A Slightly Calmer, More Healthy Post

I woke up in the middle of the night aware that I no longer had a fever. I wasn't huddled under 4 blankets wondering when I'd be able to speak again and I also was really hungry. So, I am feeling better but still kind of weak and shaky. I called in sick for one of my commitments today, but I'll keep the rest, and of course I kept the one to America, voting. 

My polling place is the school that I can see from our backyard, P.S. 166. It is now called the Robert Rodger's School of Arts and Technology. The first time I voted was senior year in high school. I was literally 18 and 3 weeks. It was the NY presidential primaries and some pretty important local elections like borough president. Had I not been a premie, I would not have been voting in that election. Not that it mattered.... Anyway, 8 years ago ( 8 years!) My mom and I went to vote at like 7 am. There was no line, and we were in and out before you could say go democrats! This time, however, I realized that everybody else thinks like me. Get the stuff that you need to do like eat breakfast, have coffee, clean the bunny, put in two loads of laundry, sort the recycling done and then go vote. The line stretched down the block. Luckily, it moved rather quickly, and my worries about having been eliminated from the voting list were unfounded.

I, every time I vote, am completely shocked that I do not have to show ID. I know you have to sign under your name, and if the signature does not match, you are in trouble, but couldn't they ask for your ID or something? I am pretty good at forging my parents' signatures... However, I would never commit voting fraud. (Unlike that postcard on postsecret... I am appalled.)

After I left the polling station, I was walking past the line, and noticed that two people were wearing Obama pins. I said excuse me, and told them that they were not allowed to wear those into the polling station, it's considered electioneering. They leered at me, and DIDN'T TAKE THEM OFF. I was like, no really, you should be unpinning those right now, you are within 100 feet of the polling station. Ok, that second part, I didn't say it. But I knew that they wouldn't be let into vote unless they took them off, so I gave up. I'm pretty positive as I walked away they were like, ugh, that girl was weird.

So anyway, I voted. Last night I commented to Drew that there was really no point in voting in NYC because, well, what good will it do? The city will go democratic like it always does. But it's not whether or not my vote makes a difference, it's that I can vote. And if I don't want to lose that right, I better exercise it. It's like not exercising your right to free speech. If you don't say what you want, pretty soon people will be saying "well, no one is using this pathetic right, so let us just take it away." That was a bit of a hyperbole, but hopefully the idea is clear.