GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

On the night before election day, I want to encourage ALL of you to get out and vote (if you haven't already, that is).

Rob and I are very obviously Obama supporters. Part of our collection of campaign swag is shown at left...including an "I heart voting" sticker we received after voting early (we heard horror stories about people waiting in line for many hours at Oberlin voting locations four years ago, and decided to head to the polls last week and save ourselves the trouble on election day). It's been kind of thrilling for both of us to finally be living in a state (Ohio, if you couldn't tell), where our votes have been so eagerly sought after by both candidates. While residing in Utah and New York, anticipated results weren't nearly as close. We don't really watch much TV, so have fortunately been spared most of the ubiquitous political ads that have swamped the airwaves, but there's still an urgent sort of excitement in the air that is impossible to miss.

On October 22, we attended a pro-Obama rally at a local high school, and were privileged to hear vice president Joe Biden speak in person. It was a bit of a hassle to wait in line early...

...and wade through what amounted to a trip through airport security...

 ...but in the end we were lucky enough to be randomly selected (or perhaps we just looked like a "nice young couple" that would look great in the front row), by one of the door monitors to head upstairs and claim the best seats in the house...though, we still had to stand like everyone else. We had a great view of the high school's pep band (who entertained and revved up the assembling crowd), didn't have to worry about any tall people blocking our view of the festivities, and had a perfect vantage for people watching. We were also fortunate to have a bar to lean against in order to take some of the pressure off our feet and knees...and after watching EMTs cart away three people who'd passed out over the course of the event (an occurrence not uncommon in this sort of setting), our gratitude for this small means of support increased.

I'd seen snippets of similar gatherings on the news, but this was the first really major political shindig I'd attended in person. The room hummed with anticipation as volunteers passed out signs to attendees, and occasionally, someone in the room would try to start the crowd chanting ("I say Joe, you say Biden: Joe, Biden, Joe, Biden!" "four more years, four more years!" and "O-ba-ma, O-ba, ma!" were popular selections). When the long-awaited special guests finally arrived the crowd erupted into cheers...

And there he is...literally!

By the way...isn't Ohio's state flag cool? I just love that it's not yer reg'lar ol' rectangle!

And here's an "artsy" shot I took of the crowd as seen through one of the flag banners that hung down in front of our balcony.

Anyway, back to my original point. Regardless of who you support (though I'll give my fellow Obama supporters an enthusiastic thumbs up!), I hope you head out to vote tomorrow. It's shocking to me that such a small percentage of our population (only 63% in 2008), typically takes part in elections...and then complains about things not going how they'd like. If there's one thing I hope all the campaign hype accomplishes, it's getting more people out to the polls.

Happy voting!

Working Hard

For the past couple weeks, my rural-carrier training has intensified sharply. I've come into the office at 6:30 am every morning in order to prep and carry the route in halves (and one whole), spent hours internalizing the names and street addresses in my case, and worked to prepare myself mentally and physically for my first big test this weekend: tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday I'll be on my own for the first time...sink or swim. My hands and wrists are cut, dry, and achy from handling never-ending bundles of dusty inky mail, my mind is full to bursting with maps and numbers and names, and behind it all I'm pushed to be ever more efficient as I work...oh, and if I miss a scan, I'm probably fired.

No, being a mail carrier isn't rocket science (as one of the Wellington clerks quipped to me today), but there are sure a lot of little things you have to remember, and a whole series of tasks you have to do quickly enough to make it back for the final mail pick up at 5:00 pm. The route I'm assigned to is the longest in our office (somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 boxes) and is evaluated at 9 hours--which means that's how long they expect me to take from beginning to end: even on the heaviest of days...like most Mondays when many-feet-tall stacks of ads, catalogues, magazines, and political fliers must be cased and delivered along with the usual bundles of mail and parcels...and no, I can't throw out all that "junk mail" for you, it's against the law...I can even get in trouble for calling it "junk mail." Anyway, it's really the political mail ("more o' that *$#%! political $&%!" as Dee puts it), that's really inundated us lately. It's cool to be living in Ohio during an important campaign season, and to know that my vote really matters this time, but on the day after a boisterous presidential debate the office is flooded with mailers that eat up time and space in the case.

So far I've struggled to keep my pace quick enough to be able to make my route's evaluated time. On the day I carried the whole route for the first time, Dee came in and helped with the majority of my casing so that I'd be able to head out onto the route by 9:30 am. Even though I didn't take a break for lunch, and only squeezed in ONE quick bathroom run (and spent the rest of the day dehydrating myself and praying that my bladder wouldn't explode), I still barely made it back to unload by 4:15. It was grueling.

Once I get to know things a bit better and can reduce the amount of time I have to spend on navigating and sorting, I think the job might actually be enjoyable. Despite various hazards I've encountered during delivery (already been cornered by loose aggressive dogs, and had to avoid ants, spiders, bees, and wasps that seem to love to congregate on mailboxes...I've even found a few bird's nests...with eggs in them no less!), there are still moments when I'm caught unaware by the loveliness of the countryside and my good fortune to be out in it on a regular basis. I've seen red-tailed hawks perched on fence posts, delivered packages at homes situated at the end of old gravelly roads that wind past herds of bleating sheep and goats, and on Saturday I watched an enormous glider float over a stand of brilliantly colored trees to soar in for a landing at a tiny airport tucked in behind the cornfields.

I wish I could have taken pictures of all of this, but as it is I have no time to waste on such self indulgence...and I'd probably get in trouble for doing it on the job anyway.

Here, instead, are a few entirely random shots of the usual autumn loveliness that I took on my own time.

The dome of Oberlin's observatory (just over 2 blocks from our house)...

A reservoir bordering the Oberlin Arboretum...

A jazzed-up portrait of an assemblage of trees and vines I encountered while strolling through the Carlisle Reservation...

...and a more natural view of a Carlisle grove...

Such great texture!

Another attempt at iphoto artsiness: duckweed and reflections on the Carlisle wetlands...

A shot of our front yard taken from the attic window (it's sure going to be difficult to leave this awesome house when its owners return in a few months)...

The color in these sugar maples is unbelievable!

Listening Session

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar speaking at the America's Great Outdoors listening session in Salt Lake City.

Today I participated in a local listening session dealing with the "America's Great Outdoors Initiative" proposed by president Obama. The initiative is meant to enhance all people's ability to venture into and enjoy the outdoors, and senior members of the Obama Administration have been touring the country listening to local ideas for how the initiative's goals might be accomplished.

When I heard there was to be a listening session in Salt Lake I got a wild hair in my brain and immediately signed up as a representative of SLAS to promote the protection of our nation's quickly-disappearing dark skies. I felt that the mission and activities of our astronomy club fit perfectly with the goals stated in the president's proposal, and in online forums I didn't see a single other person who was advocating for dark skies...I guess you could call the natural skyscape our great forgotten wilderness!

I talked with other SLAS members, met with our club president Dave Bernson, and wrote an essay outlining my ideas. I had no idea what the format of the listening session might be, but I practiced my talking points and hoped I'd have maybe 5 minutes or so to present my ideas.

This morning Dave and I showed up at the downtown Radisson, registered and found a seat in the crowded meeting hall. Governor Gary Herbert, SLC Mayor Ralph Becker, one lady I can't remember (I'll try to add her name later) and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar were seated on the stand and each gave short speeches before inviting members of the audience to step up to one of three microphones at the front of the room to ask questions of Secretary Salazar. After a couple minutes of nervous hesitation, I stepped into the lineup of questioners and tried to figure out what I'd say. Dave had come up with a very nicely worded question...something like, "Do the American People realize the value to scientific and environmental education provided by easy access to a dark sky?"...so I decided to use it as my point of departure and add a couple thoughts on my own that would draw attention to the ability of astronomy programs to draw people, and especially youth, into the great outdoors.

I was a tad nervous at the mic and would give myself perhaps a B- for the final minute-long result, but I was still glad to have been proactive and that my thoughts were heard.

After the general session, we all split off into several small groups meant to give more people a chance at in-depth comment. Dave and I both got to contribute more during this session, though it occasionally seemed a bit awkward to steer the conversation to efficient street lighting when everyone else in the room seemed to want to focus on "YES ATVs!" or "NO ATVs!" Well, I'm simplifying a bit. It was very interesting to hear a civil discussion about wilderness issues in a setting where all ideas were given their fair due. Each time someone was speaking the rest of the participants were silent--even when it was clear that some people's opinions were in stark oposition to others.

Dave and I both felt the session was worthwhile and informative even though we were oddballs in the group. Even on the main webpage devoted to the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, I am so far the ONLY one who has posted an idea relating to dark sky preservation. I posted my entire essay here: AGO homepage (and if you like what I stand for in the essay, give me a positive vote!). As I write this, my essay is still on the front page of "most recent" submissions, but if it's since moved down the list, you can search "Kelly Ricks" at the top right of the page...or you can just try searching "Kelly Ricks and America's Great Outdoors" on Google and my posting should show up.

Anyway...I am still a little buzzed by the whole experience...and I heard from Dave that another club member heard my question broadcast on KUER! I haven't found a recording of that yet...maybe it will be up on their site tomorrow. Yikes! It has been an interesting day to say the least!