Cambridge is doing another round of testing nursing homes and assisted living residences, so I'm signed up for a free work-sponsored test on Nov 9.

I dropped my ballot off at an early voting site today after confirming that the ballot were taken daily to the main county site. I was first in line by then but I was also ready to be out of there. Still, I voted. Which feels epic this year. I usually use mail to return them or drop at a polling place on the day of but after the drama of the post office basically I registering me, I wasn't using them for my ballot. And I want confirmation it has been received since I don't have a lot of faith in the President wanting as many votes cast as possible.

Got my sticker and everything.

The record breaking voting is just so damn encouraging. What is most amazing to me are all the adults voting for the first time. My mom was very political so it came as a surprise to me that some people didn't vote. I still haven't quite gotten used to that concept.

I didn't talk about politics (obviously) to anyone in the line but I think of the people I talked to I'd say at least one of them was probably a Trump voter. Saw trump flags on cars, one guy wearing a shirt proclaiming Faith, family, firearms, and 2 other F things.

On the one hand I'm glad lots of people are voting but on the other I wish there werent' so many people showing up for Trump

I voted today, and most of the people waiting to vote were taking the Democratic sample ballot from the volunteers and ignoring the Republican one. (Ohio has us vote on like twenty different judges, and they don't list party affiliation on the ballot, so party volunteers hand out the lists of their endorsed candidates at all the polling sites.) There was also an area where people from both parties with bullhorns were campaigning. The Republican woman was going off on QAnon nonsense about how Trump has arrested so many child traffickers.

On Fbook a friend was asking if we came from family voting, which reminded me of the big voting machines, with levers and switches and privacy curtains that NJ used when I was a kid. My Mom or Dad would take me with them, and if I was good, I got to flip the switches (under strict supervision) to record my parental unit's vote.

I like the Scantron system that MA uses now -- swift, efficient, with a paper trail that is accountable -- but you can't beat those voting machines for feeling like you were goddamn voting.

Aw, Sean Connery passed away. 90 years old.

We still had the levers and curtains when I voted the first time, but I am quite grateful and satisfied with the scantron system. Particularly after working a recount. Damn few ballots were left in the no clue what they meant pile. If a ballot was tossed by the machine for hearts and stars drawn next to their choice it got counted by the manual recount workers.

Yeah, Connery was sexiest dude for a long long time. One of these days I should actually watch the Bond movies. I have only seen a couple, but certainly have seen enough clips.

I miss the ch-CHUNK machines too.