It’s been a wacky week, subbing only a half a day, election judging, and only by happy coincidence, not having my house burn down while I tapped away at this keyboard. I’ve WANTED to write to this blog eight or nine times since the most recent posting, but it took a stretched play on words to get me here.
Springfield has been blessed with a bounty of art gallery receptions this week. I attended the Robert Morris College Student Artists Reception Thursday night, will attend the RMD Gallery and Framing Shop tonight at 5:30, the Prairie Art Alliance and Sangamon Watercolor Society receptions Saturday, and even though there’s no cheese and punch involved, Sam Davis is showing his art at Trout Lily Cafe during March. I am attending all four receptions, will post pics at Visual Vibes and CIVAG before next Wednesday, and will post the news of ’sBd” art at ArtsLinks later today. If you enjoy viewing excellent art and wishing you could paint or draw as well (as I do), take the receptions in, and if not, visit during March, and if not, visit ArtsLinks — www.civag.com/artslinks.htm — to view links to the pictures I take.
The picture was taken at the RMC reception Thursday night. I was very impressed by the actual art and fine people. Pictures at the exhibition will be posted at www.civag.com/vv.htm no later than March 4 after 3 p.
Still no mircrowave. The hot pot I bought at Walgreens late last week for $10 is a cheapie and proves it, taking more time to heat water for coffee and tea than it does when I pour some into the new sauce pan I bought and heat it on the stove. I learned something else about hot pots: they are useless when it comes to popping popcorn! When I visited Circuit City to pay on my card, I looked at microwaves. I could have walked out of there with one for $49.95! But I didn’t because the hot pot seemed to be working okay. And I really need to pay the roof contractor and central air repair company I’ve had to avoid for the past two months because of the frikking AMEREN and CILCO frikking bills!
Because the hot pot heats faster, and I wanted my first cuppa java pronto Wednesday morning, I filled the new saucepan with water and put it onto the stove on HIGH, forgetting I’d had some trouyble with the back, left outlet Tuesday morning. Tapping away at the computer less than three minutes later with WUIS on the background I heard an unudual buzz like nothing I’ve heard before . . . . and continued typing. When I remembered I had put on water to heat for coffee, two minutes or so after that I went into the kitchen to get coffee. What I found was something wholly other than boiling H2O.
The bad burner had shorted out and the heat from that short had melted through the bottom of the thin-bottom sauce pan I had purchased last Friday. There was water splashed over the top of the stove, indicating an explosion powerful enough to scatter water. HAPPILY, the water in the pan when the short occurred drowned any flames that happened. The fact the short stopped eletricity from continuing to flow was also Divine Providence at work, because the kind of heat generated in what I vaguely heard as a buzzing moment (a few seconds, tops) could have radiated into the rest of the stove and set the rest of the kitchen afire. So I was one lucky duck. And now I’m back to the el cheapo hot pot. And I’ll be fine with that until I get a microwave.
I need a color ink cartridge more than I need a microwave now anyhoo.
The election judging at Precinct 50 (Sankey High Rise) went very well, despite only 87 voters stopping by. Considered myself lucky to be teamed with Kay, an east-side political junkie who digs poetry and Vachel Lindsay, and Jay (no kidding) who digs military aviation history. So you can be sure the day (5 am until 8:25 pm for me) was made bearable by their good company and professionalism. The other judges at Precincts 52 and 94 were equally adept at the tasks at hand. There was only one significant problem, and that was engaging the DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT COMMITTEEMAN for our precincts. George Tinkham and Gus Speder, representing the Republican side of the “aisle” arrived in a timely manner and arranged to bring by lunch for 50 and 94 respectively.
Mark Mahoney’s wife purchased lunch for the Precinct 52 judges and earlier in the day had brought Mel-O-Cream donuts for all the judges. She didn’t have to, but she did, and that makes for excellent PR if your husband is running to remain servving Ward 6 as alderman. I voted for Mark in his first election and did so again this time. There is a reason he finished at the top of Tuesday’s election, and that’s why the choice will be easy April 17. But I digress. . . . .
George Tinkham voluntarily made some phone calls, found out who the DEMOCRAT precinct committeeman is, called and talked to him and explained how important it was for him to drop by the polling place, and see what the judges wanted for dinner. George also gave us his cell phone number and told us to call HIM if we didn’t hear from the Democrat. George would bring us dinner. We heard NOTHING from the Democrat, but we did n’t call George because he had already gone out of his way for us, judges representing both parties, and we didn’t want to bother him. We were still totally disappointed in the Dem witted committeeman’s abandonment of the judges. It was pathetic! And this guy (no need to tell you his name and the bereft of conscience usually know too well who they are) is a leader? What planet gives leadership to that kind of ostrich-brain?
More to come, sooner, rather than later.
Live long . . . . . . . . and proper!
