two earlier election vignettes

I remember my first election - voting for JFK for president. It was in Stormville, NY. I've never missed voting since then. When I registered, I had brought my MIT diploma to prove literacy, but they didn't look at it and I was disappointed.

In June this year we had just crossed border at Namanga from Tanzania into Kenya and our guides stopped at a bathroom stop/gift shop. Several of the young natives there were eager to talk about how proud they were that a Kenyan was running for the presidency of the US. One said with a broad grin on his face, and my name is Barack too! I'd like to see his face this morning.

Martha Mitchell Calling

We just saw a delightful play Martha Mitchell Calling at the Central Square Theatre. It is by Jodi Rothe and stars Annette Miller as Martha - it's essentially a one women 90 minute play with a bit of John Mitchell played by Timothy Sawyer. It was well done and quite hilarious and quite reflective of the times and the reality of this crazy women. Nixon is quoted saying "if it wasn't for Martha Mitchel there wouldn't have been Watergate". All this reminded me about the previous worst president that the US ever had with an equally sneaky ugly administration. The Central Square Theatre is a new building and houses two companies: Nora Theatre who did this one and Underground Theatre - both of which have been around for a while but now have this permanent home. Also there is some cooperation with MIT drama club. The theatre seats are reconfigurable into different formations. This play closes Nov 9.

Central Square in Cambridge is becoming a pretty neat place with good mediocre and bad restaurants including a couple of fast-food types that are good - a burger place that includes salmon burgers and a good pressed sandwich place, gyms, some clothing stores, some funky stores such as Hubba Hubba which sell cool weird things, art supply stores, and groceries, liquor, and drugstores. I do miss Woolworths and Central Surplus though - I bought lots of every-day clothes there. And it is a 5 min walk from home.