The Fullness of Life

Ugh - I can't believe it's been 19 days since I last sat down to gather my thoughts. I have had so much going on, good, bad, crazy & time-consuming. Julia at Village Green, Town Squared challenged to at least do weekly posts & that is my goal now that some excitement has died down.

But I can take a break & have some me-time. To Derby, Beckham & Disney, of course, that involves them. So right now, I have a 15 pound cat keeping me warm on a hot summer day that I periodically push off the couch, but then he returns. With the persistence of the feline species, I inevitably tire of the battle & sweat it out. (I will be going to the pool later, so I am trying to keep my mind's eye on refreshing cool water.)

With all that said, I have had such an awesome two weeks despite what some may perceive. Lil had TEN teeth removed last Friday - that was the ONLY day I could fit in between Early Voting & Primary Election Day. So I pulled her out of school on the last day. Note: she missed a couple of weeks of school in the final quarter for our trip to Europe. Still straight A's.

When she woke up from surgery, she was very scared as she'd never had her mouth numbed. Her panic was driving her blood pressure up to 145/110. I was scared too but I had to be careful to keep that in check. Finally, she calmed down enough for us to return home. I had to beg her to eat a Go-gurt because she doesn't like milkshakes or ice cream and she couldn't take meds on an empty stomach. About two hours after waking up, she was holding ice packs to her jaw, reading a book and she gave me the thumbs-up. With that, I knew we were past the crisis.

In the artistry of poor planning, she had gymnastics camp starting Monday. I waited for the phone call Monday for "Mrs. C, your daughter needs to be picked up." Nope. At 4 PM, she wanted to have some Motrin but was otherwise perky. I'm so proud of her strength - although she is sad about no popcorn for 2 months. :(

How have I spent the last two weeks otherwise? Meeting, calling and emailing supporters of Tom Coale's campaign for the House of Delegates. I have been standing at polling sites smiling, waving and calling out "Please consider Tom Coale for Delegate." If you had told me last year I would hop out of bed at 6 AM to go stand outside for 13 hours, I would have told you that you were crazy. Although I do feel guilty - I stopped at Checkers for a chicken sandwich as I was checking on volunteers. (Don't tell Tom or TJ, ok?)

I have made new friends, learned more about other candidates and gained lots of experience. Experience that I will need - because Tom won. We won. Ellicott City won. But we have to win in November.


So there's no resting - we have to regroup & focus on a long summer of campaigning. But I wanted to say THANK YOU to my mom and papa and my friends who volunteered on the campaign trail and took care of Lil (Tom's wife drove her to ballet).

And most importantly, the biggest thank you goes to Luke & Lil. Without their support & their efforts at home & campaigning, I could not have given Tom my time & effort. Also without Luke, I could not have gotten to Iron Bridge to check results & celebrate because I ran my car battery down. Our family has had such a great time doing this and we look forward to having that checkmark next to Tom's name on the TV screen in November. (Because that is SUPER exciting!)

Jumping Junebugs

The first or two weeks of June are my least favorite. Every year, there are too many things going on. Ballet recitals, school concerts, spring fairs & other wrap-up events are crammed into a space too small to fit. This year has thrown me another curveball, learning how to be, I mean being, Field Director for Tom Coale.

But I'm managing through it pretty well. I hit my head pretty severely Thursday morning, while I was testing the structural integrity of the soap holder in the bathtub. Good news - it's on there REALLY securely. Bad news - I have 6 stitches on the back of my head and a couple goose eggs around & thought I bruised my ribs.

When I was in college, I would make lists to keep organized & just think to myself in the shower, in two hours, that exam will be over. Knowing that time would pass helped me calm down & ease my anxiety over said upcoming trial. I did that a little this weekend. I could not wait until Saturday was over. With my head wound, I didn't do that much...Luke took Lil to the spring fair at school & helped out, he worked on installing a yard sign for the campaign (the best one yet methinks) & he cleaned up the kitchen. Although that's not completely true, I did do voter analysis & remembered how to use Excel. But I needed 9 PM to roll around.

We ate crappy Tex-Mex at my favorite crappy Tex-Mex place - On the Border - and worked on Washington Post Sunday crossword puzzles that have been piling up in my car. And I felt a lot of stress roll off my back. Sunday was a lazy day too, although I should remember I am accomplishing a lot even though I'm not at my full 100%. Some of what I'm accomplishing involves telling Luke what to do though...

Update on my fall: The pain in my side has decreased, so I went to the gym today despite Lil telling me last night, "I wouldn't advise going to the gym, Mama."  Right now, I'm a little woozy. I didn't eat much until 3:15, so I'm chalking it up to that a wee bit. While I was eating my leftover chili, however, I seemed to have a heat flash. An icepack from D'Artagnan Gourmet Meats is currently resting on my neck. No idea where it came from, but it is proving useful.

And today, a day where I've struggled to remember it's Monday, I found something amazing... He's not a replacement, but might fit the requirements for addressing our felines to people ratio.

Distressing disenfranchisement

I received a sad email the other day. It depressed me for two reasons.

The email was from our Town Center Village office notifying us about voting in this weekend's election for Columbia Association Board & Village Board. Our village board has 2 spaces & 2 candidates, so that's not a factor as they both win.

But our incumbent, Suzanne Waller, does have an opponent. I'll refer you to my friend Bill over at the 53 for a quick basis on why not to vote for said opponent. Her opposition to the Inner Arbor plan is disheartening. She is in that camp of Columbia regressives who assign conspiracy theories to all land use discussions. "Let's keep Symphony Woods the same as it is where the only use is Wine in the Woods & people walking through it to Merriweather Post." For an analysis of the campaign rally, I mean, Save Symphony Woods shenanigan last Saturday, check out Julia's post.

That's not exactly what distressed me though. The numbers did.

Don't quote me because I deleted the email after I did what I was supposed to...Vote.

As of late last week, less than 140 ballots had been received. The mailer had gone out - it's free, postage paid! - so I found it in my mail pile, signed & sent it back.

But the second piece of disheartening news was the reminder that the quorum for Town Center is 10% & that equates to about 215 votes. (Voting is by unit, not person.)

Isn't it sad that we've allowed people to give up? At some point, years ago, our village boards decided these little quorums were enough. We've accepted the possibility, no, the absolute probability of apathy. Or that the pursuit of happiness is greater than affirming our liberty.

In 2010, Frank Hecker noted that 20% of Howard County residents are independent/unaffiliated. This is depressing because that means they've signed themselves up for only the general election. I can understand certain professions where that's advisable & common.

Nobody realizes how few people were allowed to vote when our supposed "democracy" began. White male property owners basically. Getting the right to vote was a privilege! Why do we not recognize that anymore? Why do so many ignore the elections that determine so much about their lives?

Don't disenfranchise yourself - it takes 1 minute to vote in Town Center's election. Check the box, sign & seal. (Alright, given Columbia's community mailbox system, it may take 3 minutes.) Vote in your Democratic or Republican primary - Early Voting is June 12 - 19 this year, including the weekend! Take advantage of your freedom to vote. I will!

#HoCoPolitics

Homework - the upcoming CA elections

I often use Trip Advisor & post my own reviews. If I'm using the site & find it useful, I feel a bit obligated to note what reviews helped me plan a trip and contribute my experience. I worked for Marriott Corporate Finance during 2010. I was able to take advantage of the generous benefits of being a Marriott employee, but that meant (since I'm honest & scared of getting in trouble, which generally work well together) that I couldn't review any of the Marriott hotels. Obviously, not the biggest problem in the world, but I like giving kudos where kudos are due. To let a company know that a server/housekeeper/clerk/somebody exceeds expectations because I personally experienced that & they are a valuable asset.

Personal experience. My thought-out review that I discuss with others in my party. My honest opinion of the value of the experience. Whether I would return. My personal, you heard it from me, input.

So people know that my family likes to cruise, visit Walt Disney World & go to Europe. People ask us for advice often.

Hypothetical -

"Kirsty, has your family gone to Megalopolis?"

"It's HORRIBLE. Don't go."

"Oh, really, why? What happened to you?"

"I've never been there."

"Is crime high? Is it really expensive? Is it dirty? Is the food unsafe?"

"One person I spoke to 5 years ago said they don't have pickles."

"Really? That sounds sorta odd."

"Well, pickles are really important to him. How could he ever go to a place that doesn't have pickles?

"Um, ok. Did you talk to anyone else?"

"Another person said they heard you had to stand on a bus for a few minutes during rush hour."

"Hmm, I know someone else who went & they loved it."

"No, I've spoken to 2 people who hated it."

"But they haven't been there? Why don't you check it out for yourself?"

"No, why would I? Two people I met for a few minutes years ago said it was terrible. I thought I hated it anyway so I'm right."

Hopefully, you're seeing my point. Why would you rely on the expertise of someone who's never been there but listens to hearsay & takes it to heart?

MFS, a financial company, has the tagline - "There is no expertise without collaboration.SM"

I agree. But the collaborators have to have some background to bring to that conference table. Advisors also need to be willing to investigate both sides of the story & not keep blinders on to adhere to their predetermined opinion.

When you vote in the upcoming Columbia Association elections, whether for your village board or the overall council, ask if your candidate is willing to listen. Or have they made up their mind already? Do they have personal experiences or do they just listen to one constituency? Do they want to collaborate or do they want to demand change?

Do your homework - these elections matter in your daily life as you drive around Columbia. Make it count.