Have you ever heard of a stone baby? I had not, but thanks to TV, I now have! Turns out, this woman was pregnant for 46 years. How is that even possible, you ask? WELL! This most commonly occurs when a woman has an ectopic pregnancy. Stone babies are formed when the fetus dies. In order to protect itself, the mother's body surrounds the fetus with a wall of calcium. I sort of came in on the tail end of the show, so I'm not sure WHY she waited so long to have it removed. I guess it started to be painful (after only 46 years!) But this is what they removed from her body, after four hours of surgery. It had fused to her internal organs. They ended up cutting it open so you could see how thick the layer of calcium was. Suffice it to say, it was thick. And the whole thing made me glad I can never ever get pregnant.
Last Tues, Dave and I went to a Historic Denver event in the D&F Tower downtown on the 16th Street Mall. As the invitation said,
This will be the first public unveiling of the tower since it was constructed almost 100 years ago for the Daniels and Fisher Department Store. Since this space has not been open to the public since its construction, there will be members of the media as well as elected city officials that will be there to celebrate this unique moment in history.
The soiree was on the top 5 floors of the tower, behind the face of the clock. Each level had a bar and some type of food (prosciutto-wrapped shrimp & baby lamb chops on one; salmon bites on another; then my favorite: dessert cups--one with creme brulee and strawberries, another with chocolate mousse and whipped cream).
The dessert were made by none other than Food TV's Keegan Gerhard
Ok, I hadn't heard of him, but he was very nice, and especially receptive when I asked him: "Tell me if I'm wrong, but were those cocoa puffs in the chocolate dessert?" (They weren't.) He also made a cake in the shape of the tower which, unfortunately we did not stay to try. (I heard mention more than once of Ace of Cakes as people we admiring the cake-tower.)
Dave and I got bored of the people and techno music (yes, techno), and I was antsy because (again, per the invitation):
The complimentary gift bags will leave you feeling like you’ve just had Christmas all over again in February. These bags will be filled with products from Nordstrom; Halcyon House Interior Design; a copy of Modern in Denver Magazine featuring Denver’s coolest mid-century modern homes and buildings; additional pastries from Keegan Gerhard’s restaurant, d bar Desserts; Pravda Vodka; and other great items. Gift bags are limited to the first 100 guests departing the event.
YEAH. The gift bags ended up being PURSES filled with goodies, including make up and skincare from Estee Lauder. Pretty sweet. (Not much in there for guys, though.)
All in all, a pretty fun evening. We, along with the other (and much younger, I have to say) attendees are members of Historic Denver (although Dave and I already were) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (free membership was included with our $20 ticket).
Our cats recently had a wake-up call. Just like millions of fat Americans, they were told that if they didn't get their acts together, they would have serious health problems. Cole was naturally upset and cried that he didn't want to lose a foot because of "the diabetesis". But when told that in order to avoid this fate he would need a strict diet, his story changed. "How badz could it beseses? I canz have 3 pawz. Ever heardses of cat in wheelbarrelzez?" (Yes, Cole calls it a "wheelbarrel")
Dave is a huge snowboarder. And by "huge", I mean good. Really good. When we first started dating, I thought, "I'll be a snowboarder, too!" But... it didn't turn out so well. Kind of ironic since I am FROM Colorado (I really think every parent should put skis on their kids so they get used to the feeling), but I am just not into the uncontrollable speed (me and everyone else rushing down the slope from behind me).
So, I always THINK I will drive up to the Mountains with Dave and snowshoe, but there's usually 1,000 different reasons I don't--too early, too much to do here, no one to go with, etc., etc. So today I went with Karen and Renee. We had to drive about an hour to Georgetown and then UP Guanella Pass a few 1,000 feet before we saw any substantial snow.
(See Chicago Creek on the map??)
We stopped off at Clear Lake first. It was frozen over and was so... clear! The picture doesn't do it justice, but you could look down into an infinite number of bubbles frozen in the ice rising up from the dark underneath.You could also measure how deep the ice was by how far the frosty ribbon-like cracks in the ice went down. Karen and I ventured maybe 10 ft from the shoreline onto the ice when there was this *CRACK!* and shudder underneath. Only a slight shudder, but the crack echoed in the valley. It was crazy! (Needless to say, Karen and I were all Flintstones on the ice trying to make it back to dry land.) We had passed a lake in Georgetown on the way and there were probably 20 cars all parked near each other in the middle of the lake! Apparently they were ice fishing, but it looked like the makings of a great story about how you lost your car when it fell through the ice in the middle of a half-frozen lake. The snowshowing was hard at first since the trail seemed to go straight up and, if you haven't been in the mountains, there's no air up there! But we made it to the top which overlooked the lake (which I guess was Naylor Lake, but we were aiming for the Silver Dollar Lake), Square Top Mtn and a huge valley. It was great! A workout with views!
P&D -- it reminded me of that hike we did when we ALMOST made it to Chicago Lakes and I am wondering if we were in the same vicinity?
Anyways, I do hope to go up snowshoeing again before winter is over and all the snow is gone. It's colder today, but we were close to 70 all week! While great, it's too early for spring!
It's been a while since I blogged and I've been meaning to blog about some movies that I've seen in the past year or so that I really loved that most people probably didn't see. These are in no particular order... just the order that my jumbled mind thinks of them in.
1. "Lars and the Real Girl"
This movie is about a guy, Lars (Ryan Gosling), that for some reason is so socially awkward and shy that he can't seem to let anyone really get close to him. He shuts out everyone including his brother and sister-in-law who desperately want to help. He decides to get himself a girlfriend in the form of a very real looking sex doll. To the horror of those around him. His brother and sister-in-law (Paul Schneider & Emily Mortimer) start uneasily playing along, allowing Lars to bring his "girlfriend" to dinner and even out in public. Patricia Clarkson is in it too which just makes it a must-see in my book. I know the premise sounds too weird but it's actually a very touching movie.
2. "Once"
Two lonely strangers meet on the street in Dublin and soon find out that they share a love of music. There also seems to be a strange musical connection as when they are together, songs just seem to come naturally out of their collaboration and mutual loneliness. So the music is really good as all of the people in the film are actually professional musicians. And the song "Falling Slowly" won an Oscar. How about that?!
3. "The Fall"
This movie is a cross between "The Wizard of Oz" and "Pan's Labyrinth". A young hospitalized girl meets a movie stuntman in the hospital who fell trying to impress a woman who ended up going for another man. The young girl asks him to tell her a story and half of the movie is the story he weaves that is tainted by his misery. He's basically suicidal. It's eye candy throughout.... from the director of the J. Lo vehicle "The Cell". I highly recommend it.
This letter serves as your final demand to submit a post to the blog. If you have not fulfilled your obligation by 5pm CST, legal action will be taken.
Sincerely,
Blog Management
UGH. WHAT ABOUT. GAH. How about you give me until Monday? Please?
No. Today. You need to force yourself to say something. ANYTHING. You have writer's block, and the only way to get over it is to write something. Even if it doesn't make sense. It can be a post through which we all learn something about overcoming adversity.
Use the final demand email as your starting point and go from there. This is what you NEED. You'll thank me later.
So, fine. I posted a blog. There are some items I want to post, but I also have pictures to go along with them which are on my camera. At home. If SOMEONE would just be PATIENT... I planned to blog this weekend. SWEAR.
So my new favorite thing (as if you couldn't tell) is to look at the "Images in the News" section of chicagotribune.com. When I saw this, I thought... "Riiiiiiight, THAT'S real." Turns out, it IS!
Caption: (Getty photo by Sean Gallup / January 15, 2006) Karl Szmolinsky, who raises a breed of rabbits called giant grays, shows Robert, an 8.5kg giant gray who is 74cm long and has ears 25.5cm long, in the backyard of his house in Eberswalde, Germany in 2006. Szmolinsky sold eight giant grays to a delegation from North Korea that wanted to raise the breed as a source of meat for the North Korean population. Szmolinsky said his rabbits reach a maximum weight of 10.5 kg (23.1lbs.).
I think I find this picture so funny because they look like old men! "GET OFF MY LAWN!"
But, the cutest part: their names are Shalom and Salam. Both names mean "Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic, respectively. Awww! They were about to receive vaccinations. This is exactly what Cole does when we take him to the vet.
...apparently. A couple of days ago, I added a map to the blog (see left column). It automatically tracks who visits our blog. Two things surprised me. First, Steve and Laura show as being at their home when they are currently in Colombia. That was sad because I wanted it to look like we were very popular there. But then my eyes wandered to Europe, and low and behold! There are two tiny dots at two different locations! I have no idea who they might be (I assume they inadvertently stumbled across our blog because a keyword came up on google, and plan never to return), but I'm terribly excited about it.
J and I just had a gmail chat conversation about it, and decided they probably can't understand anything we're saying. They are expecting more "e's" on the ends of words and want to know why all our adjectives come before the nouns.
But, in any event... welcome, strange foreigners, with your tiny cars and even tinier apartments! We drink our soft drinks and beer cold and have turkey for dinner! Feel free to make comments about your strange and exotic customs. And we can send you some Levi jeans, if you're nice!
WANTED: Writers with interesting perspectives to assist one lone individual from having to write ALL posts on a blog. Applicants should be witty, entertaining and willing to write even when they have better things to do. Preference will be given to individuals with names beginning with the letters "J" and "P".
Well, eventually. But first we need to move. When we are finally able to get a dog, we will get a Boston Terrier. Isn't this family cute?! That was my first reaction, too, until I read the caption. Now I'm enraged. Gizmo and family (AP photo by Elise Amendola / January 29, 2009) Four pure-bred Boston terrier puppies gather around their father, Gizmo, at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Methuen, Mass. Five puppies were surrendered along with their parents, Gizmo and Sasha, after animal control officers in Lawrence, Mass., found them living in deplorable conditions and suffering from multiple medical issues.
I've scheduled my yellow fever vaccination. I'm not shocked at myself. I should have just done it when I first went. But, as a result of that vaccination, I've now scared myself. It seems there have been a (very) few instances of organ failure for newly vaccinated people. Fun! I already brought up my fear when I made my appointment, and the nurse laughed at me.
Our trip is in just a few weeks! So far, the iternary includes a trip to Lake Guatavita (which is making me wish I had gotten the Yellow Fever vaccine...). Although... I expect it's too high to have mosquitoes. Bogota sits at 8661 ft above sea level. The lake is at 9842 ft! Cripes. More details re: our trip as they develop!
Who doesn't like U2? This one's for Jenn, who I'm sure is even more excited then I am. I just downloaded the new U2 single "Get On Your Boots" on iTunes. It's good - different from most of their previous work. I'm not a music critic so I won't try to describe it eloquently. But I just really like it. Plus who wouldn't love a song with the chorus "Sexy boots / get on your boots". It's lighthearted.
By the way, did you all see Bono and the boys perform for Obama on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial? "City of Blinding Lights" will forever take on new meaning to me.
I'm not sure what happened, exactll. The blog was alive and kickin' not so long ago. And, it's not even a year old! Who knew it was so easy for a blog to curl up and die. It's sad. I guess I sort of blame the holidays. Well, and the election. Both took up WAY too much of our time. And J and I were discussing just today (at work via gmail chat) that Facebook also has distracted us. And apparently so has gmail chat! *sigh* I don't know... it's not like there's nothing to write about.
1. New niece 2. P and I are going to Colombia to meet her for the first time (my very first international trip -- other than Canada) 3. The Harry Potter Exhibition is coming to Chicago 4. Trip planned to NY for my dad's 60th birthday 5. Trip planned to Denver to see J and to visit Mesa Verde for the first time.
You'd think that'd spark some posts, huh? Maybe it's the winter blahs. Or the tax season blahs. But I don't think the taxes have much to do with it. I see them all day every day, so I'm sort of used to them. And my taxes are simple. The most difficult thing I have is a rollover. How do you know it's time to end a rambling blog post? When you start talking about taxes (not to mention rollovers). Oy vey.
I can't believe it's taken me THIS long to announce to our millions of blog readers that P and I are tÃos! Mi hermano y nuestra cuñada are adopting a baby from Colombia, and we couldn't be more excited. S & L leave for Colombia very soon to pick up little Carmen Elizabeth. P and I are hoping to visit them while they are in Colombia. More details on that as they are available. In the meantime, I have two things to share with you. The first is a picture.
Second, Carmen asked me to help her with something. Turns out she absolutely loves Shakira. In honor of that, she's created this video to share. She's super excited about her trip to the States, and hopes to tour very soon. With that, I give you Shakira (feat. Carmen Elizabeth).
So. Our loyal readers will remember that a few months back, I had a mole removed. My dermatologist was anything but pleasant, so I switched to someone new. This last weekend (and while in the shower), I convinced myself that two moles on my abdomen had changed in size. Needless to say, cancer panic set in. I was originally scheduled for a follow-up visit in March, but I called first thing Monday morning to change my appointment to 1/9/09.
Problems with my own hypochondria aside, there was a night and day difference in my visit. The dermatologist was (1) pleasant, (2) caring and (3) could read me like a book. He calmed me down and even offered to remove the moles -- even though he felt like they were just ordinary moles -- if I wanted. I wanted. I am writing to you with two fewer moles, and a lot calmer than I was this morning. And the best part is, I don't have to go for another appointment for a whole year, AND I can get the results over the phone! A-Hole dermatologist, take note. This is how one practices good bedside manner.
Below is the actual text of my email to TLC's "What Not to Wear" nominating J for a complete makeover. Please note that many of the buzzwords from my email (i.e. "fashion diaster", etc.) were required to nominate someone. I'm not THAT mean. Well, maybe I am a bit... catty:
from: D to: WhatNotToWear@bbcnyproduction.com date: Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 1:12 PM subject: nomination!
Name: J Location: Denver, CO Age: 34 Size: 8-10 Height: 5' 6" Occupation: program manager Married No Children Personality: J is hysterical and lovable. She is always making others laugh. Her style? Well... a style of convenience would probably best describe it. She loves free and she loves cheap. She also LOVES (capitalization intentional) comfort. She is a disaster for several reasons. In a previous career, she was a lawyer. She would wear VERY unprofessional attire (examples: fleece pants and pilly sweaters). She rarely does anything with her hair. Make-up? What is make-up?? She wears next to nothing in the make-up department. Upcoming event: J's 35th birthday is in June, and her husband turns 40 in October. Photos: I am including two examples illustrating J's "fashion sense". The first is her sitting on a barrel (she's the one of the far left of the photo). The second is of her (2nd from right) with three female friends. This photo illustrates how she stands out compared to others.
Then there was a paragraph including my contact information, which I'm not sharing with all of the people on these Internets. What pictures did I include, you ask? Well:
Admittedly, not THE most offensive pictures of J, but still.
Sometime over the holidays David offered to nominate me for WNTW. I wanted to post my avatar for his use in his quest to get me some fine clothes and a trip to NYC.
So it's not even Christmas day and I can officially say that this is the worst Christmas ever. And I blame that in general on working in healthcare and specifically on the current situation where I work. I got the un-luck of the draw and have to not only work Christmas day but the entire week of and weekend after. Seven days straight. AND we were supposed to go to Omaha for a 3-day weekend last weekend to celebrate Christmas with my family. We were supposed to go leave Thursday night. But after sitting at the airport for 4 freakin' hours our flight (and all flights) to Omaha was cancelled due to an ice storm. So we had to rebook for Friday afternoon. And because of the same storm hitting Chicago, that flight was 1.5 hours late. Then our flight home on Sunday night was delayed by 2.5 hours. It's AWFUL trying to travel in the midwest in winter.
So now I need some help coming up with new career paths that will forever get me out of working holidays. And weekends / evenings to boot. Here is my list of good choices so far:
1. Photographer for National Geographic. Sure, I have no training in photography. And I've barely left the U.S. But I think I take some pretty decent pictures AND I'm a quick learner. And I like to travel. Isn't that all I should need? (Not to demean those of our loyal readers that are NG photographers...there must be a few in our vast legion of follower [intentional omission of plurality]... I'm sure it's a challenging career).
2. Work as an aid worker in Africa for the Clinton Global Initiative. I have a background in HIV / AIDS so that should help. Plus see #1... I like to travel. And I'm open minded and money would be no object if I loved what I was doing and felt as though I were helping people in Africa. So I'd like to ask those of you with connections to the Clintons to hook me up, please.
(Ya know technically for both of these jobs I would probably end up working evenings and weekends... but I wouldn't care).
3. Professional cat wrangler. Hell, we have a dog whisperer so why not a cat whisperer? Qualifications: I have two cats who are both a handful. 'Nuff said.
4. Personal shopper. I have good taste AND I like to shop. And I would be very thorough... just ask D & J about our trip to Urban Outfitters in Boulder a few years ago... how long did it take me to pick out some T's?
Any other suggestions? And is anyone willing to help me put my CV in order to get one of these jobs? It would take just a tad bit of creativity...
Dave and I went to Montreal! Above is a picture I took while helping Dave navigate our way back to the interstate, back to the states. As you can plainly see, I was not completely to blame for misleading directions.
Dave and I make an annual trek to Dave's hometown of Coventry, CT every year (well, okay, for the past THREE years now) after Christmas. This year, we decided to switch it up a bit and go for Thanksgiving. Plus, Dave had a high school reunion that weekend.
The thing about Canada is, I never expect it to be that different from the States. But it is--as soon as you cross the border, things are just a bit different.
After MILES of flat farmland, you suddenly see Montreal across the river. It's a wonderful city. Of course, IT instantly feels different because of all the French everywhere. And, for all those little differences. For example, KFC is PFC in Montreal:
We stayed at the Omni, which is a 5 star hotel (Dave got a us a rocking deal) and is in the central shopping district. It was perfect. Here is a picture of one of the must-see sights we saw in our 24 hours in the city: Notre Dame. It is spectacular!
Here we are taking our own picture there:
We then spent the next night at a family friend's beach resort on the coast in Maine. I fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves. Here we are on the beach:
The rest of our time was spent in Coventry, which if you haven't been is quite a cool little town. At least the way Dave gives the tour.
Back to Canada: Dave and I decided Canadians are extraordinarily nice. Even the angry callers to the talk show we listened to on our way back to the States were extremely polite in their arguments and then took forever to thank the host and say goodbye. It's remarkable.
I posted a slideshow from Picasa on another blog with the tag "Obama". Suddenly, it seems, many of the pictures that pop up are hate-based. I plan on clicking on all of the pictures and tagging them for hate. You can, too--if you see a picture on the slideshow you want to tag, click on it and it should show up on the poster's picasa site. In the right column at the bottom there is a link to tag it.
I find the comments at the bottom of the page fascinating. This goes back to J's post on comments. Seriously? This is offensive to you? Because "Italian" is mentioned? Really? That must be so sad for you. You must really be broken up about italian dressing.
P is at work, which means I have a bit more freedom to watch all the "crap" (as he would call it) I want on TV. Presently, I am watching a show called "17 Kids and Counting" on TLC. The family pictured above is REAL. And the mom either just had or is about to have her 18th child! As you can tell from their hair and clothes, they are uber religious -- "be fruitful and multiply" and all that. They live in what looks like a metal barn and have several sets of appliances. I just saw their laundry room and it has at least 4 sets of washers/driers. It seems to me that by the time she's done, her "parts" are going to fall right out. There doesn't appear to be an end to how many kids they will have.
They just got into a discussion about the "evils of porn on the Internet". In case you're wondering (and you're probably not), the oldest sisters and mom will sometimes go to the Library to "go on the Internet", but they don't have online access at home. I would ask how people used to live without the Internet, but that's pretty obvious just from the few minutes I've watched of this show.
We had one of these when I was growing up, and it was one of my favorite Christmas decorations:
I know... ugly, right? But it's one of my favorite Christmas decorating memories. That's why I've been asking Mom to send it to me since moving away from home. She hasn't been able to find it, which means she did not have the same emotional attachment to it that I did. This is when I'm glad for ebay* -- I was able to find the lovely plastic monster you see above for $12.99. The funny part: it shipped from West Seneca, NY which is very close to my parents' house. I wonder if the woman who sold it bought it from my Mom's yard sale?
*Yes, even though the CEO was a McCain campaign advisor.
Also, I thought I would take this opportunity to show everyone P's and my Christmas tree. I am including two photos below. The first is blurry, but I find it funny because Sheila is staring at the camera. She won't do that normally -- only when you are trying to get a picture of something you don't want her in.
From both photos, you can tell the cats like to play on the tree skirt. And you can see Cole in the back. He's the black lump.
This one is for P, especially. I caught this clip, then watched the full episode. I am guessing it mark Peter Murphy's comeback with a new hit "Burning Down Hot Topic"
I SOMEHOW found this website selling a children's book titled "Mama Voted for Obama". While I had high hopes, it looks really dumb. (it's a rhyming book, not a version of history for kids)
The seller also has a book called Why Mommy is a Democrat. In my humble opinion, it overreaches. Excerpt below. Notice the guy selling drugs in the background. "Democrats are tolerant of drug use." hahahaha
Like everyone, I was taken in by TheSixth Sense several years ago. Yes, I remember jumping out of my seat several times in the theater. And countless dumbasses played off variations of "I see dead people..." for way past its prime and we had a pop culture phenomenon on our hands. Then Signs was a decent movie with several good scares and it was before most people realized how much of a mega douche Mel Gibson is. But then it started to go downhill fast. I believe I saw Unbreakable (yes, I'm being smart...) and then it started to seem like maybe M. Night had just gotten lucky. The Village was just bad and I for one started to wonder if the director / "actor" / writer / producer really thought moviegoers would let him get away with over-wrought movies based on a twist.
Then came The Lady In the Water. That was just about THE WORST movie I have EVER seen and that is saying something...I was also just recently made to watch Xanadu. The dialogue was horrible. The story was cheesy as hell. And the acting was marginal at best. I feel obligated to mention at this point that D made me rent this. (Speaking of which...I am now blogging so as to not have to pay attention to D's current selection Alvin & The Chipmunks.) The last straw came just the other night with The Happening. Another completely stupid premise and the trademark heavy-handed attempt at social and/or environmental commentary. I found myself laughing at scenes that I'm sure were mean to be horrifying. For example, I was laughing out loud when the construction workers were throwing themselves off of buildings and crashing to the ground all around their mortified friends.
I probably wouldn't be so hard on M. Night were it not for the fact that he seems to be SO full of himself. He takes himself and his movies way too seriously. And appearing in your own movies? I'm sorry, but you are NO Alfred Hitchcock.
So please figure out how to give me back that lost 201 minutes. Hey, that's a bargain...I'm not charging you for The Village or Unbreakable.
This article was reprinted in the Red Eye today. I know there are a lot of assholes out there but they are teaching their children to hate and that is the epitome of disgusting. I am hopeful for the future of this country but we apparently have a long way to go. Considering these people can't get along with those that are different with them I think Obama's first executive order should be shipping them off to an island where they have to survive (without guns) while being reprogrammed to love and respect those that are different than them. Or here's an idea: ship them to Gitmo, which Obama has said he'd shut down with another executive order. Like killing two (racist) birds with one stone!
I think I have commented on this before, but I find it ASTOUNDING what people will comment on and the nature of their comments.
Today's Example: I checked the weather forecast on the local news channel: 9news.com
The forecast is told in narrative form, but pretty much says there will be a winter weather advisory for the mountains, Denver could see light snow and cold. Mmm kay. Got it.
Then I scrolled down and there are PAGES (7, apparently) of comments. To a short story about tomorrow's weather. The likes of which I have excerpted here:
kamcakes wrote: YAY for snow!!! It's about time!! I can't wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
(um... no one cares)
User Image HIYA1 wrote: denver2008 wrote: Snow? I really do not think it is nearly cold enough to snow. Now, this makes the 6th time it was SUPPOSE to snow in the Denver Metro area. Please....can you guys predict the weather more accurately? ------------------------------------------------------------- It is called a PREDICTION for a reason... they can't control the weather; only guess as to what they have going on and what would be more likely to happen... no way of telling if the winds will change etc. Bet you couldn't do any better.
(Yikes...)
denver2008 wrote: HIYA1....your damn straight I could not do any better. However, I did not go to school for that, nor is that what I do for a living. If I did my job, like these guys do theirs....you better believe I would be fired. Predicting snow 6 times and not one time is right....well, I guess that is all I need to say.
(oh! denver2008 actually SAW the response to their comment and thought they should comment AGAIN. Interesting...)
HIYA1 wrote:
DENVER, I am assuming then that your job is not pending on nature...sht even a doc can predict that chemo would work or a med would work, but doesn't mean that it will... plus they predicted snow in the mountains, which they got. And have you calculated the percentage of correct over incorrect? I bet you have had errors in your job as well.
HIYA1 wrote:
and denver, read sirpukealot's comment- I believe that is directed at you- someone who does such a good job and can't get your/you're correct
P's post pretty much sums it up. The only thing I'll add is that one of my favorite parts was walking back to the bus. People in buildings were looking down at us and waving excitedly. I'm with P, I had no idea how many people would be so excited about this.
This was going to be my concession post should the election have gone the other way.
"Dear Loyal Readers,
As you are reading this blog, P and I are on our way to Montreal, Canada. We've packed up the cats and our most precious belongings, and are sending for the rest of our things. It has been a good run here in the States (like how I already know the lingo, eh?), and we were really hoping things would work out in this election. The good news is, we'll have free health care (have I mentioned I'm a hypochondriac? Yes? Oh... right), and you'll have a new place to visit! And to my dear family, I'll be much closer to home now! We can meet at Clarkson hockey games!
P and I aren't sure that Canucks have the internet, but assuming they do, we'll be back shortly! All our posts will be in french and english, and our vocab may get a bit strange, but P and I will write at you soon!
I feel like the weight of years of anxiety has been lifted off of my shoulders. November 4th, 2008 turned out to be one of the happiest days of my life. David and I were also there to witness history. Yes, we were in Grant Park for the election night rally. We missed getting tickets from the campaign by hours (if only I had been able to check my e-mail all day!) so we had to go to the overflow area north of the rally and watch coverage on a jumbotron. They played CNN all night. I was on edge all night but started to feel relief when they called Pennsylvania for Obama. Then for the next few hours, I was still on pins & needles. Actually, more accurately, I was on goose shit and other people's feet. Grant Park is COVERED in goose shit and it was unavoidable. So I can say that I sat in goose shit for Obama to witness history.
More relief came when they called Ohio. CNN's John King had the difficult job of still keeping his cool and trying to see a path for McCain and everyone in the park laughed when he made an off the cuff comment about how hard it was.
While we waited for more of the battlegrounds to be called (WHY was it taking so long for Virginia and Indiana to be called!?), I had a chance to soak it all in. It was a very young crowd for the most part but the one thing that amazed me most was how diverse the throngs of people were. Black, white, Asian, Hispanic...children, teens, young adults, middle aged and elderly...gay, straight. And TONS of Obama t-shirts, buttons, signs.
About 10pm central time, as the polls were about to close on the west coast, they called Virginia for Obama. It seemed to go very quickly from there and when they called the election shortly after, people were screaming and crying and hugging and dancing. I almost lost it and was choking back tears.
It was amazing how peaceful the rally was and how orderly and easy getting home was. The CTA actually did something right. And did it fairly smoothly. David and I were on a bus within minutes and home within 45 minutes.
The next day it was like the world changed. I know I live in a liberal, Democratic bubble here in Chicago. It also doesn't hurt that I work and associate with the "highly educated" (who broke overwhelmingly for Obama as 58% of those with a postgraduate education voted for him). Still, I couldn't believe it. Maybe it was my own good mood but I felt like everyone was smiling and more friendly. On the train, I saw people tearing up at the newspaper covers (which sold out in minutes and were impossible to find). When I got to work, I was amazed at how many people were not only talking about the historic victory but were at the rally AND how many had tickets. SO MANY! And despite the fact that we got home at almost 1 am, I wasn't tired at all. (Although it did help that I had a small, private Obama celebration of my own by treating myself to one of Starbuck's new holiday treats, the espresso truffle. OMG, good.)
Here is an attempt to show you how exciting the moment that night was (BTW, in the begging you see a building lit up with USA in the background. Yeah, ,that's only a little bit further back than we were):
