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Election night
Nov. 6th, 2008 08:29 pmCould I just mention how nice it is to have the election over and done with? I'm exhausted. It was a miserably long day that I only made worse for myself. But look! A shiny new president-elect! And I got to be in a mile-long crowd of festive, joyful, like-minded people when the news came down, and I got to speak the pledge of allegiance with a whole throng-ful of fellow Americans, and I got to listen to Obama as he moved the crowd of supporters forward into the hard work of transition and tried juggling, for the first time, his roles as dad, husband, candidate, senator, Chicagoan, Democrat, and president-elect. President. (Seriously, can we just let George Bush know that he can knock off a few months early, we'll still pay him for the time, and there will be no hard feelings?) Ha! President Obama. At some point, can we convince our spell-checkers that his name isn't a typo?
So, Tuesday afternoon was rough. I forgot my keys, got kind of stuck in Lincoln Square, got into an accident and then something of an altercation with a cab driver, forgot to eat or take care of myself, forgot my ATM card in a machine in Grant Park while trying to withdraw enough money to compensate our fabulously patient child care and still buy myself a drink, and was in such a foul temper that I actually rolled my eyes and sneered when a bunch of tipsy college girls started woo-hooing on the train platform when Obama took Ohio. (To Ohio: I'm sorry! I wasn't rolling my eyes at YOU! Any of you!)
The line to the ticket-holders' entrance was about seven blocks long when we got there. The couple behind us was consoling themselves by saying that the blocks are not as big downtown as in other places, so 1200 S. Michigan wasn't really seven blocks away. (Um, no. But if it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself that...) C graciously agreed to stand in line and wait while I popped into the local hotel bar for a drink and a potty break. A couple young men from Missouri had traveled up north to be here for the celebration and we watched two or three minutes of CNN together. While I was inside, Obama took Virginia, and by the time I caught up with C again most sources had called the election and people in line were starting to get the word. We spun around like tops, an ambulance drove up Michigan Avenue with its siren on, and then everyone was yelling and cheering together. Even the cops were grinning.
So, Tuesday afternoon was rough. I forgot my keys, got kind of stuck in Lincoln Square, got into an accident and then something of an altercation with a cab driver, forgot to eat or take care of myself, forgot my ATM card in a machine in Grant Park while trying to withdraw enough money to compensate our fabulously patient child care and still buy myself a drink, and was in such a foul temper that I actually rolled my eyes and sneered when a bunch of tipsy college girls started woo-hooing on the train platform when Obama took Ohio. (To Ohio: I'm sorry! I wasn't rolling my eyes at YOU! Any of you!)
The line to the ticket-holders' entrance was about seven blocks long when we got there. The couple behind us was consoling themselves by saying that the blocks are not as big downtown as in other places, so 1200 S. Michigan wasn't really seven blocks away. (Um, no. But if it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself that...) C graciously agreed to stand in line and wait while I popped into the local hotel bar for a drink and a potty break. A couple young men from Missouri had traveled up north to be here for the celebration and we watched two or three minutes of CNN together. While I was inside, Obama took Virginia, and by the time I caught up with C again most sources had called the election and people in line were starting to get the word. We spun around like tops, an ambulance drove up Michigan Avenue with its siren on, and then everyone was yelling and cheering together. Even the cops were grinning.
