I do love a man with big strong hands...

I took advantage of the flight schedule changes last night and hit the Massage Bar at SeaTac. Mmmm, my shoulder muscles approve. And a good thing too, because the rest of the evening... Parents, if your under-3 is sick, do not take him on the redeye flight. Nobody will be happy, and I do mean nobody.

However, we all made it through, and I am home, appeasing the (hungry, bored, annoyed) cats. About to head out and see if the post-commuter-rush voting lines are as bad as predicted....

EtA: 20 minutes from desk back to desk. As I suspected, most of my district voted before going to work -- a lot of senior citizens and caretakers, young mothers with strollers, and me.

No McCain pamphleteers standing outside -- three Democrat volunteers were handing out their "vote the line" sheets, the requisite distance away. Voting instructions in four different languages. Probably the best comment I heard was from the older gentleman in front of me, coming out of the booth: "That's done. Thank god."

And the line at Starbucks to claim the free coffee was damn impressive.

Did anyone get an "I voted" sticker today? Or did the PTB look at the proposed turnout and say fuggedaboutit?

Democracy*: It's what's for dinner.

Polls closing. Parties gathering. Anticipation mounting.

I'm half-tempted to go to bed and wake up tomorrow to whatever New World Order we've got...


(that idea was hooted down. SO I guess I'll be playing drinking games with the rest of ya.)

EtA: who is drinking what? I thought I'd had enough scotch at WFC, but the bottle of Aberlour was spirited up by the peat-fairies. And so there we are.

and courtesy of cmpriest:

*okay, a representative democracy. If we can get those participation numbers up, then maybe we can call ourselves a realistic democracy with a straight face...)

and so. history.

I'm crying.

I didn't really think I would but... I am.

Mr. President-elect, we have placed our faith and our hope in you.

Please exceed our dreams...

EtA: that...may be an acceptance speech for history books. And having nothing to do with race.

EtA2: And "The Rising" plays as Obama walks off the stage. Perfect.