where is my robot butler?

(bookshelf, pre-dusting, obviously.)

I am sitting in a new orange chair! It's not actually new -- my sister gave it to me a while ago -- but I just today got around to parking it under my desk. It swivels! It has wheels! It is orange and white and chrome and looks not unlike a 60s mod creamsicle, if that creamsicle was an office chair. My previous orange chair (also a gift, also of pre-Ikea vintage) is vinyl and has a crack that turned into a tear that turned into visible foam! It needs to go to the Office for Vinyl Repair (when I am president, this will be a cabinet level position). Until then, the duties of that office will probably be carried out by Secretary Orange Duct Tape.

I was off today, and I spent a goodly portion of my day CLEANING. I am still offended that the cleaning I did a week ago (a month ago, whenever) did not last! The universe continues to defy my wishes on an almost daily basis. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, BUT NO. At least I have my orange chairs. And I have to admit that there is a certain satisfaction to be found in dusting and mopping the floor. I kind of like that part. It's the putting things away and washing dishes thing that drives me crazy. (It's the twenty first century! where is my robot butler???)

So, this morning I was out walking and I was thinking about Obama signs (as I walked past yard after yard with sign after sign), and how this year I haven't seen a single solitary McCain yard sign, and only one McCain bumpersticker. In 2004 I went by at least one or two Bush signs on my way to where I go. I know Portland is in a huge liberal bubble, and the part of town I live in even more so, but still! I'm far more likely to run into Ron Paul signs than McCain signs, to be honest. I generally don't talk politics at work because I go from branch to branch and it's TRICKY and I don't want to be the woman who can never go back to XYZ location because she got into a big fight with a co-worker over just how dumb IS Sarah Palin? (for the record, I think she's plenty dumb, but the last 8 years have shown that dumb is not a barrier to high office in this country.) So far it's not been a problem because someone else will bring it up first. (I like providing head nodding support when needed to backup some of the more outrageous (but true) assertions. The reaction will be "he called his wife WHAT??? No, he didn't! He couldn't have." then comes my part -- the sad head nod. "he totally did." or, depending on location "he totally did, that asshole.") In short, I generally spend my days in the company of people who are aligned with me politically. This is good for my day to day blood pressure, but it also means that it's easy to lose touch with what is reality for a lot of people.

Enter: my florida cousins! and Aunt and Uncle, who were out here visiting for a wedding. Tonight my mom, sister and I went out to dinner with them. One day I might type up the whole thing in grisly detail (although then I'd have to make stuff up because it didn't really get that grisly), but for now I'll say that political views... differed. It was all my fault that it even came up -- I made a joke about "suspending my campaign until we figure out a way to make this bill palatable to the american taxpayer," to which my cousin replied "at least McCain doesn't just vote present" which of course really grated my cheese since McCain has the worst attendance record in the senate, worse than the guy who was IN A COMA, etc. etc. etc. It got dialed back in time, and my cousin didn't want me to be angry "I'm just foolin'." He let me have some of his dessert. Anyway, he was joking around and said he told his friend that after 4 days in Portland (which, according to him, is like living in the middle of a Sierra Club meeting) he might switch his vote to Obama. I don't think he will, but what I found interesting is that my gut response was that it didn't matter -- Obama was going to win anyway. (In 2004 I probably would have tried to find a way to lock him in a closet until after the election.)