In order to be counted

Last week we received notice that this week we'd receive our 2010 census survey. Today, we did. I almost feel bad for all the paper that's included and that a household of two won't need. There are spaces for 12 people. Not even counting the cats can we get up to 12. Thank goodness!

Stretching my memory back to childhood I can remember a census taker coming to the house and sitting down with my mother. There were way more questions than the basics of occupancy and race which form the nexus of the current form. My childhood's census would have been for 1960. 1970, I was in college. 1980, I remember sitting down with the census taker. I probably had two babies on my lap at the time and might even have known her. 1990? No clue. 2000? It was in the mail, too. There was a long form and a short? Can't remember which we had.

But with 10 questions for Person 1 and seven for Person 2, I'm thinking that we can probably do this in a minute.

Our only discussion may be over who gets to be Person 1.