So, after a three-year hiatus, I'm heading back to the Brandywine YMCA this January, to teach beginning creative writing. (An advanced class will be offered in the spring.) I like teaching at the Y; it's not only rewarding, but I've made some great and lasting friendships with former students. In fact, one of my original students-turned-friends just got serious interest from a major agent on her middle grade mystery series (it was a revise-and-resubmit sort of thing, with the stipulation that if she got any other interest/offers, the agent would sign her on the spot). But - and you knew there was a but, right? - filling out the paperwork to teach a weekly, one-hour-long class at the Y is so overwhelming, I cannot believe it. First, just to apply, there are like 8,000 forms, including one authorizing a background check. You need to give five separate references, all of which get checked. Then, when you're hired, there's another 8,000 forms. I had to sign one declining a Hep B vaccination because I'd already gotten it! Thank god I went through most of the rigamarole before, or else I'd have to watch videos on blood-borne pathogens, how AIDS is transmitted between people, and warning signs for child abuse. It's bad enough that in March I need to get re-certified in infant, child, and adult CPR. All to teach a creative writing class! Yowzers.

There's another benefit to teaching at the Y that makes all of the hoop-jumping worthwhile, and it's that as part of my compensation, I get a family membership for $26/mo., instead of $80+/mo. I also get an hourly salary that will not only cover that $26, but put some gas money in my pocket. So who am I to complain? The membership is good at every Y in the state, so I can meet Candy at the Bear branch or Carolee at the Kirkwood Highway one. Or, I can do stuff at the Brandywine branch before/after class. Plus, it's too cold to keep taking Joe to the Delcastle track, so it'll be nice to have a warm and toasty place to work out.

Registration for the creative writing class opens to Y members on Monday; I'll post the details then.

Now, for something completely random: why can't I find any mp3 downloads of the Original Broadway Cast recording for ANNIE? I've listened to all of the other Annies singing "Maybe," and no one can even come close to the heartbreaking tones of one Ms. Andrea McArdle. I'm DYING for this soundtrack. Amazon.com sent me a $5 gift certificate toward an mp3 purchase, and they have all of the other ANNIE soundtracks - except the one I've been wanting for two years. I should just break down and buy the CD, but I don't listen to CDs anymore. *sigh*

Oh, and file this under WTF?:

This holiday season, celebrate the historic accomplishment of our movement for change. Treat yourself or a loved one to a limited edition Obama coffee mug.

Why is our president-elect hawking coffee mugs as Christmas gifts? Seriously, does anyone else find that a little degrading? I mean, the e-mail came directly from Obama's camp, complete with linkage.

Maybe it's me, but something about that seems a little off.

Lastly, tomorrow (12/5) I will be signing books as myself and Lola at the Bel Air Barnes & Noble, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It's part of a fundraiser for the Harford County Public Library. I think signed copies will be available after the event, as well, so if you can't make it but want a signed copy for a loved one (you know, instead of an Obama mug), that's where you should go.

This will probably be my last post until Monday. Four posts in one week! I'm getting better every day ...

Joe's grandparents live in Bethlehem, PA, right in the heart of Lehigh Valley. His grandfather, Art, worked at the steel mills until they closed in the 1980s. He likes to hunt, collect Zippo lighters, and build model trains. Once a week he goes to the Moose Lodge, where he's a member, for Buck-a-Burger night, and he tries to get back there for the brunch buffet, too, as he's crazy about the sweet potato fries and gravy. Joe's grandmother, Judy, was a buyer for a chain of stores until Art left the steel mills and they bought a sanitation company that they ran together until Joe's brother Archie took over two years ago. They're both retired now. Judy collects Fiesta Ware and is a master quilter. She used to be one of those crazy, 4 a.m. yard sale shoppers and has amassed quite an assortment of mission-style furniture and other really cool things. Both Art and Judy were staunch Clinton supporters until the primary season ended and they were forced to decide between McCain and Obama.

They chose Obama.

Last night, when we called to wish Joe's grandfather (a.k.a. "Pop" or "Pop-pop") a happy 74th birthday, his grandmother got on the phone to tell us that she got a call from a woman claiming to be Hillary Clinton. "Mrs. Clinton" just wanted Judy (a.k.a. "Grammy") that she'd changed her mind and no longer supported Obama, and that she was throwing her full weight behind McCain. She also got a recorded message informing her that only Republicans were to vote Tuesday; Democrats were supposed to wait until Wednesday. She's been volunteering at Obama headquarters, making phone calls, and found that a lot of other women her age were receiving similar calls. Then Pop grabbed the phone back and told us that he got a call from a guy who told him that if he voted for Obama, he would lose his pension, his social security, and every other source of financial support. He said pretty much everything except that Pop and Grammy would end up penniless in a cardboard box by the river.

It's disgusting to me, this kind of dirty politics. You can read about it on the Internet and hear news reports, but it doesn't ever feel real until you get first-hand accounts like this. We're here in Delaware, which is solidly in Obama's corner and probably was even before our beloved Biden joined the ticket. So I've gotten some fliers and stuff, but no one's been knocking on our door or making calls. We're middle class thirtysomething registered Democrats; I suppose the McCain camp considers us a lost cause.

I'm waiting to vote until Joe gets off work, so we can go together. And I'm not only voting for Obama, I'm finally - finally! - excited to be voting for him. I've always liked Obama and found him to be an inspirational speaker, but what I didn't like was how his camp ran the primary campaign. Once the nastiness of that race was over, and he secured the nomination, I went neutral. He's always had my vote, because I'm a Democrat on just about every major issue, save for the death penalty. I even made Joe wear a blue shirt today just so nobody would confuse him with a Republican. But over the last several weeks, as I've heard Obama speak more solidly about his plans, crystalizing his ideas, watching how he handled the financial crisis as opposed to ol' knee-jerk McCain, I've realized that he's matured as a candidate. I think he's going to make a fine president, someone who can not only turn this country around but also make us proud to be American once again, instead of merely embarrassed.

My friend Ebbie has been volunteering at Obama headquarters in Delaware, which surprised me because he's always crazy busy. But he made the time. When we were seniors in high school and still too young to vote, the two of us, along with one of the Kims, volunteered for Clinton. Mostly light-weight stuff, like making calls or helping out at a rally. On election day, Kim and I worked the polls at our high school, checking in voters. I had a starry-eyed optimism then that my mom likens to the kids who supported McGovern, only our guy one. And then, over the next two years, I watched him fail to deliver on a lot of things he promised during his campaign. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. It was a sobering lesson in partisan politics and how no matter how much a president wants to do, if he doesn't have Congress on his side, it just ain't getting done.

But this guy - Obama - I think he can do a lot of what he wants. This is where his gifts as an inspirational figure come into play. He makes people want to be better and do better, and I'm starting to think YES, HE CAN. YES, HE CAN.

Anyway, I'm excited to watch the results tonight. I'm just hoping we have an uncontested president before my head hits the pillow.

Last night, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I made Rachael Ray's Corned Beef and Cabbage Stoup and Spotted Dog, a traditional Irish soda bread. I also picked up a pack of Oh Ryan's Irish Potatoes candy (though at my store, they were only $3.25 a box). Next up: baking pies for a Saturday Easter Dinner with Joe's family. I looked for a traditional Easter dessert, but the ingredients were getting pricey so I'm going with two tried-and-true recipes - Coconut Buttermilk Pie and Chocolate Chess Pie. For those of you who bake, this is the key to affordable buttermilk that won't get wasted because a recipe calls for a cup instead of a whole quart. I swear you can't taste the difference from the real stuff.

On a completely unrelated note, I AM THE WORLD'S SUCKIEST CORRESPONDENT. I have 101 unanswered e-mails in my zeisgeist inbox, to start with - and I haven't checked two other major accounts in days. Not to mention that I can't remember the last time I answered Lola's e-mail. It's been on my to-do list forever, but I'm in this mood where answering e-mail seems about as much fun as pulling tax receipts (which is something I actually did do last week, thankfully). I'll get to them soon, I swears it.

Finally, the world might be coming to an end: today I found myself nodding in agreement when THE VIEW's Elizabeth Hasselbeck made her case for why Obama's relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is extremely disturbing. I, like, NEVER agree with Elizabeth - but this time I think she nailed it on the head.