What's up in my world:

 

ON MY MIND...
Mail-in ballots. Voting used to be an event for my husband and me. Although we nearly always canceled out one another's vote on national elections (we did agree for the most part on local issues and amendments), we always — always — went to the polls together. Even if that meant rearranging lunch hours or heading to the polls early as can be, depending on our schedules when we both had full-time jobs. Going to the polling place was a big deal. We were proud to exercise our right and responsibility together, we delighted in sporting our I VOTED stickers afterward.

Now most of our elections are done via mail-in ballot. We both thoroughly dislike that. It's but another watering down of the big, important, celebratory moments in life. There's no real big WHOOP! about dropping the ballot in the mailbox. Even worse, there's no freakin' sticker. (Can't they at least include and I VOTED sticker in the oversized envelope?)

Worst of all? What about the brand-new voters — kids who recently reached voting age as well as folks who recently attained U.S. citizen status. There's no much hoopla and palpable pride in simply sealing their envelopes and popping them the post office box. A milestone seemingly unmarked.

Still... despite the absence of hoopla, I'm honored to have the ability — and right and responsibility — to have my say. (Though I still would like to have my sticker proudly announcing I've exercised said right and responsibility.)

READING...

  

Remember this post where I mentioned finding comfort in the many unread books by favorite authors on my shelves waiting to be read? I recently finished off Elizabeth Berg's The Art of Mending (loved it!) and am now midway through Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns (loving it!).

WATCHED...
I'm once again honored and privileged to have been invited to cover the annual Denver Film Festival. It runs Nov. 2-13 this year, and in preparation for the event, Jim and I attended an advance screening of THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN starring Woody Harrelson and Hailee Steinfeld.

 

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN will be my Saturday Movie Review this week, so do come back tomorrow to read that. Plus, the film is the Denver Film Festival's "Red Carpet Matinee" scheduled for Nov. 12. If you're in or near Denver, you may want to check it out. (Ticket info here.)

Up next: I'm screening LA LA LAND starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone on Tuesday. Yes!

WORKING ON...
Devising my personal schedule for the Denver Film Festival. With more than 200 films featured throughout the 12-day event, coordinating times for the must-sees and the maybe-sees is quite a time-consuming feat. But will be totally worth it, I have no doubt! (And a ridiculously first-world problem to fret about in the slightest.)

LOOKING FORWARD TO...
Bubby, Jak, Mac, and their parents will be visiting my house for a few days the week before Thanksgiving!

Hallelujah! Hey, hey, hey!

THAT I look forward to more than pretty much anything else through to the end of 2016.

LAST PHOTO I TOOK...
(With my phone) When I walked my dog on Wednesday, I snapped a shot to show Jim when I returned home that Pikes Peak seemed to be missing yet the moon seemed quite visible despite it being rather late in the morning.

 

Today's question:

What's up in your world right here and now?