I’m now getting ads from one of my go-to hiking sandal companies showing some sandals I have worn since the Jurassic Age with fancy *sheer* patterned stockings and telling me it is a “look”. Well, I just have to say that I have been wearing that “look” — or a version of it — since the Jurassic Age. Nix on the fancy *sheer* patterned stockings. Plain tights or smartwool socks for this baggy old kayak woman. Hiking sandals have always looked elegant to me. It’s about time those companies catch up with this so maybe this is a good thing.

Election day stats? My stats, that is, the polls are open another couple hours so we don’t know who/what won yet. I was voter number 3. Actually I was number 4 but they had to process voter number 1 using paper technology. Who was number 1? Well, our friend Mr. Mxyzptlk, who reclaimed his reigning election status as voter #1 in ward 5, precinct 9, Planet Ann Arbor.

I was *amazed* at the number of folks lining up when the polls opened this morning. I counted up to 15 before I gave up. This is one of those off-year elections and there were only three things to vote on. One of the ward 5 city council members and two millage proposals. I voted FOR the school-related millage. I am a strong supporter of public schools, even more so now that the federal government and our own Great Lake State government seem hell-bent to undermine them and disparage teachers. More on that some other time (or maybe never) except to say you’ll have to put up your dukes because my mother was a public school teacher and she *rocked* that job. I voted against the other millage, which used a buzzword (mental health) to draw people in but after that the details were sketchy about where the MONEY was actually going. Nope.

I thought the city council race was a no-brainer, with an incumbent facing an unknown challenger. Turns out it may end up being a close race. I voted for the incumbent but my reasons are embarrassing. First, he is a friend of my neighbors, and second, I DID NOT research the challenger. Would I have preferred the challenger? Maybe. I frequently preach the gospel of following local politics but there is egg on my face this time.

I enjoy being among the first to vote for a few reasons but one of them is because it is always interesting to watch the poll workers struggle to get things running smoothly, hence Mr. Mxyzptlk having to be paper-processed because the Laptop Check-in Person was having trouble logging in. Password anyone? Another issue was a Brand-Spankin’ New Ballot Eater. It sucks your ballot up and when it is successfully accepted, an American flag shows up on the screen. A Trumpian touch? Oh, probably not. This musheen and its associated software have probably been under development since long before the Trumpian Bombasty began (a year ago today, ugh).

Ballot Eaters make me nervous in general after a long-ago issue but despite a poll worker calling the mother ship before the polls opened, the Ballot Eater ate my ballot just fine and the rest of the process was smooth and I am in NO WAY dissing the poll workers, a couple of whom are friends of mine from the old Haisley Mafia days. These folks only do this job every few months or so. If they did it every day or even every week, they would have it all down pat. Just that as a systems analyst/usability design type person, watching the process is interesting to me.

Love my poll workers. May the best man win the city council seat. Whichever one that may be.

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