Durham has always been the overlooked corner of the Triangle; the Triangle being that of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Durham is the loud alcoholic uncle everyone wants to disown or at the least deny being related to. We who live in and love Durham though have never understood this and are often offended when we are bypassed and ignored over and over again when the Triangle area is mentioned.

But there are benefits for living in a city that is underrated and largely undiscovered. For one, real estate prices in Durham is still reasonable. Second, traffic remains stress free unlike our big neighbor, Raleigh. Third, we are not yet over run with transplants. Most Durhamites still know each other and you can be sure to run into someone you know wherever you go. People you don’t know still speak and say hello when you cross paths and amazing acts of kindness can still be witnessed in this city that is supposed to be rife with crime and gangs. We still have a ‘small town’ feel despite us being a growing city that is host to some of the biggest businesses in the state and some of the largest and prestigious universities. Not to mention a first rate medical institution that earned us the label “City of Medicine”.

The biggest secret about Durham though is that it is a terrific home for the arts. Durham has a burgeoning art culture. Also, the city is small enough that it has a very palpable ‘boho’ feel that is truly charming. We have great eateries, a world class performing arts center and don’t forget this is the home of the champion Durham Bulls.

The downtown area which has been slowly coming to life this decade garnered Durham a spot as one of the 41 Places go according to the NY Times which compiled a list of lesser known but worthwhile destinations to discover this year. So if you’re looking for a new place to discover, come and visit! Just don’t tell anyone. We kind of like our little uncrowded and undiscovered corner.

I was late coming in to work this morning. No, I didn’t go vote. I did that two weeks ago. I was late because I was watching Senator Obama and his family vote. I don’t know why, it just felt to me like I was watching history. I guess maybe I was. I know I was.

I was just thinking how proud my step-dad and my mother-in-law would be at this moment if they were still with us. I think this is a moment they never even thought would happen. It didn’t happen in their lifetime, but it did for their sons, their daughters and granddaughters. I am sure they would be beaming today.

The girls are off from school today. Durham schools have opted to give them the day off since most of the polling places here are in public schools. With the anticipated record breaking turn outs, it would have been a nightmare to have regular school session. Some people think the kids should have been left in school so that they could be witness to the voting process and the excitement that this particular election is generating. I think that the kids already are aware of the significance of these elections. My daughters (10, 15, & 16) actually watched the debates. They get the Saturday Night Live jokes. They discuss politics with their friends. They even argue about the issues. When I was that age, I didn’t even want to watch the evening news. So yeah, I think they are very aware of what’s going on. They have been going with us to vote since they were babies. And when they got old enough, they even voted in the ‘Kids Vote‘ corner of the voting center.

There’s less than two hours left before the polling places here in North Carolina close at 7:30 p.m. So there’s still time. If you’re in line by 7:30, you have the right to cast your ballot. GO VOTE!

Me, I’m going home to watch the numbers. Here in the East Coast, we’ll have to wait until 1a.m. until all the polling centers across the country. I hope I can stay up that late. Maybe I’ll be late again tomorrow morning. 

In case you didn’t see it this morning, here’s a video of Obama voting. He is so cute with his daughters.

Photo by Scorpiochick @ Izea Overheard

Can you guess which candidates this sign is referring to? Who do you think they’re going to vote for?

I’m not normally a very politically active person, but presidential elections are an exception. They generate so much hype and excitement. This year’s presidential election is even more exciting than any of the previous ones I’m aware of.

This year is also the first year, that I’m aware of, where early voting is open to everyone. Early voting means that you can start voting now and make sure your vote is in and counted before November 4. Early voting here in Durham, NC started last October 16 and will be going on until November 1st. Voting places have been set up in various locations like malls, shopping centers, schools and other locations to make it more convenient for voters.

In the past we’ve gone to vote as a family on November 4th. The kids go to the Kids Vote area and we go to our side. They love participating in the voting process and get a kick when they ‘guess’ the right winner. My ten year old daughter, The Clone, has even been watching the debates, believe it or not and is even more opinionated than her dad. lol!

The mother of one of her friends knocked on our door last Sunday morning, surprising us. She is among the many volunteers who are going door to door urging and reminding everyone to go out and vote. The campaign to get people out to vote has been tremendous. It is no surprise then to find out that we’re going through a record breaking election.

In Durham County, a record-breaking 6,264 ballots were cast. The previous one-day high of 4,476 voters was set on Oct. 29, 2004, during the last presidential election, the Durham County Board of Elections reported. With 16 more days to go before early voting ends , Durham elections board director Michael Ashe said in a news release that he expects Thursday’s record to be broken.
Source: News & Observer – Early Voting Records Set in State Thursday

UPDATE: as of October 20, over 24,000 people have voted. Click here to get daily updates of the numbers from the Durham County Government Board of Elections: Early Voter Turnout statistics.

North Carolina has traditionally been a red (republican) state. However, I’ve been hearing that if all the registered democrats go out and vote, we can turn this state blue! Actually, I also heard that if ALL Durham democrats go out and vote, we can turn the whole state around! Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

This Thursday, all five of us are going out to vote early. We won’t be voting for the Geezer and the Dingbat.