Kentucky has allowed early voting for a couple of years now...

Kentucky also has one of most watched races in the country, between incumbent Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and current Attorney General David Cameron (who is Republican, and very much in the Trump camp). Beshear is seeking a second term in a Red State, and there's a good chance he will get it. He's very popular across politics, due to his handling of the pandaemic and also natural disasters, including tornadoes and floods. I have no doubt that if former Matt Bevin, a Repbulican [and in my opinion, a dangerous nutjob who should not have been governor ever], had been in office, more Kentuckians would have died of Covid-19. Daniel Cameron would make history, however, by being the first Black governor in the Commonwealth's history.


You can probably determine how I voted from my shirt.

Um...

Hillary Clinton blames FBI Director Comey for Election Loss

Okay,  it certainly didn't help,  and I think he had no legitimate reason to time it that way, but I think that Clinton has no one but herself to blame for the loss.  One,  the email fiasco was absolutely a stupid thing to do,  regardless of whether it was criminal or not.  Two,  she didn't really campaign well,  often just letting Trump run his mouth (and let's face it,  his worst opponent was not Clinton, but himself, but you couldn't count on that to win), and she allowed a very negative view of her stand in the mind of voters.  Calling Trump voters 'deplorables'  just galvanised them.  She underperformed with the people whom President Obama won over, including groups in traditionally Democrat strongholds.  A lot of people either voted for Trump, a third party, or stayed home,  because they openly disliked her. It's unfortunate that,  at the end of the day,  this election wasn't really based on issues so much as it was an unpopularity contest.  While I disliked Trump far more,  I did not like Clinton,  and resented feeling like I had to vote for her to vote against Trump,  especially given things like how the DNC favoured her over my candidate,  Bernie Sanders,  and the media's role was terrible, too.

Hopefully we'll have better candidates,  next time. To be honest,  I think the bar was pretty damn low in the general election.  But any new candidates should take this year as a cautionary tale and learn what not to do. 

I've somewhat recovered from Election Day

Both in physical terms (I went to bed about 2 am that night, and got a grand total of four hours' sleep, so I was pretty tired yesterday) and emotionally. I'm not really upset Hillary Clinton lost--I never cared for her candidacy, or how the Democratic National Committee behaved, for that matter, and I was a Bernie Sanders supporter. I, too, am angry about the failure of the two-party system to provide decent candidates. I know a woman will be president, after all, and never got behind Hillary Clinton being that woman. I thought it was silly of people to vote for her simply because of her gender. But I have to admit, I fear a Trump presidency even more, and was terribly upset (although not particularly surprised, actually) that he won. I knew there was a good chance. A very wise friend had pronounced a sooth that Hillary Clinton would never be president. He also taught me a long time ago that our democracy is flawed and that Trump's candidacy and election were totally understandable, especially in an environment where 'reality' TV is considered entertainment, celebrity is valued over hard work and intelligence, money rules, and a good part of the country has been simmering for some time ready to rise up and boil over. People will study how this happened; I'm not sure you can put it simply in terms of white vs. other or rural vs. cosmopolitan. As someone who studied history pretty thoroughly, I know it's never as easy as that. It will certainly be one for historians to write books about, that's for sure. Oddly enough, I was the one, not A (who was always a Hillary supporter (even against President Obama) and was absolutely convinced she would win), who took this the hardest. YKWIA actually hugged me last night, in my funk. He said 'I wish I could tell you it will get better, but we both know it won't. It'll be a long eight years.' 'Eight!' I said, 'Please tell me it'll be four.' He said, 'No, people will be so entertained by Trump that they'll vote for him again.' He refers to the state of America now as 'Trumplandia'. But it's not just the Trump win. Our entire government is now in the hands of one party, a small number of people with a great amount of power, I'm not sure that is a good idea, whether Democrat or Republican, and even the Kentucky state House, which has been Democrat for 90 years and may have been the only one in the South to be Democrat, went Republican, and we have a conservative governor whose first actions included shutting down the most successful state exchange for insurance in the country. YKWIA also said I was reacting, or even overreacting, unexpectedly. I think part of it was that I'm facing the uncertainty of losing my job in just four-and-a-half months, and now I have no safety net at all, in terms of things like health insurance. If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, I will most certainly not qualify for any, as I have diabetes and am on insulin, at least any that I can afford. Of course, the plan was always to get a job before that happens, but at least I had a backup plan. Well, Plan B just went out the window. So I'll have to make sure I waste no opportunity and find another position, one with benefit--soon.

Then there's this

These screenshots from the app Daylio on my phone pretty much sum up today.  Well,  add some anger in the mix,  too.

I can't begin to tell you how I feel tonight, but here's a glimpse into my mindset...

Tonight is the 78th anniversary of Kristallnacht. At a time when my beloved country has elected a candidate who was openly endorsed by white supremacists--who are now celebrating a Trump victory--I pray that the divisive language of the campaign in the end means nothing, but as a student of history, I am concerned. Today in Philadelphia, shop windows were broken and Nazi slogans and swastikas were spray painted. Here, in America, in 2016, on the very day this man was declared the winner of a contentious election cycle. Coincidence? Maybe. There will always be those who hate. But I know a lot of people feel a lot less safe in today's America vs. yesterday's, are stressed over whether they will lose healthcare, experience newly infused discrimination and hate, and what the next four years (please let it be just four years) will mean for our country. His supporters speak of a country 'taken back' and 'united'. But sadly, that does not seem to be the case. Unless we all learn to live together and embrace our diversity, it will never happen.The thing is, America was always great, we are stronger together, and our motto is rightly 'united we stand'. I hope people remember that, because if we crumble in our resolve to be the nation which our Founding Fathers created, there are so very many horrific things that can happen.

Well, that was silly

I was going around turning out the lights,  including the star-lights,  which blink,  and after I'd turned those off and set the fish tank to the blue 'moon' light,  there was still this blinking glow,  and I thought,  is there something outside doing that?

Then I did the same in the bedroom,  and there it was again,  this eerie light flashing.  It was then that I finally figured out that it was the Bluetooth indicator on my headphones.  Sigh.  I wonder about myself,  sometimes.  But in my defence,  it's on the back of the headphones,  and I don't notice it,  except apparently in total darkness.

After work today I had a very good therapy session,  spent some time with YKWIA,  and then I came home and worked on an application for a fourth job opening,  and I got the materials hammered out,  so I can apply online tomorrow. I have checked and triple checked my grammar and spelling.  I'd made a couple of mistakes on the UK CV and had decided I had no chance with that one,  but one of my references told me she'd been contacted by them,  so that is a good sign. So there are applications that have been submitted to the state,  UK,  the local community college,  and tomorrow I'll apply to the public library. I think I'm doing what I can, considering we're at five months till  layoff and counting.

Okay,  I'm making bread but I'll let the machine do its thing (it turns off automatically),  I'll sleep for a little over so hour,  take it out,  and then go back to sleep,  then get up early tomorrow and vote.  That's the plan,  anyway,  with an emphasis on the voting part.  At least it's light outside again for awhile. Good night.  And remember to vote!

I know this is meant to be comedy

but seriously...watch this. It's got good points.

Well

Found one of my buttons from the 80s (remember them?)  and it seems more appropriate now,  actually,  so I put it on my bookbag.

I am sorry

I am too absolutely annoyed with the way things went in our state elections today,  particularly in the Kentucky governor's race,  that I cannot blog tonight.  I should be back to normal once I 've cooled off. Good night!

As a Kentuckian

let me just say that I'm sorry that we somehow managed to vote Mitch McConnell in for a sixth term. I certainly didn't do it--I didn't vote straight ticket, but I sure didn't vote for McConnell. I don't understand why we can't seem to 'Ditch Mitch' as one slogan ran a few years ago. Apparently a lot of people thought he should stay in Washington. I just don't get it.

On the other hand, another crazy election season is finally over. What gets me is how much money was wasted on bad and annoying, often completely false, campaign ads throughout the country. Imagine what good we could do with that money. If I were in charge, the first thing to go would be the political action committees and corporate lobbyists. Yep, straight to the circle of hell they belong in, at the risk of offending. That's my two cents' worth, anyway.

I voted

Did you?

Yep!

People don’t like Mitch McConnell. That’s why Alison Lundergan Grimes still has a shot.

The Kentucky Senate race comes down this: whether voters are more willing to vote against a Barack Obama who is not on the ballot, or a Mitch McConnell who is.

Now I'm not saying I would vote for anyone to get Mitch McConnell out of office. But yeah, close to that...and I feel just about as strongly about getting a challenger to Rand Paul. I am embarrassed by the senators from my state--terribly embarrassed anytime I see the headlines.

I should watch this tonight

I know where my vote's going (and you can pretty much guess if you read this blog with any regularity). Still, I'm interested in how they do.

WATCH LIVE: Kentucky Senate candidates debate issues

Kentucky’s major party candidates for U.S. Senate will meet for a moderated conversation on Kentucky Educational Television’s signature politics program Monday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. EDT, in what is expected to be their only face-to-face event before the Nov. 4 general election.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), who are embroiled in one of the most contentious national races in the country, will appear live on “Kentucky Tonight” with host Bill Goodman. Libertarian candidate David Patterson will not be present, following a short but heated legal challenge against KET.

You can watch the livestream online thanks to KET (Kentucky Educational Television), if you don't get the station (although it does cover the entire Commonwealth, I believe, being one of the largest public television networks in the country, if I remember from when I was an employee there). Then there's this:

Tonight’s debate will not be open to an audience, but viewers with questions for the candidates may send them via e-mail to kytonight@ket.org or use the message form at KET.org/kytonight. Viewers may also submit questions on Twitter via @BillKET or on KET’s Facebook page. The phone number for viewer questions during the program is 1-800-494-7605. All messages should include the first and last name and the hometown or home county of the submitter.

Brave democracy despite the danger

Pakistani elections hit by bomb attacks: Blasts in Karachi and Peshawar and gun battle in Chaman leave at least 22 dead and scores more wounded

Pakistan's Taliban, who regards the elections as un-Islamic, have focused their violent campaign on secular-leaning parties, such as the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan People's party (PPP) and the ANP.

In response to the threat, the government has deployed an estimated 600,000 security personnel across the country to protect polling stations and voters.

"Yes, there are fears. But what should we do? Either we sit in our house and let the terrorism go on, or we come out of our homes, cast our vote, and bring in a government that can solve this problem of terrorism," Ali Khan, a voter in Peshawar, told the Associated Press.

Good luck to them. Something has to be done, and I hope the people's vote is heard and that peace can come to the region.

I have to admit

I saw this on Facebook (thanks to Bill Hart) on election day and it made me laugh. I think the point is, race shouldn't matter.

Small postscript on the election

'World of Warcraft'-playing candidate wins election

Despite what the Republican Party of Maine might want people to believe, playing "World of Warcraft" does not make a person unfit to hold office.

Or so Colleen Lachowicz proved Tuesday night.

Lachowicz plays "World of Warcraft" as a level-85 orc named Santiaga. She is also a newly elected state senator in Maine.

Lachowicz, a Democrat, beat Republican incumbent Thomas Martin Jr. to become the senator-elect for Maine's District 25 — this after the Republican Party of Maine launched a campaign to out her love of the fantasy role-playing game.

Maine's GOP had accused Lachowicz — a 48-year-old health-care worker — of living a "bizarre double life" and set up a website revealing her participation in "World of Warcraft." Not only did the site show off a picture of the orc rogue assassin character she plays, it also dug up online comments she made about her love of the (sometimes violent) game. The Republican Party also sent out mailers as well as a press release claiming her "disturbing alter-ego" had been "revealed."

Glad to hear she won despite the smear campaign against her.

I am up way too early post-election night

And feel a bit like I suspect a hangover might feel like (I've never had one, actually). Apparently the big ball in sky came up and even though it's cloudy it woke me up at my normal time, even then I didn't get to bed till after 3 am, after all the speeches and with some discomfort with the transition to normal acetaminophen for my pain.

I'm still very happy about the election last night. And I am SO happy all the e-mails asking for support will finally abate. I am so glad it's over. $6 billion for this whole thing, giving us basically the status quo just seems a bit over the top. And I'm sure a lot of people are NOT happy, as about half the country voted the other way, but I know libertarians and progressives alike who were so unhappy with either candidate. One of my friends was one of the 6,000 or so who voted for the Green candidate in Kentucky, for example. But I think most people chose between the two candidates.

I'm actually watching politics on TV, something I almost never do. It's basically a bunch of hung-over pundits interviewing hung-over candidates, as I think everyone today is tired, too. :) The amount of work that goes into these campaigns is mind-boggling. It's got to be a great elation to win, a horrible disappointment to lose, when you've worked so hard, and then there's the inevitable crash everyone goes through as things regroup and focus returns to the work at hand.

Well, I think it's time to eat breakfast. I have PT today and a friend may come over to visit. Another may go pick up a package for me and take my library books in, as those were the two things I didn't get done yesterday (in truth, I totally forgot about the books, but I'm afraid they were minor compared to the appointment and bank). Tomorrow one of my co-workers is going to pick up my laundry and do it for me. I really appreciate how helpful and supportive everyone has been. I get down sometimes, and they cheer me up. There are certain things I just can't do for myself, and they help me out. On the other hand, I've been fairly good at things. I dropped half a bottle of vitamins yesterday and picked up every single one of them with my good foot. Thank goodness I use children's multivitamins in animal shapes, as that was much easier than if they'd been smooth megacapsules. :) It's little frustrations, like the day the toilet paper went flying out of my hands across the room, that I've been having to deal with, but I've managed so far. I do need someone to get the paper towel roll out from under the table. I forgot to get Brenda to do that, and she'd done so much yesterday, even taking my trash out for me. I have good friends. Thank you so much.

Staying up late watching the election results

Which are overwhelmingly favourable in my eyes, with the exception of our Congressional race, where Chandler lost to Barr. But we'll have four more years of President Obama! Woo-hoo! We had high relevance of the vote of women and minorities. Marriage equality passed in Maine and Maryland. Todd Aiken and other candidates who made asinine comments about women and rape got trounced. Anyway, I'm happy and just waiting (hopefully) for Romney to concede and Obama to give his speech.

Had a long day. One friend had an emergency so another one stepped up to take me out to my appointment and we got several essential things done. She is now a pro at getting a wheelchair in and out of her car. I was so tired when I got back though that I went to bed for about three hours and finally got up about 10 when A called me about some of the election results. So I think I can stay up for awhile if need be.

Oh, thank goodness, Romney's going to speak in about 10 minutes. Think I'll grab something to eat in the meantime. Hope you all voted, no matter how you did!

I had what appears to be a legitimate

request for an interview with ABC News as part of an election day feature they were doing Tuesday, as outlined in the comments section here under the 'doorbell' post. Considering my situation at present, I decided to pass, although normally I think I would have enjoyed something like that. Still, it was nice to be asked.

I got my absentee ballot application very quickly

and will send it back tomorrow. We have these locking mail boxes at our apartments (fortunately mine is on the other side of my living room wall), but when we want to send a piece of mail, we put a note saying 'outgoing' on our box and the postal carrier knows there's mail to go out inside. So, I'm glad for that.

I've had a hard time getting comfortable today. I wanted to take a nap earlier but couldn't fall asleep. I just ate a bit [roasted pine nut hummous and pita bread] and I think I'm going to try again.

I tried to watch TV earlier, but the only thing that was on that looked interesting was Thirteen Ghosts, and then I realised I'd already seen it, years ago with YKWIA, back when SyFy was SciFi. :) So I may watch a little Netflix later instead. It depends on how I feel.

It was kind of nice and sunny earlier, albeit windy, but now it's rainy and gloomy. It's cool, too. We're supposed to have a warm up next week, I think, and then autumn will really set in.

I had a double Filet-o-Fish meal at McDonald's today. That's four times I've had fast food (twice at McDonald's, twice at Taco Bell) in the last week, which is more than I eat fast food in probably three or four months at a time. I usually eat cafeteria food, but of course that's not happening now. Most of what I'm eating is pretty simple, usually cold or microwaved.

Brenda washed a few more dishes today and helped me with some things. I am very lucky to have good friends. We still haven't solved the laundry issue. I think another friend who has a washer and dryer in his house might do mine if I send it over with someone. That would be great.

Okay, I am definitely sleepy, and a little cold. I need to turn the air conditioner off, as the temperature is only 53 outside and will no doubt drop tonight. I don't normally run it in the autumn, but I was hot last night. I'll try to write later.