i haven't forgotten about mr. punduk and my last post. i'll get to them this weekend.
today, probably more for myself than anything else - a part of a skype conversation i had early wednesday morning with a friend in sri lanka.
5:21 AM
it's looking GOOOD!!!
as in
obama has unofficially won
5:22 AM
whooohooo
eb
5:32 AM
It's not over until it's over!
See last formula 1 race, last lap, last curve!
me
5:36 AM
mathematically, it's over
eb
5:39 AM
What is your source? BBC: 207 - 138 CNN: 207 - 135
me
5:39 AM
bbc has been behind most of the night but we are watching cnn
and when you look at the states left - mccain can't win
unless something insane happens in washington, california and oregon
me
5:40 AM
cali has 55 electoral votes
eb
5:40 AM
Let's wait for Florida and the 500 dispatched lawyers
me
5:40 AM
yeah. i wish it wasn't so close in florida
eb
5:41 AM
Well, I am there with you with the enthousiasm, but I rather wait out the end
me
5:44 AM
i won't celebrate until they are called
but i'm feeling a lot better than i did 6 hours ago
5:53 AM
california polls close in a few min
5:54 AM
looking at ny times site
5:55 AM
220 electoral votes now
50 more needed
5:59 AM
oh yes
it was virginia that voted for obama to bring the votes up to 220
for the first time the state has voted dem in 45 years!
6:00 AM
cnn just called it!
obama
eb
6:01 AM
Oh my gawd!
me
6:01 AM
oh my gawd
eb
6:01 AM
Imagine that celebration!
me
6:02 AM
unreal
npr just declared it obama too
it is over
i hope you are all dancing your tails off in sri lanka!
eb
6:03 AM
Well, I am sick, but as soon as I get ok, I will just do that!
me
6:05 AM
ohhh.... take care of yourself
hopefully, this will help you recover faster
eb
6:05 AM
Insh'Allah!
me
6:34 AM
we just had champagne!
the first call to prayer was just a little while ago
and now the sun is rising over sultanahmet, the bosphorus, topkapi palace.... amazing.
eb
7:15 AM
That is beautiful!
yes, i really did stay up all night, obsessively glued to the television watching cnn (ok, with occasional forays to al jazeera and bbc) and compulsively hopping from one news website to another. npr, ny times, washington post, fox news, cnn, bbc...
about 15 of us gathered at a friend's house - some people arriving early and leaving after a few hours, a few arriving much later after having taken naps, some of us clearly with no sense staying up all night. we drank copious amounts of coffee (mine laced with baileys) and just watched and waited. our collective breath held, if only just a little, unconsciously, waiting to see which way history would go.
i'm hopeful. cautiously so because so many things can happen and while a person can campaign to be one kind of president, the realities of the office can push events in directions few could expect. but for the first time in a long time, i'm hopeful.
i've heard people say they are not so embarrassed to admit they are from the us right now. i kind of understand that. however, i am, and always have been, proud of where i come from. i am not always proud of the things my government has done nor the way we have behaved at times as a whole. but at the end of the day, it is my country and i have had the pure dumb luck of having been born in a country and a time when so much is possible. i have had the stunning fortune to be from a country that can be unbelievably warm, genuine, creative, inventive, determined, funny, generous, unique and unbelievably amazing in so many ways.
it's easy to criticize and complain and our country has certainly provided us many reasons to do both in the last few years. it's not always so easy to recognize and acknowledge the good - especially in times of great trial. i am happy that american voters cared enough about the challenges that currently face our country to participate in the election process. i'm so happy people got out to vote to set our country on what many of us hope will be a better path than the one we have been going down for the last several years. i'm glad people haven't given up and still believe.
i believe.
i'm even clapping my hands.
oh... we celebrated with a great big american breakfast at 6:30. scrambled eggs, hash browns and a huge ol' pile o bacon! and mimosas. mmm... bacon.... mmm... mimosas.... mmmm... american breakfast.....mmmm.....
here's breakfast -
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