My friends, I want to thank you for taking the time to vote yesterday.

Yesterday is the first time in the 10 years I’ve been of legal voting age that not one person I voted for won their election.

This includes myself.

My friends, although I did not win any of the public offices that you voted for me to be a part of, I am still proud today; proud of a campaign run without mudslinging and a grass roots support system that never said quit.

My campaign consisted entirely of two things.

• My campaign slogan: “My humility is only surpassed by my ability.”
• A promise of pizza and soda machines at all PTA meetings.

Enough people believed in these two things that I was trusted with literally ones of votes for Board of Education in Howard County.  My friends, I thank each of you.  Mom, time heals all wounds and I will eventually forgive that you forgot to write me in.

In two different districts I was voted for circuit court judge.  My friends, this was the very definition of the audacity of hope.  To vote for a man with no law degree or formal legal training and believe that he could make a difference by being a judge instead of legislator while serving on the bench shows that you have a true “Yes, we can!” attitude.

As we move forward from this election, I’d like to say that I am a proud American who will fully embrace our new circuit judges and Board of Education.

Janet Siddiqui, remember the pizza and soda machines.  Parents get hungry, too.

Tim McCrone, remember that in its simplest form, justice is really “just ice”.  Keep that in mind, and I know you’ll make Howard County proud.

New circuit court judge in District 8, I couldn’t bother to look up your name.  But good luck with that.

God bless you, my friends.  God bless Howard County.  God bless Maryland, and God bless America.

UPDATE: I also just found out I was a write-in for Senator of South Dakota, but narrowly lost to Tim Johnson by 237,813 votes.  Thank you, jenimc!

My grandma has Alzheimer’s.

This is something we’ve been aware of for the last several years, but this weekend my grandpa decided it was time to have her live in the Alzheimer’s ward of their retirement home. Earlier this week he had an unscheduled procedure to put a pacemaker in and she kept getting angry that he didn’t tell her he had surgery scheduled.

My grandmother is a strong-willed woman.  She has been for as long as I can remember.

Although she has always had an attitude that’s reminded me of the “We Can Do It!” woman from WWII propaganda pictures, she’s also always had grace.

Even the last few times I’ve seen her when she’s obviously forgotten who one of the people she’s talking with is she has always managed to keep a polite composure that would help her continue the conversation as if the person were her lifelong friend.

The idea of my Gram coming to a point in her life where life will never again be fulfilling, but confusing and awkward breaks my heart.

She’s a good woman who has led a good life.

She’s instilled a sense of right, wrong, and decency in my mother and her siblings.

As she was being taken from her former home in the retirement home where Gramp still resides, she told the nurse during her walk “I know he still loves me because he married me instead of that other girl his mother wanted him to marry.”

My grandparents have been married 60-some years.  They’ve fought like cats and loved without reserve.

I hope some day my grandchildren will also say that they appreciate that my wife and I have made life better for each other like I know my grandparents have for each other.

I may have started traveling again.

Two summers ago my life broke out into constant travel as we worked on some projects for a group who did real estate development in conjunction with Starbucks.  As you are probably aware, Starbucks is currently in downsize mode along with most of the rest of the economy and has been for a few months.

But this week we got tapped by the Army to do some work in Parsons, KS.

I had a great time working on the project, which should be complete by Thursday, and I got to:

• Add a great new location to my map
• Grab some great video to add to my Went For A Walk project at Big Brutus, JC Nichols Fountain, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum
• Have lunch with two longtime online friends from various websites
• Meet a fellow Brightkiter that I’ve enjoyed following the last couple of months
• Eat Kansas City BBQ and Cincinnati Chili on consecutive days
• Visit one of the top 10 cafes I’ve ever been to
• Get upgraded to First Class on my return trip
• Bonus: Futurama was the in-flight video between Cincinnati and BWI

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