Quote of the Day:

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands -- and then eat just one of the pieces." -- Judith Viorst

Tomorrow is E-Day, finally. I am so tired of all the political attacks and rhetoric and ill will that I will just be glad when it's over. The die is cast, let's roll it and see where it lands. I think most people are weary of this incredibly long campaign. As one person put it yesterday, I'm "poli-ticked off."
A friend of mine was in town for a wedding (more about that in a minute) on Saturday and he lives in the Chicago area. He said he has not seen one political ad on TV and hardly any candidates come to Chicago. I knew we were getting the mega-dose being in a swing state but I didn't realize how big the difference was. Campaign ads are on the air almost constantly. Candidates or prominent supporters hit town every other day.
For local journalists, especially at a time when newspapers are cutting back on staffing, it's been exceptionally tiring.
I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. There's not much more I can do at this point, except cast my vote tomorrow. I have no interest in voting early, but I saw on the news last night that people waited in long lines to vote two days before the election. I've never had to wait long at my polling place. We'll see how that goes tomorrow.
Whatever your preferences are, just be sure to vote!
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About the wedding: I was a groomsman at the wedding Saturday night of Ken Leslie, a friend who has devoted a lot of time and energy to helping the homeless. He and his bride, Norma, got married under a big tent at the "Tent City" project downtown, an outreach Ken started years ago to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and to provide services to them including eye, dental and medical care as well as food.
It was a most unusual wedding, to say the least, but a perfect setting for Ken and Norma. A Catholic priest participated in the ceremony as well as a Foursquare Gospel minister and a pastor of a nondenominational Christian church.
Lots of homeless people were in the seats and cheered Ken on, knowing him so well from his volunteer work.
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Last Thursday, I met Elie Wiesel and covered his lecture at the University of Toledo. He is one of my heroes, as are all the Holocaust survivors I have met. Professor Wiesel, who turned 80 recently, was most gracious and invited me to visit him any time I'm in New York City.
He gave a terrific talk about what humanity has learned or failed to learn from history. We have made many mistakes but there are some positive signs.
I was glad to see that the auditorium was completely full, with an overflow area set up to accommodate more via closed circuit TV. But the downside is that someone complained to me that they got to the hall with their children an hour and a half before the lecture and were turned away. I feel terrible for the woman and her children, but I realize it's hard to anticipate the turnout for an unticketed event like this. The auditorium seated 1,600 so this was a huge crowd.
Here are links to the articles I wrote in advance of his speech and the reporting on his lecture.
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Sylvania, Ohio
Nov. 3, 2004