Election Day . . .

Election Day . . . and I'm sick, sick, sick.

Did I mention? I'm sick.

Here in the remote areas of Minnesota, we vote by mail. Early. After my trip to the clinic yesterday (a "quick" one-hour-one-way trip to confirm that nope, I DON'T have strep), I dropped our two ballots off at the court house. I was looking forward to getting one of those 'I Voted' stickers . . . but I didn't. :( Maybe they were saving them all for today? Plus, I had to fill out and sign another piece of paper since I was dropping someone else's (Tom's) ballot off, too: stating that I was his "agent" and all was above-board.

Anyway, now we are all on pins and needles, waiting for the results. Either way, it will be ground-breaking: an African-American President or an embarrassing idiot (I mean, Sarah Palin representing the women of America) for Vice-President.

I've never really been stressed or nervous about a presidential election . . . but I am this year. I think it could really make a difference. But, I also worried about assassination if "my" guy is elected. I heard a really horrible "joke" (they called it that): "If Obama is elected President, will it still be called 'the White House'?" Can you FREAKIN' believe that?! That in 2008 . . . people still see COLOR? But, of course, when you think of it, segregation and "integration" (I really don't like that word for some reason) is SO new.

When Tom was going to college, his southwestern Minnesota school was one of the first to be "integrated". Then, just out of high school, my boyfriend and his brother and girlfriend (soon to become wife) took a trip to their family's ancestral home(s) in Missouri. The Southern Charm was palpable, and I loved his maternal grandparents, in particlar. Grandpa took us on a tour of the small Mississippi Delta town the day after we arrived. As we drove through one area of town (I couldn't tell one from the next), Grandpa explained, "This is where the n*ggers live. But, these ones are real nice." Excuse me?! I damn near fell off my seat! In hindsight, I now realize that that was probably his way of being "modern", but - at 18 years old or so - it was MY first introduction to real, actual racism.

I dunno. What's my point here? None, really, other than to address that this presidential election is not about race (ethnicity). Or feminism. It's about electing the right person for the job. And, while I truly (unfortunately) believe that whoever is elected to be president is basically a pawn for The Government, I do think that this election will "open things up", as it were . . . both for folks who are not Caucasian AND for women.