Liberty and Gayes

So today I went to vote in the run-off primary election.  How exactly does one choose a candidate for Sheriff between a guy with a mile long record of mostly stupid, but some rather questionable permanent administrative write-ups, and his opponent who has been accused of physically abusing his first and second wives?  And frankly, that was the easier decision since I'd rather vote for an idiot than a wife-beater.  In another race, how do I (as a moderate) choose between an uber-right-wing wacko, and his creepy slandering (but moderate) opponent.  I voted for the slanderer, but was kinda glad he lost.   I can't wait for the actual election where I don't have to pick a party and can just vote for the best candidate, regardless of party.  I digress.

What I really wanted to post about was my own case of wacko-ness, not actual political wack-o's.  So, I'm trying to find the polling location, and as I walk right past it, I ask a lady coming toward me, where the polling location is.  She points to the door I just passed (surely she was thinking, it's the one with the polling information posted all over the door--idiot).  So as I turned to head back, I see my friend (named Liberty) exiting the polls and walking away from me.  I of course wanted to make sure Liberty saw me there because, Liberty takes her name very seriously and strongly encourages everyone she knows to get involved in politics and vote, and I wanted to get credit in her score book for having shown up at the polls.  And by strongly encourages, I mean that she is a bit of a right-wing-wacko in her own right (and I mean that in the best sense of the term wack-o.  I really appreciate someone who speaks their mind--read:  whose filter is broken much like mine--but even more-so).

Back to my point about wack-o's.  So I see Liberty walking away, and like any reasonable person whose liberty is being taken away, I start to wave my arms and holler LIBERTY!! LIBERTY!! as I head toward the polling station.  The kind lady next to me (who already thinks I'm an idiot) now thinks I'm a wacko shouting for liberty at passing traffic as I head to the polls.  Just doing my duty to prove that it's mostly just the wack-o's that get out to vote.

So now for the more interesting part of my post.  My mother.  My mother is an amazing human being.  She is smart, capable and highly entertaining. I may very well have posted this before since it's one of the funniest true stories I've ever heard tell.  So my mother works in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, and one afternoon she is trying to get some paperwork out to another company under deadline.  The woman from the other office, whose name was Gaye, said she'd come by and pick it up late that afternoon and my mother would come down to the street level to hand it off (surely you can see where this is going).   At the appointed time, my mother walks out to the sidewalk, filled with pedestrians making their way home for the evening, and looks around for the white sedan Gaye had described.  There were of course several white sedans double-parked along South Temple at that moment.  My mother simply walked up to the first, caught the drivers eye through the window and said loudly "ARE YOU GAYE?!"  The woman looked horrified at the question, waved her arms and shook her head vehemently, locking her doors.  Odd, thought my mother.  I want to say she approached another car or two with the same question before she realized the nature of her inquiry.  She did eventually find her intended rendezvous, then hightailed it red-faced, back to the office with a great story of solicitation on South Temple, Salt Lake City. 

I love that story.  Next time I'll dig up the obituary I wrote for her, because really, if a person can't enjoy their obit while they're still alive, what's the point?