The Right To Vote

 Today I am thankful I live in a country where I have the right to vote.  

There are many countries where women aren't allowed to vote, but I live in America where I can make my voice heard.  

I'm even more thankful I live in a state that takes voter integrity seriously.  There is no early voting here, nor is there mail in voting.  However, we do have absentee voting, but you still have to go to the county clerk and show your ID to get an absentee ballot.  Not only that, my county recently switched back to paper ballots, which was cool.  At least there will be a paper trail if needs be. 

We didn't have a whole lot on the ballot this time around, just our congressman and a few judges -- most of whom ran unopposed.  I was in and out in about five minutes.  But hey, I got a sticker!  And I posted it on social media -- because everybody knows your vote doesn't count until you post your sticker on social media.

(That's a joke.  Because apparently some people don't know what humor is.)

In other news, the plant announced last week that we will be off all of Thanksgiving week.  We're only getting paid for two days of it, though, so unless you saved your vacation days, well, you're getting a two day paycheck.  This is why I work all the overtime I possibly can, so I can put some by into savings for this type of thing.  They didn't say why, but I'm pretty sure it's because the housing market is softening.  

On the other hand, they put the sub brazers back on 9 hour shifts because we're so far behind.  We keep trying to tell them we can braze if we don't have parts, but they can't seem to wrap their heads around that.  I guess they think we're supposed to pull parts out of our behinds to braze.  Oh well, since I didn't blog yesterday, and this started yesterday, then yesterday's moment of thankfulness is for the overtime.  

The reason I didn't blog yesterday was because right after work, I went to the vet to pay Jesse's final bill.  I just didn't have it in me to settle up the day I'd taken him in.  I told the vet I'd be back Monday to do it, and he said it was OK.  

So I got there and after I'd paid, the receptionist asked me if I wanted my receip.  I said yes, because  I was thinking I could get one last thing with his name on it.  Alas, when she printed it out...it was blank.  All it had on it was my information and the amount paid.  Nothing about Jesse...or even what I was being billed for.  

They'd already deleted his records from their computer.  It was almost as if he'd never even existed.  That was just one more punch in the gut.  

I promise I'm going to stop moaning about this dog.  But not just yet. 

And finally, even though I' m not Catholic, I've decided to choose for myself a patron saint.  I chose Saint Nicholas -- the patron saint of sailors and unmarried people -- for many reasons, not the least of which is that he had no problem slapping the bajeebers out of a heretic.  

We're kindred spirits, me and him, because I also frequently feel the need to slap people. 

I just hope he's not also the patron saint of bad grammar...