Remember, Remember...
The Morning After.
It feels good, folks. It feels very good.
I woke up this morning with all these flashing images in my head, of sitting in Wilder's T.V. room, watching the vote counts climb up and up, and then, after they'd announced a win in Virginia, making my way down to the 'Sco, to this medium-sized crowd of students, dancing, talking, screaming, falling over laughing...Everyone was out yesterday-even the sun came out for the election...
The last Big Things I remember happening in my life were September 11th, and the day the Red Sox won the World Series....I like that this memory gets to take its place beside those ones...
I was dancing in the cage with Yoshi when I really realized that Obama was going to take the Presidency, and when Yosh began to gesticulate wildly with the bottle of Sam Adams in his hand and scream, "You know how people talk about where they were when Kennedy was shot, or when the World Trade Center was destroyed? You know what we'll be asking? Where were you when the first black man was elected President of the United States?! And do you know what we'll be able to say? WE WERE AT OBERLIN COLLEGE, CELEBRATING IN THE SCO!"
McCain's concession speech was well-delivered and sincere, and something I might look at again, partly because I couldn't hear significant portions of it for the booing of the crowd and my own disorienting happiness, and partly because I wanted to see him do it right all over again. He was humble and happy for Obama, and I thought it was a good piece of rhetoric to take note of if I ever have to make a speech of a similar theme. (not that I'm likely to, but learning to express sincere humility is one of those things I should get better at).
After that, there was dancing, and I fell in love with the DJ, because they just played one song after another that I could dance and sing along to (kudos to them for "Shout" and "Dancing in September", which are two of those songs I've heard a million times, but which I have to dance to when I hear them). The happiness, the relief, was just oozing out of everyone, and you couldn't help but take people by the hand, or the waist, and pull them to you, just to make sure the good will got thoroughy spread around. One friend was quietly standing on the sidelines, watching everything solemnly, until I took it upon myself to strip him of his dignity, his demeanor and his shirt. A thousand apologies to you, Sir Jim, if thee I have offended...
Afterwards, Obama made his acceptance speech, which was gracious and charming and hopeful as ever (though he looked a little reserved, and little more tired than I might have expected), and I sat holding hands with friends, cheering my lungs out, realizing that it's going to be a really interesting hundred days.
Then, there was a mass migration to Tappan Square, where the band had charged the bandstand, and had been swarmed by a mass of half-clothed students. People hanging from the rafters and spinning poi and drumming on anything solid they could find. I ran into one friend, who was on the verge of tears, who kept telling me, "Amanda, I'm going to have a kid some day, and they'll be able to look at Obama and say, 'He looks like me, momma! He looks like me!"
I repeatedly ran into Tom Wilson throughout the night, hair tousled in a weirdly ecstatic kind of way. It was like this thick fog was surrounding him last night, he was moving so slowly and carefully. When I first saw him, I dropped my bag and ran at him, and received one of the best hugs I've ever gotten in my life.I was kissed on the cheek and shaken by the shoulders.
Me: I can't believe any of this! I can't believe this is my school...
Tom: *gesturing at the mob* Welcome.
---then, later
Tom: Ever seen anything like this before?
Me: I've never seen so many happy people before in my entire life.
Tom: That's not just happiness on their faces, though...that's joy.
Later, I found out that my aunt won a spot in MA as a State Rep from her district, and finally fell asleep around 2:30, surrounded by people I love. It was a good day. Thank you all for sharing it with me...
Love,
Amanda
P.S. Spoke to my class dean yesterday, about having a future. Might have one, maybe, except for that one niggling question about "What the Fuck I Want From Life"! Will be speaking with her again at some point soon. Hopefully things will become clearer.
It feels good, folks. It feels very good.
I woke up this morning with all these flashing images in my head, of sitting in Wilder's T.V. room, watching the vote counts climb up and up, and then, after they'd announced a win in Virginia, making my way down to the 'Sco, to this medium-sized crowd of students, dancing, talking, screaming, falling over laughing...Everyone was out yesterday-even the sun came out for the election...
The last Big Things I remember happening in my life were September 11th, and the day the Red Sox won the World Series....I like that this memory gets to take its place beside those ones...
I was dancing in the cage with Yoshi when I really realized that Obama was going to take the Presidency, and when Yosh began to gesticulate wildly with the bottle of Sam Adams in his hand and scream, "You know how people talk about where they were when Kennedy was shot, or when the World Trade Center was destroyed? You know what we'll be asking? Where were you when the first black man was elected President of the United States?! And do you know what we'll be able to say? WE WERE AT OBERLIN COLLEGE, CELEBRATING IN THE SCO!"
McCain's concession speech was well-delivered and sincere, and something I might look at again, partly because I couldn't hear significant portions of it for the booing of the crowd and my own disorienting happiness, and partly because I wanted to see him do it right all over again. He was humble and happy for Obama, and I thought it was a good piece of rhetoric to take note of if I ever have to make a speech of a similar theme. (not that I'm likely to, but learning to express sincere humility is one of those things I should get better at).
After that, there was dancing, and I fell in love with the DJ, because they just played one song after another that I could dance and sing along to (kudos to them for "Shout" and "Dancing in September", which are two of those songs I've heard a million times, but which I have to dance to when I hear them). The happiness, the relief, was just oozing out of everyone, and you couldn't help but take people by the hand, or the waist, and pull them to you, just to make sure the good will got thoroughy spread around. One friend was quietly standing on the sidelines, watching everything solemnly, until I took it upon myself to strip him of his dignity, his demeanor and his shirt. A thousand apologies to you, Sir Jim, if thee I have offended...
Afterwards, Obama made his acceptance speech, which was gracious and charming and hopeful as ever (though he looked a little reserved, and little more tired than I might have expected), and I sat holding hands with friends, cheering my lungs out, realizing that it's going to be a really interesting hundred days.
Then, there was a mass migration to Tappan Square, where the band had charged the bandstand, and had been swarmed by a mass of half-clothed students. People hanging from the rafters and spinning poi and drumming on anything solid they could find. I ran into one friend, who was on the verge of tears, who kept telling me, "Amanda, I'm going to have a kid some day, and they'll be able to look at Obama and say, 'He looks like me, momma! He looks like me!"
I repeatedly ran into Tom Wilson throughout the night, hair tousled in a weirdly ecstatic kind of way. It was like this thick fog was surrounding him last night, he was moving so slowly and carefully. When I first saw him, I dropped my bag and ran at him, and received one of the best hugs I've ever gotten in my life.I was kissed on the cheek and shaken by the shoulders.
Me: I can't believe any of this! I can't believe this is my school...
Tom: *gesturing at the mob* Welcome.
---then, later
Tom: Ever seen anything like this before?
Me: I've never seen so many happy people before in my entire life.
Tom: That's not just happiness on their faces, though...that's joy.
Later, I found out that my aunt won a spot in MA as a State Rep from her district, and finally fell asleep around 2:30, surrounded by people I love. It was a good day. Thank you all for sharing it with me...
Love,
Amanda
P.S. Spoke to my class dean yesterday, about having a future. Might have one, maybe, except for that one niggling question about "What the Fuck I Want From Life"! Will be speaking with her again at some point soon. Hopefully things will become clearer.