And Everything Else (10/26/20)
Life updates you didn't ask for.
Happy holy-crap-it’s-8-days-until-the-election Monday! If you haven’t voted yet, what are you waiting for? I went this weekend, and it was thrilling to do my part in hopefully kicking Trump out of office.
For more details on my early/mail-in voting experience and lots else, read on for this week’s edition of And Everything Else!
#1. I had the *ideal* voting experience
As said above, I voted this weekend, but since I’m not the biggest fan of waiting on 4+-hour lines, I decided to drop off my sealed absentee ballot, instead. The whole process took literally 30 seconds—I walked into the Barclays Center, placed my ballot into the box, took a sticker (you gotta get the sticker!) and left. Easy peasy.
Now, I totally get the desire to vote in-person—there is something undeniably special about getting to actually pull the lever and know you’re sending your vote through the system. But if you don’t have the time or patience to wait in line for hours and have a mail-in ballot you can use instead, I highly recommend this option.
No matter which way you choose to vote, though, all that matters is that you do it. (And not just for anyone, of course—Biden/Harris, please and thank you!)
#2. We finally started packing for Raleigh
Confession: In several video calls over the past few weeks, colleagues have pointed out how much stuff they saw in the background of my screen and asked me, with clear worry, if I’ve started packing yet for our Nov. 7 move. The answer was always “uh…. kinda?” (lies. All lies.) but they can rest assured now, because packing for Raleigh is officially underway!
Thankfully, we’ll have movers coming to pack up and take the majority of our items, but there’s still a good amount of stuff Kurt and I need to get together ourselves, from our clothes to our linens (does anyone know how to pack a fitted sheet? Anyone?). So yesterday, we opened some boxes and got going, and I have to say, we made serious progress before collapsing on the couch to marathon It’s Always Sunny episodes.
Packing up a 1 1/2-bed apartment that houses two humans, a dog, and a cat is… a lot, but I’m feeling confident that we’ll be able to get it all done without too much stress. If anyone has tips for long-distance moves, though, feel free to send them over.
#3. I’m making more crosswords!
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was bringing back my personalized crosswords, and now, it’s officially begun! I made a puzzle for a family friend last week and am in the process of making two more for someone else, all of which were commissioned as holiday presents for their loved ones.
If you want to buy a personalized puzzle, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else, go to this section on my website for details on format, cost, etc. The holidays are coming up soon—why not get a head start on your gifts with a fun, unique puzzle?
That’s all for now, friends. With love from me and my very photogenic dog,
-Rachel