Monthly Archives: November 2011

Democracy is Awesome

Yesterday, I exercised my 19th Amendment right to get my lady-vote on by participating in my very first Democratic caucus. Now that I don’t work in newspapers, I can reveal to you that I vote for the Ds. Unless the Republican candidate is super hot, in which case, my loyalties are easily shifted. Anyway, normally I don’t give a rat’s fanny about local politics. It holds about as much appeal for me as a paper cut or a smelly sneaker. But for some reason, I was moved to attend the caucus. Or, as one funny friend called it, the cockus because it’s kind of a big sausage fest. Zing!

I had heard the caucus might take a few hours, so I packed up my little backpack full of snacks and drinks and puzzles and games. Because I’m actually a five-year-old and need to be entertained at all times. My partner and I pedaled over to Memorial Auditorium, only to see massive lines of American patriots queueing to participate in the democratic process. Nice.I love America more than you. And standing in line is a great start to a day full of  waiting.

When we finally got inside and checked in, it felt like we were at some huge party, minus the hookers and colossal mountains of coke. There was a real DJ, not one of those bums who play at weddings in stained, rented tuxes. There were signs and balloons and better snacks than I brought. And there were tons of people. The total number of voters was around 1,400, but with all the kiddies there, the crowd must have been closer to 50,000.

We found seats next to some friends and immediately we were bombarded by supporters of all the four candidates. They wanted our vote. Bad. So bad. It made me feel important. They needed me. I’m totally caucusing every day of my life henceforth. Their persuasion was all for naught, since I already knew who I was voting for — ME!

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Adventures in Seasonal Job-Seeking

When you ditch your full-time salaried job in the worst economy since never without having another gig lined up, a few things happen. One, you wake up in a sopping wet mess every night at 3:30 a.m thinking about your “future.” Two, even your dog tries to give you advice about what to do with yourself. And three, you need to find something to occupy your time besides walking in circles around your apartment and having conversations with the radio. Hopefully, that thing will be another job.

But finding a job in Vermont is like sailing around the globe on a raft made of cotton candy, kitten pelts and fake fireplace logs. Securing employment is especially challenging when you don’t have any marketable skills and the only thing you know for sure that you you want to be is a tour guide at Colonial Williamsburg. All of that means that your best bet for work is snagging one of the handful of seasonal jobs that proliferate in the state.

Instead of talking about “you,” I’m going to switch to talking about me now. Me happens to be my favorite topic.

So in an effort to stave off the boredom and navel-gazing that comes with unemployment and to prevent our looming eviction, I’ve been hitting up all the seasonal job  fairs in the area. First stop, one of Vermont’s many ski resorts.

Continue reading

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized