Random Ten

A whole lot of bits and pieces.

1.  Election Day
Did you vote?  Municipal politics isn't the most exciting thing in the world and most people (70%) don't give a shit, but if you're not careful you end up with some wing-nut in city hall making the decisions that most directly affect your life.  I worked at the election this year for the first time.  I was the one crossing out your name as you showed me your i.d.  I got to catch up with the neighbours, the voters weren't too grumpy or miserable and the renumeration will come in handy for Christmas.  I'd sign up to do that again.

2.  Memorial Service
I went to a memorial service for a friend the other day.  She was 70 years old and died a horrible, drawn-out death from ALS.  Her ALS started at the top of her  body instead of the bottom as it usually does.  She very quickly lost the ability of speech and swallow.  And as a person who enjoyed a good discussion and reading aloud to her grandchildren, this was the most tragic part of her illness.  Her death was a blessing.

3.  Dryer Breakage
My dryer stopped.  It didn't grind to a halt or burn out.  It just stopped.  Fortunately, it was at the end of wash day.  The repairman came, fixed a belt, took $92 and went.  I don't have to buy a new dryer tomorrow which is a good thing because that was just not something I was planning to do this year.

4.  Halloween - Done and Dusted
I hate Halloween.  I don't know what it is about it but I just loathe it.  I put on a good show for Boy though because he still thinks it's the best holiday ever.  And what kid doesn't?  Free candy? What's not to love?  Girl is done trick-or-treating so she had a friend over.  Granny's done buying candy but didn't want to sit in her darkened house so she came over.  I opened a bottle of wine so it didn't turn out too badly in the end.  And the little beggars trick-or-treaters were finished by 8 so I still got to watch Wallender.

5.    Drive Clean Bullshit
I have an appointment with the mechanic to do the emissions test on the van this week.  What a load of crap!  Another money grab by the government but you can't get your plate sticker without a pass test, so off I go. 

6.  Report Card Time
Boy receives his "progress report" this week.  This is a different kind of report, not so much based on class work as "learning skills and work habits".  Stuff like, "collaboration", "initiative" and "self-regulation".  I can just imagine what the teacher will have to say. After  last year's nightmare, I'm  not really looking forward to it.   

7.  Feeding Station Open
I've finally put bird seed in the larger of my two feeders.  It's been up for a couple of weeks and the poor birds have been flitting around it, ever hopeful that maybe, just maybe, today will be the day that the mad old cow who lives here will put some bloody seed in it.  Well, it was their lucky day.  I have some suety things that go in little cages on the side of the feeder but they can't go out until the temperature is consistently freezing or they melt and go all gross.  The finch feeder stays up all year and those damn little things must eat their body weight in seed every day.  They have moulted again and are now their gray yellowish winter colour.

8.  Jean Shopping
I have to buy some jeans this week.  I hate shopping for jeans. It's almost as demoralizing as shopping for a bathing suit.

9.  A Night Out
Himself and I, along with our friends the Maggots, are going to see Billy Connolly on Friday.  I know.  How cool is that.  I should probably buy some Light Bladder Leakage Protection just in case I wet my pants laughing.

10.   De-cluttering
By the end of November, I hope to have all the boxes, bins and containers which are lying around the house emptied and their contents appropriately disposed of.  I can understand how those loony hoarders get started.  I don't have rotten food lying around or the dessicated carcasses of animals under the couch but there certainly does seem to be an excess of stuff here.  Stuff that nobody needs nor wants anymore, nothing of any value, just stuff that got jammed into a box to be dealt with later.  Well, later is now.