Yes, we can.
It’s election night. I’m sitting here with tears rolling down my face, and with pride welling in my heart. My emotions aren’t “just” because the presidential candidate I supported has won the election. My emotions are because, for the first time in such a LONG, LONG, time, I feel a certain amount of hope–hope that a catalyst of change and growth has been effectively added to the chemical equation of our country. I don’t expect President-elect Obama to wave a magic wand and make everything “better” again. And I don’t expect that the next couple of years is going to be “easy.” What I do expect is that the energy and revitalization of the new administration will spark and ignite the momentum that has already begun, and help us AS A NATION to foster and create the Nation we strive to be.
I have been embarrassed to call myself an American. Embarrassed of how we are regarded abroad. Embarrassed of the abuse and rape of our Constitutional Rights and Freedoms. Embarrassed of what our elected leaders have contrived as “just.” Now I have a glimmer of hope, of restitution and repair, and of atonement for our Sins.
I do not expect the Obama administration to be a walk in the park, a Disneyland, or a candy land there for the taking. I expect things to be difficult–even controversial at times. What I do expect is to see a gradual and progressive repair of our economy, our reputation, and our rights and freedoms. Change is difficult, hard, and often painful. But we go into this informed and aware. And willing to accept the challenges ahead.
President-elect Obama, I offer my encouragement to you, as well as my support. I may not agree with the plan you put on the table, but I’ll do my best to support and implement what you bring to the table. You received my vote, and as long as you honor your promises, you have my word that I will support you.
This is a marriage. And with all marriages, the honeymoon will end and the reality of day-to-day life will settle in. Give me reason to believe in you and continue to support you–for better or worse, in sickness and in health.
And Senator McCain, you may have lost the election, but I still respect you–and I always will. You fought for your country, suffering more than I could ever understand. You stuck to your beliefs to the very end, and for this I cannot fault you. But I gather my hope and energy from another beacon, and now I ask that you do so, too.
And so, tonight, I welcome the fresh wind of change as it creates ripples upon the water and rustling among the leaves. I open my arms wide to embrace it, as it dries the Tears of Joy in the corners of my eyes.
There’s Always Room for Jell-o (circa Hogan’s Heroes)
This may be a bit of a cop-out for a post, but it is humorous and relevant to my life. If you don’t like it, tough (it is my blog, after all)! I’m a Hogan’s Heroes fan through and through. It’s on at least twice a day right now (TV Land, 3:00-3:30 and 3:30-4:00, as well as on Universal HD on the weekends). My appreciation of Hogan’s Heroes stems from the humor in the show–not from how the program is (or is not) relevant to the tragedies inflicted by the Nazis or WWII. In fact, a brief visit to Wikipedia (http://is.gd/2bNQ) reveals a very interesting commentary on the cast. Check it out.
So, I love Hogan’s Heroes, and I have always enjoyed campy Jell-o commercials. I was very young during Hogan’s Heroes 168-episode run, so I don’t remember this commercial. Had I been older during that time, I would have definitely been asking my mom to make me Jell-o with Dream Whip. Thanks to my Twitter friend, @jonk for bringing Jell-o to the front of my brain today. Enjoy the video!
The Gummi Bear Army
Sent from my iPhone
Life needs more Cow Bell.
Sent from my iPhone
Insomnia
Getting to sleep after a weekend off is always difficult for me. After a three-day weekend it’s even worse. After a healthy dose of benadryl I crawl into bed, set the alarm on my iPhone, then set the secondary alarm for about ten minutes after the iPhone alarm. One last obsessive check of Twitter via Hahlo, and then lights out.
Did I mention the requisite (and also obsessive) pillow routine that must be performed before I can even close my eyes? I need to at least pretend I’ve got company in my bed. The loss of my bed-hogging Dalmatian after 12 years obviated the ritual. A pillow wedged on either side of me can never replace the ‘running across a meadow’ doggy dreams, or the barking in the sleep I was so fond of (and so used to), but it helps.
Usually I lie awake, wondering what the people still awake are up to. Feeling like the naughty kid sent to bed early, I crawl under the covers with my iPhone, pretending it’s a book-flashlight combination that will give me a glimpse into the crystal ball of the macrocosm outside my bedroom.
This means one last check of email, one last check of my RSS feeds, and one last check of Twitter. And maybe one last tweet. Or two.
Finally, I can feel my eyes getting heavy, courtesy of the antihistamine. I’m still not convinced that I should sleep–certainly I’m missing out on something–but this time I don’t have a choice. My eyes will close, regardless of my struggles otherwise.
I’ll drift off to sleep now, dreaming of Internet crushes and Dalmatians running through green meadows. And I know it will take both alarms to get me up in what will seem like no more than a few minute’s sleep.
My Heart Beats So
Is it so wrong that I have an Internet crush? Is it more wrong that I have two simultaneous Internet crushes? And they’re both located in the same city–just not anywhere near where I live.
Is this a blog entry, or a visit to the [print version of the] video confessional on the “Real World?”
Whatever the case, once this confession is out of my head I can quit obsessing about it. I doubt I’ll ever meet either of these people. And I’m sure there will be many more crushes to come. For now, I’ll savor the warm, fuzzy of the moment.
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