Nohe 5

Political Junk Mail

Election Day is Tuesday in the great Commonwealth of Virginia.  Today I received 12 pieces of political junk mail.  TWELVE!!!  IN ONE DAY!!!  Are they serious?!?

Now, let me say before I go any further, that I produce political junk mail.  I design it and I mail it.  It is my other job, but I would never tell a candidate to inundate one voter's mailbox with three mailings in one day especially at the end of a campaign when everyone else is sending out their mail as well.  Plus, we got one piece of mail addressed to the people who lived here over 5 years ago from a candidate for whom we can not vote because we don't live in their district.

Here is the breakdown of what I received today: Candidate A-2 pieces, Candidate B- 1 piece, Candidate C- 3 pieces, Candidate D- 2 pieces, Candidate E- 2 pieces, Candidate F-1 piece and a Sample Ballot from the Republican Party.  I barely have time to glance at this stuff, let alone sit down and read twelve  8x11 glossy pieces of mail.  The only reason that I have any idea who sent what was because I wanted to break it down for this post.  Otherwise, it would have all ended up in the circular file never having been read during the walk from the mailbox to the front door.  And I am a complete politico!  I make my money making this sort of mail and even I am totally political junk mailed out.

Today might have been our heaviest mail day so far, but we have been receiving between 1 and 5 mailings a day, A DAY, for weeks.  WEEKS I tell you, WEEKS!  Often times, we receive multiple mailings in one day from a single campaign.  It is just getting ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.  Not to mention annoying.  The mailings all pretty much say the same thing over and over and over and over.  Quite frankly, I am beginning to think that these candidates think that we are all pretty stupid and that the election will be decided not on who has the best ideas (although I see very few proactive ideas hidden amongst all the mud slinging), but rather on who sends out the most mail.  You're wonderful and want to save puppies and children.  Your opponent made a pact with the devil and is evil incarnate.  I get it!  Enough already!

I cannot wait until Tuesday so that I can go back to getting junk mail I care about, like those 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath and Beyond and catalogues from LL Bean.

Treat Treat

  OK, so let me start out by saying that getting 5 children (one of the kids cousins came with us) ready to go Trick or Treating without losing your cool is just plain impossible.  Everyone has to eat, get dressed, do pictures and pile in the car, all the while being hopped up on Adrenalin and sugar.  By the end of the night I was ready to go up to a door and say, "Forget the treats.  The tricks on you.  I'm leaving these sugar freaks with you.  I'll be back in the morning when they have come down off their high."

That being said, all the kids had a really good time and that's what it is supposed to be about.  Jack couldn't get the hang of saying Trick or Treat, so he would just announce, "Treat Treat," which, when you get down to is, all that he was interested in anyway, treats and more treats.

Nicholas would not give up his secret identity, not even once.  I can not tell you how glad I was for all that time that I spent hand sewing on buttons and Velcro.  In his mind, he knew he was Superman underneath his Clark Kent outfit and Clark never gave up is real identity to people he didn't know and trust.  I think the child has spent too much time around campaigns.

Rachel was thrilled to be able to wear real make-up.  She would have dressed up like one of the Billy Goats Gruff if I had told her that there was make-up involved.  Next year I am afraid she is going to ask to go as RuPaul.

Teddy's costume was a big hit, but it didn't garner him any candy.  I just couldn't justify asking for candy on his behalf.  "I know he doesn't have teeth, but he really does like chocolate."  Now that would have been a trick.

By 8 o'clock everyone was exhausted, myself included.  In fact, I am still exhausted.  Now let Mama "inspect" your candy.