A good day... in These titles mean nothing.

… if only I could remember it.

I worked from 5 to 1. I had a couple pleasant and interesting and possible jobs. At the end of the day I started one that will keep me busy most of Monday. I like getting off at 1 pm. It gives you a little head start on the weekend.

I’m listening to Philips Roth’s Ghost Exit on tape in the car. It’s Roth’s final installment in the Zuckerman series about an elderly(!) writer who is in his early 70’s. I’m getting hints he will die, thus forcing the end of the series. It’s not as good as The Human Stain or The Plot Against American but still it’s not bad.

Election night 2004 is part of the story..... the night when Bush and Cheney beat Kerry and Edwards. In the book the early returns and exit polls said Kerry was winning but as the night went on of course Bush won by something like a landslide.

I remember that night. I went to bed early after spending the day poll watching, after having been up almost all night waiting for Kerry to arrive at the airport in Lacrosse. The crowd was vibrant. There was a feeling of being an insider just being there in the middle of the night when the flight came in. Kerry didn’t speak to the crowd and no one in his group did either. It felt like a mistake to not acknowledge us. It felt like an omen.

And of course it was. The early results showed Kerry ahead but it didn’t last long. I was asleep while the radio played. The news changed. And we had four more years of Bush. I wrote about it in long lost OD. There might have been a few pictures too. We had waited outside - it was a warm for November damp night. Later we were herded into a hangar. That might have been my first experience with a metal detector.

Anyway that was then and this is now and we have another election next week. We don’t elect a president this year so there is less excitement. Still there are a lot of important races. Think hard and vote. It’s your right and your obligation.

I didn’t mean this to turn into a rant on voting. I had intended to tell you that there was a fire in the furnace when I got home. I didn’t have to take the Buick on a trip to find a repaired electric mower for the corn dryer. The harvest is going pretty well. Vibes are different this year, the weather so far has been good. The crops are too and the combine is holding together. I realize those are serious knock on wood issues. So tap for me, if you please.