Month: April 2020

Vote By Mail

A vote-by-mail storm has been waxing and waning. I’m a proponent of voting by mail, myself. I served twenty years plus in the military. Stationed all over the world, I voted by mail throughout my career, no problem.

Retired, I settled in California for a decade. As a citizen of that state, I voted in person. Compared to how it was done by mail in the military, it was a pain in the ass.

In 2005, I moved to Oregon. All of Oregon’s voting is done through mail-in ballots. Here’s (roughly) how it goes.

  1. When you get your driver licence, you’re registered to vote.
  2. A few weeks before an election, you get a voter’s guide summarizing measures, proposals and candidates.
  3. Closer to the election date, you receive your ballot. You fill it in at home following the instructions provided, seal it in the envelope, sign the envelope, and return it by midnight on election day. There are specific dates circled around this. We usually have the ballot in hand for ten days, plenty of time to review things and make decisions.
  4. Vote by mail is only part of the equation. Towns have drop boxes for ballots established. Our town’s drop box is by the library’s returned books drop boxes in the downtown area. Drive through or walk up, and put it into the box. Done. The boxes are only opened for the two week period before the election.

That’s the essence. It’s beautifully simple. I recommend it for everyone and anyone.

That is all.

3

Social Distancing

This was wonderful. He’d been practicing social-distancing for years. Now that everyone else was onboard, he could finally go outside and not be bothered.

The fresh air had never seemed as sweet.

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When

When will we re-open?

When will we sit and eat?

At cafes and restaurants,

the way it used to be?

When will normalcy return?

How will that scene seem?

Will we know what to do?

Or will it seem like a dream?

When will this pandemic end?

What will we do then?

Will we have parades and concerts?

Or just start to work again?

5

The Floofs

The Floofs (floofinition) – New wave floof rock (flock) group led by Ric Ofloofsek, formed in Boston and active throughout the late 1970s and most of the 1980s.

In use: “The Floofs’ songs from their second album included the hits, “Just What I Wanted”, “My Best Friend’s Human”, and “Good Floofs Roll”, which are now FM staples on classic flock stations.”

2

Floofstriction

Floofstriction (floofintion) 1. Limitations imposed by living with an animal.

In use: “Floofstrictions included being careful where he stepped (hairballs might have been distributed in the night) and the standard order of morning activity; after using the bathroom to void his bladder, feeding the furry ones was job one, ‘cuz they were going to campaign for food until he did.”

2. Rules for what animals, particularly housepets, are allowed do do.

In use: “She imposed floofstrictions: no sleeping on the sofa or easy chairs, no stealing food from plates, no drinking water from the toilet or people’s glasses, floofstrictions which were routinely broken. “Why do I bother?” she always lamented. “Yes, why?” the pets, husband, and children agreed.”

 

2

Saturday’s Theme Music

The Talking Heads crashed my music stream with their 1986 song, “Wild Wild Life”.

Sounds right for now, cause it’s a wild, wild life, being locked up, entertaining ourselves via digital connections, wondering when we’ll be able to comfortably socialize with others as we used to do, driving our pets and family members by our constant presence.

Yeah, it’s so boring, it’s a wild, wild life.

1

Flooftherin

Flooftherin (floofintion) – An animal whose species doesn’t normally travel on its belly who likes sliding on its belly.

In use: “One daily game indulged with the dog was to indulge his desire to be a flooftherin. As he lay on his belly on the hardwood floors, the children push him around with a broom.”

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