Packed and Ready to Go... Soon.

Well. Everything is packed. Everything has been put into storage, or into the trunk and the back seat of my car. Last night I slept barely four hours, waking myself with the fear that I would somehow oversleep my alarm and miss the truck pick up. Of course, this was not the case, and I made two car loads to storage, as well as a much needed coffee run before I underwent the tortuous experience of being rented a truck by someone who was "sorry, but I've never done this before".

The truck was filled without incident, and unloaded in the same manner; my friend Kevin had to head home for a computer problem for twenty minutes, and I was left alone to organize the mess of belongings that we had thus far stuffed into my 10x15 space. As I sorted the boxes, chairs, and paintings, I had a sudden moment of clarity; What the hell am I doing??

Suddenly the past few weeks of preparation were snapped into focus, and I realized that I was going to exist for the next several months with only the things that I could carry (or, as is more accurate, the things that fit into my car). Also suddenly obvious was the realization that these things that seemed so, so, minimal also constituted a large amount of stuff. The idea of being footloose and fancy free is a terribly romantic notion that I have bought into wholeheartedly, but really? I thought that it would all fit comfortably into my trunk. Not so, as I learned this evening. Close, but not so much.

Still though, as it stands presently, my keys are limited to the car key, the key to the storage lock, and, for the next two days, a shared key to my friend Becky's apartment. Inspiring? Yes. Overwhelming? Most definitely. Regardless, even if this is only for the short term, I hope to learn and gain so, so much more than were I to stay through another grey winter. As it is tonight, the fog has crept in, you can barely see past half a block on Queen Anne hill, and I am remarkably cozy. In three days though? Seventy five degrees and beaches. In three months? Who knows, though I am open to receive it, whatever it is.

Late Night Maudlin Street :: Recylced

I wrote this during the move from Honolulu to Seattle, little over a year ago. All of the below still rings true, and I sit, beer in hand, in my packed apartment, listening to the track in question. This song has broken my heart from the age of 15 on, and I can't imagine eulogizing a home, a life, left behind without it. Now, though while I move onward from Seattle to Los Angeles --even for the time being -- many of the same emotions come into play. The loss, the longing, the hope, and the expectation. Everything has changed, even if, on the surface, very little has.

Tonight, well, last night if we’re to be totally honest, I was to start packing. As has been expressed in a previous post, I am in the middle of Tremendous Life Change. I am moving as much as I can afford of my current life in Hawaii back to what could be said to be my old life, but is really my new life, in Seattle.

Yesterday, I turned thirty two. Thirty was spent in the middle of a hectic move to Hawaii, a move that was even more hectic because I allowed my then partner to shoulder all of the responsibility in getting us here. Sure, I helped, but not as much as I could or should have. Part of it was that I was resistant to change, and, even at the cusp of thirty, acting the part of a spoiled child. This time is different. This time I have only myself to answer to (because who wants to be in a relationship with a spoiled child? Exactly.), and must handle things differently.

Jamie suggested that I take some time out of the packing to do a post about Music for Packing, which, really, truth be told, is Music For Leaving. Because I am. I am leaving; I am leaving my partner of more than four years (who, in the spirit of our new found honesty left me), I am leaving friends, I am leaving an established career; I am choosing not to live my life for other people.

We could be clever. We could bluster about how we moved neighborhoods in Seattle in a Darvocet and Percocet haze to Les Savy Fav serenading us with “We’ve Got Boxes”. We could laugh when we remember the move from Kansas to Seattle, marking the miles with Modest Mouse and “A Life Of Arctic Sounds”, because, don’t you know, five hundred miles is a long way to go inside a car? (And don’t you know, once we got there, we pined away the nights with “Busby Berkely Dreams” by the Magnetic Fields?) But let’s not. Let’s share a beer and continue to be honest. Lets talk about “Late Night Maudlin Street” by Morrissey.

This song, oh, this song. This song, off Morrissey’s first solo effort Viva Hate, all the way back in 1988, is the song that for years has eulogized our passing from one physical space to the next. There has not been a move in recent memory that has not entailed sitting in the middle of the floor with a beer and Morrissey’s sad, sad lament about changing house drifting through speakers. I am moving house, a half life disappears today... It captures the ache and promise of new beginnings so perfectly. It is the ache of lost love, of a life that you’ve left behind; it was, is, and will always be, to me, perfect.

The rain pours down at the back of the Nu’uanu valley, where I currently live -- teasing me with the promise of a dark and potentially lonely winter in the Northwest. I’m drinking a beer, sitting at my computer, and listening to “Late Night Maudlin Street”, over and over, so many times that it’s embarrassing. It is, however, like a friend’s arm around your shoulder, fingers pressed into your bicep, and promising that everything really will be okay.

Oh, truly I do love you...

One More Thought On Loss

Today as I was putting things into storage and rushing around with preparations for the impending move, I was reminded of a quote that sums up what I think that I may have been somewhat trying to convey in the last post. It comes from the play Angels In America, and was spoken by the character Harper.

"Nothing's lost forever. In this world there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we've left behind, and dreaming ahead. At least I think so" -- Tony Kushner

And it's true; it was this painful progress that I was attempting to speak to in my last post. However, when I remembered the quote, I remembered the last line as "I hope so", which made it so much more poignant to me. Yes of course we hope so, but honestly, I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is that I hope to be so. For the time being, I suppose that Hope will be my blanket; Hope will be what carries me (though indeed, it carries all of us) through however much longer I may feel that I need to be carried. Hope is redemptive, and is a close cousin of Faith, though perhaps a more wistful and less certain cousin. Faith is Certainty, while Hope is the middle ground between Certainty and Dreams. Hope is what, along with Faith, keeps us going from day to day.

Regardless of what you may fear that you've lost, or are losing, you can only hope that you will reconcile this with what you may gain, whatever that is. It is not yet even 5pm, and Seattle is nearly completely dark, bundled in it's own blanket of mist, so much so that I can barely see the Space Needle from my window; just an illuminated outline with the not yet completed Christmas lights atop the spire. In light of all of the transition and change in my life, I am refreshingly less cynical than any time in recent memory. Bundled in Hope, I'm ready to move forward into the future, whatever it may be.

Half Formed Thoughts On Loss

Sometimes we lose. The world is full of loss; we lose people, we lose jobs, we lose everything that we've ever had. Sometimes we lose our keys. We lose our minds, we lose the present to the past and the future to the present. We lose brain cells by the bucket load every day, often accelerated by whatever means we choose to deaden the pain of those losses. Every day losing and loss, whether we see it or not. It's strangely and horribly consuming, this shedding that we experience every day, like leaves fluttering off a tree. We are becoming lighter, leaner, yet paradoxically more burdened.

Yet we go forward still, every day. Every day in spite of so many setbacks, and so much loss, so much of it that can't even be avoided. It's marvelous, really, this going on and moving forward. What is it that keeps us from throwing our hands up and giving in? Shouting "enough!" to the heavens and slumping down, defeated? Is it faith? Is it hope?

Or is it that we somehow understand that through losing, we are, ultimately, able to win? Is it that, if you live your life without defeat, you never truly hunger for victory? We may get pushed around sometimes, but one day, we'll be pushed too hard. We'll throw that punch, the other guy will go down, and it will feel damn good. Damn good.

Saturday night I drank champagne and toasted the very idea of Possibility, and tonight, tonight were I to have champagne, I believe that I would toast Loss. Loss who, with all of her cruelty and indifference is nevertheless shepherding us to a better tomorrow as better, stronger, wiser people. Raise your glasses and bow your heads friends; place one hand over your heart, and let us solemnly, wistfully, and yes, because me must, joyfully, toast.

Janelle Monae :: Yow!!!!

Janelle Monae may be one of the best, most interesting new artists that I have had the privilege of being introduced to over the past year. Hailing from ATL via KC KS, Janelle Monae, I think will prove to be one of the more interesting voices in R&B that we've seen in some time.

Ms. Monae manages to channel Prince, Outkast's Andre 3000, James Brown, and, perhaps, a little David Bowie for the sheer spectacle that she has created. All in all, Janelle Monae is one of the most exciting new artists, and I can't wait to see and hear more from her. Sadly, I found out about her weeks after her show in Seattle, which I can only presume was sheer, jubilant brilliance. Also, the chance to have seen her at one of the city's smaller clubs (Chop Suey) is an opportunity that likely won't be coming around again.

The Things I Will Carry

Above will be, aside from clothing and my car, the whole of my possessions for the next few months; and my camera, as it's difficult to take photos of the camera with the camera. Just books and electronic essentials, as well as a notebook, a good pen, and my passport.

The books are a mix of some old friends (Nicole Krauss, Jonathan Safran Foer [two of my favorite books, especially when read as companions], Cynthia Ozick, Kazuo Ishiguro, and David Sedaris), the afore mentioned James Frey, some insightful nonfiction from Oliver Sacks and some dry, dry, dry instructional nonfiction in the form of HTML4. Also included, but not purchased yet are The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels, and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, as this is also, ultimately, a journey of the spirit.

Of course, this many books is likely unrealistic, as I think that I've managed to finish one book in the past three months -- and it was a short one. (A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood, and which may also make it's way into the pile due to the location and themes addressed.) All in all though, I think that I've chosen these particular books as guides for wherever it is that I'm trying to go, and especially as I embrace this trip as a sort of vision quest. All said though, I really do need to make it through that HTML4 for Dummies if nothing else.

So yes, this will be "my life" in terms of possessions for at least two months; crazy, no?

We'll All Have Our Bright Shiny Morning

What are we doing?
We're leaving.
Where are we going?
California.
We can't just get up and go to California.
Yes, we can.
We can't just walk away from our lives.
We don't have lives here. We're just stuck. We'll end up like everyone else, drunk and mean and miserable.
What'll we do?
Figure it out.
We're just gonna leave and go to California and figure it out?
Yeah, that's what we're gonna do.

--James Frey, excerpted from Bright Shiny Morning.

The above was, literally, the first thing that caught my eye when skimming through a copy of Bright Shiny Morning today. I was spending time with a friend, beginning the bittersweet process of saying my goodbyes, and she suggested that I add this to my reading list, as Los Angeles and her history are central characters. To say that it resonated would be, of course, something of an understatement. While the motivations for my own journey are far less dark, and much more an adventure and an exploration of myself than a mere running away, the end result is that yes, I am going to California to "figure it out".

Packing is almost complete, departure dates have been set, and there is an almost electric excitement about me. Often I have found myself critical of my reluctance to have adventures (though in truth, I've had my fair share), so perhaps this is also something of a test. There is something that I want, and have felt that I've needed for some time, and here it is, a door that merely needs to be walked through. Perhaps it's the ease with which everything fell together that leaves me a little nervous, but in truth, isn't serendipity to be celebrated?

Right now, with so much uncertainty in the world, let's focus on the beauty and the wonder of possibility; a belief that, in the end, everything really can be wonderful. Let's suspend for a moment, if we can, the concept of chance. Instead, let's believe, if only for just now, that everything is a puzzle, a gift to be used to our advantage in making us the people that we want to be. It's not that things are hard, it's that they're blessedly easy, if only we can step back and marvel at yes, the beauty and wonder of it all.

Westward and to the South

Growth is painful. it marks us with stretch marks, wraps rings around the insides of trees; bands of experience and expansion that are physical evidence of what we have come to call “growing pains”.  We are marked inside and out as we grow and change, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse; regardless, there is always evidence, if only you know to look hard enough. 

Lately I’ve had my own growing pains, becoming more persistent over the past year, until by the beginning of November I felt almost as though I was knitting new bones. My growing pains stemmed from self awareness and the realization that the past year had taken me further from my goals rather than closer. Unhappy in career and locale, it was a perpetual struggle of two steps backwards for every one forward. 

Friday I made the decision to move to Los Angeles for the winter after a week and a half of serious re-evaluation of, essentially, every aspect of my life. What I hope is that this will be my spirit walk, my vision quest, that brings me back into sync with my goals and brings me closer to achieving them. The hope is that I can walk away from my life, just for a short time, and come back more centered and focused, and the better for it. Essentially, a chance to hit the reset button and see the world with eyes that aren't nearly as tired.

By Monday, I had cancelled my now expired gym membership, given notice at my apartment, begun packing, and found a storage space. Suddenly everything is frighteningly, vividly, Kodachrome real. The reality of the people and places that I will be leaving (yet again, only temporarily, so why the deep melancholy?) settles like a cold fog, replacing the bright optimism that existed when this was all mere fancy. There will be time enough to bask in California's golden sun, cooling toes in her oceans and roasting marshmallows in the embers of her wild fires; today we mourn our losses, real or imagined. 

All of this is coming at a cost, as does everything, and with that cost is tied the hope that the gains will offset the losses. In the end, a life of what if and missed opportunity is as dry and bitter as a mouthful of ashes. Nothing wondrous is ever achieved without risk, even if, in the end, the risk isn’t even that great.

Join The Impact Seattle

Today was the national Join The Impact protest, and out here in Seattle, announced today, it is officially "Marriage Equality Day". Every November 15, per Mayor Greg Nickels speaking at today's rally, we will celebrate the right of all people, regardless of color, gender, orientation, or faith to be married. Good on you, Mayor Nickels; it doesn't change my position on your liberalization of zoning laws (in a way that is, to my mind, anti preservation), but I'm touched that Seattle's gay community has your support.

The rally was, in truth, inspiring. It was heartwarming to me to see a gathering of people from across the spectrum of Seattle's citizenry; especially older straight couples and (gay and straight) families with their children. Especially inspiring was the knowledge that, moving forward, things will be different, and to borrow a line from the fight for African American rights, yes, "we will overcome".

See the full gallery here.

Keith Olbermann Has Something To Say

MSNBC shouting talking head Keith Olbermann addressed the topic of gay marriage and Proposition 8. Definitely worth watching and forwarding. A good perspective on an issue that is, yes (sigh) about equal rights, and not special rights. (For the record, I love him; he may be our Bill O'Reilly, but he possesses a humanity and an intellectualism that is otherwise largely absent in punditry.)



(Update: This totally makes me teary eyed every time I watch it; let us all be written in the Book Of Love.)

Downloadable Protest Posters!

The folks over at Against8 have some great downloadable posters to use tomorrow for the march; download them and march, march, march for equal rights!!

Radiohead as interpreted through Troll 2

All right, so via Fey Friends comes this gem. I admit, I have never seen Troll 2, nor even Troll 1 for that matter. However, I do love me some Radiohead. As a matter of fact, I'm listening to "The Bends" right now!

Regardless, I agree with the assertion that this may be the best Radiohead video ever. Yes, that's right, ever. Election, politics, Palin, gays, etc... Let's take a break and remember what the internet is for! Fun things. And porn, but that's not what we're about here... Also, the puppy cam! Loves it.

My Rights Are Your Rights

It's been incredibly inspiring to see the amount of reaction, on a national level, to the passage of Proposition 8. The real question, however, is why is Proposition 8 different than the marriage ban amendments passed in both Florida and Arizona? What makes California so different and special, and worthy of our ire?

Is it that, for God's sake, it's California? That we just can't fathom how something like this could pass, even by a slim majority, in a state that is known as the liberal bastion that is California? Is it that we've written off all of those Southern and "fly-over" states that we don't want to live in anyway?

No, the answer to the question of "Why is California exceptionally important to the fight for Equality" is that Proposition 8 effectively amended the state Constitution to take away rights that the state supreme court had already ruled existed under the Equal Protection Clause. In effect, Proposition 8 amends the Equal Protection Clause to remove gays and lesbians. It is a dangerous benchmark, and opens the door to remove gays and lesbians from existing legislation that protects us against discrimination in the workplace and in fair housing laws. Discrimination that, by the way, we are only protected against on a state level; there is no federal law in place protecting us period, and state laws are, naturally, on a state by state basis. In fact (and has been mentioned) Arkansas passed a law in this past election cycle that prohibited adoption or foster parenting by any "unmarried couples", a law that admittedly was drafted with the intent of countering the "gay agenda".

Let's not argue about the importance of establishing gays and lesbians as a "protected class" of citizens. Instead, let's talk about all people having the rights to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" as set forth in the Constitution. To argue otherwise is as ridiculous and nonsensical as to argue that it's acceptable to discriminate on the basis of hair, eye, or skin color. We are all one people, globally, regardless of anything, and it is not harmful to anyone or anything to admit as much. Those who lead by fear are not leaders, but dictators.

I leave you with a famous quote from Pastor Martin Niemöller, from the Holocaust. This hung in my bedroom in high school, and it served as a reminder that, again, we are all one people; and as one people, we have a duty to see that everyone's rights are protected. As a gay American, I have a value equal to everyone else living in this nation and this world, and it is true that "No one is free when others are oppressed." Gay, straight, black, white, regardless of nationality or faith, in the end, we are all one. And we must never be lead to believe otherwise.

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

In Germany, they also came for the gays, and no one said a word. It may not happen again in the same way, with camps and gas, but once we see the erosion and seizure of one group's civil rights, we open a door that leads down a dark and terrifying corridor. Stand up for your neighbor's rights, and you stand up for your own. We are living in historic times; let's guarantee that it's a history that we can be proud of, all of us.

Fight Back Against The Family Research Council

The Family Research Council sent out an "Action Alert" via email and on their website urging their supporters to email Governor Schwarzenegger to urge him to reverse his position of support for the overturn of Proposition 8. Well, if they can do it, so can we. Email the governor and let him know that you are grateful for his support of your rights, and the rights of all Americans. Just a quick note of "Hey thanks, keep doing what you're doing" should suffice.

Email Arnold here.

Join The Impact Saturday!

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."
-Thomas Jefferson-

This Saturday, people across the nation, and in every state, will meet and march to our city halls to demand equality, and show that we will not be silent as our rights are stripped away through legislation. Find information on your city here, and please join us, regardless of sexual orientation, nationality, faith, gender, or age. Let's take hold of the opportunity to truly be one united voice asking that we honor the spirit and the principles that our country was founded upon.

Shut Up, Elton John.

Oh, Elton John, you silly vapid, selfish queen, you. How nice, Sir Elton, that you have blessed us with making your home in Los Angeles and taking the time to pontificate on our quaint political processes. Via USA Today (the favored rag of the business traveler and the third rate motel), Sir Elton made clear his views on exactly why the opposition to Proposition 8 failed.

"We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage."

"I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," said John. "The word marriage, I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

The thing is, Sir Elton? We already had marriage. It was there in the California Constitution (it's like a Yankee Magna Carta, dear), the state supreme court affirmed that it was there, and then it was taken away by bigots wielding fear and lies. No one "went for marriage"; this was thrust on us, and we stood up to protect the rights that we already had protected under the Constitution, and they were taken away. Similar to how in Arkansas they took away the rights of unmarried people to foster and adopt children; something that we also would not be allowed under a "civil partnership".

So please, take your hair plugs, your collection of novelty eyewear, your hideous Oscar party, and yes, even your "Tiny Dancer" and fuck right off back across the pond. P.s. Love the outfit; though doesn't it seem a bit tasteful for you?

photo via Andy Kropa AP

Circulate the Proposition 8 Repeal Petition!!!

Well, the amount of time spent patting ourselves on the back over the election results was short lived -- for me at least, and many others that I know. California passed (by a slim margin, but certainly a large enough margin to cause concern) Proposition 8, the amendment to the state's constitution revoking marriage rights for gays and lesbians. As disheartening as it is, opponents of the ban are refusing to concede defeat, and there are already multiple lawsuits working their way into the court system. At issue is the fact that the ballot initiative is discriminatory, and unfairly targets a portion of the population, and violates the equal protection clause that it seeks to amend.

Additionally, there is a petition that I urge everyone to circulate, but please know, you are only able to sign if you are a California resident, age 18 or older. If you are not, please do not sign it, but do what you can to make people who are eligible aware. The petition is an entreaty to Governor Schwarsenegger to overturn the ballot measure, and currently has, at last count has over 113,000 signatures. Please, make your voice heard! We changed history once this week, let's do it again. (Update: While writing this, I was able to see the number of signatures go up by over 2000 s in the span of a few minutes. Inspiring!)

Can't sign? Circulate this link.

Below, the full text:

To: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
I, myself, and many Californians I know are disgusted with the hatred that the passing of proposition 8 brought. I am asking you to read this over, THE FACTS, not the propaganda. Open your mind for a minute, and realize that this is terrible for future generations as well. How do you know that your future children or grandchildren won't come to you and tell you they are homosexual? Wouldn't you want your child to live a life in which the love they found was supported? Plain and simple, if you are an American, you should believe in preserving the constitution. Proposition 8's passing took away the 14th amendment for a group of people, and I would like to give it back.

Facts v. Fiction
Proposition 8 would eliminate fundamental rights for a group of Californians. It’s unfair and it’s wrong.

Fiction: Prop 8 doesn’t discriminate against gay people.
Fact: Prop 8 is simple: it eliminates the rights for same-sex couples to marry. Prop 8 would deny equal protections and write discrimination against one group of people—lesbian and gay people—into our state constitution.

Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.
Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education. And no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it.
California’s top educators including Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell and California Teachers all agree: Prop 8 has nothing to do with education.

Fiction: Churches could lose their tax-exemption status.
Fact: The court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”

Fiction: A Massachusetts case about a parent’s objection to the school curriculum will happen here.
Fact: California gives parents an absolute right to remove their kids and opt-out of teaching on health and family instruction they don’t agree with. The opponents know that California law already covers this and Prop 8 won’t affect it, so they bring up an irrelevant case in Massachusetts.

Fiction: Four Activist Judges in San Francisco…
Fact: Prop 8 is about eliminating a fundamental right. Judges didn’t grant the right, the constitution guarantees the right. Proponents of Prop 8 use an outdated and stale argument that judges aren’t supposed to protect rights and freedoms. Prop 8 is about whether Californians are willing to amend the constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating a fundamental right for one group of citizens.

Fiction: If Prop 8 isn’t passed, people can be sued over personal beliefs.
Fact: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.

Fiction: Pepperdine University supports the Yes on 8 campaign.
Fact: The University has publicly disassociated itself from Professor Richard Peterson of Pepperdine University, who is featured in the ad, and has asked to not be identified in the Yes on 8 advertisements.

Fiction: Unless Prop 8 passes, California parents won’t have the right to object to what their children are taught in school.
Fact: California law clearly gives parents and guardians broad authority to remove their children from any health instruction if it conflicts with their religious beliefs or moral convictions.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

WE FUCKING WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good job America! We won. We made history. Proposition 8 remains to be called, but we have proven that we are up for fighting the good fight. John McCain, you were a good guy, but you made some poor decisions. Sarah Palin? Suck it. Joe the Plumber, you are neither a real "Joe" nor a real "plumber". Enjoy those last remaining 15 minutes Joe and Sarah; we won't miss you.

Update: Just listening to John McCain's concession speech, and I must say that sir, you are a true class act. Your concession was eloquent and touching, and you made strides to unite us as a nation; you regained my respect, and I hope that your own legacy as a committed servant to the service of your country endures.

Again, we have made history. We are one step closer to changing the world.

Election Day!!

Today we make history.

I'm on pins and needles for the Presidential election as well as the Washington state gubernatorial contest and, duh, Proposition 8 in CA. The plan is to avoid any election coverage after 7pm PST, go to yoga, and emerge at 9pm with a new president. All will be right with the world, angels will trumpet on high, and the Dow will gain 2,000 points in the morning -- and manage to hold on to them. The world will breathe a collective sigh of relief, and there will be such astonishing international goodwill that everyone will manage to overcome their differences and we'll see an end to violence in Africa and the Middle East; North Korea will open it's borders, and Cuba will hold open democratic elections.

Nonsense, of course, but just last night I was discussing with friends the likelihood of a "rubber band effect" if we do indeed see an Obama presidency. Is it possible that the harm done over the past eight years can be overcome by the US dramatically changing course, electing our first mixed race president, and dropping the arrogant and contemptuous attitude that has defined American politics for far too close to a decade now? I think that it is possible. I don't believe that it will be immediate, but I do believe that we can show that we are making a good faith effort to be a good global citizen. We know that we made some pretty big mistakes, but hey, we want to do better, and we're trying.

Pins and needles people, pins and needles.