Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off to Vote We Go

I have never been so excited about voting. Twice I checked out early voting and both times Ronn talked me out of it since the lines stretched around the corner and then some. Part of me wanted to stay in line so I could talk to the people and let the effect of the moment arouse my patriotism. But the heat of the day and the standing for hours waylaid that frivolity and instead I waited until the day of. I couldn’t sleep on Monday night.

Before bed I had gone out with friends to dinner and to a Rock the Vote concert event they were doing downtown. We got there around 7 p.m. and it was dead. There were three stages set up; the central Jannus Landing stage, the outdoor side stage and the indoor stage of the Tamiami. During the hour we spent there, we witnessed a band that looked and sounded very new agie meets Jethro Tull rock, but without the flute. You could tell half the band had been rockin’ for a few decades and even though one guy had the most beautiful feathered hair (I would have killed for that back in middle school), it just lacked the emotion I sought in a rock show. Plus this local wonder, called Dream-something, was on the side stage and that brought back bad memories of a birthday concert I attended a couple years back with Flock of Fleabags – a major disappointment.

On the main stage was a band called, Trace of Day, and they seemed young and hip and energetic, but I really wanted to get home to see the SNL show. Tuttie agreed and we left, not really emboldened by the event, but in no way dissuaded by voting the next day.

I went to bed early missing most of SNL, after I had set out my clothes for the previous day and making sure the alarm was set. I tossed and turned and kept wondering if I should just get up and get ready so I could be at the polls when they opened. Finally, at around 5 a.m. I said the hell with it and got up chomping at the bit like a kid waiting for Disney World.

There were about 100 people in front of me at the polls, but the whole experience only took about 45 minutes. I didn’t care. I was psyched. I listened to “Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me” on my iPod and kept my patience with ease. Then off to work.

Election night I went to Ronn’s and plugged myself into NBC news to catch the results. Even then I wasn’t able to relax. I couldn’t do anything more and it was all in the hands of America and I just hoped it would turn out for the better this time. By 10 p.m. I felt more confident and completely exhausted from my short-lived experience of not eating or sleeping. I went to bed, but could not sleep like I should. I was woken up by the phone blaring and Renee screaming in ecstasy that we had won. I went back to my light sleep and still could not grasp the thought that it had really happened. The next morning at 5 a.m. again, my best wishes had truly come true. Oh happy day!