Today is the last day: I’m thoroughly ready to go back to being wife, mother, and friend instead of "the candidate."

There was a little problem last night with my signs "falling over" — yes, the ones on a big wooden stake that SignMan drove into the ground with a sledge — so I made another trip to all the precincts early this morning to make sure they’re all still up.  They are.

While making my rounds, I heard on the radio that the 42-cent cigarette tax finally cleared the house last night (I had been listening to the debate for hours, but went to bed before they finished), and is on it’s way to the Governor’s desk.

In summary, the BEP 2.0 legislation passed the House and Senate last week, and now the funding mechanism has passed both houses, meaning that positive education funding reform is just a signature away.  And, since both were the Governor’s proposals, that signature is a sure thing.

Driving home to get ready to spend the day at the polls, it occurred to me: win or lose this evening, I’ve accomplished some things to be proud of in these last four years.  I’ve learned, I’ve taught, and I’ve built relationships both within the city and across the state that give me both joy and insight. 

I will be happy when this day ends, and however it ends, I have no regrets.

Whomever was in charge of praying for good weather Thursday evening for the ORHS graduation deserves a promotion.  The event was flawless, the rain held off, and the cold front was like natural air conditioning for our outdoor ceremony.

Immediately afterward (well, with minimal dithering to get suitcases packed and loaded, doors locked, pets fed, etc.), we piled in the car and headed for Gaithersburg, Maryland,  for the 10 a.m. Friday graduation of a special niece.
Anniken (right in cap and gown) graduated at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.  It was a tough all-night drive to get there in time, but we made it — even with time to get to PJ’s house and change clothes first.

Afterward, we rounded up Beta, Gamma, and Delta, along with Anniken, her friend, and her brother (both of whom live in Michigan, not DC) to tour a museum or two.

The Museum of Natural History was a big hit — dinosaur bones for cousin J. and Delta; gems and minerals that fascinated myself and Gamma, space rocks, and so many other things.  At right, Gamma poses with the T-Rex.

This afternoon, we went to the Air & Space Annex out by Dulles Airport, where there are full-scale planes, space capsules, missiles, and a variety of things far too big to display at the Air & Space museum on the Capitol Mall.

I enjoyed seeing the Enola Gay, and explaining the significance to the kids.

HWTFM and PJ seemed to be cruising through the smaller prop planes picking one out for me.  Yes, I’ve always wanted to get my pilot’s license.  I grew up in with a father who forbade it, then shortly thereafter married a man who forbade it until the kids are grown.

Six more years, and I’m going to do it.

Tonight, we’re headed homeward… but it was a joy to be here for Anniken.  She’s been through a lot, and deserves a great party.

This isn’t exactly a proper thank-you note, but it needs to be said publicly anyway.

Thank you, Trina.  You did today what almost no one else has done this election season, and I appreciate it.

This afternoon in the heat of the day, when the steady stream of early voters had slowed to its lowest ebb, Trina Baughn came to Candidates’ Island with a cooler full of cold drinks.  Let me tell you, it was a most welcome gift… all of us came with bottles of water (or root beer, for Charlie Hensley), but we were running on empty by that point.

Next came what I’ll remember even more: she had questions for each of us, pertaining to the various offices we seek.  Not fluff questions like "will you raise my taxes" or "do you support safe schools," but well thought-out, specific questions for which each candidate should have an answer.  And no, mine didn’t pertain to bus service.

Outside of media interviews or election forums, I haven’t heard a lot of that.  Going door-to-door, one lady did ask what my qualifications are, but that’s been the extent of it for me.  It was really nice to have someone put some thought into these questions and stand in the hot sun to hear the answers before she went inside to cast her vote.

The Q&A was, for me, even more refreshing than the cold drink.

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If you didn’t vote early (over 2,500 have, last I heard), Tuesday’s the real thing.  There’s an all-candidates election party at Inspiration Point (adjacent to Flatwater Grill), where everyone except Ellen Smith and Aaron Wells (both were invited but declined) are planning to attend and watch the results come in.  The event was the brainchild of Gene Caldwell, who pointed out that several of us share many of the same supporters, who would otherwise be driving around town from one event to another all evening.

This way, we can celebrate together.

Today is the last day of early voting for the Oak Ridge municipal election; if you haven’t voted but plan to, today would be a good day. 
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The new education funding bill, accountability measures, and cigarette tax made their way through the committees yesterday, and may be voted up or down in the Senate today (the Tennessean has the details).  You can watch the session online beginning at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. Nashville time) if you wish.

I wish I could… but I need to be on the island for one more day (and no, I don’t have a cellular modem yet).
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Graduation is tonight: yesterday, the forecast showed a chance of thunderstorms this evening, but as of this morning, the storm chances have moved to Friday.  It’ll be another sunscreen day!

The beginning and the end: that’s what this weekend feels like, to some extent.  It’s the end of the school year for three of my four (Delta has four more days of 6th grade to go), but Alpha starts her Calc III class at Pellissippi on Tuesday and her new job on Wednesday; Beta picks up her second part-time job soon, and Gamma will commence her summer babysitting job in another week or so… so the carefree days of summer are nearly gone just as they begin.

MathMan, Alpha’s constant companion, will be leaving for a research internship at Texas A&M in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, we all (well, all minus Beta, who had to work) piled into the car and went to see Pirates III.  Since the air conditioner at our house has chosen this muggy holiday weekend to act up, sitting in cool comfort for a few hours was quite the treat.  Choosing between the pool and Spiderman III this afternoon could be a tough one.

At some point, we’ll need to fix the silly thing.  Last year when it went out, the company that looked it over said we just needed to buy a new HVAC system… a diagnosis that we weren’t really ready to accept on a 13-year old system.  So, we purchased some parts and HWTFM fixed it himself.  This year, it appears that the fan just isn’t turning sufficiently, so it may be as simple as needing a new belt or something.

There are so many things to be done, but today is family day.  I’m putting on some ribs to slow-cook for a few hours, so that come dinnertime, they’ll go on the grill and finish off tasty and tender.

I realize that there are many things yet to be done, but none more important than spending a little time with my husband and children today.

Upon our eviction from the island yesterday ("our eviction" being candidates for office banned from campaigning at early voting by the mall manager), Council candidate Ray Evans got on the phone.  After speaking first with CORE Properties — the mall’s new development partner — then Steve Arnsdorff, the property owner, we learned that the "no soliciting" (as applied to political candidates at early voting) did not come from the mall owners.

Evidently,  someone complained, and the mall manager decided that we qualified as solicitors.  Then Arnsdorff put in a call to management, and we were welcomed back with a couple of easy conditions: the same number of signs for each candidate/issue, and that our personal vehicles and any trucks with signs have to be parked at least one row back, to allow closer parking for voters and shoppers.

We decided on one sign per grass island, so it doesn’t look so cluttered.

So, that’s where I spent my day today.  Turnout was steady, and the feedback from voters was good.  I met someone who reads and occasionally posts to the Oak Ridger forums; that was kind of neat.  He noted that some folks on there write some pretty nasty things about me, and I think he was a little surprised to find that I do not, in fact, have horns growing out of my head.  However, he left a nice note on yesterday’s post, which I appreciate.

I hope you come back often, Jake.  It was a pleasure meeting you as well.

I had the island to myself for a few hours this afternoon, and made excellent use of it.   If you live in Oak Ridge and haven’t yet voted, Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday next week are the last days of early voting… after that, it’s all or none on June 5.

End of a long week; it’s time to throw some beef on the grill and open a cold beverage.  It’s been productive though, and there’s a sense of accomplishment.

Since early voting began nine days ago, the little grass island nearest the entrance to the mall where early voting is located has been manned by candidates — myself included. That island and the one across were covered in yard signs, for every candidate and measure on the ballot.

Yesterday afternoon, that came to a stop when a mall employee, accompanied by no fewer than four security guards, informed the three candidates present of the mall’s "no soliciting" policy: no greeting voters, no signs allowed.

it does seem peculiar to me that more than a week has passed with candidates and signs present every day (except Sunday).  Did they truly just notice that we were there, or was there a complaint generated that prompted our dismissal?

I hate to say it, but I’m kind of glad.  I’m sunburned already, and I’m not sure of the value of that activity — how many people go to vote early, not knowing for whom they plan to vote?  At the same time, if some are present but others conspicuously absent… it could make a difference.

I’m quite sure I can make more productive use of my time at less peril to my easily-burned skin.

Making the most of the pre-dawn hours this Saturday morning, I checked in with Anotherthing2, who resumed posting for a while after an absence. He had an excellent link to a reading list for college freshmen and sophomores; of the 57 works noted, I’ve read about 20 of them at some point in my life.

Many of those were not as a college student, but as a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School, courtesy of a tough but enjoyable class known as Combined Studies. Several others were in various English classes in high school, except Don Quixote, which we covered in Spanish III.

However, that was so very long ago, I think I need to re-read most of them. I haven’t had time to read as much lately as I like to, though on Mother’s Day, I did spend the afternoon on the couch with Alpha’s copy of The Optimist’s Daughter, reading it cover to cover.

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One which I would love to read, but don’t know if it exists, is a book of all the shortcut keys for Windows. Especially those bizarre shortcuts that can drive one utterly crazy if they’re accidentally hit, producing strange results, like ctrl-alt-↑. Go ahead — try it!

Leaving one’s laptop open overnight with cats in the house can result in all manner of strange key combinations being pressed. That’s the one I woke up to this morning.

My cats are as strange as everyone else in this house.

Dog disappeared sometime yesterday; evidently, the batteries in his collar had weakened enough for him to take off.  He hadn’t gone to his usual haunt, a home a couple of miles away with four dogs and a really nice pond, because they always call and let me know.  Since I hadn’t heard, I knew he wasn’t there.  He was missing all night, which is actually a rare occurrence.

This morning after an early meeting on the East end of town, I stopped by the Animal Shelter ("dog pound") to inquire as to whether they’d seen him.  Unfortunately,  they keep worse than bankers’ hours — 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. — and I was unavoidably scheduled to be elsewhere in the afternoon.

Employing the only alternative I could see, I stood near a large vent in the kennel area and called for Dog.  Immediately, I heard him respond — I could easily tell where he was within the building (other end, right side) over and above the usual kennel uproar.  Such is the bond between Dog and his mistress; he will always answer to me.  I will always discern his voice above others.

Just to hear him bark again, I called a second time.  Dog responded enthusiastically — so much so, that an animal control employee came to the door, unlocked it, and asked if I needed help.  (Dog is loud.  This was working brilliantly.)

I still cannot believe my good fortune, that the shelter employee was kind enough to let me post bail and bring Bad Boy home — top down, ears flapping in the breeze — without waiting until the posted opening hour.  According to reliable sources, he was picked up about six miles from our house, hanging around a place with a female in heat.   There’s a screen door somewhere in town that I need to replace, but it’s not at the address given to me by the animal shelter (I checked already), so I have no choice but to wait until they contact me.

Gamma and I just polished off a couple of T-bone steaks on the deck, sharing the bones with Dog (who consumes them in entirety).   It’s good to have him back home, and new batteries will be installed this evening, so that he may roam the yard unfettered tonight.

Alpha has been retrieved, Dog is back.  All is almost right with the world.