I had a whole week off after our last tour, and here's what I did:
1) Bought pumpkins and plan to carve them tonight. (Halloween is by far my favorite b-grade holiday).
2) Went to see Red Molly at Eddie's. Even though I've known a couple members of this awesome trio for years, I hadn't gotten a chance to see them live. They rock! Three women singing traditional and original songs in tight 3-part harmonies, standing around one microphone like in the old days. Guitar, banjo, acoustic bass, and one dobro played superbly by Abbie Gardner. Go see them if you get a chance:
www.redmolly.com
3) Got called for jury duty. Wah wah wah waaaaah! I postponed it once and couldn't get out of it this time. So, this morning, I reluctantly woke up at 7am, rode my scooter downtown, sat with a bunch of similarly reluctant-looking people in a big auditorium, viewed an instructional video on how to be a juror (there should be an Oscar category for civic instructional videos), then immediately was told we had a 15-minute break. I bought a biscuit and a cup of coffee, returned, ate breakfast, and then the entire congregation was (as I had fervently hoped and diligently visualized) dismissed! A huge roar of approval went up in the room. (You're welcome, everyone!) Now that's the kind of civic morning I can get behind!
4) And as if that weren't enough democracy for you, I walked across the street from superior court and voted! A while back I sent away for an absentee ballot, but felt let down by the forlorn piece of paper and the thought of mailing it in. So impersonal! And who knows if it would even be counted? I much preferred the idea of going to the polls and waiting in line, all flush with the excitement of the moment, surrounded by other giddy people eager to cast their ballot, and triumphantly pulling a lever, or at least, you know, touching a touchscreen. Early voting gave me my wish!
5) Um, does the fact that all the machines said "DIEBOLD" mean I should still be worried that my vote won't count?
by Toller, January 25, 2007
Aw Nate, i hope you are ok!