(no subject)
I, fortunately, only had to wait in line for 40 minutes to vote this morning. It could have been worse, and apparently it was for those who actually got in line when the polls opened at 6am (I got there at 9). And, while my wait was not that long, it felt like an eternity as a result of my being stuck in line in front of the Most Annoying Woman In America.
I've never understood people who have to talk all the time. I talk a lot, but I can also be perfectly content to be silent. It's the people who are always on the phone with no real purpose, or those who will call you just to "talk" when you see them every few days anyway that I don't understand. This woman was one of those.
She was on her phone for the entire time we waited. One conversation would end, and another one would begin. And all she wanted to do in each conversation was complain. Every call included her saying, "I'm in line. It's around the block, it's horrible. It's so disorganized." Really, lady? Because it's a line. You wait in it, you get to the front, you vote, and you leave. It's a line - what's to organize? She was also a fan of, "Yeah, I'm gonna vote. Not that it makes any difference."
This, however, was my favorite exchange:
"Who are you voting for? (pause) Oh, stop. Stop. I don't want to hear it. I think you're making a mistake. I really do."
What. Like, yes - please tell me who you are voting for so I can tell you what a mistake you're making. Who does this?
The woman should also take a hint that the world does not care to hear her phone calls. To point this out, I will now compile a list of things I learned about said woman this morning;
- She lives on E 71st St.
- Her husband, Eric, is a neurologist who joined his practice in 1999 ("when Clinton was in office.")
- Eric got in line to vote this morning at 6:15, and didn't make it to the front of the line until 7:50.
- Her daughter had a swim meet this morning. They left the house at 6:30 to go to the pool.
- Her car is parked in space 44 at the garage
- Up until a few elections ago, she had to vote in her mother's district on Long Island because she never changed her registration when she moved into the city.
- She's going on vacation starting on Saturday. She's excited, but nervous.
- She thinks Sarah Palin is "awful," but she's still voting for McCain.
- She thinks Obama will make the economy worse than ever.
- She and her husband have very similar cell phone numbers - hers ends in 87, and his ends in 88.
- Her friend has been on brain medication, and is having trouble coming off of it now. She feels "awful" about it.
- Listening to her friend talk about Obama made her "physically nauseous" at one point.
I'm sure there was more, but that's all I can remember now. I'm sure she's diluted enough that she had no idea she was broadcasting all of this for the world to hear, but she was. Annoying? F'real.
Other than that, I'm very excited to see what happens tonight. It felt good to vote this morning, and I took a minute to just look at the check that I put next to the name. I wanted to remember it - and I think I will.
OH - but one more thing. While my voting process was rather tedious, a coworker of mine had a rather entertaining one:
NY State is known for having horribly antiquated voting machines. They involve a big lever that you have to pull, then flipping these little metal things next to who you want to vote for, and then pulling the big lever back across the length of the machine again. It's quite the process. Anyway, as my coworker was waiting to vote this morning, a man went into one of the machines, which started to shake violently. It was described as kind of like what happens when a washing machine gets off balance. So, the 300-year-old poll worker toddled over to see what was going on. She kind of cocked her head and stared, confused, at the machine for a few minutes. Then she started kicking it.
It stopped shaking.
I've never understood people who have to talk all the time. I talk a lot, but I can also be perfectly content to be silent. It's the people who are always on the phone with no real purpose, or those who will call you just to "talk" when you see them every few days anyway that I don't understand. This woman was one of those.
She was on her phone for the entire time we waited. One conversation would end, and another one would begin. And all she wanted to do in each conversation was complain. Every call included her saying, "I'm in line. It's around the block, it's horrible. It's so disorganized." Really, lady? Because it's a line. You wait in it, you get to the front, you vote, and you leave. It's a line - what's to organize? She was also a fan of, "Yeah, I'm gonna vote. Not that it makes any difference."
This, however, was my favorite exchange:
"Who are you voting for? (pause) Oh, stop. Stop. I don't want to hear it. I think you're making a mistake. I really do."
What. Like, yes - please tell me who you are voting for so I can tell you what a mistake you're making. Who does this?
The woman should also take a hint that the world does not care to hear her phone calls. To point this out, I will now compile a list of things I learned about said woman this morning;
- She lives on E 71st St.
- Her husband, Eric, is a neurologist who joined his practice in 1999 ("when Clinton was in office.")
- Eric got in line to vote this morning at 6:15, and didn't make it to the front of the line until 7:50.
- Her daughter had a swim meet this morning. They left the house at 6:30 to go to the pool.
- Her car is parked in space 44 at the garage
- Up until a few elections ago, she had to vote in her mother's district on Long Island because she never changed her registration when she moved into the city.
- She's going on vacation starting on Saturday. She's excited, but nervous.
- She thinks Sarah Palin is "awful," but she's still voting for McCain.
- She thinks Obama will make the economy worse than ever.
- She and her husband have very similar cell phone numbers - hers ends in 87, and his ends in 88.
- Her friend has been on brain medication, and is having trouble coming off of it now. She feels "awful" about it.
- Listening to her friend talk about Obama made her "physically nauseous" at one point.
I'm sure there was more, but that's all I can remember now. I'm sure she's diluted enough that she had no idea she was broadcasting all of this for the world to hear, but she was. Annoying? F'real.
Other than that, I'm very excited to see what happens tonight. It felt good to vote this morning, and I took a minute to just look at the check that I put next to the name. I wanted to remember it - and I think I will.
OH - but one more thing. While my voting process was rather tedious, a coworker of mine had a rather entertaining one:
NY State is known for having horribly antiquated voting machines. They involve a big lever that you have to pull, then flipping these little metal things next to who you want to vote for, and then pulling the big lever back across the length of the machine again. It's quite the process. Anyway, as my coworker was waiting to vote this morning, a man went into one of the machines, which started to shake violently. It was described as kind of like what happens when a washing machine gets off balance. So, the 300-year-old poll worker toddled over to see what was going on. She kind of cocked her head and stared, confused, at the machine for a few minutes. Then she started kicking it.
It stopped shaking.