Early Voting as Emergency Preparedness

As we speak, Americans living on the East Coast are now facing the daunting task of clean-up following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Their homes are destroyed, their power is out, and many have lost loved ones or are dealing with serious injuries. And the presidential election is just a week away.

Today, I heard a news story detailing issues that are facing New York City in terms of their readiness to hold normal election activities on Nov. 6. Power outages and water damage could affect many locations meant to serve as polling stations, and transportation outages in the subway system pose serious obstacles to voters. City officials are discussing how to deal with these issues and are contemplating possible solutions, ranging from providing electrical generators to opening substitute polling locations for citizens whose polling stations are inaccessible.

Of course, many people in every state have voted early, myself included. I voted on the campus of the community college I attend, and I am so glad that I did. I even got a special voter sticker, which I wore proudly all day, and then retired to mark the day on my calendar.

Early voters in the affected areas are now afforded the opportunity to spend their time dealing with damage in their neighborhoods, visiting injured loved ones, or spending their time in prayer.

A lot of people are "Election Day Voters," and I understand that. Voting on Election Day is exciting, especially if it's your first time. But from a practical standpoint, voting early should be a priority. The point of voting is to choose our leaders, not to have a cool experience. By voting early, you ensure that your voice will be counted, in spite of potential illness, natural disaster, car accident, etc etc. You go and vote, and then you're done. You no longer need to worry.

Barack Obama's grandmother died the day before election day in 2008. She never got to see her grandson become president, but her vote was counted. She voted by absentee ballot, and was sure to mail it off plenty early enough. She was prepared.

From what I understand, it is too late to request an absentee ballot, at least here in Nevada. But you can still vote early. I wasn't able to find a nonpartisan site with early vote locations, but I know that you can visit Obama's site, and it can show you where to vote early. If you live in Nevada, you can find your early vote locations at the Secretary of State's website.

I encourage you to vote early. It could be your only chance.

Wisdom Teeth and Preparedness

Last week, I went in for a dental cleaning and x-rays. My insurance would be running out shortly and I knew I really needed to go in. I was extremely anxious about it, since I haven't been to a dentist in many years. You see, the last time I went to a dentist, the hygienists were so rude and I was just another number to the dentist. They all treated me as if I wasn't good enough to be in their chair. Grant and his family assured me that their dentist was excellent and they could squeeze me in on short notice.
So on Thursday, there I went. I was pleasantly surprised that my teeth had only 2 cavities that I would need filled. The hygienist did a "rough cleaning" on my teeth and I need to go back in soon for a finer cleaning. However, my wisdom teeth were fully "in" and they all also had cavities.
The receptionist, knowing that my insurance would be running out on the 7th, was kind enough to call the local oral surgeons and found an open appointment for Monday. Yikes.
This dentist office is fantastic. If you live in Reno and need caring dental professionals, I can't recommend Sala Family Dentistry enough. They are fantastic.
So, yeah. We definitely could have been more prepared for that. Which is why I am writing today. This wasn't exactly an emergency medical situation, but everyone should be prepared for such a thing. You see, even though I had dental insurance, the oral surgeon required a 10% down payment when I came in for the extractions. Luckily, we had plenty in savings and all was well. As a young woman, sometimes it is hard to choose between a great sale at Macy's and padding the old savings account. But I chose correctly frequently enough to make this procedure happen with no effect on our day-to-day lives.
However, when it comes to food, we could have been better prepared... Once I arrived home from the surgery, Grant and my darling brother, Kevin, carried me up the stairs to bed. And while I slept, Grant had to go shopping for soft foods, as well as pick up my prescriptions. They even let him pick up my vicodin. I didn't know that was legal, but apparently, it is. Anyhow, a few jars of applesauce and some boxes of Jello would have been a big help to us this week.
I can only imagine Grant bustling around the grocery store, hoping I'm not at home, starving to death. Luckily, any kind of medication hits me like a sack of bricks, and I slept for several hours.
And, TMI alert, I woke up with blood everywhere... In my hair, on my pillow, on my ice pack and my clothes. Yuck! Since all I wanted to do for the first day was lie in bed and sleep, having a spare set of cold-weather sheets would have been smart. But we didn't, so I had to wait, awake, out of bed, while they got clean.
Readers, learn from my mistakes! I am on the road to recovery and have managed to eat some solid foods, if they are in small pieces.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.