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Home > Day Two Hundred Twelve

Day Two Hundred Twelve

September 20th, 2016 at 09:12 pm

Calories: 1632

Oy Vay! What a day!

Actually, it started last night. I went to election judge training. Everyone was nice, but we were packed into a FREEZING room, and information was just thrown at us, nonstop. Turns out there is MUCH to do, many steps to remember, and a lot of technology to master. Half the time I felt I didn't know what they were talking about. I wish they had explained a little more about the "why" and not just the "what." I can retain instructions better if I understand the purpose.

But I do have a big manual that explains everything, step by step, so I should be okay on the day, especially if I am teamed with someone who has done it before.

I'll have to help with set-up the night before, so it is more than a one-day thing. And I'll have to be there before 6am, to help get everything ready, and stay till after 7pm -- probably an hour after the polls close, to do all the necessary paperwork and packing up. It will earn me $195, but I don't think it will be easy money.

I won't know where I am assigned until I get a letter in the mail. I hope it's at my own polling place, but there's no telling.

So, anyway, at break time I was DYING for something to drink (something wet, not alcoholic!) I spent $1.25 for a diet coke, which I just about had to wrestle out of the vending machine.

That was just the beginning of my spending.

This morning I went to the gym as usual, but the sound in the back of the car was worse. I decided to go to Firestone after my workout -- to get the tires rotated, as I was planning, and to have the mechanic take a look at the back brakes.

Yeah, I've spent another $423 on the car. I am dealing with it this way -- this car was almost trouble-free for many years. It's been paid off since 2006, and I've enjoyed the luxury of having very little car expense. Now, all the repairs seem to be coming at once. I am paying my dues now for all those carefree years.

So I was sitting at Firestone, dressed in my stinky sweats, waiting to get the car back. I had my museum appointment coming up, and it started to look like I wasn't going to make it on time. I emailed my boss, but she didn't reply. The car was finally ready at the last possible minute. I drove home, pulled on some clean clothes, and drove to the museum, pulling into the parking garage at the exact moment I was supposed to be there.

My boss had been in a meeting, but I saw later that she DID reply -- just not before I had started my mad dash.

We had a good talk. I'm going to get my contract renewed. I'll start on October 3, and it sounds like I could work full-time till the end of the year if I want. They are that backed up and desperate for help. Once I get started, I'll see how the work goes and figure out how much time I want to devote to it.

I'll be working with the new researcher, and I could tell just from our few moments together that we will get along very well.

I spent $9 on breakfast and lunch, because of all this running around. Then I gave $10 to a homeless man! I know, crazy. I was just feeling grateful that I had the money to take care of all this expense, and I had the urge to help someone else.

I have used up all but $15 of the surplus I had in my variables budget, plus I'm taking almost $5K out of savings. Unbelievable month. May I not have another one like this for a long time!

3 Responses to “Day Two Hundred Twelve”

  1. PatientSaver Says:
    1474407044

    Well first of all, I think it was nice you gave money to the homeless man. I did that once with a poor old woman fishing cans out of garbage cans at a gas station.

    Congrats on the museum job being extended. Knowing you've got the work just keeps all your options open, and that's a good thing.

    Your prep for Election Day seems more involved than mine. We only need one election judge per polling place, and that job is already filled. I will probably be a "list checker," again, someone who greets incoming voters, checks their license and finds them on a list and crosses them off the list. You have to be careful becus at the end of the night, if the number of ballots cast doesn't equal the number of names crossed off the list, there's a problem.

  2. CB in the City Says:
    1474413525

    Our system appears to be completely automated (except for the paper ballots, for those who don't want to vote by touchscreen). That makes the setup complicated (laptops, printers, card readers, optical scanners, touchscreens, and wi-fi), and there are a lot of rules for entering and retrieving data. Plus many "special cases" to learn about -- people who need assistance, who are voting provisionally, who are registering to vote, who are returning a mailed ballot. Lots of rules for reconciling at the end. Interesting that you check licenses -- we are not even allowed to ask for them, unless we are registering the person to vote! I guess the assumption is that they were checked when they got into the database. My head is swimming, but I guess I'll get through it!

  3. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1474425720

    Wow! That does seem super involved. At least you have a guide to go by.

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