Well, it seems America may just survive after all...
I had requested and received and absentee ballot, but found out almost too late that it had to be postmarked the day *before*, not the day of, the election. So I went over to the school and voted on the maybe-it-counts, maybe-it-doesn't, Diebold machine.
I had a test in my Nihongo class that afternoon, so I'm standing there in line for about 20 minutes, going over my note cards, muttering "muzukashi...difficult...omoroshii...interesting..." and hoping no one things I'm crazy...
Behind me in line, two older women, mid 60s to early 70s I'd say. Got into a little conversation, small talk, hearing an old lady at the polls tell me that they ought to kick the old guys in Congress out and let some young people in with some new ideas, well that made my day.
Stayed up late Tuesday night watching the results on CNN, went to bed knowing that the Democrats had retaken the House, that the Bushies had been at least partially repudiated. It wasn't until the next morning that it was clear they were going to get the Senate too - I felt really good about that $100 I sent to Tester's campaign via MoveOn.org. And then, the news that Rumsfeld was out - I cheered out loud, so loud that anyone walking by the house would have heard.
Yesterday, Friday, did my first session at The Well. An $85 base price (of which I get almost $60) and she tipped $20 on top - someone paid $105 for a session. Wow.