Since I've been so focused on writing since the start of NaNoWriMo (I hit 14,214 words last night, by the way--according to NaNo stats if I keep going at this rate I could hit the 50,000 word mark my November 17th).
Last night I attended my first write-in. It was held at this cute little place called
The Chocolate. It's an old home that's been converted into a restaurant. I only knew about it because I attended a book launch there a couple of weeks ago. Holy cow. The place was packed! Since it used to be a home, it's full of lots of small rooms with small, intimate tables.
It was kind of distracting trying to write because real life was going on all around us. Seriously! It was hilarious listening to these young couples who'd come to this dessert cafe. One of the discussions going on next to us made me think about
Melanie Jacobson's book
Not My Type. The main character gets roped into doing an online series about dating. She's got a snarky, witty edge and many of her dates are disasters. I'll have to ask Melanie where she got her ideas. The Chocolate would have been a great resource.
This morning I needed and wanted something to make me laugh. Someone on Friday suggested that I should go to Google and type in the word
askew (no quotes)
Go ahead. Do it yourself.
Did you smile?
Now type in
do a barrel roll (no quotes--or words in parentheses).
So do it.
Are you dizzy?
That got me thinking. Dangerous on an early Sunday morning. But I decided to check out what other quirky things those folks at Google have been up to.
Google's Top 10 Hidden Treasures
Google Earth: Top ten fun things to do
I love #3's second option.
Anyway, it's time to get back to work. The general municipal election is Tuesday, so it's going to be a crazy, crazy week. Tuesday I'll be in the office at 6 a.m. and if things go well will be home before midnight.
I used to just ask that people vote (our primary turn out was 7.5%--that means in a city with over 50,000 registered voters, fewer than 4,000 people decided who got to move on to the general election).
It's amazing to me, however, the number of people who vote but do so uninformed. No candidate will ever represent your views on every issue, but do a little research and make sure you're at least on the same continent on issues that mean a lot to you.
Local elections are where the rubber meets the road, by the way. You have the greatest chance at making a difference in those.
Fine. I'll get off my soapbox.
What about you? Do you vote? Or does the ugliness that's so much a part of the national news taint even your local elections?
