This morning I woke up, made my coffee, checked my e-mail, listened to an hour or so of Stephanie Miller, then I made my way downtown to vote on the first day of Oklahoma's early voting option. It took me about 10 - 15 minutes to find a place to park in a scene that seemed overwhelming and a skosh discombobulated. Once I'd parked my car, and found my way to the end of the line I found that the voting process in Tulsa was more organized and going much more smoothly than I had originally thought. It was a beautiful day here in Tulsa, so there was no problem standing outside in shorts and a t-shirt for about an hour as the line wound itself around the parking lot and into the Election Headquarters. Once inside the Election Center I filled out my green form, then queued up to get my ballot (fortunately a woman standing next to me in line told me that I had missed an important step in the process and hadn't had my green sheet marked with my proper precinct, ballots, and registered party). I rejoined the line behind the woman who had been so kind to direct me to the counter on the other side of the line where my green sheet was properly completed. Once I reached the table where ballots, pens and "I voted" stickers were distributed, I had learned about the 77 year old lady's lunch plans (a tea room recently opened on Harvard), and the fellow in line behind me who was voting in his first presidential election. I took my ballot and solemnly went to a cardboard station where I read the ballot measures again and voted rather randomly for the judges, but I took great care with my vote for Obama/Biden and Andrew Rice (over James Inhofe) and Georgianna Oliver (over John Sullivan) and George Bullock (over Dan Sullivan) - it seems as if the Sullivans produced more than one right-wing political tool here in Oklahoma.
Anyway, afterward I headed home, picked up my doggies and headed for the Bark Park (as I already mentioned it was a loverly day here in Northeastern Oklahoma). Then I took the boyz home and drove to campus where I worked out - the only thing that has kept me sane over the last two weeks :). After working out (20 minutes on the elliptical machine, 30 minutes on the rowing machine, plus 50 ab shots),I stopped by Jim's Coney Island and treated myself to an oregano chicken dinner - most of the half chicken I brought home with me. I voted today, so that on the official voting day I will be available to drive Democrats to the polls. Here are a few subtle questions I have devised to guarantee that the folks that I am shuffling to the polls are actual Democrats: Questions such as "Did you catch Sean Hannity last night?" (Of course, if the answer is "Yeah, it was great" then I drop them off at the nearest Denny's or Waffle House, and tell them to call a cab), or I might speculate that "Global warming is such a scam." and if they agree to this proposition they also will be dropped off at the nearest cafe or corner. Or perhaps I will just tell them that their voting day is tomorrow (thanks BobR!). That's my plan for how to survive and feel like I made at least a small contribution to the Obama victory that I hope is just around the corner. Go Obama/Biden 2008!!!
