it is voting day in massachusetts,

get out there and vote dammit!

I wish i had a dime for evry person who said, i don't vote, nothing changes. my vote doesn't actually mean anything. or i'm too busy to vote. i don't believe in voting. i don't vote, i don't own my home, i just rent.

pardon me, but if you don't vote, then you have NO SAY whatsoever! you have left the decision to others- and if some texan with ideological plans for the middle east, impossible plans for education, and absolutely no grasp of the actual economy and job market ends up as president because he's hoodwinked thousands of others who DO vote, your non vote means more!

too busy to vote, come on- the polls are open from 7.00 to 8.00 even in my small town. stop in on your way to or from work. it takes longer to park at the mall than id does to mark a few boxes.

i don't believe in voting. why not? if you belive in your freedom of the press, your freedom of speech, or your right to bear arms you shold believe in voting. you can't have freedoms like those and not have a certain amount of responsibility.

you don't vote because you rent your apartment? that is absolutely ridiculous and preposterous and all of those words that mean dopey.

to be an american means you live in a democracy. the reason everyone wishes to live in a democracy is because you get a say. Exersise your right to vote. For that matter, exersise your responsibility to vote. if you don't vote, you forfeit your right to complain about inadequate government.

so today is an anniversary

do you call it an anniversary, though? i always thought an anniversary was a cause for celebration. not one of inherent heartbreak. it seems so preposterous, for me to be so upset, i didn't know anyone personally, who died, nor even through six degrees. but i simply cannot help but feel heartache just the same. I teeter back and forth- trying to forget, and hoping to never forget. if i am not careful, i will work myself into such a state that i'll really need medical attention. then i wish and wash back and forth between guilt over my complete fear of remembering and fear of forgetting.

Then i wonder how here at work we can be so blasé about the whole day- today we have a sales meeting. can you belive it? a meeting dedicated to figuring out way in which we can sell people more product which they truly do not need. But what else can we do? we have to live, we cannot buckle. people have birthdays today. people have wedding anniversaries today. those are real celebrations.

I just cannot get my head around that anyone would want to do something like that to any one. Aside of the fact that it was America who was attacked; September 11 was horrible. the subsequent bombings in madrid were horrible, the bombings in london were horrible, and the recent foiled plan in london were horrible. the situation in lebanon and israel is horrible, and the war in iraq is horrible. the bottom line is that hate breeds hate, and if allowed to continue, human kind will cause its own destruction.

if september 11 taught us anything, it is that we are never ever going to share the world's ideals. nor is the world interested in sharing ours. so what of that? how do we move on from the mutual exclusivities? Can we move on from them? All i can do is make my best effort to do so. i can learn about people, and i can learn to appreciate and celebrate such differences. surely that is possible? if i cannot celebrate a difference, then i can work to understand it and accept it.

i suppose my efforts are just one drop in a bucket, but i am going to make them anyway. and you can't stop me! You can join me if you like though. i wish you would in fact.

the little girl on 60 minutes last night said it best- you cannot kill love.

now hear this!

dunkin donuts drive thrus are for COFFEE ONLY!

when i'm behind you, and you are ordering your effin' bacon egg and cheese on a lightly-toasted poppy-seed bagel and your copilot's steak and egg sandwich on a croisant; plus three coffees: two medium with splenda and skim milk, and one large extra cream and four sugars; oh, yes, and three jelly sticks too please...

bear in mind that i'm behind you and i haven't had coffee yet! for the love of god and all that is holy! DON'T BRING THAT ORDER TO THE DRIVE THRU! sweet jesus, would you just go into the effin store!

the poor kid behind the mic is going to screw it up, and the rest of us have to wait while the dam thing is made, and then for it to be corrected when you aren't satisfied.

you know when you see that big long line at the drive thru? that's because some jerk brought a stupid food order to the drive thru!

coffee only!