Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 259

Today's Daily 5:

1. Getting the chance to be involved in supporting the democratic process
2. Voting
3. fun coworkers to spend the day with
4. great snacks
5. an extra night crashing at mom and dad's

Election Day

I'm spending twelve or more hours today working at a polling place for Elections Canada as a registration officer.  It's a one day gig, that pays decently.

I'm also voting in the election today.

Per usual, in my riding, I'll be voting for a losing candidate.

I live in the Prime Minister's riding.  The riding that never elects anyone but conservatives.  A riding in a city that the Conservative Party is so confident they'll win, that the Prime Minister hasn't even bothered to campaign here.  He won't even make an appearance in this riding until election day.  (This fact, by the way, drives me crazy.  I'm fully of the opinion that those who have the Prime Minister as their MP lose out, because he never has to pay the same attention to his own riding that other MP's do.  Someone justified this to me by telling me that he has staff for that.  My problem with that is that his staff were not elected to represent me.)

In any case, I'll be away from my computer and phone all day today.  I can have my phone at the polling place, but it can't be turned on.

I'll see you all tonight, when I will almost certainly watch with disappointment as a candidate I didn't vote for gets elected as my MP, and quite likely as our Prime Minister.

Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 258

Today's Daily 5:

1. Getting my email inbox down to zero
2. spending the morning watching the food network and enjoying an empty house
3. Duff's laugh on Ace of Cakes
4. getting an impromptu invitation to spend the afternoon walking by the river with my friend M.
5. Iced passion tea lemonade

Most Read Posts April 2011

The most read posts in the month of April were:

1. Facebook Status Updates that Will Never Make It
2. How Many of Me?
3. Heal: One Word 2011 Update
4. Amidst It
5. Good Friday
6. Thursday in Rome
7. Practice Resurrection
8. One Thousand Gifts
9. The Virtue of Flexibility
10. Change of Plans

Margaret Atwood on writing

I've never read a Margaret Atwood book.  (I know, I know, what kind of Canadian am I?)  The truth is that I started one or two, and just couldn't get into them, and so I gave up.  But, the other day I came across this quote from her, on writing, and loved it, and wanted to share:

“You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you’re on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.”

- Margaret Atwood