An e-mail to remember…

Wow, what a crazy night, huh? We went to a friend’s house to watch the election returns, thinking that we would be up all night weeping into our drinks, but the good news came pretty fast. And then, just after Romney finished his concession speech, the following e-mail appeared on my iPhone.

I’m sure the President sent similar e-mails to everyone who donated money to his decidedly grassroots campaign (we donated a whopping $27.00 in very small increments over the past few months) but something about getting an e-mail from the leader of the free world just before he took the stage thrilled me to no end. I mean, if there was ever any doubt about the fact that we have a 21st century president, it was dispelled for me tonight. Smart, caring, tech-savvy and sharp as a fucking tack, Barack Obama is the real deal and I have never been prouder to call him my president.

I told Greta on the drive home that she is a lucky kid to be able to say that she grew up during the Obama years and that someday she’ll look back on it and know that her crazy old man was right. I don’t know if she gets it yet, but someday she totally will.

Que viva, Obama!

Tomas —

I’m about to go speak to the crowd here in Chicago, but I wanted to thank you first. I want you to know that this wasn’t fate, and it wasn’t an accident. You made this happen.

You organized yourselves block by block. You took ownership of this campaign five and ten dollars at a time. And when it wasn’t easy, you pressed forward.

I will spend the rest of my presidency honoring your support, and doing what I can to finish what we started. But I want you to take real pride, as I do, in how we got the chance in the first place.

Today is the clearest proof yet that, against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests. There’s a lot more work to do. But for right now: Thank you.

Barack

Election Day 2012

The mechanics involved in our very antiquated voting system may be flawed and I’m sure we’re gonna hear about all kinds of irregularities and voter intimidation this year — in fact, we’re already hearing about it! — but, the truth is, every vote matters, especially in a year like this. So, I don’t care where you have to go or what you have to do, or even who you vote for (actually, wait…I do kinda care about that a little) I just want you to vote.

I have taken Greta with me to the polls every time I’ve voted since she’s been alive and she loves it. We vote at a retirement home near our place and they don’t always let me bring her into the voting booth with me, but, even now, Greta knows that election day is something special. She also knows that Daddy and Mommy get stickers when they vote, so, that’s a pretty big selling point too.

But, whether she’s there for the stickers or the free candy — those oldies love to give her candy! — or even just the fawning old folks in the lobby, Greta comes with us, every single time we vote. I hope your kids do too. Voting matters, and the sooner we teach the next generation about it, the better. As the sign above says: “It’s time to vote!” So, get on out there and do it today!

I need another plate…

Ever have those days or weeks when you think you just have too much on your plate? Well, I think I’m having one of those months. The heat wave is killing me, I’m feeling totally scattered and unfocused on the work front — lots of waiting to hear back from people, time delays, blah, blah, blah — Greta is going through a very defiant stage, the holidays are suddenly very real and in definite need of planning, and worst of all, the cat peed on our new bed. Yes, we finally bought a new bed last month and it’s been awesome, you know, except for when the cats pees on it.

In Nigella’s defense (that’s the cat, BTW) she’s had a lot of houseguests the past two weeks and this week there’s a dog in the house too, so, I’m thinking she felt the need to mark her terrority or something. But, man, finding that pee on he bed about an hour before we were thinking of heading to bed was not fun. Even less fun was heading to the laundromat with a pee-soaked comforter, duvet cover and sheet set at 11:30PM. Urgh…at least the place wasn’t crowded, and, they do have really speedy WiFi, so, I got to write most of this post there, which was kinda awesome. But, come on, cat, can’t you pee somewhere easier to clean?! Yikes…

Oh yeah, and on top of all that, the debates really bummed me out. Sorry, but they did. Normally, I try not to get too political here, but, WTF, man?! Obama looked like a zombie! I know he’s busy and shit, but, come on, dude, pick up the pace. Smile a little, laugh, look lively! Urgh…he was like the ghost of Nixon up there. Sure, Obama had (most of) his facts straight, but Romney looked like a freaking movie star, and nobody cares about facts when you’re squaring off against a movie star. Even Romney’s tie was better. I mean, the dude was glowing.

All I know is that Obama is gonna have to really step up his game if he’s gonna seal this deal. Which means I have one more thing to worry about. Urgh, somebody wake me up when it’s all over.

Oooo, speaking of sleep, gotta run, my pee sheets are done…