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Somehow, last Sunday, I turned 29. I’m still not sure how it happened. One minute I was 18, the next…29. Less than 12 months to 30. 362 days. …………….when exactly did this happen?
It’s strange though. I’ve spent the last 12 months dreading this birthday because I knew it would be the last in my 20’s. But now that it’s come and gone, 29 isn’t so bad. It rolls off the tongue a little better than 28 did actually…and feels less old than I expected it to. In fact, 29 feels younger than 28 so far. I was having a conversation with a friend who is also 29 and he made the point that turning 30 would put us back on the young side of things. Something about having a zero at the end of your age…you’re no longer the oldest of the decade…you’re back to being the youngest again. This is the way I’m choosing to look at it. So yes, 29…happy birthday to me!
In completely unrelated news, I’m going on a road trip with my mom next week. My mom has always wanted to go to the Mall of America. She’s a big shopper and there have been times when she’s considered flying us up one Saturday morning and back that Saturday night just to go Christmas shopping. We never did, but when a friend of hers approached her several weeks ago about going on a road trip with them, she jumped on it and immediately told me to ask off work. I did…and then her friend dropped out. So now we both have time off, and decided to just go to the beach for the weekend. So, last week she tells me that she’s been thinking about it and she just really still wants to go to the MOA, so she and I are DRIVING to Minnesota next Thursday/Friday, then driving to Chicago on Sunday to spend some time there and see some family and then driving home on Tuesday. I love road trips so I’m pretty damn excited. Pictures will surely follow.
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that my 81 year old grandfather has decided to vote for Obama. This is such a huge deal. My grandfather is one of the best, most admirable men in the world. He’s by far the best man I’ve ever known. He was born in 1927 and grew up in Alabama – the epicenter of racial division – during a time when race was such a huge issue. He has never been racist in the hatred sort of way, but he was raised to identify people based on skin color, be it Black, Hispanic, Asian – whatever. So still, to this day, he notices ethnicity before anything else. My grandparents watch game shows and talk about contestants as “oh, the Mexican one” or “the Chinese one.” I hate that it is that way, but it is what it is. It’s how they were both raised and it’s all they’ve known their entire life. I don’t want to make him seem like some hateful racist, because he isn’t. But the idea that my grandfather might vote for a black man didn’t really seem plausible to me.
So, my grandfather has been leaning toward McCain this entire time. My grandmother has even scoffed at me for having an Obama sticker on my car and when I said that I was voting for him, my grandmother’s response was “you better not! He’s a Muslim!”
Cut to today when my mother tells me that my grandfather told her the other day that he’s decided he’s voting for Obama. I’m so proud of him for this decision, not only because I agree with his candidate of choice, but because I’m so happy that people from his generation are able to look past skin color and make decisions based on the issues instead. I’m so very, very proud of him.
Now if only I could convince my mother and grandmother that Obama isn’t a Muslim terrorist…
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Here’s a list of the deadlines for each state. If you haven’t registered, please do so. Everyone should exercise their right to vote, regardless of who you vote for.
UPDATE: I have crossed out all deadlines that have already passed.
Alabama – Fri, Oct. 24
Alaska – Sun, Oct. 5 (postmark by Sat, Oct. 4)
Arizona – Mon, Oct. 6
Arkansas – Mon, Oct. 6
California – Mon, Oct. 20
Colorado – Mon, Oct. 6
Connecticut – Tues, Oct. 21
Delaware – Sat, Oct. 11
D.C. – Mon, Oct. 6
Florida – Mon, Oct. 6
Georgia – Mon, Oct. 6
Hawaii – Mon, Oct. 6
Idaho – Register at Polls
Illinois – Tues, Oct. 7
Indiana – Mon, Oct. 6
Iowa – Fri, Oct. 24 (or on Election Day at polling place)
Kansas – Mon, Oct. 20
Kentucky – Mon, Oct. 6
Louisiana – Mon, Oct. 6
Maine – Tue, Oct. 21 (or on Election Day at polling place)
Maryland – Tue, Oct. 14
Massachusetts – Wed, Oct. 15
Michigan – Mon, Oct. 6
Minnesota – Same Day Registration at polling place
Mississippi – Mon, Oct. 6
Missouri – Wed, Oct. 8
Montana - Mon, Oct. 6 (or same day at elections office)
Nebraska – Fri, Oct. 24 (mail by Fri, Oct. 17)
Nevada – Tue, Oct. 7 (or in person until Oct. 14)
New Hampshire – Same Day
New Jersey – Tues, Oct. 14
New Mexico – Tues, Oct. 7
New York – Fri, Oct. 10
North Carolina – Fri, Oct. 10
North Dakota – N/A
Ohio – Mon, Oct. 6
Oklahoma – Fri, Oct. 10
Oregon – Tue, Oct. 14
Pennsylvania – Mon, Oct. 6
Rhode Island – Sat, Oct. 4
South Carolina – Sat, Oct. 4
South Dakota – Mon, Oct. 20
Tennessee – Mon, Oct. 6
Texas – Mon, Oct. 6
Utah - Mon, Oct. 6 or in person Tue, Oct. 28
Vermont – Wed, Oct. 29
Virginia – Mon, Oct. 6
Washington – Sat, Oct. 4 (or until Mon, Oct. 20 in person)
West Virginia – Wed, Oct. 15
Wisconsin – Wed, Oct. 15 (or on Election Day at polling place)
Wyoming – Can register at polls
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Love this. Hollywood Declares Themselves video from www.declareyourself.com
And seriously, if you’re not registered, go register. Registration in Alabama has to be postmarked by October 24. You can register here: https://electionimpact3.votenet.com/declareyourself/voterreg2_ret/
