Yesterday was the culmination of Miriam's first election season.It felt different from previous elections to me. There are so many changes in my life right now (new state, new city, new friends, new job, new parental status) that it is quite hard to tease out causes, but I think a big one is the little one playing with her legos over yonder.
I felt underinformed in a more substantial way that most previous elections, going back at least to voting in college when I had almost know idea of what was going on in local politics. I'm about 60% of the way to being a political junkie and feel pretty well informed on national issues and candidates (though ask me to name what Waxman, who happens to be my Congressional representative is known for and I would say "um...maybe financial reform?" and would be wrong, sez google, he's best known right now for a Climate Change bill) but I had next to know idea about who to vote for in the Santa Monica city council or school board races. I don't even really know what the issues to vote over are.
Having only been here a few months I can cut myself some slack for not being totally up on local issues, but I've also been here a few months and am a little surprised that I'm not totally up on local issues. Which I attribute to watching and worrying over and loving the ever so active bundle of joy who fills my days and my nights with her cries, giggles, and wanderings.
Yesterday's run destination: around the block
Yesterday's menu:
breakfast: eli breakfast sandwich, omlettes
lunch: chicken and mashed potatoes
dinner: pasta salad
The trick to obscure local races (I had to vote in an (uncontested) election for local soil and water conservation district commissioners) is not necessarily to be up on all the issues--not that there's anything wrong with that--but to know whom to turn to. In Durham there's a group of white liberals called the People's Alliance, and there's the weekly alt newspaper, and I look at their endorsements. Usually they agree, sometimes they don't and when they don't then I do more research. Well, that's not entirely true, I knew more, but for a lot of things, like judges. But the point is that the trick is to find people or organizations you trust.
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