Takin' the Blog for a Walk
Join Waukesha resident Brien Lee and his blog, Sir Fido, as they explore the city and report on the interesting things they find.
Email Brien at howlinblog@yahoo.com.
working vacation
Seems I can't get enough of work, even working on my day off. Worked the polls yesterday 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., (yes, there was an election Tuesday). Getting paid was never as much fun.
Even working can seem like a vacation if it's less stressful than your regular job. With only one position up for election, and 154 voters in thirteen hours, this was a very low-stress job. We made jokes about being bombarded by long lines the one or two times we had 4 people at once! The three of us handled three wards without being too slow or too busy. It was a good break from November's presidential, and without that stress I felt we did a better job keeping track of everything.
The highlight of the day, besides seeing over one hundred of my neighbors, was getting to know my fellow poll workers, one of whom was a former Waukesha alderman. Jim Ripplinger was a pleasure to work with and talk to. He's an extraordinary gentleman with lots of interesting stories and historic tidbits. I learned a lot about the city and the country, past and present, thanks to his research in geneology and past aldermanic and life experiences. I loved his easy-going style and hope I haven't seen the last of him.
Marian was another of my fellow pollworkers who surprised me with her knowledge and experiences. Funny how we can find so much in common and have so much to talk about when the only thread linking us is being neighbors.
But fellow pollworkers weren't the only interesting people of the day. I enjoyed listening to the several voters who shared unsolicited opinions on various political subjects. It was also surprising how many people thought there were more to vote for than just one person.
Even though it was vastly quieter than November we still managed to make a few minor mistakes. Who wouldn't? Sure, only 150 voters, but really quite a bit of paperwork and ballot machine set up is involved no matter the amount of voters. It was much easier to learn from mistakes on a day like that than November when we felt pressure to produce quick results at the end of a much longer day.
See you April 7th.
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