Snow was on its way.

Walking to the bus stop this morning, I felt it.  There is a special quiet and stillness in the hours and minutes before a snow storm, a stillness that city noises can't really intrude upon.  The chilly air seems almost pregnant with moisture; the low hovering clouds seem to absorb much of the world's background noise.

As the snow began to fall while I waited for the bus, I was reminded of my younger days growing up in the country.  I used to love walking in the woods while it snowed; it made me feel bold and adventurous.  In that stillness, you can distinctly hear the sounds of a snowstorm, particularly if there is not much wind; first, the staccato of granules or flakes of snow striking the dry leaves and branches covering the ground.  A softer sound is heard from above as the snow falls on living leaves and pine needles on the boughs above. ...

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You can see what sort of music I like from looking at RP songs that I rate highly. I'd say my tastes are pretty eclectic, not really into classical, despise mainstream (Nashville) "Country" music (but I like the real thing), have developed a liking for jazz, and as always enjoy progressive, rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, R&B, Soul, Cajun, Irish/Scottish, West African Ju-Ju ...

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I took the day off from work on election day and spent the day volunteering, driving people to the polls.  It was a very uplifting experience.

I had no idea what to expect, and had my van loaded with snacks, bottled water, etc. in case there were long lines of people queued up waiting to vote.  I ended up being assigned to a precinct that didn't have a whole lot of people needing rides.  The polling place was half a block from a senior center so very few of the seniors there needed a ride; similarly, voters not likely to have a car to drive were within walking distance, and housing farther away tended to be more upscale, motivated voters (of both parties) who own at least one vehicle.

At first I tried canvassing to find people who hadn't voted and needed encouragement, but most people I encountered walking around had already voted (the biggest line at the precinct I worked was right at the 7AM opening time).
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