election day

The other night…I had a dream I was at a carnival at night. I hanged out with an old guy…could have been a professor. We had fun and it was amazing to talk to him – we discussed everything from politics to dreams. I didn’t want to stop talking to him. I was afraid of being alone. But after we slid down a giant yellow slide – he said he had to go home to his family.

Wandered through the park and saw two parents and what looked like their kids. They were Asian. It looked like they found their kids after being lost. They were by a fishing hole but they had poles catching fake mechanic fish. The parents warned the kids about wandering off and acting badly. They were afraid the kids would have been taken into custody of some government people. Bad people. Like out of a spy movie.

Andrea and Cub came over for dinner on Sunday. I picked up a copy of Cub’s paper and he told us the work he put into the Sunday edition – without credit…sadly. Andrea studied the electoral layout of the US – red, blue and tan, for the swing states. We wondered about our elections….

In a magazine interview, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson said: “I’ve no doubt Kerry wil win. Whether he’ll become President is another matter.”

This is the first year I’ve voted by absentee ballot. I wish I could have contributed to one of those swing states, but my home address is in Covina.

In past elections, I always felt nervous and queasy about casting my ballot. I guess it’s something about doing my civic duty and being afraid of screwing it up. This year, I finished voting and all I can do is wait for the exit polls. I don’t feel nervous. Instead, I feel resigned to accept I have no more impact on the way people vote…no more than water lapping at stones in a river.

I know it’s an important vote….but I feel kinda powerless over here….my political climax ebbed after I mailed off my ballot in a red post box….next to my flat. By mailing off my ballot, I guess I mailed off the rest of my anxiety and frustration with the electoral process. It could be different as it the hours move closer to the polls closing.