Phone Help, a Type of Learning and You're Breaking Up

I got a call yesterday from somebody inquiring if either Tammy or I would be interested in working the phones for a "get out the vote" campaign for John McCain. She said she got our name from something we filled out at the neighborhood caucus last year. I told her I wasn't too interested in seeing McCain elected. I mentioned that four years ago we were listed as "hard republican" in the database they use. Tammy worked the phones for a similar campaign last election and she looked us up.

I went on to say that Bush had beaten the Republican out of me. I told her that I wouldn't be voting for Obama either and that I'd most likely be writing in Huckabee's name knowing it would be a vote thrown away. Or would it? She asked me if I was concerned that we'd become a more socialist society if Obama were to be elected and I told her that I wasn't too worried about that possibility. I said that my 'throw-away' vote for Huckabee would be my way of sending a message to the Republican party that they needed to re-think their approach to those of us out here who represent working America. Huckabee won endorsements from unions across the country during his campaign. I'm not sure any other Republican can say that.

I watched the debate last night between Palin and Biden. I was irritated that Palin chose to ignore some pertinent questions by the moderator and Biden and instead went on to recite her talking points. But wasn't she cute? I'm not interested in a cute VP any more than I'm interested in another folksy, down to earth president.

This is becoming a political post and I'm not sure that's what I intended for it to be.

Anyway...the bailout. A big part of me wants this whole mess to collapse under its own weight for that is the only way it stands a chance of being rebuilt correctly. A smaller part of me agrees with the approach we've taken in an attempt to minimize hardship we'd most certainly feel if we allowed the larger part of me to win out. I have so little confidence that anything will change foundationally. Sure, banks will fail but won't the loans they're holding be worth something to somebody? I thought that's how capitalism was supposed to work.

The efforts of our elected officials in DC will likely be seen as just so much enabling in years to come but what do I know?

Moving on.

What if anything did you take away from high school? I learned how to type and absolutely nothing more. I relied on my art classes and other no-brainer courses to get me through to graduation but I actually applied myself in typing class. I sat next to Steve Ganske and we'd race against each other during the speed tests we'd take. I can't remember which of us was the fastest.

We learned on state-of-the-art IBM Selectric typewriters. You'd turn the on/off switch to on and the machine would hum. I was fascinated by the little ball with all the letters, numbers and symbols on it as it threw itself against the paper with each push of a key. Sometimes I'd type a bunch of hldjfk;laehr;oahde;lajdf just to see if I could overload it. I couldn't. It kept up and I was all the more fascinated. How cool is that?

We'd finish class and walk past the students who took the typing class which learned on manual typewriters. Why would you take that class I'd wonder. There's no way they knew something I didn't.

I'm glad that Rachel is making the most of her time in high school. She pushes herself in ways I'd never imagined when I was her age. Tammy and I can take so little credit for her accomplishments as she's self-driven. If anything, we have to reign her in at times as she has a tendency to take on more than she should.

She broke up with her boyfriend after last week's Homecoming dance. I felt bad for her. I didn't think that she and Tanner would last all too long as he was much more like I was when I was his age; a bit of a screw-off. The break-up took her by surprise though as she wasn't expecting it.

She was at her aunt's house for a baby shower and had just finished telling some of those in attendance about the Homecoming dance the night before and telling them about her boyfriend. And then Tanner texted her. He said he just wanted to be friends. Tammy said she recalled Rachel being happy and talkative one minute then all of a sudden she got real quiet. Tammy figured she was preoccupied with thoughts of schoolwork she needed to get done. She'd learn later the real reason.

It didn't take her long to find herself again. She had some kids from her Film Analysis class over a few hours later to work on a project and from what I can see she was putting it behind her.