Tuesday Nov 6 Election Day‏

Primo and I are as nervous as a couple of cats at a rocking chair convention.

My alarm went off at 6:30, but I was awake at 5:45. So was he. Nervous, nervous, nervous.

I voted. Stood in line for half an hour, which I have never had to do before. But I have never voted at 7:30 a.m. before, either. 

I saw that there was a bake sale just inside. Cool. The intersection of capitalism and democracy!

I was not so impressed once I was inside and could hear one of the woman working the sale. She wouldn't shut up, talking about how the sale was a fundraiser (which is fine) for the fifth graders to participate in a dance program (also fine). What bugged me was that it was a "freewill" sale. That is, they weren't going to tell us how much the brownies cost. We had to decide what they were worth to us, which I suppose actually is capitalism at its purest. But I do not like bargaining and I don't like deciding what a worthwhile price is for a charity, so I didn't get anything.

I picked up a sample ballot once I got inside. Actually, I took two: one for us to keep and one to send to my mother, along with copies of all of Primo's campaign literature.

Later, Primo asked me why I hadn't gotten a copy for his parents.

Ha.

Anyhow, I grabbed two sample ballots and looked for Primo's name.

It was there! Way at the bottom, after Barak Obama and Mitt Romney, but it was there.

The guy behind me asked if I was deciding who to vote for.

I decided not to give him my speech about how if you don't know who you're voting for by the time you get to the polls, then you shouldn't be voting.

Instead, I pointed to Primo's name and said, "My husband is on the ballot!" I wasn't sure if that was electioneering - probably not. I was just stating a fact.

He peered over my shoulder. "Oh!" he said. "He's a Polka Dot! I always vote for Polka Dots!"

I said, "Well, we're really hoping people will evaluate him as a person, not as part of one party or another." But my breath was wasted. How do you evaluate someone while you're at the polls? Plus it was a vote for Primo, so I was going to take it.

I got my ballot. Voted. Put it in the machine. Looked at the clock.

8:04. My bus left at 8:08. Three blocks away. Rats. I would have to wait for the 8:37. 

But I thought, "I should at least run. I should try."

I ran. As I got to the cross street, I saw the bus pass. Curses. I missed it by seconds. But when I got to the corner, it was still stopped at the other end of the block. I waved my arms as I ran awkwardly, trying to keep my gym bag and my purse on my shoulder. 

The bus waited! I couldn't believe it!

Then I got on the bus. Nope. Not waiting for me. There was an older lady interrogating the driver about routes. Whatever. She took long enough that I made it.

Looked at Mark Smith's facebook page when I got to work. He wrote a few weeks ago that he had introduced legislation requiring the "Do not call" lists to apply to politicians. I almost sent him a message telling him that Primo and I, after our experience making the political calls, had decided that would be Primo's first legislation if he were elected.

I am happy at the hard work Primo has done. Happy at the support. Happy that his ex-wife sent him a text wishing him luck. Now we wait.