Thanksgiving - Annotations

The following are some notes typed before and after Thanksgiving; they say very little about the day itself and the events that transpired. Perhaps there will be a part 2 containing more.

4:28 AM (Thursday)

I have no rational reason for being awake now, as ever it’s been when I’m conscious after 4 in the morning. I’ve been doing some internet browsing… getting inspired by some photos on Flickr, writing out ideas (outlining general concepts and ideas for photo shoots), writing emails, streaming from one Wikipedia article to the next, and generally accomplishing no one thing in particular but getting a lot of ideas nonetheless. I’ve got to be at work (yes, work!) at 10 AM, and my alarm is set for 8. I’ve got Thanksgiving plans, too. So I’ve got every reason to be asleep right now.

There’s a lovely view outside, however. Oh, it’s the same landscape I described before – the unlit park, a spire or two on the distant horizon, loads of brick buildings, chimneys, and Georgian facades. Double-deckers and red phone boxes, too. I appreciate it every time I look outside; the total London-ness is ever-present. Just this moment, though, a few more stars are visible than usual. Most of the time it’s overcast or too obscured by smog and city lights, but this time I can make out Orion’s Belt. When was the last time I did that? Wheathampstead? California? I’d like to fix the view to my memory, even with the unseemly empty lot, on the corner below (it adds some extra dimension).

The birds are already calling.

9:24 AM (Thursday)

Jeeze… How I hate to get up in the morning. In six minutes I have to leave. So much for needing a shower and a cup of coffee! And now my laptop’s ability to keep a connection with the power cord has become annoyingly elusive. Great.

Out of the blue, I feel like watching Beetlejuice right now. It would sure be lovely to call in sick and watch movies all day. I should have requested the whole holiday off.

5:14 AM (Friday)

I need to sleep. I really, really need to sleep. In sum, however: the first part of the day, to put it bluntly, sucked. The second part was lovelier than I could have imagined. There are lots of photos, too (cherry on top). My computer cord’s still annoying, though. I’m not moving it from this position on the floor. At all. Also, the sky’s back to being overcast, but there are some interesting bright wisps being blown across the sky below the ceiling.

Election Night

It’s now after four in the morning, and I’m in bed watching live election coverage on CNN.com. (The BBC’s own coverage is open in another tab, but it’s not quite as interesting to watch.) The curtains are drawn, and behind the big window I can see a mini-skyline of London… the local rooftops of Bayswater, with piped chimney stacks, domes, and the treetops of Hyde Park. Other than myself, only Janis is awake; unable to sleep, she’s on her own laptop in bed, too.

My absentee ballot was faxed in on Monday. I won’t reveal any of my votes here, but I will say that I was quite torn for different reasons on both candidates. CNN has just announced that Obama is the projected winner. I’ve gotten so used to all the election coverage, both in the US and here as well (it’s amazing how much of it goes on here; British people are just as informed about it as Americans are) that it’s strange to think the momentum has finally reached a climax and, very soon, a conclusion and a new beginning. I wonder what George Bush is doing right now… Is he on a sofa, watching all this, too? Are any of his things in boxes already?

Ugh. CNN’s already hyping the race side of all this… There’s singing, sobbing, Jesse Jackson, and talk about Martin Luther King… It’s all too sickly sweet. Not to diminish the significance of black history in the making, but I’m finding it all too overdone.

…And now McCain has made his concession speech, and music reminiscent of a 90s action movie is playing as he, Palin and both their spouses exit the stage, forcing smiles… So… that’s it? People are still voting in some states, but really their votes are a formality at this point. The commentary continues, and presumably Obama will be making a speech very soon. I’d like to watch that speech, and then try to sleep… I’m a little tired of watching coverage now, though.

Darn… They’ve just said that it’ll be another 25 minutes before Obama takes the stage.

I seem to be zoning out a bit… I’m watching a bit of both the supporters’ parties. They’ve just shown a few seconds of Oprah at Obama’s party and there was some woman screaming after her (brings to mind a certain SNL skit!). Maybe I’ll wait it out, if I don’t fall asleep meanwhile.

He’s approaching the stage now… Well, that wasn’t so bad a wait. Not likely to be any surprises rhetoric-wise, but I’m curious to hear it all out anyway. Lots of thanks and pledges of hope, I imagine.

…Wow, amazing speech. Really, really amazing. Sort of makes me less apologetic to be an American abroad, too.

Well, on that note, I think I’m going to quit typing and go to bed in a couple minutes.