Flaking out

Saw the first snow today. Folks a little further out of town had real snow, visible on the ground and their cars, rather than just a few flakes in the air.
I told you it'd happen around Halloween.

A week

So, in a week, there's this election. I don't know if you heard about it.

I am tired of negativity, as I usually am by now. I am tired of complaining about what's wrong. I am tired of being mad every time the other guy says something about my guy I don't like. I am tired of being irritated that people seem so mean.

I am tired of being self-righteous, and if you know me, it takes a lot to get me tired of that.

So, here's my pledge: I am going to spend at least 15 minutes each day between now and Tuesday doing something positive to bring about the specific things I want in the world.
I challenge you to do the same, if you're in that same place I am.

Here are the first few ideas I thought of:

• Register.
• Vote.
• Give money to causes.
• Pray.
• Learn about who you want to win your local elections.
• Volunteer to make phone calls or do data entry or knock on doors, and not just for the presidential candidates.
• Break bread with people who feed your soul.
• Bite your tongue and listen for a minute to someone who disagrees with you.
• Give money to someone who asks for it.
• Propose.
• Delete that negative e-mail.
• Read to someone else's kids.

Use the comments to add your own suggestions, regardless of your politics, your issues, how empowered you feel. I know some of you are journalists and therefore are bound not to display bias. How can you make the change you want without displaying bias?

I'll also update this post daily with a journal of my change-making activity. Come back and see what you think.

We've got a week.

Update 10/31: So, clearly, I am crappy at this update-every-day business. But that does not mean I have slacked off. Some of what I've done: prayed, deleted e-mails without reading them, refused to view what is apparently the funniest video ever, made plans to spend time with kids, made plans to spend time with friends, made plans to spend time alone, disengaged from needlessly negative conversations.
I also talked to my mother last night about my grandmother and her politics. There's one issue (really, just about only one issue) that Granny and I agreed on politically, though we were very close. I wanted some background from my mother on Granny's feelings on the subject, and what she'd done about it. Turns out, she was passionate about volunteering for one organization that still exists, and that I also like. So today, I gave it some money in her memory, and signed up to also volunteer.
And I steered some folks who need something positive to read, with no attacking, here. I am not Asian, but otherwise, I could have written that piece, except that I wouldn't have done it as well. Warning: It is decidedly partisan and pro-Obama, so folks who aren't interested in that particular brand of positivity can skip it.

A.M. rush

There is an astounding amount of traffic in my little town at 5:42 this morning.
I know what I was doing. I was heading to work to do the stuff I avoided yesterday until I had no more brainpower left to do it. What was everyone else doing? Where are you people going?

Pink chiffon

Brian at Looky, Daddy! has made funny art for a good cause. I support that.



Now go look at Looky, Daddy! for even more funny art for this same good cause, and also do whatever you can to make sure gay marriage stays legal where it is legal. By "do whatever you can," I mean talk to everyone you know in California (and Arizona and Florida, while you're at it), and use Brian's images on your own blog, and also give money here.

And also leave your suggestions for what else we're going to do in the comments. Mombian has some more good jumping-off places.

Remember, the sooner everyone is equal, the sooner I'll shut up about it and get back to blogging about the time I got lost walking home.

Our plumber's name is Scotty

Worried about how I'm faring in the current economic climate?
Don't.
I'll be just fine.
Forbes says so.

But rather go to the lost sheep

This weekend, D&D from the moving story were around. It was awesome, and you will hear more about it, I am sure.
We talked about something that was on my mind last week but that I neglected to mention here, which is that ten years ago, Matthew Shepard died.
Holycowtenyearsago.
Judy Shepard and Sinclair agree with Rachel Maddow and me, and Sinclair says it (even) better than I did.

FaMe with a capital M, part 2

The other famous person I've seen in the last 24 hours was Michelle Obama. That story is much shorter, as it was entirely expected.
We found out earlier this week that she was expected on-campus for a rally today.
She was, in fact, on campus for that rally.
I went, too.
She was great, as usual. She didn't say much that any good Michelle Obama devotee hasn't heard before, but if you ever get a chance to hear her speak, take it. Even if you hate her husband, even if you're uninterested in politics, she's just fun to watch.
Not too much of interest to report beyond that. She was on time: In my experience, that is very unusual for political speakers. So on time I had to abandon my lunch and my work to go running outside.
But that's it. Campus safety reports we had about 2,700 people present. Not bad for midday, midweek.

FaMe with a capital M, part 1

Someone calling him- or herself "-M" commented on my last post, asking if I'd seen any celebrities lately.
I don't know whether "-M" is Mel Gibson or Michelle Obama, but I am pretty sure it's one of them, because those are the two celebrities I have seen in the last 24 hours.
Yeah, you city slickers out there thought I was moving to podunkville. Who did you see today? Marion Barry?
Here's the Mel story:
My college roommate and I get together now and then for dinner, in Northampton, Mass., which is about midway between our houses. This time, we found a really lovely little cafe. The owner seated us, and he was delightful. The waitress was also delightful, although a mixup in the kitchen meant we didn't get our food for a really long time. The food was amazing, when it came, and there was a cracking fire. Just lovely.
And then Mel Gibson walked in.
To answer the most common questions:

• He was drinking water.
• He didn't yell, though he did do a funny trick with a hat.
• I did not stare.
• The other patrons did not stare.
• He was eating with four other people, none of them discernibly famous.
• He was not handsome in a swoony movie star way, though he was handsome in the way you might think a movie star who's pushing 60 and a little ragged from a long day would be.
• I did not get a picture.
• I did text four people, chosen largely because they were the last four people I'd texted.

After I did so, he whipped out his iPhone. I suggested to my friend that maybe he was texting four people to let them know he'd seen us in a restaurant. She agreed, and it's stuff like that that makes a friendship sustainable for 19 years.
We also agreed we were glad we'd already finished discussing politics.
Our waitress (having tried to clear our silverware and offer us coffee and dessert before we'd gotten our entrees), did eventually get us our entrees and all but force a free dessert on us. We cut her a little slack because of the famous person in the restaurant. I probably cut her more than a little because she was cute.
The owner smiled and made a remark about falling stars (falling into his restaurant, presumably; there was no literal falling involved) as we left.

Pig 'skins

The Patriots beat the 49ers this weekend.
Go Pats!
See, I'm a very casual sports fan.
I love going to games — any games. Men or women, boys or girls, playing almost any sport at any level.
I don't usually watch sports on TV, with some exceptions.
I have a few team loyalties, some stronger than others, I guess like most people.
But it is really, really nice to be able to cheer for local teams whose names aren't so embarrassingly racist.

...except play Halo

I don't know what state you live in, but in some places, if you're not registered by October 4, you're not voting in this election.
Seems like, even if you're not sold on any candidate yet, you'd want to register just in case one of the candidates does something awesome between now and election day. Or disgraceful. I will let you decide which seems more likely.
Also?
Here is this fun video with famous people in it.

Dawnzer lee light

In the spring, I was tired a lot.

One of my coworkers, who is very smart, asked me how late I would wake up if left to my own devices.

"Somewhere between 6:30 and 8," I said.

"Stop setting an alarm clock," she said. "Let your body wake up when it wants to. Don't schedule any early morning meetings at first."

And that system has been working splendidly. I have been better rested, and getting up earlier, on average, than I was when I was able to keep hitting snooze.

Except.

Except that now that the days are getting shorter, I am becoming increasingly aware that how my body decides when it will get up is the amount of sunlight in the room. Which means I am sleeping later and later. Currently, I am sleeping about as late as it is possible to sleep and not be so late to work that people notice. In about a week, I will need a new plan.

Suggestions? So far, "go to bed earlier" is not cutting it.