The Times They Are A Changin'

It’s American Election day, plus three, and I’m still elated. Without getting too sentimental about it, as I usually do when it comes to watching history unfold, I honestly can’t stop smiling. I know that “Where were you when the United States elected an African-American president,” will fall in line with “Where were you when the first plane hit the building,” as the questions that this generation is asked for the rest of our lives. To be honest, I was downstairs, showing Jordan my mom’s new keyboard, when CNN called the winner. It still seemed as though there was some time to go before the inevitable, so we snuck downstairs, only to return to the brilliant words written across the screen — Barack Obama elected next president of the United States.

He’s faulted, sure, and we’ll see what sort of change he puts into action. But, regardless, this is a gigantic step forward – a magnitude which I cannot fully understand. And to add to it, I really like the guy too! I read Dreams from my Father a few months ago, back when I still feared that America would again make the wrong decision. For the first time in my life, I’ve seen a candidate that I supported, either Canadian or American, on a Federal level take the whole thing. Now, that’s a great feeling! With both the Canadian and American elections over, I wonder what will fill our time.

In other news, for the first time in years I’m prematurely excited about the holidays. Maybe it’s the thrill of having a place all of my own, where I can finally put up a tree and celebrate properly. I never bothered to do this in Ottawa (with the exception of a small, flimsy plastic tree in 2006) because I always spent the holidays back in Burlington. I even received my first etsy purchase in the mail yesterday. And yes, I’ve started shopping, but that’s not because I’m overly excited, it’s because I’m often broke, and leaving all my shopping until December 24th, as I usually do, will only result in debt, debt, and more debt. Luckily, my family has decided that we will celebrate Christmas-Lite, limiting the amount of money we spend on one another.

Did I mention that I missed Halloween? Despite (for the first time ever) assembling what I think was a pretty kick-ass costume, I spent Halloween in bed, with a roll of toilet paper and a package of cold medicine. Luckily, we had celebrated the week before, however I did have to miss Jake’s party in Toronto. And I was looking so forward to seeing Jordan in a skimpy dress and feather boa again! Trust me, that is one thing no woman should ever see. It’s a quick way to see your other half in a whole new light.