Month: October 2020

  • Kids, Halloween and Covid

    Halloween is tomorrow, and we have a five year old who is super excited for, lets be honest, the best kid’s holiday. Sure, just about everyone will say Christmas, but think about Halloween; for a kid, all you have to do is put on a costume, knock on a door, and you get candy. You don’t have to be thankful for anything, or wish goodwill to your fellow man. It’s just pretending and getting candy.

    Sadly, this is the age of Covid, and we just can’t do what we want to do, which is visiting neighbors and getting the afore mentioned candy.

    I feel really awful for our kid, as she keeps getting the short end of the stick on Halloween. Three years ago, we were moving to California, and my mother had just passed away. We found ourselves on Flagstaff, AZ for Halloween. The city’s downtown had an awesome trick or treat path that took you to all the business in the square. It was not ideal, but it was good. Last year, we got evacuated from our home in northern California due to wildfires. We went to stay with friends in LA, and they helped us get a costume for the kid, and we trick or treated in their neighborhood. Again, not ideal, but we did have a really good time.

    This is yet another year that the kid cannot trick or treat in out NYC neighborhood. We are scrambeling again to come up with something that will be memorable and fun, and also where we can keep our distatnce.

    I look forward to a year when things are just normal. I have this feeling that when the kid gets older, Halloween will be the holiday that causes her a feeling of uncertainty.

  • I Voted, Early

    I got out and voted early in NYC. It was a misty, overcast gray day in the City, and my guess is that was why my line wasn’t too long. Over the weekend, lines were waiting on average about two hours to vote. A neighborhood email newsletter I follow was saying that our preceint wait time was about an hour and a half. Not too bad, and to be honest, I really didn’t care if the line took four hours.

    We originally wanted to take the kid with us to vote, as we have done in the past, but she doesn’t do well waiting in a line longer than 10 minutes. The wife went on Tuesday, and I went on Wednesday.

    Start to finish, getting in line, to walking out the door after voting took 25 minutes. For my wife it took about 50. It was an efficient, well run enterprise. The easiest voting I have ever done.

    The only draw back was that I didn’t have a moment of catharsis on casting my vote, for a second time, against Trump. I had been looking forward to this moment for just about four years, but when it came, it felt more like I was just doing what had to be done. Like cleaning up after a messy child.

    I am glad I did it, voting early that is. Now, I just hope it works out.

  • Early Voting

    Today is my day. I got all my information, and I know where the polling place is. Just down the block from our building. it is a cold and overcast day, sporadic rain. There will be a line, but my guess is that it won’t be that bad.

    I say that because my wife voted last night. Our original plan had been to go as a family so our daughter could see democracy in action. But this time around democracy in action meant just about everyone was taking action, and the wait time over the weekend was close to two hours. That’s just too long for a five year old to spend in a line with nothing to do. When the wife went yesterday, the line took forty minutes to get through.

    Last time we voted in the neighborhood was back on election day 2016, and at 8am, there was no wait time, not even a line. We got in and out easily, maybe spending 15 minutes in the polling location.

    I’m excited about early voting today. I’m even excited about standing in line. I’m excited to take action and be a part of the process. I’m trying to stay positive today. Good things happen when people are involved.

  • Tipping Point on My Objectivity

    The election is dominating just about all of my thoughts. And as each day that passes, I have started to feel less and less confidant that the outcome I am hoping for will come to pass. This is the Hilary Hangover, and it refuses to let me get exciting about a positive outcome.

    Jesus himself could come down and tell me that Trump will lose the election, and the first thing I would say back is, “But is Trump going to leave office quietly?”

    I have even started watching “The West Wing” to make myself feel better. I want to believe that people in government are trying to do the right thing.

    And I am out the point to where I am thinking that I am no longer being objective to issues. Like the courts.

    A month ago, I would be one of the first people to say no to adding seats to the Supreme Court. I would prefer term limits, or expanding the lower courts, or making Election Day a national holiday, or mandatory registration at the age of 18. Steps that wouldn’t involve changing the Constitution.

    But with everything going on, I am finding a tinge in me that wants retrebution. I want to swith the rukes, like the rules were switched on me.

    I don’t think that this out look is helping anyone…

  • Stop Checking the Polls

    That isn’t directed to you. That’s for me.

    I can’t stop checking Five Thirty-eight every hour to see if things have been settled, or if I can gain some new insight that will help calm me down.

    As of writing this, I haven’t found anything, and my anxiety is through the roof.

    This is 100% due to my over confidence that Clint would win in 2016. And I would like to point out that she did win the popular vote by 3 million.

    But today, I trust nothing. I want to believe that everything will work out the way it needs to. I need everything to work out. I need to know that it will work out.

    Hence, why I keep checking