memo

to the buckeye state:

dear ohio, state of my birth -- OMG CALL THE RESULT ALREADY.

5am GMT. i go to bed now. please have a president when i wake up.

signed,
fox

the world is unlikely to end

i'm not happy either, but i want to inject a note of rationality.

[injects note of rationality]

also, those of you seriously considering getting the hell out -- well, good luck and godspeed, but let me also urge you not to give up your citizenship. keep that passport, and keep on voting. it hasn't seemed like voting has made a huge difference the past couple of times, but imagine what a difference not voting would make. if you leave, if you give up in disgust, the place slides a little more to the right. american expats must vote.

that is all.

you are all required to read datlowen on the subject.

But what Kerry's loss really means is that I don't share the same values as the majority of Americans. And I don't just mean tax brackets. I mean war vs. peace; I mean aggression vs. discussion; I mean civic vs. religious morality; I mean rights vs. responsibilities. These are issues on which there is no common ground. And according to a majority of the people I call my fellow-countrymen, I'm wrong.

here. (similar to a point kaalee made last week, as well.)

in TOTALLY OTHER news

a year ago today (just about now, in fact; maybe in another hour) my phone rang.

it was my mother, telling me that my aunt, my father's sister, who had been diagnosed with cancer a mere three weeks earlier, had died. they weren't quite with her -- they'd hurried to new york on friday night, when my uncle called and said hurry, and they'd been with her all morning, and they stepped out to get some lunch, and when they got back she was gone.

i didn't cry. not immediately. my folks asked if i could tell my brother (which i didn't have to tell him, of course; i said "listen, mom just called," and he said "... oh."), and i dropped a note to my professors to let them know i'd be out of town for a few days, and i called the airlines and made travel arrangements including the bit where i had to tell them i was on my way to a funeral so could they maybe not charge me an arm and a leg please, and my voice only cracked a couple of times.

and then when i finally hung up the phone and there was no more to keep me busy, the tears started to fall, and i sobbed and screamed.



aleha ha-sholem.