Yea!!!
I'm so happy today.
I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the Obama election event. So, after work, T and I headed down to our friend D's for dinner and watching the early returns. Then after we saw that people were being let into the event two hours early owing to the long lines and that PA went to Obama, we headed a few blocks east to Grant Park, where we split up since D did not have a ticket; he went to the public area.
Other people have chronicled the experience better than I ever will but I will say it was amazing. The crowd was polite and friendly (and made up mostly of donors who were checking e-mail at 2 on a Tuesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and received an e-mail inviting them to request request a ticket). Bloggers at WBEZ.org liken it to a very large living room, with everyone hanging out watching CNN on the Jumbotron. I totally agree. Although we were in the back sitting on a hillside and couldn't see the stage, it was great being part of the crowd on a beautiful evening and knowing who was there. When they said VA was going to Obama, the crowd cheered and then what seemed only a few seconds later, they called the whole thing. The crowd went wild. Two young women in front of us started leaping about and spinning each other around at arms length like little kids until the fell down. I loved watching the people in Kenya celebrating and Jesse Jackson and Oprah crying via the Jumbotron.
After how the last two elections went, I was totally expecting to be there until 2 or 3 am, but things were done and people starting to leave by 11:15. We moved against the crowd to as far front as we could get to get a glimpse of the stage and then high-fived people as they left. People kept shouting "We did it! We did it!" One guy seemed to be in a daze as he loudly proclaimed "I've never felt so good."
Now off the finish last-minute packing since I'm moving tomorrow. Eeek.
I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the Obama election event. So, after work, T and I headed down to our friend D's for dinner and watching the early returns. Then after we saw that people were being let into the event two hours early owing to the long lines and that PA went to Obama, we headed a few blocks east to Grant Park, where we split up since D did not have a ticket; he went to the public area.
Other people have chronicled the experience better than I ever will but I will say it was amazing. The crowd was polite and friendly (and made up mostly of donors who were checking e-mail at 2 on a Tuesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and received an e-mail inviting them to request request a ticket). Bloggers at WBEZ.org liken it to a very large living room, with everyone hanging out watching CNN on the Jumbotron. I totally agree. Although we were in the back sitting on a hillside and couldn't see the stage, it was great being part of the crowd on a beautiful evening and knowing who was there. When they said VA was going to Obama, the crowd cheered and then what seemed only a few seconds later, they called the whole thing. The crowd went wild. Two young women in front of us started leaping about and spinning each other around at arms length like little kids until the fell down. I loved watching the people in Kenya celebrating and Jesse Jackson and Oprah crying via the Jumbotron.
After how the last two elections went, I was totally expecting to be there until 2 or 3 am, but things were done and people starting to leave by 11:15. We moved against the crowd to as far front as we could get to get a glimpse of the stage and then high-fived people as they left. People kept shouting "We did it! We did it!" One guy seemed to be in a daze as he loudly proclaimed "I've never felt so good."
Now off the finish last-minute packing since I'm moving tomorrow. Eeek.