I’m not quite prepared to make a list of all the bond measures on the California ballot. Instead, I find myself forced to make a list of all the things that went wrong today. Well, not “forced” forced, exactly. Compelled. That’s a better word.

Even though the phone was quiet this morning and I would have had a chance to sleep a little later than usual, I couldn’t. I went to bed last night thinking about a project I’m working on, and I woke up way too early worrying about it. I tried to lull myself back to sleep, but instead I jumped creakily out of bed and started filling out the license renewal form.

That’s when I noticed the real problem. In order to complete the application, I needed some input from the Boss. He keeps all the company’s tax returns in his office, and I needed three years’ worth of them. He had apparently tried to fax these documents earlier, but all I had was half a page and the message “hardware error” on my machine. I fiddled with the settings and tried to get it to work, but somehow I kept making it worse. By the time I got finished, it wouldn’t fax or print or copy.

So I phoned the Boss to explain the problem, but mostly to get him to stop trying to fax me things. I told him I was going to go out and buy a new machine, and all he could say was to let him know when he could start faxing again. That’s the kind of latitude I appreciate when I’m headed out the door to spend his money.

Alas, I didn’t get very far. My car wouldn’t start. It was the same problem that was “fixed” the last time I had it at the dealer. I turn the ignition key and hear a hum, and then the radio comes on. That’s how I know it’s not a battery problem. The trouble is, this time I don’t know what kind of problem it is, because I’ve been locking and unlocking it without incident for two months.

Anyway, I did what I always do when this happens. I waited half an hour, and the car started perfectly, as if nothing had ever been wrong with it. I ran my errands, picked up a new fax/printer/copier (a slightly higher end model than the last one, just because I was in that kind of mood) and came home.

Then I spent most of the day installing the new machine and setting up my preferences. I let the Boss know, and faxes started spewing mercilessly. I wore out early and never got much of anything else done. And that’s my day.

But let’s face it. There are two kinds of people: those who vote for every bond measure put in front of them, and those who wouldn’t vote for a bond if it meant feeding all the starving war orphans for a nickel a year. The four bond measures on the November California ballot have words like “air quality,” “port security,” “emergency shelter,” “public education facilities,” “disaster preparedness” and “flood prevention” in their titles. I think you can figure out how I’m voting on them.