I had thought that after I graduated from law school, I'd be able to read the text of the propositions and ballot measures easily. I'd sit down with my voter guide in front of me and neatly read the proposed laws as if I were reading a recipe. All would be clear.
Alas. Another dream, crushed by reality.
I sat down with our half-inch-thick voter guide this morning to decipher the ballot measures. I did not notice a measurable improvement in my ability to decipher the text of the proposed laws. As I did before I entered law school, I ended up relying on voter guides and endorsements as much as my own reading.
It took a long time to wade through my absentee ballot, long enough that Nathaniel got frustrated with my distracted response of "I'm voting, sweetie" to his repeated demands for freedom from the cruel prison that is our toy-strewn living room. Tired of hearing about the electoral process, he uncharacteristically tried to scalp one of our cats. This, of course, led to a Firm Discussion about how petting animals gently does NOT include attempting to remove their hair. There was sulking and angst from all concerned, him because, well, he's two and didn't get his way regarding cat-scalping, and me because of the length of the California ballot and my inability to figure out what the heck all of the various propositions did while corralling a screeching toddler.
I eventually muddled through the ballot, the cat in question escaped to the top of the couch where she glowered balefully at Nathaniel, and Nathaniel found true love with his sturdy Tonka bulldozer.
I saw a little boy on the bus the other day who reminded me of your stories about Nathaniel. When they were getting off the bus, he told his mother he wanted to stop and wave bye-bye. The bus driver cheerfully waved and said goodbye, and some other people on the bus smiled and waved. But when I saw him out the window, I noticed that he wasn't looking at any of them; he was staring intently at the wheels and waving to them as the bus pulled away. He stayed there until we were out of sight.
Posted by: CM | Saturday, November 04, 2006 at 07:25 PM
The cat scalping bit had me laughing out loud. Could be cuz I hate cats. But probbaly because I have a two year old and know EXACTLY how that conversation went.
Posted by: Butterflyfish | Sunday, November 05, 2006 at 03:55 PM
CM, Nathaniel would do that. His love of wheels is deep.
Butterflyfish, I am sure that you know exactly how that conversation played out. :)
Posted by: transmogriflaw | Sunday, November 05, 2006 at 08:26 PM