The fastest way to get me to leave your store is to ask me "How are you doing?" or "Can I help you?"

Ignore me until I engage with you, please.

And the text messages let me know the actual status of my ballot - I get them when it's mailed, when they receive the ballot, and when they've verified my signature.

Which tells me not only the status of my ballot but gives me confidence that they'll let me know if something goes wrong.

First, because vote-by-mail is an incredibly civilized way of voting - I've done in-person voting in the past and it's incredibly annoying, especially for the down-ballot races. Vote-by-mail allows me to actually do research while voting.

300k people without power means it takes along time to restore everyones power.

We ended up being in the last 4000 or so.

52 hours without power. But Puget Sound Energy came through in the end.

And power is on!!!!

And that's a large part of the reason we're heading into Microsoft for the day - heat, water, and hot food.

We're on a well, so no electricity means no water.

Normally this isn't a problem, most power outages resolve themselves within 24 hours, which is well within the capacity of the powerwalls.

36 hours, eta for restoration is 5pm..

Sigh.

Im just glad that after last years 6 day power outage we got a backup battery for the backup battery.

Fwiw, the power outage is now on its 14th hour...

Powerwalls lasted about 4 hours, but the portable battery (bought last year during the 5 day long power outage) worked great.

We're currently drawing 1-2kw, but most of the power intensive stuff is not on the powerwalls - just lights, our desktop computers, outlets in the bedrooms, water system, refrigerators, etc.

No TVs or heaters because they draw too much power.

Ok, I feel obliged to add the additional context: In an earlier msg, Heath had mentioned that while he was happy with the developer experience of *using* a new construct, he was uncomfortable with complexity of *implementing* the new construct, I was just commenting that he fear was unwarranted.

As someone who has on occasion been noticed for their shirts, I heartily approve.

One thing I find absolutely fascinating is how little comparative religion instruction they have received.

I mean, if you're told to go out and witness, don't you think it would help to have even a basic understanding of the faiths of the people you're witnessing to?

I have a bit of fun with JWs and LDSers when they show up because often as not, they've never even SEEN a Jew in real life.

Sometimes it's fascinating the things they've been told.

And sometimes it's horrifying (no, we don't drink the blood of Christian children).

I'm so sorry to hear that Jen, it's so hard to let them go, even when it's time.

"This is the song that doesn't end,
Yes it goes on and on my friend.
Some people started singing it,
Not knowing what they did,
And they'll continue singing it because
This is the song that doesn't end...."

Hope that helps....