The Change We Got

Tuesday was an amazing day in history. We all know it. Here are a few highlights of the day:

BFF Votes For the First Time! It was great to know someone who had never voted before in a national election, who now felt motivated to vote for someone for the first time. Barack was the change she believed in. She was a little nervous and i think might have felt a little insecure about being an adult that wasn't already familiar with the ballot-casting process. But she did not let insecurity stop her! She voted and realized how painless the process could be. Brava, BFF. You fulfilled your civic duty!

I voted for Obama. I was so excited to vote for him. I was humming the "I've got a crush on Obama" Song the whole time i waited on line. Everyone there seemed so eager to vote, even though the lines were longer than anyone had ever seen them there. Afterwards, "For Now" from Avenue Q came on my ipod and when "George Bush!" got called out, I broke down in tears right in the middle of the street.

Being with friends. It was my friend Alex's birthday/election party. His birthday is such that it usually falls right around election day. It was an amazing assortment of people with whom I went to college. Lots of them are married now, but since lots of those marrieds don't have kids yet, they can still come out to play on a school night. After the total horror that was losing in 2000 when we were all at Wesleyan, i really felt like something was restored to us as a group to be able to witness Barack's win together. We've basically spent our adult lives working against a horrible, divisive, fear-mongering administration. For me, it felt almost baptismal to be with them the moment they announced that Obama had won at 11pm. It felt like so much weight and sadness had been washed away. Finally we could address these huge problems facing our world with hope in our hearts instead of anxiety and frustration. The country did what it collectively ought to have done in electing Barack Obama. That knowledge, that moment, can never be taken away from us. We did the right thing. John McCain deserved to lose for the campaign he ran. Not because he himself is awful, but because he did not run a campaign that was reflective of him. He gave control of his campaign to the wrong kind of people with the wrong strategy, and if he could do that with his campaign, he could do that with his Administration. But getting back to my main point, being able to unite with my friends in-person, after uniting with them via the internet to take a more active part in the campaign was a truly momentous occasion. For us to be a little older, a little wiser, a little more active and a lot more hopeful eight years later? That is fucking awesome.

Taking it to the streets. After Obama's amazing victory speech, we left Alex's apartment and headed for union square. You could hear people all over the place screaming and cheering. Cars and trucks all over were honking horns along with the chant "O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!" and "YES! WE! CAN!" Union Square was a sea of bodies, all excited none really sure what to do with themselves. We danced and and cheered and hugged... and then i could not ignore the fact that i had to be at work at 9am the next day and had to go home. But the night was filled with a fantastic energy that i will not soon forget.

The next morning. I remember waking up post-election day in 2000 and 2004 and immediately thinking, "what's the use? this is a total nightmare to face the world under a Bush Presidency?" then i checked the news and the race was undecided! Both times! But then it went to Bush. Both times. It was so great to wake up yesterday - even after only 4 hours sleep - and feel the Obama Era taking hold. And I turned on the TV and it was still very clear Obama had won. There would be no court battle, no slimy feeling of a stolen election. We just had the somewhat scary, very hopeful, and totally exciting question to ponder: What Happens Now? Whatever happens, everyone needs to be a part of moving forward. I can't wait to find out what good comes from the change we got.

2008 ING NYC Marathon Playlist

Here's my Marathon Playlist. Amazingly it worked out perfectly! I charged toward the finish line to Green Day's cover of The Simpsons Theme and crossed just as the tempo picked up on Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. Here's the whole list!

Mile 1
You Can't Take No For An Answer, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Happy Birthday, Bright Lights, Big City (Studio Cast)
Straight Lines, Silverchair
Mile 2
Final Fantasy IV - Main Theme
30/90, Tick, tick... BOOM!
Mile 3
Outer World Theme, Final Fantasy VII
Home, Chris Daughtry
Mile 4
Is It Any Wonder?, Keane
Lost Ones, Jay-Z
Vertigo, U2
Mile 5
Blackout, In The Heights
Breakthrough, Hope 7
Bury My Lovely (October Project), The Cardinal Sinners
Mile 6
Some People, Patti LuPone
One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces, Ben Folds Five
When you're next to me, Mitch & Mickey
Mile 7
Cheer Up, Boys (your make-up is running), Foo Fighters
One Minute, Kelly Clarkson
Oh My, Mellowdrone
Mile 8
So What (Main Version), P!nk
Music Is The Victim, Scissor Sisters
That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), Panic At the Disco
Mile 9
Mr Brightside, The Killers
A Little Respect, Erasure
Goodnight Goodnight, Hot Hot Heat
Mile 10
The Water Song, Julia Meinwald
The Goonies R Good Enough, Cyndi Lauper
The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In), Hair
Mile 11
Your Fault/Last Midnight. Into the Woods [Original Broadway Cast]
Going Through The Motions, Once More With Feeling
BTW - Write Back, Andrea Burns
Mile 12
Invincible, Pat Benatar
Barrel of a Gun, Guster
Shoplifter, Green Day
Mile 13
I'm Lion-O, Relient K
Kansas Sky Highway, True Fans
We Are Not Strangers, Runaways Soundtrack
Mile 14
Run for Your Life, Nancy Sinatra
Blinded (When I See You), Third Eye Blind
I Kissed A Girl, Katy Perry
Mile 15
Stuttering, Ben's Brothers
Don't Waste Your Time, Kelly Clarkson
The Bucket, Kings Of Leon
Mile 16
Crush, David Archuleta
Just Fine, Mary J. Blige
Can You Picture That? Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Mile 17
bleeding love, leona lewis
96,000, In The Heights Soundtrack
Mile 18
Pocketful Of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield
U & Ur Hand, P!nk
Bones, The Killers
Mile 19
When I Grow Up, The Pussy Cat Dolls
Funplex, The B-52's
I've Just Seen A Face, Across The Universe Soundtrack
Mile 20
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Green Day
Looking At the World from the Bottom of a Well, Mike Doughty
All I Do Is Dream of You, Singin' in the Rain Soundtrack
Mile 21
Princes Of The Universe, Queen
Motorcycle Drive-By (acoustic live),Third Eye Blind
March of the Witch Hunters, Wicked Soundtrack
Mile 22
Take My Temperature, Kaiser Chiefs
Swollen Summer, The Bravery
Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag,Chicago Movie Soundtrack
Mile 23
Pounding, Doves
Lollipop, Mika
Bastian's Happy Flight, The Never Ending Story Soundtrack
Mile 24
Girlfriend, Avril Lavigne
Who Knew, P!nk
Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell Soundtrack
Mile 25
Gone, Kelly Clarkson
Eagle Fly Free, Helloween
Thundercats Theme
Mile 26
Bigger Than My Body, John Mayer
Carnaval Del Barrio, In The Heights Soundtrack
The Simpsons Theme (From "The Simpsons Movie"), Green Day
Don't Stop Me Now, Queen