If we can get our mortgage rate down a couple percentage points I can finally stop bitching about the price of groceries.

Obam-OB?

So we’re eating on that and watching CNN project various swing states (holy CRAP, Ohio) and just kind of watching history happen. ADIOS, Dubya. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

There’s still a chance we might finish the work and move in before (American) Thanksgiving.

And the price of gas is spiking again, just when I’m close enough to visit my family on a semi-regular basis. But that’s all right, at least my dollar goes farther when I only have to travel three hours, rather than nine, to get to Ohio.

And, lucky me, I drained my 401(k) before the giant market fumble. I’m a winner all around!

p.s. VOTE OBAMA. McCain broke America once already (and that’s just this week! “Free market” my heinie!).

So I brought Owen with me to the polling place this afternoon, through sleet and rainy ice, to stand in a line four people long and cast my vote for the next president of the United States, as well as for some delegates, whom I chose based merely on whether I liked the tang of their names.

I enjoy my rights, even if I sometimes exercise them irresponsibly. Happy Primary Day, Maryland.

Unfortunately for mothers everywhere, the piece was quite biased. And the piece said, NO. From the intro footage of Encino moms drinking (zoom in on the wine!) to Meredith’s loaded questions (“but, how would you feel if it was the baby-sitter?”), the general tone was one of incredulous disapproval.

Melissa did a nice job of speaking out for the rational person, but I fear she was slightly overshadowed by every other aspect of the segment. More’s the pity, because this is the kind of thing that gets blown out of proportion and subsequently used to further pressure moms into some sort of Stepford model of behavior.

Look. Moms are people too. They eat. They drink. Sometimes their drinks have alcohol in them. Nobody’s talking about intoxicated parenting, all right? I think we can all agree that that would be dangerous.

But the simple consumption of an adult beverage in the presence of children, including your own — well, hell. Dads have been drinking beers on the couch for … for as long as beer has been invented, and that’s never been criticized.

I don’t drink often, but I’ve never shied away from having a drink in front of Owen. He knows that some drinks are for grownups (anything that comes in an aluminum can, including National Bohemian). And I know that more than a drink and a half is too much, so I imbibe accordingly.

I don’t see the problem. And I think demonizing moms who demonstrate any sort of human behavior (working, drinking, being exasperated) further dehumanizes them and gives the American public fewer reasons to respect and value what they do. And this in turn is why so many mothers today feel suffocated, anxious, on edge — why perhaps they might need a beer, I would venture to say. Because America has been all up their butt all day long.

But the internet says I’m not dreaming: Mayor McHottie really did win the governor’s race, Democrats really did sweep state and federal races, and Karl DONALD (duh) *#$% Rumsfeld really did step down.

What a great day. The only thing that would make this day better would be if I had some doughnuts.

post-script: Nothing did more to convince me that those voting machines are totally safe than to have nationwide Democratic wins.

“Oh, no,” said I, “who is it this time? Iran? North Korea?”

“No,” said they, “Florida and Texas. They just bombed the hell out of New York State.”

My dream self was utterly unsurprised. “Those damn Republicans,” I said aloud.

It’s Primary Day here in Maryland, for all y’all out-of-towners. And though I spent a few hours last Saturday drooling over a 5 bedroom, two bathroom converted barn with garage, basement, and pool table (comes with!) in P.A. for $159K(!) … I still live in Maryland.

So I gotta vote. And you gotta vote, too. You’re not allowed to bitch about ANYTHING unless you go vote.

I haven’t voted yet this morning, so I can’t bitch either. Instead I will say some nice things about living in Maryland.

1. Listening to WTMD and WBZA
2. Sunday morning’s churchy program by Dr Pastor Franklin Reid, of the Baltimore AME church (I’m an asshole and a nonbeliever and I still like this show)(The Church of Getting Things Done!)
3. City Paper’s Best of Baltimore annual edition. Does it come out tomorrow?
4. Finding a quilt shop TWO MINUTES from my house. Two minutes. Hi.
5. Getting mail from Ohio friends (Thanks, Denise!) because I live so damned far away.

So. Maryland = Not so bad. But you still gotta vote.

And you can’t actually write in candidates, since this is just a primary, but still. Wouldn’t he make a great Guv? All bossy and no-nonsense?

• Code Pink: Mother’s Day Call for Peace
  
• Mothers Acting Up
• NOW: Mothers Matter (hey! petition!)

Mmm … political mommies … the righteousness BURNS!