Random Thoughts

It was nice to have a 4 day holiday. Okay I worked 4 hours on Friday just to catch up on a few things. Key word sadly was 'few.' At least I got the files out of my inbox and got rid of a few things.

Winter has arrived. When you wake up to a half inch of snow today it is an easy conclusion to make. A shame it melted away by this evening.

How the hell is my checkbook off by around $500.00 after I've balanced it? I'll take a closer look at it during lunch tomorrow. Perhaps I added something when I should have subtracted, or transposed some numbers, but it balanced last month! My checkbook always used to balance, but the last few years it always seems like my checkbook is off by some pocket change every month. I'm convinced the bank has some program to randomly steal or deposit all the half penny transactions in a branch and play with my account. Give me a break, a personal checking account isn't that hard! You only deal with addition or subtraction.

For all the money I pay Sallie Mae couldn't they provide the envelopes to send in my student loan payments? My credit card companies and utilities send envelopes, so why not Sallie Mae?

The final episodes of Battlestar Galactica start January 16, 2009. It's about damned time! I really hope writing and stories pick up. Season 3 and Season 4 had some clunkers for stories. The Cylons may have had a plan, but I'm not sure the writers did.

Speaking of the SciFi Channel, why is SciFi canceling Stargate: Atlantis? I believe they're having the best ratings ever or pretty close and SciFi decides to can the show.

How did a pathetic San Francisco 49ers team gain 195 yards of offense, score a measly 10 points, allow the Buffalo Bills 350 yards of offense, and STILL WIN THE GAME? San Fran 10: Buffalo 3!

I would like to thank LSU for choking in the back half of the season. Your losses assured I would get 3rd place in my pool. I'm still mad Ball State was taken the pick before mine! 12-0 would be so convenient for my pool right now.

Thanksgiving leftovers are already in the tupperware for tomorrow. Cheap and yummy leftovers are good for lunch. I hope I can stand them until Wednesday since I have plenty.

"As God As My Witness I Thought Turkeys Could Fly"

After all these years the scene still holds up.

This Is A Bad Sign.

I keep having a fantasy. My fantasy involves a vacation. I saw an ad for a kayaking trip with a mothership to ferry people around and sleep in. I've never kayaked before, but it sounds like fun. Being ferried around on a old tugboat or trawler to various kayaking spots sounds like fun. I keep having visions of being on the water and paddling around. I can see myself nearing a forest rimmed shore. I can smell the salty air and feel the rush of gentle waves. I already hear the gentle low rumble of diesel engines powering an restored antique mothership.

I hate my ideas for vacations. The fantasies seem unobtainable for now. Perhaps someday, perhaps someday.

All I Wanted Was A Nap.

I wanted a little nap when I got home. Next thing I know I awoke 5 hours later. I woke up at the time I normally go to bed and now I can't fall back asleep. Perhaps some late night pizza and blogging will put the Z's back in my body.

There needs to be a cure for this.

EDIT: Okay if you combine the 5 hours after I got home with the 3 hour 'nap' I had before I had to go into work I did have 8 hours sleep. Sure they were spread out over 12 hours, but hey best sleep I've had in awhile.

I Decided 3 Hours Before I Voted.

I didn't automatically hate one candidate, but I wasn't enthused with either candidate either. Combine both and you would have a pretty good candidate for president.

We Can't Predict Who You Voted For

According to our quiz, there's a 55% chance you voted for Obama. But that means there's an 45% chance you voted for McCain. You aren't very typical. You tend to be independent, and your vote is highly coveted. While we can't predict how you voted, there's a good chance you voted for the winner!

Did You Vote for Obama or McCain?

Why Did I Go In Today?

I hate working on a holiday. I'll rephrase that. I've worked numerous holidays, but I hate working holidays that I am supposed to get as an employee. 5 hours on Veteran's Day and I feel like I barely accomplished anything. I am so swamped. Our office is so swamped. What makes it worse is that I'm not at 100%. I'm tired. I get distracted easily and can't focus for long periods of time. I simply can't work on things for long periods of time. I can get files ready for hearings, but writing all the paperwork takes forever.

I can't work late every night. I lack the energy. In theory I can come in on weekends, but between attending football games on Saturdays and simply getting personal things done on Sundays I haven't had "free" weekends to head into the office. I'm burned out and I know it. I have no idea how to resolve the situation.

Speaking of Veteran's Day. Thank a vet. Their sacrifices allowed you to be here.

Confirmed: I Am A Know It All!

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: No Gaps! Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion Economics Literature History Science Art

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

How To Work The Polls.

3:50 a.m. Alarm goes off. Eh didn't really sleep much anyway.

5:00 a.m. Arrive at the Big City Courthouse downtown.

5:15 a.m. Finally get past the deputy who is doing security. If we're on the list can't we just be waved in. In the alternative, how about having more deputies to check our bags.

5:20 a.m. Be in the jury pool room with over 200 other poll workers being held in reserve to plug gaps. Smartest thing this bumbling County Clerk has done in 2 years.

6:30 a.m. Jury pool room has around 100 people left.

8:00 a.m. Jury pool room has around 60 people left.

9:00 a.m. Cross the street to grab some coffee.

11:00 a.m. Call for all members of one political party to go to another room.

11:01 a.m. Person in the other room wonders what the hell all these people are doing in her room. Screaming on walkie-talkie begins.

11:05 a.m. I'm back in jury pool room reading a book.

11:15 a.m. More specific party members are grabbed to be Commissioners who deliver absentee ballots to the precincts by cab.

11:18 a.m. Wolfrham Hart is back in jury pool room since they only needed three Commissioners.

1:00 p.m. Cross the street to grab lunch.

1:20 p.m. 38 people left in the jury pool room. Wolfham Hart is the last known specific party member standing. Bring it other party members!

3:40 p.m. Last of the jury pool room is being sent out to be extra staff to help count votes and deal with all 100,000 absentee ballots. I've already figured that's an average of 160 or so absentee ballots per precinct. 30 is traditionally considered a lot.

4:00 p.m. Wolfrham Hart arrives at the predominantly Democratic/AfricanAmerican precinct as an undercover brother. 235 absentee ballots are 30 seconds behind me.

4 to 6 p.m. Prepare, organize, and qualify 235 absentee ballots. I hope I can get some ballots through the machine before closing time. Otherwise we'll be here awhile. Based on the steam of traffic coming in that doesn't look likely.

CLOSING TIME. No line finally and we close the polls. I happen to be holding the instructions concerning absentee ballots and read them aloud. One lady states what she did with the absentee ballots in another district earlier today. I read the instructions IN MY HANDS again aloud!

Begin feeding 232 qualified absentee ballots into a glorified scantron machine for the next 90 minutes. It only jammed once and rejected 2 ballots.

Interesting observations. Many absentee ballots are straight ticket votes with most being for the Democrats. I'm surprised by the amount of ticket splitting.

90 minutes after CLOSING. Precinct inspector and I collect votes from all machines and get a printout reporting the results.

95 minutes after CLOSING. Attempt to get extra printouts and get weird messages from the machine. We do Step 6. We do Step 7. We do Step 8. At that point the instructions state,"Before performing Step 8 you must..." HEY SHOULDN'T THAT WARNING BE IN FRONT OF STEP 8! Vote machine starts beeping and producing odd messages.

97 minutes after CLOSING. After reading the display messages the tech states if he was there he would kill us. We reply the instructions are crappily written and any warnings should come BEFORE the step!

More observations. In a precinct that normally gets 200 to 400 votes, we got 803 live votes. Add in the 232 qualified absentee ballots we totaled 1,035 votes. Obama got 914 and McCain got 115. In this precinct it is a Democrat landslide.

Help the inspector fill out a metric buttload of paperwork until two hours and thirty minutes after CLOSING. We drive separately to a regional collection place to drop off all the ballots and other stuff.

Three hours after CLOSING. We're checked out and dismissed. I want some Burger King right now and need to crash so bad. I'm totally exhausted. I'm amazed this country can hold elections every few years with mostly volunteers. Why is my first hearing at 8:15 a.m.? If you work the polls you should be allowed to take the next morning off. I hope you all voted one way or another.

I Volunteered For What!

I'm working the election tomorrow. Oh crap what did I get myself into? I must be a glutton for punishment. I have to report no later than 5 friggin' A.M. Are they serious?

My sense of civic pride will get the better of me.

I voted early yesterday since I would be working the polls. You know the election is odd when a junkie like me can't make up his mind until a few hours beforehand. I've never stood in line for nearly 3 hours before. Perhaps is more people had been interested in elections over the past 20 years the country would be in different shape.

Oh well at least the people will definitely speak this election. But will the politicians care about what they hear?