Diary: The Pause that Refreshes!

Thoughts on what an OEN editor can do when she's too old to campaign the last weekend of a presidential campaign.

It's all over but the counting, the backbiting, the dregs of dirty digs, and I have more time than I've had for months.

So just what is it I need to accomplish? Well, the usual--like grocery shopping, laundry, celebrating Don's birthday, and thinking about Christmas cards. Here I have a whole month when the weather won't be too cruel to go outside. And not even one doctor's appointment! I'm feeling good, although plenty tired. I wasn't going to look at the queue this morning. But then I realized the newsletter would probably be coming out early today. I'm sure everyone is pounding pavements, doing GOTV with their handy little cell phones, and (don't worry now) filling up the queue with more articles to edit.

So what is the big push for November? Hot word is "transition." Already there's conflicting information about Barack's chief of staff. It's a long way between Raum Emanuel and Tom Daschle. Technique versus sagacity is my summary on that. And I suppose it's just rumors. Why would he announce before the final count? I mean of the House and Senate. I read in the Trib how the "transition team" is all set up, that the Senator himself will spend time equally between Washington and Chicago--and Michelle insists that the girls lose no time at school.

It's all out of my hands except figuring out what I think the important issues are. Because of the November 15 "summit," I put "global economy" first. Just saved a bunch of NYTimes articles on the subject. BBC says Barcleys is bailing out some banks in Abu Dhabi. I probably won't get into heavy thinking on submitting articles for a while. OEN members are most likely not too interested in the Chinese or Indian stock markets right now. I need to put those indexes on my home page, before the question of recession versus depression grabs readers. In the touchy feely realm, it would be good to find out how the blogger from London made out. And Viola Liuzzo's daughter--I'd like to see whether she's going to write another article.

And, as if I needed any more newsletters, I just signed on with Oxfam. The Congo situation is exploding again. They had a bad earthquake in Pakistan. And for that matter, we here at home had one yesterday (saw it in the Daily Times this morning, else I wouldn't have known). It happened yesterday while I was probably in the exercise pool. Recently, they had one in Dallas (also light).

Okay. I need to get to tasks which can't be put off. Our Reminiscing Writers Workshop topic for Monday is "Hard Times" and I haven't even begun my piece. I'm going to concentrate on what happens to children--how it leaves a permanent mark on their thinking, even if they are not hungry or cold. I should know!