Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

I almost didn't vote yesterday, but I kept getting phone calls with computerized messages from candidates. So I figured I ought to weigh in.

The main reason I'd considered skipping it was that this year was all local: city and county. I don't follow local politics, so I needed to find some information on how to place my vote.

First, I tried buying a local newspaper, thinking they might provide some information on the candidates. Sadly, their main wrap-up article only told me what party the candidates were registered with, which was useless.

If party registration was all that mattered to me, I could just go the polls and vote the straight party line. But while I tend towards the Democratic Party, I always vote for the candidate I feel is best for the position, regardless of party affiliation.

Fortunately, I found the League of Women Voters web site: smartvoter.org. I plugged in my address, and they showed me who was running. Many of the candidates had filled out information about their biography and qualifications, along with some bullet-points on their positions.

Of course, not all the candidates had provided that information, so for those who hadn't, I plugged their names into Google to see if anything came up. A couple of them had campaign web sites, and a few of them had personal pages that told me a little more about them.

I wrote down my choices and headed to the polls. They'd moved my polling place since last time, but only a couple doors down. It was easy to spot when I got closer, because of all the signs out front and the political party volunteers, who stand outside the door, trying to finagle last-minute votes.

I walked in, told the volunteers my name and showed them my I.D. They had me sign next to my name and directed me to the voting booth. The League of Women Voters had done an excellent job: the names on my ballot were the same as those listed on the site. This particular booth had a touch screen with a piece of paper laid over it listing the candidates. When you pressed the box for your candidate, it lit up.

After registering all my votes, I double-checked it and then pressed the "VOTE" button to register my selections.

That was it: rather painless, actually. I'll have to remember to check the results to see if any of my candidates won. Even if they didn't, at least I made my voice heard.

I've been reading a book lately by Patricia L. Fry, The Successful Writer's Handbook. In it, she provides practical tips on how to make a living from your writing. This inspired me to think about where I want to go with my writing career.

I'm reminded about how, back in 2000, when I was 80 pounds heavier and miserable, I made a commitment to change my life. At that point, I vowed to eat healthier and exercise, and aim for a healthy weight. In much the same way, I have to make a commitment to advance my writing career, doing something every week to advance it.

The book lays out details on how to generate article and book ideas, how to write them, and how to get them published. So far, I'm finding it incredibly useful. I'm using it to generate a list of ideas.

She explains things I never realized were important, such as writing a book proposal. In it, you discuss the structure of the book, the audience, and how to market it. Once prepared, it can help you both write the book and sell it to publishers.

Sometimes, I wish I didn't have another job, but I need the extra job, so I'll have to figure out how to balance things. I'm already getting exciting ideas which I'll share when I've developed them further.

The weather has definitely turned to fall. As I'm walking Una this morning, I'm wearing a fall jacket and scarf. I'll have to go through my clothes soon and switch out the summer gear for fall gear. I'll also weed through my closets and get rid of anything I'm not wearing. I doubt that any of them will be too big.

I gained six pounds over our honeymoon, which was a bit of a disappointment but not a surprise. So far, I've lost three pounds and hope to get back where I was by Thanksgiving. I'd finally like to lose that last 15 pounds, which would put me right in the middle of the healthy BMI range for my height. Currently, I'm at the top of the normal BMI range.

So much to do! I'm excited to get started. Every little bit counts.

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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