"Man is by nature a political animal" ~ Aristotle

I'm sure the blog world has been positively inundated by political posts in the last week or so. However, since the reason for this flood is indeed incredibly important, you will have to put up with mine as well.

I was ecstatic when Barack Obama won the election last Tuesday. For the first time in my life, I paid close attention to politics. I also watched CNN and wasn't bored for the first time in my life. As more and more blue states lit up on the map of the United States, I grew more and more excited. As a resident of Virginia, I was more than gobsmacked when our state went blue (that is, democratic) for the first time in about 40 years. The final map (according to wikipedia.org) looked like this.


I do believe that Barack Obama will be the start to the changes we so desperately need to see in America. I believe that he will listen to the people of America, even those that do not agree with him. I believe that he will be tolerant and moderate, and follow an agenda that is best for the American people and not simply best for him and his constituents. But we will have to see; I hope that he will be everything we dream him to be and more, but only time will tell. I am so proud that this was my first election and that I cast a vote that helped bring this man to office. I can only hope that our dreams will be realized.

I'd like to take a moment to just say how fantastic his campaign was; I mean, really, his campaign managers should get an amazingly huge bonus because they knew exactly what the country needed to hear and see. I remember last year, before any election nonsense had started, my roommates and I were straightening each other's hair and saying that after Bush, we need someone young and charismatic to unite the country and blur the party lines that seemed so ironclad during Bush's administration. We all agreed that we needed someone like Kennedy. And now, examine if you will, this portrait of Kennedy.

And now, the very familiar posters used in the Obama campaign.


Look familiar? And you can bet it is not a coincidence! This was an incredibly well-done campaign: politics at its very best.




















I'll leave you with the first part of President-elect (!!) Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, credited to Youtube user USATalk2008.

Hand Claps and Ginger Snaps

Well, my friends . . . .

Halloween/Homecoming weekend is over, and it was indeed full of tricks and treats. Halloween night was interesting to say the least. I went to eat dinner and get ready with a very good friend of mine, and then the pair of us went back to my apartment to grab my keys which I had forgotten. In the half hour that we were at my apartment, my dear friend's car was towed from our parking lot!! The complex I live in is very strict about their permit parking policy and will tow you at a minute's notice after 10 o'clock. Foolishly, we assumed that on Halloween these rules would be eased. Not so. And so we tracked down where the car was, how much it would cost to get it out of the impound, got the car, and got on the drunk bus to head to our intended destination (PARTY!). On the bus we ran into my roommates and their assortment of guests. We ended up chilling with them for the night, going to both parties and having a blast. It was awesome to dance with my friends and have a great time with everyone.

The tailgate/homecoming game was also fantastic. We trounced the opposition, 41-7, but it was great hanging out with my parents and my friends, eating crackers and cookies and brownies, etc. Then our apartment was turned upside-down for this party. It was crazy! Honestly the best party I've ever been to at my college. I knew just about everyone there, danced all over the place, drank much more than I should have and woke up to minimal damage done to my apartment!

Overall, it's been a great weekend, but it's time to head back to reality, and get some more work done.