Two nights in a row of real sleep do wonders for a person. Suddenly things that were stressing me out seem to impart on me a Zen-like calm. Once horrifying piles of to do lists seem entirely manageable today. I�ve got my favorite silk shirt and ass-kicking red boots on today, in honor of the Illinois primaries. I cast my vote after dropping AJ off at preschool this morning.

I always feel a little useless in presidential primaries, since Illinois gets into the game so late. But this scheduling seems to cast the focus on the local issues, which is often interesting. The most important vote I cast today was my vote for Barack Obama for senator. It�s rare to find a candidate that I support for all the right reasons instead of someone who just seems the least offensive option. He was my state senator when I lived on the south side of Chicago and as such he has left no question in my mind that he is the right man for the job.

The other issues we�ll be voting on include two property tax hikes for public schools and the fire department. If both pass, we�ll look for a net increase of $1000 per annum in our tax bills which are already among the highest in the state. The fight over the schools has been ugly, with viscious leafleting and door-to-door campaigning going on. The pro-tax group points out that there hasn�t been a tax hike for the schools in almost 20 years and threatens to close an elementary school if it doesn�t pass. The anti-tax group has pointed out that they can�t really do that without voter permission and claims there�s too much administrative fat and no long-range plan. I ended up voting for the school tax, since I generally support public schools and feel more money in that area is almost always needed, but I�m alarmed by the finances of it all. I also think the pro tax people did a better job at presenting what they saw as the facts of the matter. The fire tax hasn�t made any real case so I voted it down.

This was my first suburban vote ever cast. I used to vote at one of the city colleges downtown, which was always a surreal experience. The route to get to the voting room, which was located in the basement, was circuitous and dark and you always felt like you were going to end up in the boiler room. Before that, when I lived in Ukrainian Village, I voted in the church behind my apartment and was inevitably the only native English speaker in attendance. The polls at St. Helen�s were always hopping. It was staffed entirely by senior citizens and their friends and neighbors hung around chatting for most of the day. It appeared to be the biggest social event of the season. Voting in Hyde Park was less of an event, although there were far more lobbyists standing on the fringes than anywhere else I�ve ever been.

This morning, though, one of the three election judges was my next door neighbor, so I became one of the chatters and hangers on. While I was standing there, it was impossible not to notice that mine was the only democrat ballot handed out. It�s weird to live in a place where I�m in such a political minority. Since I couldn�t talk politics with my neighbor, instead we discussed the neighborhood Gypsy moth problem, another neighbor�s new construction project, and how you never see your neighbors in the winter. Small talk in a small town.

I�m trying to get fired up to do some work. The fuel? Girl scout cookies and the third straight listening of Lucinda Williams� �Can�t Let Go.�

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