11/4/08

I know I posted earlier tonight, but that was from the pre-election calm. Tonight did wind up being something special and exciting. I watched the first wave of results come in at the Record Bar while a newly retooled Ghosty played some great covers and new tunes. After that we rode to McCoy's and watched the Obama speech in the cigar lounge/living room. There seemed to be a different sound delay in each part of the bar, but the staggered cheers and chants made for an interesting and dramatic effect. There was a lot of emotion in the room. Embraces and periodic shouts of excitement, but mostly silent attention to Obama's speech. I saw a gay kid I know walk by with tears in his eyes, most likely because he was specifically included in the acceptance speech. Big smiles went out around the bar as final results and text messages poured in. Fireworks and honking horns and kids yelling and banging on empty cans made the streets especially festive, though I rode past everything so quickly on my newly repaired bicycle that it was all something of a blur. At home Jenn and I played a couple of apt numbers on the stereo, namely "Yes We Can" by Lee Dorsey and "Funky President" by James Brown. Speaking of which, in the next few days I'd like to throw together a mix called "The New Administration," but so far it's only about 1/4 done so if anyone has any contributions please let me know. Again, actually casting my ballot today and seeing all the young people crowd the precinct was a special thrill, though I'd like to repeat what I said earlier: that now it's up to us to take all of the energy put into this campaign and channel it into substantive efforts to actually improve our situation and that of our neighbors. For now, I plan to get some rest, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who will sleep well knowing that the American people have decidedl conclusively to move beyond the irresponsible policies of the last eight years and the same cultural bickering we've seen for decades.

Love from KC,

LDHW