"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Wednesday Woe

At the town elections yesterday, the voters did not approve the ballot item that would've funded the completion of our new town library. I don't know what happens now. There's a meeting of the library Capital Campaign Committee on Monday evening.

I'm so bummed. About $800,000 has been spent already, the building is up. Only the interior is unfinished. And there it will sit, empty and useless. Unless we get a really big grant or something. This was a worst-case scenario I wouldn't let myself envision. The Porter Reading Area that my husband and I funded actually exists, only now there's no saying when I'll be able to curl up in my window seat with a book on my lap, gazing out at the mountain.

I'm also mad that the voters didn't even approve a $2000 warrant article for a snazzier town web site. That was the cheapest item on the ballot, and the impact on the property tax rate was almost nonexistent. Go figure.

But there's good news: my husband was re-elected to his Planning Board position (it helped that he ran unopposed!)

Another bright note--I submitted all my articles and things before their deadlines. A good thing, it meant I've had time for some volunteering--on Friday and Monday I helped a nonprofit close its offices. A lot of stuff accumulates over 17 years! We killed a lot of shredding machines on Monday.

Had an interesting time last night, in the big big city, when I participated in a political focus group. The moderator, very well known in political circles, was hiding behind a scruffy beard but I reconised him from television appearances during the last Presidential election. We were responding to and rating potential candidates for the '08 election. My favourite candidate tested the best, so I was chuffed. Not only was I fed and given a soda, they sent me off with a crisp new $100 bill for sharing my opinions for a few hours.

Didn't get home till late, but it was a gorgeous drive under the Full Worm Moon. The road I use (partly to evade the toll, and mostly 'cause it's so scenic) follows a really big river, and the smaller river that wends in and out of the little towns around here, including my own.

After an appointment today, I'll be dividing my time between the work in progress and socialising. Coffee with a friend tomorrow, dinner with a bunch of friends on Friday night.


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