An Indian summer-like day here in Gresham. Sun is shining, dry, calm, no need for a coat! Currently 63F as of 11:45 AM. Expected high 65F.

The election is almost upon us. Unfortunately the opponents may not fight fair. As Joseph Stalin reportedly said, "I don't need to control how the people vote so long as I can control the people who count the votes." In our high tech day and age it means hacking. It will be hacker vs. hacker! Sadly it just may be that whichever candidate has the best hackers wins!

Last night I met Kim at the Gresham Transit Center. There were a bunch of Transit Police there milling around intend of checking the tickets of people getting off the MAX trains. I sat down on a bench in the boarding area. One train stopped, but Kim was not on it. Because I didn't get on that train, a giant of an officers seized upon the opportunity to come over and ask me what I was doing there. I showed him my monthly pass, because I knew I was supposed to have a ticket or pass to be in that area. I told him I was waiting for someone coming on a train. He then told me that was not supposed to be in that area unless I were actually either getting on to or off of a train! So I had to move outside the fence, where there was no bench, and stand there! The jack booted thug! Getting off on enforcing silly and pedantic rules! It's not like anyone else was there who needed the bench. I only know of one other MAX station that even has such a restricted boarding area.

The workman are really energetically now pursuing their construction effort building the Dutch Brothers Coffee Shop in my backyard! They cut low standing trees yesterday which lets much more light into my apartment. Not so gloomy anymore. I can read without even turning on a light! But now they took out a section of the fence which should have been on my landlord's property. Not much privacy left. Saw our manager walk through, so it must be OK. We will see how it ends up.

Double-A