Ah, the excitement of midterm elections. I actually consider myself a politically aware sort of person, and even I couldn't be bothered to figure out who all those people running unopposed were. So yes, the continued decline and fall of local, state and national political culture is at least partially my fault. Sorry.

The thing that's getting me really excited about this election is that, as of today, I will no longer be getting those damn pre-recorded phone calls from politicians I never particularly liked in the first place. It's a horrible, horrible trend, people -- and, if any politicians are reading, it pisses me off enough to make me vote against you. I picked a couple of Libertarians this year just because they're the only ones who didn't make a spam call.

My polling place is at a nearby school, and I was suprised to find classes were actually in session. When I was growing up, schools were closed on election day (granted, that was in a different state). One of the poll workers told me that using schools for polling places is actually sort of new in Chicago and Illinois -- they used to use people's basements and the backs of stores or wherever else the precinct captain wanted. Ah, Chicago politics. I can imagine how thrilling it must have been to vote against a Daley in "Daley's Meat Market" with all the butcher knives and meat hooks hanging about. No pressure there.

We do use those damn butterfly ballots here, and yes, they are confusing. There was a bit of a logjam at the polling place because people were confused and ddidn't know what to do. Of course, they also needed instructions in English, Spanish and Polish and/or Ukranian. I love this neighborhood.

Overheard at the polling place: "No, honey, you don't get a city job just for voting."

I mean, really. Everyone knows that to get the city job, you need to vote for the right person.