The Subversive Librarian is Working the Polls!

Yep! I'm gonna be a poll worker on November 8! I'll be that cute old lady in a pink cardigan sweater who checks you in. 

This is my chance to get involved in an easy but meaningful way. Service to my country. With donuts on the side!

I mean, how hard could it be? The voter comes in and gives you their name and ID. You check them off the list and give them a ballot and a reassuring smile. It's all computerized now, and I'm good at customer service. In essence, I'm a patriotic Walmart greeter. Easy peasy!

Not so peasy. The training manual is 150 pages long. 

But hey, I'm sure the training will cover everything. Besides, I'm a Harvard lawyer, and a librarian, and every day I use sophisticated video editing software, and I'm really comfortable with computers. So I'll be fine, right? Right?

Let's just say the training assistant hung out behind me for a good chunk of the three hours because I was the one who needed constant remedial help. 

Like, he had to show me the correct way to push the "off" button on the computer because when I did it, nothing happened. Turns out you just push the button. 

Maybe I can just hand out the stickers.

I could still back out of this, but I'm not going to, because I really do need to do my part in this very scary time. 

So at 5:00 a.m. on November 8, I'll bring my sleepy, sleepy self – and plenty of coffee and snacks – to my precinct location. And that night at 8:30 or so I'll drag myself home, eat a couple of Hostess Ding Dongs, fall into bed, and hope that when I wake up I still live in a democracy.

Yeah. That's the plan.

Oh no she didn't.

Oh, yes. Yes, she did.

No point in burying the lede here. I’ve started a YouTube channel: Deviated Spectrum. 

I’m autistic, I’m queer, and I’m an addict in recovery with a lively variety of mental diagnoses.  Lots of spectrums there, and they tend to intersect in weird ways. Hence, Deviated Spectrum. 

What’s it about? Adventures in late-diagnosis autism! Laughing at myself while I get reacquainted with my brain. Very basic adulting tutorials, hacks, and some product reviews. But I’m not limiting myself to autism. Addiction recovery and LGBTQ+ issues will definitely be in the mix.

Here's a teaser:

So what on earth possessed me to start a YouTube channel at age 65? You know, other than the fact that there aren't enough old people on YouTube talking about this stuff?

Just before the pandemic hit, I had this weird urge to do photography. And make videos. And write. And act. And I missed making music. And maybe I could start a podcast. Or a YouTube channel! I wrote about it here.

It’s like my head exploded and rainbows spewed out in all directions and I wanted to chase after every single one. And that's exactly what I did. I pursued every one of them. And this particular rainbow led to Deviated Spectrum.

You can find my channel right here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8WV67qBrz90E1mqSh8Qelg.

It's my hope that you'll find my channel positive, helpful, and entertaining. Please check it out, subscribe if you'd like, and feel free to give me your comments and suggestions.

Thank you!