Ok, so to demonstrate versatility and range and help out my leg. district, I've started writing Dem of The month Q&As. This month, all I know about my current subject is that she is approaching her 90th birthday. And I can't come up with any question that doesn't sound like "You're a million...do you have any insights for living Democrats?" and being that I don't work for the Daily Show, I can't do that! I suck...I've been stalling. Any thoughts? I'm kind of bored with this little mission already, but I like to keep up my commitments.

When and where did you cast your first vote? How did you get to your polling place? What building was it in? You might get a story about walking up hill through snow both ways or something to cast the vote. 1944 or thereabouts. Might get an an interesting period glimpse.

What was your life like in those days? You might get some stories about going through the depression. You could get some pieces of social history. What was work like? Trying to get by with very little. Was she born Democrat (as in "we aren't rich enough to vote Republican" or did she gradually decide she preferred Democrats to Repbulicans.) Does she vote the person , not the Party and just usually finds the person is a Democrat, or the party label important? Just off the top of my head.

Thank you...have totally blanked for weeks.

What do you consider the most important vote you have ever cast? What is the first election you rememebr as a girl?

What was it like to be a woman before sufferance?

Sorry, not helping.

Conventional wisdom says that people get more conservative as they get older - did you start out as an anarchist?

Still not helping.

You might go after the female side rather than the age side. Ask what she thinks about a female president, about the changing roles of women in politics, etc. And maybe ask about the experience of being a Dem in AZ. On both of those you should be able to establish rapport with her.

Good ideas, people. Thanks.

Does anyone remember the Lilith story I wrote? I can't find it anywhere on my hard drive, and I was hoping that someone saved a copy.

t fingers crossed

I remember reading it, but I didn't keep a copy, I'm sorry.

Thanks. I'm kinda annoyed with myself. A lesson in backups and saving things in more permanent places. It was written on the computer before this one, which now belongs to Nick, and then we moved and changed ISPs so it's not up online.

A lesson in backups and saving things in more permanent places.

Thank god for CD burners, though I keep having to talk myself out of printing out hard copies.