It is important to vote. If you’re an American citizen living abroad, you need to take steps now to obtain an absentee ballot from your home state. (If you haven’t already!) It really is easy. Just go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the instructions.

I hope all of the American bloggers living outside the US will take the time to follow the link above to make sure their voice is heard.

Below is a short video (with Gwyneth Paltrow) encouraging voting from abroad created by Democrats Abroad.

Rainy season is thunder and lightning storm season here in Mazatlán. With most of the rain coming at night, that means most thunder and lightning comes at night.

I’ve been up this morning since 5 am. Lightning started flashing and I had forgotten to put the little folded cardboard shim in our bedroom window, so it was rattling. Then Henry got worried and jumped on the bed. I was awake so I decided to shut down our computers (we leave them on to combat the humidity) and let the dogs out before it started raining.

Of course we had been up late last night playing old Tom Waits music (New Coat of Paint, The Heart of Saturday Night, Ol’ 55, The Ghost of Saturday Night), and talking while drinking wine (me) and tequila (Paul.) Way too late to be up at 5 am.

Then I made a cup of espresso, grabbed my knitting and went to sit on the couch in the office, which is the only furniture the dogs are allowed on. Henry trembled next to me, flinching at each flash of lightning. He is way worse when there is a lot of thunder, but there wasn’t much this morning.

So, it’s now 6:30 and I am tired. I know I can’t go back to sleep, so I guess today will be a siesta day for me. How can I learn to sleep through these little storms? I just wish I wasn’t such a light sleeper.