Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
4102

Give it to the food pantry. And next year, get something that you will eat; even if it’s not candy.

Also good ideas.

– I had zero, as expected. But there was one year when kids did show up and I didn’t have anything handy to offer; so now I get a bag each of a couple things I will eat, slowly over the next couple of months.

– I think a lot of the fading is that now most places, around here anyway, have some sort of official trick-or-treat party with lots of treats and other costumed kids all in one place. Though the problem with that theory is that I don’t think they then usually radiate out from there and go trick-or-treating all around the village after collecting their pile from the official party. Or maybe they do, and I just don’t know it because I’m six miles away and they don’t get this far.

A lot of my immediate neighbors are Old Order Mennonite, and they don’t do Halloween – unless you count selling pumpkins to the general neighborhood.

There’s a treats map to list your house on with nextdoor, and may be some elsewhere; but I didn’t want to buy enough candy to feel confident about doing that, just in case. Maybe in my location I would still have had almost nobody, but it didn’t feel right to list on a treat map and only buy two bags of candy.

– I have faint memories of, in the 1950’s, being driven around a rural neighborhood to the houses of people who we knew. I was probably wearing a cat costume. The clearest part of the memory is of walking up a long driveway in the dark to a particular house, alone. Whoever was driving me (I can’t remember whether it was both parents or one) stayed in the car; and my sisters, by the time I was old enough to go, were considered too old (they would have been in their mid to late teens). We knew all these people, after all; and Halloween was supposed to be a little bit scary.

I don’t think it was done at the time to go to other neighborhoods just because the pickings were better there. However, while some of us had few houses to go to, IIRC we got full sized candy bars. And a standard size candy bar in the 50’s was a good deal bigger than one today.

Did you have your outdoor lights on? That’s the signal, around here, that you’re playing the game.

4103

Yes, our outdoor lights were on.

4104

So much for that theory.

4105

We live in a gated 55-and-over community, so no TorTers. They did throw a really fun party over at the clubhouse last night, and there were lots of treats of the sweet, savory, and liquid sorts. Just no kids.

I chose that I’m avoiding election news, but that’s not entirely accurate. It’s just that there’s really no new light being shed, and I’ve already voted anyway, so it seems like a waste of time. On election night, we’ll probably watch shows from the DVR and check in with the results a few minutes at a time between shows. You can get the same information in 5 minutes that you can watching for two hours, since they just repeat themselves all night. It just gets tedious to me.

4106

I’ll admit it. I had to look up the term “Besetting sin.”

4107

Same. And it stresses me. But i listen to and read general News, so i get a fair amount of election news.

4108

Candidates are given the knowledge tests and scored in the debates. This information is widely publicized, including the scores on the individual knowledge tests, not just the overall score.

Then we get to vote.

4109

Trial by Combat - Primaries: each candidate gets to spin the Wheel of Whacking for their melee weapon. Survivors advance. Conventions will be lances from camelback. General election will be bladed weapon of choice in the arena.

4110

Like potatoes !

And …Strange women in ponds distributing swords is starting to look like a pretty decent
method for determining who will be in charge right now.

4111

I’ve read enough cyberpunk (from Cyberpunk 2020, to Shadowrun, to less well known systems), read enough such fiction, and seen the results in Cyberpunk 2077 to never trust aftermarket cyberware!

But, if it was going to be installed no matter what, it was the laser (because I’m a GUY), the skeleton key (because I’ve been locked out), and the flashlight (because it’s so damn useful, especially like when I’m mucking about under the bed or inside my computer’s case).

4112

I considered the laser. But i went for the flashlight, the binoculars, and the hearing aid.

Skeleton keys are fussy and hard to use.

4113

Binocs, hearing aids and extendo-arms for things on top shelves.

4114

I have seen one trump and two Harris here, which is a purple district. Last election there were trump signs everywhere.

I got over 40.

One of many reasons why Tiktak is evil.

There is an Irish tradition, however, but I have never heard of it. We used to get apples.

4115

The only change I’d make to choosing a President is that the overall popular vote should be the determining factor. What a concept, having every person’s vote be equally impactful, no matter where in the country one lives.

4116

Except that the population of New York is 33 times greater than the population of Wyoming.

mmm

4117

So? The population of Los Angeles County is larger than the combined populations of the smallest 22 states. Why should living someplace remote make you more represented in national politics?

4118

That’s not New York’s fault. Sounds like Wyoming needs better P.R.

4119

And Wyoming has the same representation in the Senate. That ought to be enough.

4120

I’m not sure the Wyomians would agree with that.

(I don’t know what I’m talking about, actually, I just wanted to say “Wyomians”.)

mmm

4121