Barrie the bird and never getting lost

 I HAVE A habit of making wrong turns and getting lost. It's inherited from my late mother, God bless her. My internal GPS has wires plugged into wrong circuits. 

I'm trying to get better at not getting lost, thanks to a simple yet thoughtful gift from a Lab Brat. And it's already helping me with road rage. Win win!

Last Saturday I went to St. Louis with a couple of other Lab Brats and I turned east instead of west to get back on the highway. Then I turned off on the wrong exit near Troy. We ended up going around a brand new roundabout and careened back down the exit to the highway - it was amazing and you gotta look at the bright side of the directionally-challenged thing.

Monday, my friend Jennifer Henthorn, who works at the main 11th Street lab at Blessing, gave me a bird made out of paper. It's called origami, the Japanese art of folding a single piece of paper into an object. This thing is way cool and I've put it on the front dashboard of my work vehicle. There's no way I'll ever get lost and the bird, named Barrie, will guide me and keep me from losing my marbles when dealing with the usual crazies on the road.

Barrie is amazing. Jennifer shrugged it off by saying "I've made them since fourth grade and this is the only thing I know how to make." It's the simple things and gestures that count and this one is huge.

He is named Barrie in honor of the city north of Toronto where Canadian relatives live. They need to know we aren't all ignorant bullies.

Barrie just seems to be a calming influence. Yesterday I got cut off by a pickup truck on U.S. 61 near Palmyra. Normally I scream and curse and get bent. But with Barrie leading the way, I kept the cursing volume low and got over it quickly. See? I'm trying harder to be a light, and Barrie is helping.

With a new bridge by Mo. 6 being built and roads closing left and right in Quincy, I'm gonna need  patience. Now there are signs indicating construction on I-172 near the Hannibal exit, so Barrie will help me find the best way and deal with single highway lanes and semi-trucks changing lanes at will.

Thanks you Jenny! Barrie is a welcome addition to lab courier adventures and will help me keep it between the lines. Even when getting cut off.

All in for Linda

 I HATE POLITICS. Many politicians are blowhards who make promises they can't keep. I vote every election because it's a right and it's important. But I don't jump up and down when it comes to the way we govern ourselves and how we choose our representatives.

Except now.

I'm all in for Linda Moore, who is running for mayor. She isn't running as a Republican or Democrat - refreshing! The election is in less than a month. She's going up against an incumbent who is well-financed but has more issues with his own party than just Linda.

You know the old saying - "If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all." So I'm not saying another word about the current mayor. You are welcome.

Don't underestimate Linda. She is tireless and has a lot of support. Can she win? I'd call her the underdog right now in a town that tends to vote 70 percent Republican.

This is my opinion. And only mine. And it's probably wrong, because I'm no good at political stuff and predicting things.

But ...

There is a Lab Brat at Blessing who is young, married, lives in her own house and has started a family. I asked her if she is voting in the mayoral election. She said, "I don't think it matters. It's already been decided."

Actually, SHE is the one who will decide it, her and not that many more just like her. It's all about getting the vote out. I am not afraid of telling people, especially young people, to get registered and to vote, because it matters. I don't tell them who to vote for. That's their decision and their right.

So I'm all in for Linda Moore. And I'm making a plea to you if you live in Quincy but are not registered to vote and don't plan on voting April 1.

Just. Vote. You might be surprised what a difference it makes.