One week reflection: can you hear the music?

If you have a few minutes, read this post from a man who teaches American history to Canadian students. It is quite poignant and well written, reflecting upon Barack Obama's recent election and how the writer heard our music and became an "American for A Day."

As I heave a sigh of relief...

I will admit, I am more than just a LITTLE bit glad that this election is over. On to incessant Christmas advertising, I suppose.

I did have a bit of an adventure trying to vote yesterday. This was the first election since I changed to my new married last name. Of course, being the nomads that Husband and I are, I still have my own parents' house listed on all of my important paperwork (like my driver's license). My new name was correct on my voter card, but I knew that the township written was not correct. However, the lady I called at the courthouse told me to go to the polling station for that township anyway, so I did. And was promptly turned away. Luckily, I only had to trek one more block over to reach my actual polling station (although I was still listed under my maiden name...ahhh, hick county and your inadequacy). There was no line, and, in fact, no other voters in the building at that time, so I was finished in about three minutes. It pays to "live" in a town with only 300 people.

After I cast my ballot, we ventured on to Husband's proper polling station and entered at the same time as his parents and brother. Then, the waiting began. We stayed up about an hour extra flipping back and forth between the numerous news channels. Once we were assured by CNN's "projections" that Obama would be Mr. President, we drifted off to sleep and awoke to find that the "projection" was correct (although I am still looking forward to the final word on which way Indiana, a "battleground state," actually fell, to the red or to the blue).

I truly feel that the better candidate won, but now the real work begins. I am very interested to see if the promised "change" comes to fruition. He's still a politician, after all.

I hope the country continues to display as much interest in the everyday inner workings of the political system as it did in the presidential election. If nothing else, this election got people to care. That is certainly true for me. Whichever candidate you voted for, whether I agree with your choice and your reasoning or not, thank you for voting. It makes me proud to call you my fellow American.

Manna from heaven

Ask and you shall receive.

A fair, orderly, straightforward view of both candidates' views for easy comparison:

http://www.sph.umd.edu/fmsc/fis/documents/2008FamilyElectionGuide.pdf

Many thanks to Dedracula for sharing the above link with me. If I were into chicks, she would totally have my class ring dangling from a chain around her neck.