This election is 1,000% drama

I saw these ladders the other day and the landscapers have been at it for a while, but are these ladders SAFE?? Anyhow, this is how I feel about voting this year. I only do it once in a while, and it's a big pain in the ass. It also involves WAY too much running around to various locations to get my mail since there's no "home" address that I have.

I've almost always voted absentee, and have never had problems. But this is my first time voting from overseas, and it's been a total drag. My first application was rejected, and then I emailed them twice to fix the error AND sent a new hard copy application. I had my sister finally call them and some surly guy said that my absentee ballot was sent to my NEW YORK address. Um, how does THAT work???

So I went into a panic last night and stayed up an extra hour to do an emergency ballot and print out my waybills for free FedEx 1-day delivery to NY (thank goodness for THAT arrangment!!). I skimmed the directions, and printed 3 copies, and remembered I had to put TWO in the pouch. But once I got to the FedEx place (a US dude in front of me also just sent his ballot off) and explained to the counter person that I was an American, he insisted that I keep one copy for myself and took all the 2nd pages off of the waybills. I couldn't remember what to do and figured he knew protocol, so I took it with me. But then later I read it and it said I needed to put THREE in the envelope. I finally just checked online and I was supposed to STAPLE the 3rd to my ballot envelope. AAAGH.

So. I guess I just have to pray that my dad mails my ballot to me in time for me to mail it back in time, though I'll only make the postmark deadline. I know it's really just "for the record" and won't matter come November 5th, esp since my state will go my way, but still. Then I think about last week when I talked to another Fulbrighter about how people who are starving and can't afford to feed and clothe their children don't give a crap about voting. In the end, I'll be relieved when the whole thing is over, b/c it has dug deep into my time and energy stores. I'm not going to blame the election if I totally fail in my research, but if I ever get desperate, it'll be on my list of scapegoats.

Oh, and about screen doors: these are being installed throughout the subway system in Korea, to prevent 1. people trying to commit suicide from throwing themselves in front of incoming cars and 2. people from falling in accidentally. It's kind of sad b/c it makes the stations feel more claustrophobic, but I guess there have been enough incidents of both kinds to warrant it.