If you are looking for endorsements, this is not that kind of blog and RantWoman is not the kind of girl to kiss and tell. So make your own darn choices. This is also RantWoman's way of saying some races looked like they had two interesting capable candidates. Some races looked like they had zero or one interesting choice. RantWoman just wants to write about squash and exhort people to vote, not rant about certain measures on the ballot. Also RantWoman suspects that sometimes the family filters are idiosyncratic.
First some logistical details: RantWoman chose to vote at Mom's dining room table over baked squash rings with a majestic fresh pineapple standing watch as a table decoration. More on how that worked below. RantWoman knows some people really, really appreciate being able to vote independently with the help of technology rather than other humans. If you need schedules and locations for accessible voting using those spiffy Accessible Voting Units brought to you by the Help America Vote Act, info for King County can be found at http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting.aspx
and more specifically here http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/accessible.aspx
RantWoman had a previous email exchange about accessible voting where she learned that in addition to audio and customized tactile options and various configurations, the accessible voting units now also have a sip-and-puff interface for people who have dexterity problems using the machines. RantWoman has no information about various questions that come to mind, but does commend the option to her readers.
On the other hand, if you want to tell your elected officials what you are doing instead of accessible voting sites or RantWoman's squash festival, try http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/news/2009/October/26_where.aspx
More timely exhortations from King Countyhttp://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/news/2009/October/20_reviewballot.aspx also found while RantWoman was fishing for info about accessible voting.
RantWoman is considering whether to ramble further on two themes related to the demise of in-person voting. First was a radio report: according to someone's audit, perhaps the Department of Justice, only about 30% of polling places nationwide are accessible to people with disabilities. On the other hand, this is twice as high a percentage as when the same audit was done in 2000. RantWoman would say, based on experience both as a voter and a poll judge in several neighborhoods in Seattle, she does not want to imagine all the possible problems. RantWoman specifically notes a few locations where the actual room was more or less accessible but simple things like a route to the place from nearby bus stops were severely deficient.
RantWoman has tolerable command of basic arithmetic. In addition to matters like accessibility, RantWoman knows that it's really easy to save the county money switching to mail-in ballots. Each polling place is staffed by 5-7 people who also have to be trained before election day. Even at minimum wage for a set number of hours, that adds up. RantWoman can totally understand the pointy-headed budget reasons to switch. However, RantWoman's experience is that sitting all day, watching one's neighbors come in and vote is FUN. It's social. RantWoman has always seen people she has not seen in a long time. She has watched some of the long-time poll judges catch up on decades of history with their neighbors. RantWoman even watched a new US citizen cast his first ballot. RantWoman may also ramble separately about how she managed to do this job as part of a whole team, an ad-hoc team that gets reorganized for every election.
For the time being though, RantWoman instead is going to ramble about some of her favorite topics, walkability,food, and the fun of sharing important activities with RantMom.
RantWoman caught an express bus and would theoretically be glad for an excuse to walk a bit. RantWoman had not reckoned on all the leaves. It's more than darn time for fall rains, and for the trees annual autumnal disrobing. RantWoman and Thwack the cane have been a team for long enough that piles of leaves on sidewalks should be manageable. For some reason, this year not so much.
Piles of leaves big enough to jump and down on and lose small children in are fun if one actually wants to jump up and down. If one is just hurrying because one already left 20 minutes later than the "I'm late and I'm leaving" phone call and there seemed like a 20-minute bus vacuum, well, well, let's just say the squash held up really well to this delay.
RantMom had sliced the delicata about 1/2 inch thick, used a little olive oil on top the foil on a cookie sheet. RantMom cleaned out the seeds so the squash rings cooked in cheery simplicity. RantMom fretted a little that the squash was dry, but RantWoman thought the texture was perfect. RantMom agreed wholeheartedly with RantWoman: we both really like delicata and will eat it again!
RantMom is pretty new to town, so sometimes she likes to confer with RantWoman about the significance of different endorsements, items in the voters' pamphlet and other points. RantWoman appreciates that RantMom will read her only selected bits of the voters' pamphlet, not nearly as much as she would have to skip through in various other access options.
RantWoman does admit slight amusement about one item. RantWoman asked RantMom to read her selected bits from the voter' pamphlet. RantMom is slightly dyslexic. She frequently knows how to spell something if you ask her how to spell it. but writing it and sometimes reading it aloud can produce memorable results. At one point RantWoman learned that one candidate is a member of the "Sahara Club" and the "League of Conversation Voters."
GET OUT THERE AND VOTE.
Happy Voting!
Post Script: At RantMom's house, RantWoman always gets her fill of more than enough commercial television and television commercials. On the theme of Christmas much too early, RantWoman commends some current IHOP ads. One nutcracker to another. "What are you going to be for Halloween?" "Nutcracker. And you?" "Nutcracker." This ad makes RantWoman HOWL with laughter. RantWoman is not sure it will induce her to find an IHOP and pop in, but she really appreciates the humor.
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