When last I wrote, I was battling some major election day anxiety about the potential outcome. Immediately after signing off the blog that afternoon, I found myself making phone calls for the Obama campaign. From my couch. It was kind of cool – I happened to see something on Facebook about a call app, clicked the button, and was instantly given the names/polling info/phone numbers for a series of voters in my state. I dialed in a way that would block my personal information (because I’m paranoid like that) and called with my script about getting to the polls to be heard. I only connected with about 4 human beings, all of whom had already voted. I left messages for many others, and I’m quite confident that not a single one of them needed my message to remind them to get out the vote. However, this task kept me busy and off the streets, so it’s all good.

Fast forward a few hours and I was heavily imbibing the red wine and throwing back a healthy portion of chocolate. Stress drinking and eating, as I anxiously awaited the outcome – first with the entire family at my side, then with just the Mr. and the world of Facebook to keep me company.

Man, did that drag on, or what?

But, ultimately, my stress consumption turned into celebratory consumption, including a midnight toast in the street with a few new liberal friends in the ‘hood. We may live in a currently blue state, and in a currently blue county — but our precinct is most certainly red. I checked the local returns – it was 60/40 in Romney’s favor. So it’s kind of a weird dynamic – to have the minority opinion in a precinct who is itself in the minority for the entire county/state. Does that make sense? In my head it does, but it’s been a week heavy on consumption and lacking in sleep, so maybe it doesn’t translate into reality.

The result of being in that situation is that you don’t really get a chance to celebrate. I’m not one to gloat — I’m a really good sport and not very competitive, so it’s not like I was looking to do the political equivalent of an end zone dance. I just kind of wanted to smile and feel relieved and proud with some folks who might be feeling the same way.

After Obama’s last victory, there was an eerie avoidance of the subject the next day. It was as if we hadn’t even had an election, let alone one that put the first black president in the White House. I knew what was coming this year. Actually, I was hopeful it would be a repeat of avoidance and not negativity and disdain instead.

It has been really nice to have a few newcomers to the Bubble who vote the same way as the Mr. and I do. They’re all younger than us, with much younger children. There hasn’t been a lot of turnover in the neighborhood since we moved in, so it has been fun to see all the newer families looking like younger versions of us, right down to the political signs on the lawn. That midnight toast was sweet, but I warned the other participants that there wouldn’t be a lot of toasting happening the next day.

I was lucky enough to run into another new mom in the ‘hood at school the next morning – another person who votes like me. We had a quiet, unexpected celebration, which kind of made my day. I heard buzz about the local vibe being akin to folks receiving news of a post-apolcalyptic zombie invasion. Yikes. Lucky for me, I witnessed more avoidance than rage. Except for the old man in Starbucks who rudely announced to a store filled with women and minorities, “It PAINS me to buy this newspaper. I tell ya’, it truly PAINS me!” as he repeatedly smacked the newspaper on the counter in a ragey manner, near the cashier and while waiting for his tasty beverage. Here’s hoping it was a decaf.

And so it is. Four more years, whether the Bubble people are ready to admit it (or accept it) or not.

In your neck of the woods, what kind of reaction did people have to the election results?

I started the day waiting in line to register the kids for winter swim team. Granted, I was first to arrive, so there wasn’t technically a line to join, and since I set the tone for the rest of the moms queueing after me, we did more of a courteous sofa seating arrangement than an actual line. But still – it was all about waiting. At least our kids got the coveted T/Th spots that were needed to fit our schedule.

The next line of the day was at our local polling place. I’m well aware that I am not the only one who had to wait in this sort of line today. And I don’t actually mind waiting for the privilege of voting. It’s just the theme of the day – waiting in lines – so I have to emphasize that aspect of the voting process, you see.

I remember voting at the same location in the past, when we were much newer to the area, and seeing one or two familiar faces in the mix. Sheesh – now it’s like a big ol’ reunion of every person I’ve ever met in the local area. It’s amazing how raising two kids in a community really gets you connected to the place. 

Some faces I was happier to see than others. A few of the faces might actually have voted the same way as me…..though not many.

The Mr. voted earlier this morning and actually had a shorter wait. He said the atmosphere was tense, with little to no talking and some announcements about no cell phone usage. Fast forward about 4 hours and there’s cartwheels taking place in the space between the snaking lines, more than one school aged kid in pajamas, iPads blaring Angry Birds, old folks chatting up their neighbors LOUDLY…..yeah, it was anything but tense. It was more like a side show, but at least with patriotic decorations and seemingly unobstructed voting processes.

After voting, I took the kids out to lunch at a busy restaurant. It was the kind of place where you have to (guess) stand in line to place your order and then to pick it up. It was so busy today that I even had to queue up to get ice for my unsweetened tea.

Maybe it was all that patient waiting in line, or the fact that I missed my cardio workout, or the fact that we are finally going to find out the new President of the United States (hopefully) – but I have had a lot of nervous energy coursing in my veins today. I need to keep busy and keep myself off the Facebook.

This morning, I convinced our daughter to do a pilates for kids video with me. It was very well done, giving simple pilates-inspired exercises at different levels for kids from grades 1-4. We did all the grades, because she’s a fifth grader and I’m quite advanced, especially compared to the first grader in the video. (Not to sound braggy.)

Small movements, big results. That’s my summary of pilates. And I don’t mean girly waist band results — I mean strength. My core is absurdly strong, though you might not know it from looking at my post-two-c-section abdomen – but trust me, I can plank longer than you can.  Our daughter seemed to like the workout. Especially the parts where you don’t have to move much. She is not the most energetic kid on the block.

We tried to follow it up with a “tween yoga” workout, but neither of us could stomach how cheesy and pseudo-zen that scene was, so we bagged it to go vote instead. (This exercise session came between the swim team line and the voting line.) She waited patiently with me and was excited to press the big red VOTE button on the touch screen to actually cast my ballot.

Over the last few days, we’ve had a lot of really good talks about the political process and various issues of importance in the election. She is one smart cookie, if I do say so myself. She can also spout the number of electoral votes for most states off the top of her head, in a freaky show of 10 year old sponge brain capabilities. At the polling place, she scanned the crowd to see who was wearing red vs. blue, to determine who might win our precinct. Personally, I’d say the fleece party has the edge. (It was chilly in Virginia today.)

To quell my nerves after the lunch lines, I decided to do some cooking. Our daughter walked up to me just as I had decided (in my head) to do some cooking, and said, “I feel like cooking something.” Freaky. Anyway, she was my helper. She baked banana chocolate chip bread, and we made a white bean/collard/chard soup and a batch of tomato sauce together. It smells kind of awesome in here now.

I don’t remember feeling this nervous about previous presidential elections. Maybe I did, but I have forgotten in the passing years. I know I was excited about the possibility of Obama being elected last time, but I don’t think I felt so worried about the opposition being in power as I do this time. For me, it feels like we have a lot more to lose.

So what should I do now that I’m done blogging? Join the rowdy football game on my front lawn? Dance around the kitchen? Clean a closet? I feel like I’m going to start pacing soon, and it’s not even 5:00pm EST. It’s gonna be a looooooong night, and I think I’m going to need some wine. Luckily, I secured a bottle of my favorite cheap wine – Cupcake Red Velvet. I even paid a gouged price of over $10 a bottle because I knew I was going to be needing it.

Ohm. Ohm. 

I know the last thing most people want to see right now is another political advertisement. But, I just have to share this for folks in other parts of the country who are probably not aware of it. This is a new television ad from Wayne Powell, the challenger to our local representative in US Congress, Eric Cantor. Trust me – it’s a good one. 

Well, my heart is heavy after watching countless reports of the devastation that Sandy caused back in New Jersey and New York. Thankfully, it seems that all of our friends and family in the storm’s path are ok — trees were lost, power is out, streets are flooded — but everyone seems to be safe and sound. I suspect many of them haven’t even begun to realize the scope of the damage, since they are isolated by the power loss and poor road conditions. I wish they had better news to look forward to, but that’s not likely to be the case.

I grew up on the Jersey Shore, as I have mentioned many times. Clearly, the impact there was enormous and unprecedented. I keep thinking of various landmarks, some of which are known to many, and some of which are mostly only known to me and mine – and wondering if they still exist.

It’s impossible to see the shots of lower Manhattan without thinking back to 9/11. That’s never a good feeling.

The Mr. and I have been watching the reports, and taking turns expressing our disbelief at what we are seeing. We have had some laughs, though, because there’s nothing like a NY/NJ attitude in the face of trouble. We saw a young woman being interviewed tonight talking about how the storm, “just flat out kicked our ass!” Yup, that sounds like home. And we heard mention of how one thing New Yorkers need now is something they are often in short supply of — patience. Uh, yes. That’s a true statement. 

I’m glad the kids and I spent some time “down the shore” this past summer. I took them to the boardwalk in Point Pleasant, where I used to hang out with my two closest friends in high school. This is a picture of all of our children (at a reunion a few years back) taking in the shore line from a ride on the boardwalk.  It’s a keeper.

Don’t be. The only injury I have sustained while sheltering in place for Hurricane Sandy is a scrape on my thumb from the cheese grater. I got a little too aggressive with the parmegiano reggiano.

For our area, this storm has been a waiting game. We thought it was going to hit us Saturday, then Sunday. It was slightly breezy and grey both days, but that was about it. We awoke this morning to rain and some wind – but it sure doesn’t look like a hurricane out there. The schools are all closed anyway, and I suspect they may stay closed tomorrow.

The storm is certainly a big one, and is having a major impact on areas closer to the coast. The bullseye is headed straight for the part of NJ where I grew up, so I’m switching channels frantically and monitoring Facebook posts constantly, trying to get a true picture of what’s going on up there. It’s either that or feed the kids AGAIN…..so.

The kids are happy to watch coverage on The Weather Channel, because they remember seeing some naked streakers running behind a reporter in VA Beach during the last hurricane. You never know what education live TV will provide!

I just reminded our daughter of some of the things she needs to accomplish today (practicing piano, working on a book report), and she was horrified at the thought of getting off the couch. It’s kind of a sloth like atmosphere around here.

We’re working on Halloween costumes, too, and hoping that the rain/wind will be gone before trick-or-treating. I’ll probably get them carving pumpkins this afternoon – if we can stay off the couch long enough to get it done.

If the “Frankenstorm” hits, we will be well stocked. I bought bread and milk and batteries. Because you can’t go to a grocery store in the days prior to a major weather event and NOT get those things. And I got baking supplies, because there is an upcoming family birthday and an upcoming school bake sale, and if we are going to be trapped in doors during a storm, we may as well be productively baking, right?

It’s kind of ominous outside already. There is so much information about the coming storm that it is sort of canceling itself out….leaving me feeling clueless. I can’t sort out whether it will come on shore in VA/MD or in NJ/NY, or which scenario would be worse. What I really want to know is whether school will be canceled and whether it will interfere with our Halloween plans. Can anyone tell me that? No. So, really, all I can do is get bread and wait.

I didn’t sleep well last night. I had dinner out with friends and when I got back, my mind was churning on a whole bunch of things. I was wide awake, so I got up to read on my iPad, my preferred middle of the night reading device. (No lights required.) The problem is that I am reading “Unbroken,” (Laura Hillenbrand) and it is not a great bedtime story. I am reading about the horrors of a WWII Japanese POW camp, so it didn’t really quiet the mind, you know?

Despite the lack of sleep, I managed to get my lazy butt out of the house for a 6 mile run this morning. I figured I may as well be outdoors now, because it really does sound like we have days and days of creepy weather ahead. So, I did it, though I just as easily could have gotten back in bed and slept for a few hours. I ran past the kids’ school twice. The first time, I was actively missing a pep rally to which the parents are invited. I just wasn’t into it today. The second time, I was intrigued by a group of kids outside and a fire truck parked in front of the school. Intrigued, but not worried.

Just as I turned back into the neighborhood and slowed to a walk, my cell phone rang. (Of course I had it strapped to my body, being the extremely high maintenance runner that I am.) It was the school nurse, reporting our son’s latest head-on collision – this time with the back of another kid’s head. The nurse asked me to come in to comfort him and evaluate his tooth for a chip. Really? I went. What a sucker. He was fine, but it was nice to be able to comfort him and walk him back to class. I also suggested that maybe he could suck/chew on some ice, and the nurse acted as horrified as if I had suggested we strap him down and try shock therapy. Weird.

Well, folks. The bus doth approach.

I am in 3rd grade book report hell. That is all. Just thought you should know.

It smells so good in my house right now. 

Last week, our farm share didn’t include apples — which, at this time of year, was downright rude and unexpected. In response, I picked up a bag of organic apples at Kroger that just weren’t that tasty. So when I was at Whole Foods later in the week and saw some big, juicy organic apples on sale – I had to get some. They did not disappoint.

This week, the farm sent apples. Needless to say, we are now flush with apples. So, I decided to use the bland Kroger apples to make applesauce with cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s been stewing in the crockpot all afternoon, hence the good smell.

This morning, the kids and I awoke to another Sunday without the Mr., who is in the midst of a busy travel season for work. I made a “magic pancake,” which is a large oven pancake that puffs as it cooks, along with some apples cooked with maple syrup. (The apple theme continues.)

Next, we went out to get a few pumpkins for the porch, which was partially decorated yesterday, but lacking gourds. That situation has been righted.

I also planted a few pansies out front for the cold weather. Around here, they last through the winter – but I usually wait too long to plant them as my summer flowers last well into the fall. This year I’m phasing out the old and replacing with the new, in a somewhat uncharacteristic showing of garden organization.

Our daughter is devouring a novel next to me. Soon I will interrupt her so we can watch the latest “Project Runway” together. It’s one of our female bonding activities each week.

Our son is into his 4th hour of playing with his best friend. Football, football, football, PS3, football.

I roasted two squash this afternoon, too. I read that you can pop them in the oven whole, as long as you pierce them a few times with a knife. It was disturbingly satisfying to stab away at two firm squash on a Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow is picture day, so I probably have at least one item to iron. I also have to decide if I want to pay for retouching of what remains of the boy’s black eye, or keep the bruises in the picture to officially document the crisis at the beginning of his third grade year.

What do you think? Retouch or leave it alone?

Last night, I took our daughter to visit a middle school in our district. She is going to apply to a specialty center there, though at this point she claims to be adamantly against going, even if she gets accepted. As I told her – we’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. But it was an open house to allow the 5th graders and parents to check it out and see what all the fuss is about.

So there we were, with many other families from around the area, wandering in and out of classrooms staffed with enthusiastic teachers and smart, but horribly awkward, middle school students showing off their classrooms. As we shoved in to a science lab to watch an experiment that promised to include “blowing stuff up,” I spotted a familiar face – the mom of another girl on our daughter’s soccer team. And next to her….who is that? I know that woman. Why do I know her?

She is the woman who interviewed me for the job I applied for last year — and did not get.

As the kids say, “AWKWAAAAARD!”

I am cursed with what a report on 60 Minutes referred to as “super recognizer” skills. I never forget a face and I almost always remember the connection that makes the face familiar. This leads to lots of situations where I remember someone and they do not remember me. Add to that the fact that she was the only person to interview me in 10 years, but she has likely interviewed many folks over that same time period…..and I’m pretty sure she had no clue who I was.

Weird. Small world.

Oh, and here’s another story about being a super recognizer. About 2 years ago, I was in line at Whole Foods one morning, patiently waiting for my turn to check out. The woman in front of me was having a conversation with the cashier about where else she goes grocery shopping and commenting on the quality of food at the various local stores. I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation and perhaps even chimed in a bit. The woman was unique looking, in that she had a gorgeous head of tightly curled black hair.

That same afternoon, I was at the public library with my kids, and there she was with hers. We crossed paths and smiled. I assumed it was a mutual recognition of our Whole Foods encounter, but I think she was really just being polite.

The very next day, I was at the mall in “Claire’s,” the store where little girls eyes pop out of their heads because of all the cheap, shiny accessories. I was there alone, picking up a birthday gift for one of our daughter’s friends. Who walks into the store, but Curly Hair Lady? She walked up to the counter and started asking for help in choosing accessories for her daughter’s upcoming stint as a flower girl. I was the only other person in the store, and she ended up asking me to help her decide between two headbands.

OK, now I have to say something. And so I did.

“You know, you were in line ahead of me at Whole Foods yesterday, and then I saw you at the library, too! And now we’re both here!”

As soon as I said it, I thought — OMG, I sound like a crazy stalker. She paused for a second, and then just kind of laughed and made a comment about how we all seem to know each other in the Bubble. We chatted a bit about our kids and what school they go to (different ones) and I eventually left the store.

Next, I went into the Gap. There she was, looking for tights for the flower girl.

“So, Turningreen,” she said, “Where are we going tomorrow?”

Ah, we had a good laugh. And then I didn’t see her again for a very long time. But she was there last night, along with me and my interview lady.

You’ll be happy to know that I didn’t approach her to remind her of all my past stalking. I felt like that would be weird, no?