coke too many stolen from the office fridge.

He was truly a Law and Order governor.

about to go to the partay, need bouze, on edge...

I have to go pick the kids up from school, so booze at my house is probably many hours away. SADLY

wait, we have a state muffin????

Kind of a generic state muffin though, shouldn't it be mosquito and ludefisk or something?

Do not confuse state muffin with state pie.

State motto: some sorta swishy French talk by communists

wtf MN is not upstate New York!