Windbreak: 501 signatures

After posting about Bob reaching the 1,000 signature mark, I went down to the library and collected another eight signatures in about an hour. I met a few interesting people, including a vocal woman who was very concerned about affordable public transportation. My 500th signer was a woman from Kaukauna. I stuck around a bit afterward, but when no one else signed, I decided to call it a night and get back to working on my applications.

I spent yesterday finishing up application materials, paused long enough for the announcement that we have more than 507,000 signatures, then got back to work. Last night I was scheduled to help the UW - Oshkosh student Democrats collect signatures outside Scott Hall. Wind gusts peaked yesterday at 43 mph, so it was not a successful outing. Aaron came out to check on me after about an hour, in which time three people had stopped to comment on the brutality of the weather and a delivery driver for a food company (reportedly, one of their drivers may have stopped to sign elsewhere on a delivery run) gave me what I hope was an encouraging honk. I ended up abandoning Scott Hall (they did have tables inside in the dorms) and headed over to the library, where I stood for maybe 40 minutes and received one signature. I tried to stick around for more, but when the wind gusts started picking me up off the ground for the second time--all 12 stone of me--I figured it was time to call it a night. My toes were pretty cold at this point, but at least I got one more signature.

I did have one weird moment at the library, though. When I was walking toward the doors, I noticed a car with both a Ron Johnson and Scott Walker bumper sticker that appeared to be issued by the NRA. I really noticed because I also saw a PETA bumper sticker on the other side, and I assume if I'd stopped I'd have read "People Eating Tasty Animals" underneath. Later a car that was leaving the library pulled up near the sidewalk and idled behind me for a minute or two. I heard it there, but I didn't turn to look at it. It inched past me, and it was the same car. I don't know what the person was doing there, but if it involved calling the police or taking pictures, I'm sure they were disappointed in the results. It may have been as simple as stopping to dig a chap stick out of a purse, but with all the reports going on around the state, I did have to wonder. Nobody even yelled out a window at me, though, or flew me a free bird, so it may have been nothing at all.