September 7, 2010
Well, now the results are really in. The return of the bogan chin.
And it leaves me thinking about the stability of democracy versus other election-based governments. All it took was two independents shifting their weight toward one party. And the ruling power could shift at any time during the three-year term.
I don’t know about the other governments, you guys. I don’t intend this to sound negative; I just don’t know.
August 20, 2010
GrAdes posted for my French clAss.
It’s A good wAy to stArt the weekend.
If you’re in Australia, don’t forget to vote today.
August 15, 2010
Especially family wards, even down to the cute little deacon ushers.
And the organist who really looks like Ronald Reagan.
Speaking of, election day is this coming Saturday.
According to some folks, the current prime minister here has a bogan chin.
And voting is mandatory here.
And, I volunteered to read a scriptural passage in Sunday School, somewhere in 2 Chronicles, four verses (6-10), and the classroom was dead silent as they listened to my “accent.” It was fun how it made me extremely self-conscious.
I’m slowly getting used to the language here. I’m picking up on some of the colloquialisms, and that’s great. But during the opening prayer in sacrament meeting, I might have only understood “blessings” and “atonement,” and luckily I could interpret it well enough to know when to say “amen.”
Oh, here’s the morning view from the balcony, which my room has access to:
These clouds produced hail right before church, and they caused power outages at some of the members’ homes:
Also, I’m staying in a shire (county) in northwest Sydney called Baulkham Hills.
And, I’ve done the Tim Tam Slam. Pictures of that will follow eventually. Fun and unique. And I’m still full of food from all the Sunday eating.
I woke up at 3:00am. I’m hoping to be able to go back to sleep in the next hour or so.
And no one’s ever around for gchat. It’s not like I’m using time for being a tourist for the internet. And it’s a reasonable time in the afternoon, stateside. So: where are you?
Having fun, exploring, living life, falling in love, making out?
Any and/or all of these, I hope.
Oh yeah, I have a couple of dates this week.
I’ll take all the help I can get; it’s obvious I need it.
October 13, 2009
What I’ll miss: Voting
I know I’ll get to vote elsewhere, but my very first election experience was in New York City, for NYC officials. That won’t happen anywhere else. I mean, I’m blue (but more purple) and got to vote in a blue state; and maybe I’ll get to vote in a red state, and that would be cool, but I’ll miss those ancient machines and the musty smelling curtains, and the “ka-CHUNK!” when I pull the lever, and the awesomely diverse volunteers; and the possibility of getting an “I Voted!” sticker when I’m done, from a gay, non-Caucasian single mother. With no insurance.
What I won’t miss: Not voting
I didn’t like not being able to vote during such an exciting national election this last time. I guess this doesn’t apply only to New York, but it doesn’t mean I’ll miss it. At all. It could be fun to have people assume I’m another political party, though. Yay, democracy!
September 15, 2009
So, I voted today. My very first voting experience! It went relatively smoothly. I walked down to my polling place, still in my running clothes, confirmed my district, signed my name below a copy of my signature, waited in line for 10 minutes, stepped behind the curtain, pulled the red lever to the right, marked all my votes, then pulled the lever back to the left. Ka-chunk.
Thing is, I wasn’t all that prepared. At least at first. I received a voting brochure in the mail this past week. A registered republican friend informed me only democrats received the flyer. (Don’t tell BYU, I want to surprise them.)
So, this morning I flipped through the flyer and checked out the candidates for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and city council. Each of the candidates had a photo next to a description of her/his intentions for the office s/he wants to hold. I read through these descriptions, I got a sense of each of the platforms. When it came down to it, I decided to base my vote on two criteria:
1) Headshot – Which way is the candidate’s head turned? What kind of “look” is s/he giving the camera? Is there a personable connection? Hairline – receding, plugs? Hair color – natural, dyed, drastically dyed? Facial hair – neat trim on the men, neat or nonexistent on the women? Cheesy smile? Are all the teeth there? Natural smile? Cheesy seriousness? Genuine resolve?
2) Typos – it was enough that some of the candidates’ backgrounds made me question their … qualifiedityness, but when the writeups are missing words or have misspelled words, and when the fine print says the candidates submitted their own blurbs, that makes it hard for me to vote for them.
I did take into account other factors, such as difficulty in name pronunciation (can you say it five times fast?), criminal record (felonies versus misdemeanors, also counting visits to the principal’s office and number of demerits), cookie proclivity (pro? anti?).
You bet my vote’s going to count.
I promise, I took it seriously. Given my political party’s predisposition to rhetoric, I had to sift through some fluffy candidates to find more substantial ones. Admittedly, it took a little longer than I expected, but I felt I made some good choices.
Let’s hope so.
February 28, 2009
November 4, 2008
The quiet intensity in the air?
The electricity? The excitement?
That’s you.
That’s the polling machines.
That’s the shuffling in long lines on the sidewalks.
Doing what you have to do.
You’ve woken up.
Taken charge.
That’s your resolve.
That’s your fervor.
Your power.
This morning.
The energy, now.
It’s all you.
October 27, 2008
A friend sent this to me. Yeah, I know it’s not completely my fault, but I could have applied for naturalization sooner. Still, don’t let this happen to you:
October 5, 2008
Thanks, Kate for this video. Get on it, if you already haven’t done it. Four days left in this state. Know your deadlines for your states and if you’re absentee. I mean, this video is helpful, but you’re sensible and passionate enough not to need it. I’m gonna go out on a limb as a non-citizen and say how much it sucks not to be able to vote. It’s my own fault, and it’s probably the most important election of my lifetime, and I can’t participate. I’m gonna ask you to do it for me. It’s okay if you’re of the red or blue or purple or green persuasion. Just get out and do it, and make sure you tell your friends, even the ones you strongly disagree with. But hurry up, you ain’t got much (or no) time left. Thanks.
September 18, 2008
Expect to get bombarded in the next 5 weeks or so. It’s gonna be close.
“Plan for Change” Ad:
Well, Mr. Obama wants to run this ad on television. As you can see, it’s a two-minute bit. I’m not sure how much that would cost. If you’re going to vote for him, you can support his campaign by donating to it and/or spreading this video.
I still believe all the candidates are decent people. They seem kind and well-meaning. But, I’m still leaning left.
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