5 Things You Need to Know Today: November 5

1. Want to avoid the madness of voting tomorrow? Take out an absentee ballot at the Town Clerk's Office and vote today but you have to hurry: the deadline to submit an application for an absentee ballot is noon today. So if you have some time this morning and want to avoid the rush, come down to Town Hall.

2. State Sen. Will Brownsberger is holding office hours from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on in the Claflin Room on the main floor of the Belmont Public Library. Everyone is welcome to discuss issues, ask for help in dealing with state agencie, or talk about any other topic of concern with the senator. Residents can also call Brownsberger's State House office at 617-722-1280 or by cell phone at 617-771-8274. His e-mail address is William.Brownsberger@masenate.gov

3. New sessions of very popular exercise programs at the Beech Street Center are starting and/or ongoing: Strength and Flexibility (Monday and Wednesday) starts today and the Friday session continues through December 7 while Aerobics (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) runs through the end of November.

4. After this past Monday's visit by Hurricane Sandy, many homeowners were out and about raking leafs all week long. And here are the town's regulations on removing leafs from your lawns and yards.

5. Just remember: there will be a lot of media types, gawkers and protestors coming to town over the next two days; taking parking spots, clogging the roads and public facilities, occupying our favorite seats at Starbucks. It is best to demonstrate patience to our visitors no matter how annoying they may be: just remember that patience and its companion, tact, is one of the seven heavenly virtues and the highest of the perfections needed to realize perfect enlightenment.