Election Eve

Let's sing a little Super Freak by Rick James, shall we?

She's a very sleepy girl!
The kind whose under all the covers!
She will never let your spirits down,
Once she gets a good night's sleep!

That girl is pretty sleepy,
She needs a super sleep!
The kind of girl you read about
In sleepy magazines!
That girl is pretty sleepy,
She needs a super sleep!
I really need some respite
Snooze it up real deep!

She needs a super sleep! Super sleep! She's super sleep-ay, yow!

Ok, enough of that. And if you're wondering what a "sleepy magazine" is, I can't help you. My brain is too tired to explain itself.

So. Last night. What did I do? Run screaming through the streets like much of the country, partying and drinking and singing patriotic songs? Nope. It was a very Granny election eve for me. And STILL I AM TIRED.

I did get invited to an election party last night with all my crazy friends, which I thought about going to. The problem was, I was too freaked out about the election. Whichever way the durn thing went, I knew I was going to be emotional (shut up don't make fun of me) and I just didn't know if I wanted to do that in front of every person I know. And although I was indeed going to be happy if the thing turned out the way I was hoping, I kind of knew it wasn't going to be a running-amok-in-the-streets sort of happy. I knew it was going to be a getting-choked-up-sitting-in-disbelief sort of happy. So, I opted to stay home.

Here's a list of memorable moments from election eve '08.

1. BioGirl came over for dinner. Nordic Boy had baked us up some fake-chicken parmesan using our bakeware plates. He brought them out wearing oven mitts, piping hot, and set the plates down. "Watch out, it's really hot!" he said. BioGirl immediately touched the plate. "Ouch!" Those scientist-types. Always needing hard evidence.

2. Me, acting like a geek, part 1. I printed out 3 maps of the country- one each for Nordic Boy, BioGirl and me. We all guessed on our maps which states were going to vote blue and which ones were going to vote red. Whoever got the most right at the end of the election would win! Win what, exactly, we never figured out. Just a sort of all-encompassing electoral college-knowledge pride, I suppose.

3. Me, acting like a geek, part 2. As the results started to roll in, we would mark each state that we got right. I was marking mine in by shading in the state. Whenever Wolf Blitzer would call a state, I would start a-shading, which takes a couple seconds. Every time I would look up, no one else would be shading. "How come you're shading things in so fast?" I asked. "Because we're just checking things off like normal people, not coloring states like we're turning these in for a grade, you nerd."

What can I say? I was controlling my election anxiety by channelling my inner Monica Gellar. Neat and tidy, people! The states will look neat and tidy!

4. When we all had made our guesses, we tallied up the electoral votes on each of our sheets. My blue states added up to 303. BioGirl's added up to something like 325. Nordic Boy's added up to 345. "THREE FORTY FIVE?" I scoffed. "YOU ARE CRAZY. THERE IS NO WAY HE'S GOING TO GET THAT MANY! GET A LOAD OF NORDIC BOY! HE'S SO RIDICULOUS."

5. So...yeah. Nordic Boy's optimism wins the day on THAT one.

6. But my map was prettier.



7. CNN beaming in guests like they were holograms? And the crazy hologram senate-seat chart? FREAKY.

8. Knowing my city and my street, I knew that should Obama win, there would be some celebrating from the neighbors. It wasn't going to surprise me if people ran into the street with joy (they did) or sang loud drunken patriotic songs (they did), or hugged and kissed each other like it was 1999 (they did). One thing that happened that I was NOT expecting? Was for the little elementary-school age kid who lives across the street to run out onto his front yard with his trumpet and play a jubilant rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Right at the moment when the election was called for Obama, we got a loud-ass celebratory nursery rhyme! Express yourself, kid! God Bless America.

9. While all of that celebrating went on, I just sort of sat there. No one said a word. BioGirl got a couple of phone calls. Nordic Boy and I just sat. And sat. And stared at the tv. It seemed like hours. My face leaked. He came over and put his arm around me. Tight. I felt like I was underwater. There was no jumping up and down, there was no dancing, there was no hugging. I just felt...silent. Moved in a way that was a little out-of-body. Like it was a dream. Was it a dream?

10. BioGirl went home, and Nordic Boy and I went to bed. I didn't sleep a wink.

11. Mary Had a Little Lamb will always make me think of this night.

I'm out,
Librarian Girl