i've heard it said in the past that you can't complain about the government unless you vote, unless you have a hand in it. i was just adding legitimacy to my political voice. the polling place was just down the street from where i live, at the basement of an elementary school. the place was runned by friendly senior citizens who took my address and name and checked me off of a list. 
"give him a democratic ballot," one of the woman said, after seeing that i was a registered democrat. i went to one of the many booths and pulled the red-white-blue curtain shut behind me. inside was a magnifying glass on a stand, a ruler, and a pen. for some reason i was nervous, 
and the fact that pink ballot reminded me of the SAT test with the bubbles you have to fill in didn't help much either. i started to freak out a little bit, my mind just blanked, and i started to fill the bubble of the first name i recognized, "howard dean," whom was not who i wanted. i managed to snap out of my trance and finally selected the correct candidate. i fed my ballot through this machine that looked like a large copier then had my name checked off before i left.
i felt deserving of reward and got myself a venti chai latte. there was a new guy working, who messed up the order of the man in front of me. behind me stood another man, i could feel his body vibrating for a caffeine fix. at work, we had the final wrap up for our projects before they ship out with alex tomorrow. the day was spent mostly trying to produce the best quality mpeg movies for our hardware player. i had a few spot of code work for other projects. the effects of the chai latter was immediate, i was buzzing for the rest of the day, couldn't stop moving and talked fast. rocking in my chair back and forth helps, bouncing both my legs work too.
in the afternoon i went out to buy groceries. with meitung closed (i'm still secretly hoping a new and improved supermarket will take its place), i have to visit some other asian supermarkets now. first to sun sun, where i stood at the produce aisle next to an old woman who kept on sneezing into her hands then touching the vegetables. i felt sick. next i went to the supermarket around the corner (don't know the name), picked up a few more items. for lunch i just got some pastries, a little custard cake and a hot dog bun.
i left work at 6pm (4 hours earlier than yesterday), came home, dropped off my stuff, then went next door to star market to complete the rest of my ingredient purchases. i was unlucky enough to be standing in a checkout aisle behind 1) a woman who was paying for her stuff with a personal check (those take the longest), and 2) the checkout boy was new and managed to do something to void her purchase. even though the place was practically empty, i must've been in line for a good 10 minutes. since i already had my groceries on the conveyor belt, i didn't want to pick everything up and move to another line.
julie came before 8pm after doing a little voting of her own (after i reminded her that the polls don't close until 8pm). tonight's recipe: masaman thai curry. this was my first time deviating from my usual thai curry recipe which is red curry. you think because i've made it enough times already i'd have the recipe memorized, but i still look at the instructions. the great thing about thai curry is not only the infusion of different flavors and textures, but also the colors: red bell pepper, yellow baby corn, purple egg plants, green basil leaves, white rice, and freshly squeezed green limes. it's visual appeal is what makes it a favorite dish for me. i also love the preparation, all the cutting practice i get to have.
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masaman curry has a sweet flavor to it, because of the tamarind says julie. i used the wrong rice, sticky rice, the kind used in making sushi, not really for curry. i also whipped up some smoothies with a dash of mint leaves for a sprinkle of green color. we followed the election coverage, watched as john kerry was declared the projected winner state after state, even georgia, which for a while seemed to be going to john edwards. i bet i was the only the person in my office today who went out and voted. we also watched queer eye, in this episode they visited the elizabeth new jersey ikea store, a place i know quite well from several past pilgrimages.