on local issues and utopia

I early-voted, and the things I was most hoping would pass, seven positively communist (that's a joke) bond props, all seem to have passed. Library money, open space park money, affordable housing money, and more; no big surprise that the republicans here were against it...story here. Also mentioned in the story, apparently National Geographic named Austin the best little city in America in this month's issue. Who knew?

In other news, this is a new icon, made by the talented Esso over at her icon journal. Generally I use my icons as vague and fairly random emotional counterpoint to posts, but this icon will be used specifically for posts in which I muse on things and the way I think they should be...or something like that. I have some such posts in mind. 

Now, I tend not to be a soap boxer; in fact, I have an sf slang term for soap boxers in some of my fiction: ponties. But there's some things I'd like to muse on, and if ends up making me a pontie, so be it.