Elections

It's always fun going to my dentist. Especially mine who makes me feel like I'm a freak of nature.

"Your sinuses are really low."

"Excuse me?"

He showed me my x-rays and pointed to a thin white line over my teeth. My tooth had been bothering me and he suspects allergies because it is olive-blooming season and with it, the pollen.

"When we went to classes for implants, they showed us a photo of someone with low sinuses that should be way up over the teeth - the sinus membrane would probably have to be lifted for the implant to take place. I thought 'I've never come across anyone with that problem' - until you came along."

Love you too, doc.

I had taken off a half-day sick to hear this and this made me feel even sicker.

Nonetheless, the next day was election day and all offices/banks/post offices were closed. My children in the waitressing industry all had to work though. Hubby went to finish up a job as well. It seems I am the matriarch of voting in my home. I have 3 children of voting age. Two didn't vote because they were working until all hours - but the Good Daughter was off work and wanted to vote with me for the first time.

"Who are you voting for?" she asked.

"Labor. It's the lesser of the 3 evils." I actually wanted to vote for the Pensioner Party or the Green Leaf party but didn't think voting for small parties would make a difference.

"Fine. I'll vote for labor too." Simple as that. Influence your non-thinking family. Hubby also opted for Labor because I said so. I wish fund-raising for my daughter's wedding should be so easy.

On to the polling station, teenage campaigners of different parties thrust papers in our faces.

"No, No, NO!" we told them and shook our heads at them as if we were famous and they were pestering us for autographs.

Voting was painless and provincial. Back to the non-computer age. You give your ID card to about 5 people sitting at a table who mark you off their list. They give you an official envelope and you go to your voting booth and stick a square piece of paper with the letters of the party you're voting for inside the envelope. Labor's letters, funnily enough were "Aleph, Mem, Tet - Emet" which means "truth". I hope so, but am pretty cynical of any political party standing for "truth".

Back home, my Good Daughter told me her new boyfriend voted for Jewish right-wing extremist Baruch Marzel.

"WHAT!!!!???" shrieked I.

"Don't worry mom. I'll change him." said she.