My list of ten things to take on vacation varies depending upon what kind of vacation I’m taking. Is it a city location, filled with visits to museums and theaters, much walking on city streets and dinners in restaurants? Is it a vacation at a rental cottage, with only occasional restaurant visits and more cooking “at home”? Seaside or mountains? With family or by ourselves?
So many decisions, but off the top of my head….
- As few clothes as possible. On vacation, I wear clothes more than one day in a row (underwear excluded of course). If you only wear a pair of shorts for a couple hours before changing into your sweats, those shorts can be worn again. Right? Right.
- As few shoes as possible. This is more difficult if it’s a city vacation where you might, heaven forbid, have to get Dressed UP.
- As many knitting projects as possible. And of course pack these first. And last. I always change my mind a dozen times about what to bring.
- The contact info for the cats’ sitter.
- A couple good books and some of those New Yorker articles I keep meaning to read.
- My pink “My cat loves me” baseball cap. Great for hiding bed head when you need to go find an early morning cup of coffee.
- A sweater/sweatshirt to guard against air conditioning freeze.
- A pair of sweats and t-shirt for lounging and taking naps. Non-negotiable.
- Camera, extra batteries and charger.
- My laptop. I used to travel without it but not anymore.
This is being written Monday night and set to publish on Tuesday because I’ll be leaving the house at o’dark thirty Tuesday AM. Missouri is having a primary election and I agreed to be an election judge again.
Since my total training for this constitutes one two-hour class two years ago, let’s hope there are more experienced judges there. In a weak moment I also agreed to pick up the election materials today so my car is loaded with a couple voting machines, ballots and voter rosters as well as all the signs and supplies.
At the end of the day, a judge of the opposite political persuasion and I get to take all the materials and completed ballots back to the election board. We travel in the same car: once voting starts, no one is ever alone with the ballots, machines or voting results. After the trip to the election commission offices, the judge who drove has to return the other judge back to the precinct to retrieve their car.
For this, I earn a magnificent $8.23 an hour. I expect to be home by around 8 pm if turnout is as light as they expect (less than 20% of eligible voters).
Your tax dollars at work.
Is your state having an election today? Get out and vote! Don’t let the other guy have all the say.
Sounds like you’ve got a long day ahead of you. A vacation would be much better!
Interesting view from the other side of the voter’s booth. I know you won’t have fun, but it will be a Good Deed.
Lovely list.
I hope you survive today! I sort of doubt we can afford to have an election here in California at this point.
xo
Oh, all the possibilities in a “vacation”!!
I hope your day went well (as well as it could be!)!
Beautiful morning glories, they look simply… heavenly :^)
I found myself agreeing with all your choices. We voted last Tuesday.
Hope your election day went smoothly — and that you were really busy! (I’m just off in a moment to take my son out for his FIRST voting experience!) Love your list — especially the cap idea! So perfect for scrounging up that first cup of coffee!
By the time you read this comment, you will be exhausted and home. Thank you for your work. I have always thought that being an election judge was more important than we give it credit for being. I voted on the way to work. At 7:25 I was the 52d voter in my precinct.
I think you need a vacation after all of that.