caution.. this is a pro-Obama post
having not dressed appropriately for the blistering cold this morning, i abandoned the plans to go to The Stranger's Election Party at the Showbox. Instead, my friend Joey, asked if I wanted to hang out on the Hill to watch the returns and so he could freak-out/gush about a girl..
in between old lady sisterly advice, i kept one eye on the tv from the balcony.. suddenly, there were cheers for Obama below us. Joey and I looked at each other, and then the screen. We checked our cell phones, the Internet, I called Ebonee.. resource after resource to make sure what we were seeing was true...
i've lost faith in people ever since bush became president. in korea, i was embarrassed... no, ashamed, when koreans asked "why did YOU elect him?" i had to explain that *i* did no such thing.. there was a lot of berating from koreans, non-american ex-pats about the decisions the country.. no, bush and his cronies made. i had pretty much decided that i would never come back to the states until there was a new president.
i'm glad i came back earlier than i'd anticipated.. because i would have missed out on the electricity, the elation in the pub tonight. tears flowed as well as champagne on the house.. cheers, whistles, yells, chants.. my god, it was fucking beautiful. a wandering band of drummers stopped in, and it wasn't just the pounding that swelled the air, it was energy.. so much so, that like the pied piper.. the drummers led a march of drunk liberals from capitol hill to downtown.. stopping traffic. joey and i lept to our feet, paid the check, and took off after them.
i've never... ever experienced so much unity.. especially in something so large.. as the paraders stopped cars, random pedestrians, screaming "we did it!" and hugging them in joy. the emo side of me bawled pathetically.. albeit ecstatically. downtown, in front of Pike Place Market was a flood of people, laughing dancing... only stopping briefly when the drummers did. The crowd grew ever larger as we headed on down through Pioneer Square and then back up to the market where a brass band joined the parade as well. joey and i actually made it on tv.
http://www.kirotv.com/video/17896030/index.html (joey jumps in after the anchor starts talking, and if you don't blink, you can catch me on the far far right edging in.. then again when the camera pans overhead)
i was reluctant to leave.. but endorphins can only mask the pain of strutting around 2 miles in 4-inch heeled black boots for so long. tonight made all those issues that needle our lives with such drama seem soo... small.
so to everyone who wanted to make a difference, thank you for reinvigorating my faith in what people can accomplish.
There's still so much electricity in the air, it's almost 2am PST, and they're still cheering "O-Ba-Ma" outside my window.. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight because *i'm* still too excited.
in between old lady sisterly advice, i kept one eye on the tv from the balcony.. suddenly, there were cheers for Obama below us. Joey and I looked at each other, and then the screen. We checked our cell phones, the Internet, I called Ebonee.. resource after resource to make sure what we were seeing was true...
i've lost faith in people ever since bush became president. in korea, i was embarrassed... no, ashamed, when koreans asked "why did YOU elect him?" i had to explain that *i* did no such thing.. there was a lot of berating from koreans, non-american ex-pats about the decisions the country.. no, bush and his cronies made. i had pretty much decided that i would never come back to the states until there was a new president.
i'm glad i came back earlier than i'd anticipated.. because i would have missed out on the electricity, the elation in the pub tonight. tears flowed as well as champagne on the house.. cheers, whistles, yells, chants.. my god, it was fucking beautiful. a wandering band of drummers stopped in, and it wasn't just the pounding that swelled the air, it was energy.. so much so, that like the pied piper.. the drummers led a march of drunk liberals from capitol hill to downtown.. stopping traffic. joey and i lept to our feet, paid the check, and took off after them.
i've never... ever experienced so much unity.. especially in something so large.. as the paraders stopped cars, random pedestrians, screaming "we did it!" and hugging them in joy. the emo side of me bawled pathetically.. albeit ecstatically. downtown, in front of Pike Place Market was a flood of people, laughing dancing... only stopping briefly when the drummers did. The crowd grew ever larger as we headed on down through Pioneer Square and then back up to the market where a brass band joined the parade as well. joey and i actually made it on tv.
http://www.kirotv.com/video/17896030/index.html (joey jumps in after the anchor starts talking, and if you don't blink, you can catch me on the far far right edging in.. then again when the camera pans overhead)
i was reluctant to leave.. but endorphins can only mask the pain of strutting around 2 miles in 4-inch heeled black boots for so long. tonight made all those issues that needle our lives with such drama seem soo... small.
so to everyone who wanted to make a difference, thank you for reinvigorating my faith in what people can accomplish.
There's still so much electricity in the air, it's almost 2am PST, and they're still cheering "O-Ba-Ma" outside my window.. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight because *i'm* still too excited.