Time to Vote

Election Day!!

Just like when I was in New York, I got up early to vote right when the polls opened. It took about thirty minutes to get in and out. And the experience was awesome, with people being nice and considerate and helpful, all of us exercisin' our right to vote for our leaders. And getting stickers, which I wore all day with pride. Now I'm watching the results come in on PBS. It won't be exactly like my election experience in New York, but I do hope to have a bowl of popcorn and a Dr. Pepper.

My friend at work asked what I would do if Romney won, and I said I'd just go on living my life. Obviously I'd be a little bummed, but life goes on.

Election Day!

Hey Everyone--today is Election Day! Get out and Vote. I did, and wore my "I Voted" sticker with pride all day.

I think voting is super important. Lots of people don't get the chance to vote on their leaders and have no say in how their country is run. We do. It's awesome and a right we should all exercise.

The Day After

Riding the subway and going to work this morning felt different. And not just because the Tribeca offices have moved and I now take a different subway to work, but that the whole world feels different. If feels like a better place. Maybe it's because I live in Harlem. But I just felt different riding the subway.

I was walking down the subway steps when I overheard two girls talking, saying something about, "She's white and we're Puerto Rican, that's why." Now, I have no idea what their actual conversation was about, having just heard that little snippet. But the guy walking down the stairs next to me, who was black, was saying he was amazed people could talk like that after what happened last night. He said everything's different after last night. And I couldn't help to think that everything is different. And for the better. Isn't that amazing? It's something I don't know I could really feel the weight of if I was living in Utah. But here, being surrounding by so many people that were deeply affected, and hopefully positively impacted in the near and distant future, by last night's outcome, it feels so powerful. It really is a whole new world.

Exercisin' My Right: Part II

For this historic election I wanted to go somewhere to watch it with a crowd, like Times Square or Rockefeller Center. But none of the exciting stuff was going to happen til way later in the night, as polls in western states closed, and I was off at four and didn't want to hang around outside doing nothing (because if I did I knew I'd spend money on either food and/or something stupid, and since I don't have any money, I thought it best to just go home). And even though I wanted to just home to change, grab a light jacket and some food then head down later, that didn't happen; cuz once I get home way uptown I don't feel like going back out.


And then ABC announced, rather climactically and sort of out of the blue after stating they would not project a winner until 270 electoral votes had been awarded, that Obama had won California and they were projecting him the winner! The tv quickly went to shots of the crowds in Chicago, Times Square and 125th Street in New York--the heart of Harlem. And that's where I wanted to be. Since I also live in Harlem, I wondered if my neighborhood was celebrating. I looked out the window and couldn't see anyone celebrating. So I opened the window and was overcome by noises of shouting and hollering and people clapping and banging on pots and pans! It was more exciting than New Years, and way more jubilant! Marky Marky, Rosemary and I hung out the window and hollered and celebrated with our neighbors. Mark even got a pan and we banged it outside the window with an ice cream scoop. People on the street would run up to their friends and hug them and rejoice. And two little girls, in pink coats, ran down the street smiling and laughing, excited for what had happened. At that moment I was excited for them and what had been accomplished in their lifetime. They could now grow up in a society that had elected an African-American to the Presidency. Thrilling. And that is why I love living in New York City.

(Pictures of people celebrating in Times Square and Harlem)

Exercisin' My Right: Part I

Election Day started early for me; Maria, Marky Marky and I met at 7:30 in the lobby of our building so we could vote before I had to be to work at 9:00. Marky Mark was giddy like a school kid to vote, and to be honest I was pretty excited, too. Voting feels different here in New York than it does in either Idaho or Utah, where I have previously voted. For one, the political make-up is much different, with New York being a liberal Democratic state to the conservative Republicans of Idaho and Utah. For two, the population is much different; my neighborhood and voting place was made up largely of Hispanics and African-Americans, giving the whole thing a completely different vibe.

So we all walked to our extremely convenient polling station one block away. In fact, we can see it from out kitchen window. I was so excited that I brought my camera to mark the event. It just felt so historic that I wanted to document it visually. For all the talk of the historic-ness of it all, we were expecting a longer wait. We were in and out in about twenty minutes. But some people I work with waited in line for hours, and said they had lines out the street.

It was a little crazy inside, not completely organized, but it went smoothly and the poll workers seemed to really know what they were doing (a lot of them I recognized from voting on Super Tuesday). I entered the voting booth, pulled the lever to start the process, and took part in the election process. Maria took this picture of me in the booth.

It was exciting, and Maria snapped this picture of me as I walked out of the booth.


I just wish I had gotten a sticker to mark the occasion. That's always the best part about voting (well, maybe not the best part but at least a cool part). When I pulled the lever back to cast my votes I really think that the machine should then spurt out a sticker that says, "I Voted!", or at least something that verifies my vote!

Leaving the polling place, I felt exhilarated and thrilled to be a part of something so historic. I'm glad that I was a part of change.