Wow

Is it over? Really?? After two years of election related ads on the radio, newspaper, tv, cars, walls, billboards, email, etc. it's suddenly very, very, quiet. I'm still in a bit of shock and just can't believe it has actually happened. He won. No, WE won.

I watched President-Elect Obama make his election night speech and was stuck by one line in particular: "It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America." How powerful.

I went to his website to see what kind of information they had posted and found a link to a bunch of election night 'behind the scenes' photos. Also, you can get a free "Yes We Did" sticker if you go to the moveon.org and order one.

Historically, voting has been a social event. A reason to get together, see friends, and have your voice heard. Despite the high number of early voters I think history repeated itself this year. When I've gone to vote in past years the lines have been pretty short and the people in line were quiet. This time, the line wrapped around the building and people were chatting and having some fun. Although this didn't happen at my polling place, I heard from others that they were given free hot chocolate, soup, books, etc while waiting in line.

At my polling place there was an African American woman in her 90's who was voting for the first time. She was so excited and took her responsibility so seriously. She kept saying, "This is the first time I've voted and I'm voting for change ... for my man .. Obama." Let's just say that I wasn't the only one tearing up.

Obama has a lot of pressure on him to make changes, make them fast, and keep his campaign promises. At change.gov we can track some of his pre-inaugeration progress.

I am so excited for the future of our country. GOBAMA!

Vote .. and get free stuff!

Oh boy, who doesn't like free? Well, a group of businesses have come up with some incentives for you to vote.

Here's a list:

Starbucks is giving away a free cup of coffee.

Ben and Jerry's is giving away a free scoop of ice cream.

Krispy Kreme is giving away a free star shaped donut.

(Umm, images not available?)

and .. just saw this on msnbc.com ... Babeland is giving away free sex toys. You gotta love America.

Halloween 2008

I'm not normally into the dressing up part of Halloween. Give me a pumpkin and I'll carve it, have kids come by and I'll give them candy, I'll even decorate my house ... but dressing up - no thanks! This year some friends decided to organize a "Ugly Prom Dress/Bridesmaid gown" outing. I've never been a bridesmaid so I volunteered to be the official photographer for the event. I got into character by wearing a black hat with a 'press' sign, a tan trent coat, a black tie, and carried my camera around my neck. You'll notice that some of the dresses are 'uglier' than others .. I especially liked the ruffles, butt bow, and lace that two of the dresses were covered with. We ended up going to a club in downtown DC and while I took pictures we were all too busy talking to focus on real photography! Some pics below:

Ha ha ha ha ha!

From msnbc.com - Sarah Palin becomes a Cabbage Patch Kid - Doll will be auctioned on eBay, along with McCain, Obama, Biden models (#2 in the slideshow)

Sarah Palin Paper Dolls (#4 in the slideshow)

The Palin Condom (#8 in the slideshow)

Another Palin Compilation

We'll start with a photo ... and a link to the article by Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post: "Palin Fashion Includes Scarf That Encourages Voting...For Democrats"

From huffingtonpost.com - "Sarah Palin on SNL: Costume Designer Says She Wanted Nicer Clothes" - "The "Saturday Night Live" costume designer Wednesday night revealed the struggle he had in dressing Sarah Palin: she wanted to wear nicer clothes than they had picked out for her, reflecting the new image she has carefully constructed on the campaign trail."

From Wonkette.com - scroll down to Oct. 22 - BARACK THE BARGAIN HUNTER: Conservative blog TownHall.com investigated those fancy Obamas to see how much they spent on clothes. Barack & Michelle’s nomination night outfits cost under $3,000, or about 2% of Sarah Palin’s RNC shopping spree — and that includes a custom-made suit for Hopey. The Obamas also apparently bought their clothes with their own money, like Americans who support capitalism.

From Washingtonpost.com - Juliet Eilperin - "Veeps Run the Senate, Palin Tells Third Grader" When asked about the role of the vice president yesterday, GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave an expansive interpretation of the legislative role and indicated she would be "in charge of the United States Senate" after taking office.

From christiansciencemonitor.com - Jimmy Orr - "Did Palin really need $150k for a new wardrobe?" No one is saying that Sarah Palin should be required to walk around in flip flops and a hefty bag as she campaigns over the next two weeks. But the $150,000 price tag on to get her dudded-up for the campaign trail has left many a political observer agog at the news.

Some fun Palin nicknames:

"Bible Spice" - from digg.com - 'Biden "The Hammer" vs Palin "Bible Spice"'

"Caribou Barbie" - funnypicturevideo.com - "Caribou Barbie Doll Sarah Palin"

And the fun continues ...

I've received a number of links from friends so it's time to update the blog. Reading some of these articles, commentaries, blogs, and reports I just become more and more concerned about the possibility that Sarah Palin could possibily become the Vice President of the United States. This is an 'oy vey' situation if I've ever seen one!

From 23/6 - Jerome Halligan - "Couric to Palin: Do You Know We're Recording This?"

From 23/6 - Joseph Minton Amann and Tom Breuer - "The Real Reason McCain Picked Palin."

From the Huffington Post - Nico Pitney - "Palin Misquotes Albright: "Place In Hell Reserved For Women Who Don't Support Other Women""

From BuzzFlash.com - Mark Karlin - "By Any Measure, Sarah Palin is a Radical Political and Religious Extremist."

From Washingtonpost.com - Anne Applebaum - "Palin's Imaginary Washington"

From the Huffington Post - Jeffrey Feldman - "Is Palin Trying To Incite Violence Against Obama?"

From 23/6 - Popular Features - "236.com Sarah Palin Video Library - Definitive archive of every Palin gaffe that we have."

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

This one not only deserves it's own blog entry but I don't think an introduction is even needed. From Daily Kos - the "Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart" by adennak

I know some folks out there might have had trouble following the Vice Presidential debate. Particularly, trying to parse meaning from the things that Sarah Palin said. With that in mind, I have compiled a handy resource for your perusal. I hope to update this chart, both graphically and grammatically, when it is no longer ten to five in the morning. For for the mean time. . . enjoy!