October 30, 2004
Happy Pre-Halloween (or something like that)
As I'm sure I'll not really have anything to write about tomorrow, I'll say it now -- Happy Halloween! Sadly, due to cloud cover, we weren't able to see the recent lunar eclipse on Wednesday. For that matter, the weather hasn't let up much either (it's still been fairly wet)... But, there is a fairly full moon this week according to my calendar...so I guess Halloween has that going for it.
Weekend Project
Since it's not overly nice being outside today (about 39F, overcast, misty & rainy), I believe I'm going to attempt tackling a few projects this weekend. One of which is the replacement of some more light switches and receptacles. Fortunately, that's a project which is fairly straightforward, helped by my neat wire tracker (so I know which breaker to turn off without question). Chances are, that'll be a project I handle today.Another project I'd like to start or continue is the removal of the cistern fill pipe or removal of the old outside faucet water line. The cistern fill pipe hasn't been used for a long time, and the entry points to the house have been sealed off with concrete for some time. All traces of it outside are gone, and for that matter, the only trace of it inside (aside from the room in the basement) is the fill pipe. This is a sawzall project and will undoubtedly be done in small pieces. It just happens that one of those pieces is somewhat in my way related to the bathroom project in particular, so I'd like to get that section removed soon. The removal of more copper water line (for the old covered up outside water faucet) is really straightforward -- only a pipe cutter needed. I probably won't get that completed (as best I can anyway) until after the fill pipe has been completely removed, though.
The Forthcoming Election
Well, in approximately 80 hours from now, we'll begin to have an idea of what the election results will be. I don't use this medium (or really any medium) to discuss my political or religious views (and this is no exception), but I have an interesting bit of insight into the human psyche to share. Now, for some background -- in my day-to-day operations, I run into and have the opportunity to listen in and/or participate in several small discussions with a variety of people with varying views on a many subjects. Obviously with the upcoming election the talk has been primarily political in nature.Recently I was involved in a quite laid-back discussion of the above nature. Now, I won't mention names or affiliations, because this story isn't about that part at all. An individual candidly made a comment akin to 'I'm going to vote for candidate L, because I believe in candidate S's views but I really don't want candidate Q to win the election!'
Now, to each their own is my own personal thought when it generally comes to comments like this, but this particular comment struck me as somewhat disturbing. I'm not stating that any particular party would push this view or encourage this behavior -- BUT it seems like a giant lie to me. A lie not only to your own beliefs, but also to yourself and to the entire process in general. This leads to the entire 'electoral vote' issue -- the thought that one's vote doesn't count at all when it comes to choosing a candidate, but can count when selecting a candidate that will change the odds enough to push a particular 'mainstream' (if you will) candidate out of the race when it comes to electoral votes.
I obviously disagree with this maneuver, and it's my hope that this particular individual doesn't choose this route when entering the polling place. But it really says something (to me) about the system and the election in general when an individual makes a statement which places election importance essentially no more important than a $1.00 game of foosball or air hockey -- where cheap moves at the right time can mean the difference of the game.
Anyway, enough of the soapbox. I understand the purpose of the electoral college, but I also personally believe that it takes away from the idea that each and every vote counts. And that's another topic for another election year.
In the time since I've been able to vote, I have only missed a few primary elections. People, go vote -- and vote for the candidates with whom you agree -- no matter what that vote may be.
I'll leave it at this and end this portion of the post -- May God Bless America.
That's about it...
...for now, so I think I'll go do something productive now.
Until next time...
This post was upgraded to the MZ Online Blog on 8/29/07