Election Day Diary

The mother was in Times Square, with Republican co-workers, when the news went out. The sister and brother-in-law were part of a crowd in Seattle that made the news.

(Go to www.seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/video/seattletimesvideo.html. Click on the "raw video/celebration" link on the right. Watch for a couple minutes and, when they all start singing the Journey song, the sister and brother-in-law are right beneath the guy up on the pole swinging the American flag.)

How did I spend my Election Day? Glad you asked...

Woke up at 7 a.m. and went to work.

One of the bosses was later in leaving the house and graciously let me go vote in the (as I understood it) smaller morning crowds. Got my sticker. Ran into the friend, Allison. Borrowed pen from very cute girl to re-register (given the recent move) but, paralyzed with inability to talk, said nothing and admired her from afar.

Went back to work. Realized I hadn't done yesterday's piece. Hung and played with the kid and hemmed and hawed and cautiously typed around that one 'til it was done.

Left work and proceeded with plans designed to keep me level-headed and NOT glued to the TV waiting for returns in a complete fit.

These plans were:

(a.) Going for a 2.5 mile run on Harrison Blvd. LOTS of traffic out on the road...

(b.) Calling the Alaskans and coordinating arrival and departure dates for a December AK trip. Slight adjustment made to arrival plans in hopes of catching the youngsters in a "Fiddler on the Roof" performance at the Anchorage PAC on 12/14. Hung up after short chat as they were on their way out to vote.

(c.) Got head shaved (hair became longish during the show) upon realizing I hadn't booked an Oregon/Washington bank commercial. Image considerations gone! But talked to this interesting/centrist hairdresser about his friend's reality TV premise. The candidates are required to switch places with a Joe the Plumber type (a la "Wife Swap" or what have you) and eke out a living, while campaigning, and wearing shock collars preventing lying and talking about the OTHER candidate. Thought there was some merit in this...

(d.) Went grocery shopping (with the radio tuned to NPR) and heard that even spin-meister Rove was calling this one "a wrap."

(e.) Returned home to read Piaget and Vowell books. The Andrea-friend called me when Obama was elected and I heard cheering and fireworks (no kidding) going off in the North End of Boise, where I live. Andrea makes me put the books down and go check the TV (which I had been doing every 10-15 minutes anyway) and I catch McCain's mournfully gracious concession speech.

Got into bed around 11 p.m., after catching the primo sound bites from Obama's speech and slept well.

Here we go, again:)...