Voter Apathy. Not in my neighborhood, not this year. The 43rd District Democratric Caucus was expecting a larger turnout than it had in 2000. So it reserved a conference room at the Capitol Hill library for four precincts. The room had a capacity of 70. This, we were told, was based on an estimated number four times the 2000 turnout. Over 200 people showed up. The caucus had to be moved to the library's parking garage, which had to be closed for the morning.

Because of the overwhelmingly unexpected turnout, my first caucus was rather disorganized. That's a good thing, though.

On our way up to the library, Phillip and I agreed that if Dennis Kucinich didn't turn out to be a viable candidate, we would switch our support to Howard Dean. (Now that I think about it, that's who I had originally supported in MoveOn's online caucus.) We didn't have to switch our support. From the 57 voters in our precinct, 3 delegates were elected for Howard Dean, 2 delegates were elected for John Kerry, and 1 was elected for Dennis Kucinich.

I feel like I have had a productive and enjoyable morning.

January was a bad month for writing, except for this blog. Due to multiple scheduling conflicts, there was no Writers' Group in January. Plus, Phillip got me two very addictive computer games for Christmas: RollerCoaster 2 and Diablo II. It's tough to sit down in front of a computer and write when that same computer has new games to explore. (OK, I'll write some more after I complete just one more level...) Writers' Group meets this Sunday, and I'm realizing what a motivator that is.

The "Victor story" - currently named Alejandro Comes and Goes - is getting close to being finished. The problem I'm facing in that I know how I want to end the story, and I'm almost there, but I haven't yet figured out how I want to get from where the story is now to its conclusion. It's what I'll be reading at Writers' Group.

I wrote a very short piece during lunch yesterday, specifically for a future Readers Write issue in Sun Magazine. The topic is "Weddings." Phillip has given me the perplexing critique that it's too good for Readers Write. I'll have to contemplate that.

The issue of Sun Magazine with the Readers Write topic of "Second Chances" comes out in either the next issue or the one after that. I should know fairly soon if my submission got accepted.

(I think it's amusing that Blogger's spell-checker doesn't recognize the word blog.)

My 2004 tea/teasan log:

1. yerba maté, 1 January
2. genmaicha, 9 January
3. South African Rooibos (with honey crystals), 10 January
4. chamomile lemon herb, 15 January
5. Northwest blackberry, 17-19 January
6. lime herbal teasan, 6 February

I am exhausted. Phillip and Emily and I went to a Town Hall meeting last night - "An Evening With Dennis Kucinich." Phillip and I have always been politically active, in a background sort of way - voting every election, after reading the voters' pamphlet. Starting last year, though, our politics suddenly moved into the foreground, thanks to our current president and MoveOn. I marched in several anti-war demonstrations last year, for the first time. Through MoveOn, Phillip discovered Kucinich, with his platform of civil rights, universal health care (as opposed to universal health insurance), reparations for the Iraq war, and local production (as opposed to NAFTA and the WTO), and then Phillip converted me. (I've forgotten who I initially backed on MoveOn's on-line caucus.) We went to our first political rally - which strengthened my support for Mr. Kucinich even more - last night, and this Saturday, we will go to our first caucus.

When I marched through downtown Seattle, among tens of thousands of fellow demonstrators, I knew that the chances were slim that we were actually going to stop the war from happening, or that a single political prisoner would be released from The Immigration Department. I know that Dennis Kucinich has only a slim chance of being nominated as the Democratic candidate in this presidential election. But I prefer to vote my conscience. I'd rather see someone I don't like elected despite my objections than see someone I don't like elected because of my cooperation.

I rode in with Phillip again this morning, and started my generally southeast walk through the University District and across campus. This morning, however, I took a one-block detour north to the post office on University Way. I wanted to get our ballots into the mail for an early pickup. This route brought me along the north side of the new William H. Gates Law School Building. I was wondering, this morning, what people were thinking of when they designed the north side of that building. It's a large and tall building, but the north side seems even larger and taller by a nearly solid brick wall - there are vertical windows, which make the building look even taller, but they are small in proportion to the brick surface. It's quite imposing and inhospitable, made even more so by landscaping that prevents you from getting anywhere near the north side of the building. That's what I was thinking this morning. It started me thinking about Kafka's Before The Law. It started me thinking about Mr. Gates, Sr., who is a large and tall man.

It's probably because of its proximity to two universities and a community college, but the 43 has a literary ridership. I'm sure it's not unusual for bus riders to read during the commute, but it was the class of literature on the 43 that I noticed this evening. A woman ahead of me was reading Nickeled & Dimed. A young man toward the middle of the bus was reading something by James Joyce. Another fellow was reading For Whom The Bell Tolls. The woman sitting next to me was reading what looked like an architecture book - actually reading it. Some other guy was reading a thick library book.

On the subject of library books, Phillip has convinced me that it would be best for me to return Invisible Man, and let someone else have a chance to read it, until I'm better able to read it myself.

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man arrived at the library yesterday. This is way too early for me.

I caught part of a documentary about the book last Sunday on Seattle Central Community College's television station, and decided that this novel was exactly what I like to read: a mid-twentieth century American novel, full of social commentary. All during last week, I kept wondering about this book that I had never been exposed to before. I put it on hold last Thursday or Friday, thinking it would take at least a week to get to me, like the Sandman books and Three Colors DVDs did, and that I would have time to get at least partway into The Two Towers before it arrived.

Here it is. I also didn't realize how big the novel is. I am typically too easily distracted to sit down and read a book for long periods of time. Now I have three huge books wanting my attention. (I'm up to the forming of the fellowship in The Fellowship of The Ring, and there is still East of Eden.) Plus, I'm trying to write a letter to Kelly.