Election Day!

My blog post titles are really suffering...

I didn't sleep well last night. I am sure I won't sleep well tonight. And it's all due to that little election thingy we've got going on in the US. I admit it, I'm nervous. They are predicting an incredibly close race, and I am worried my candidate won't pull out a victory. But I am staying positive, I am going to cheer him on from here and wake up at a god awful hour (assuming I sleep at all), perhaps 2-3am tomorrow, to watch the results live on tv.

I voted by absentee ballot about five weeks ago. Voting that way is totally anti-climactic. There's no polling station, no standing in a small booth behind a small curtain, no feeding your ballot through a slot (up until the last time I voted, in 2008, SF still used paper ballots, not sure if that has changed) and no "I Voted!" sticker. I missed the sticker the most. I remember four years ago, the excitement in the air, the feeling of change, the lines of people waiting to vote at 8am. Living overseas has kept me removed from all of the election drama. Of course I still watch the news and read a lot of it online, but I don't have the election day build-up, the charged atmosphere, the emotions behind everything. I must admit, I in no way miss the political ads, the robocalls, the negativity, the attempt by one party to smear the other. I like politics, but I don't like the dirty parts. Living overseas I have been able to tailor my coverage to what I want and prefer, which was refreshing.

I won't turn this into an overtly political post, those who know me know exactly how I feel and who I voted for. In fact I can be a bit vociferous about my political views, but I won't do that here. Instead I will, at least online, silently root for the right candidate to win and hope that everyone in the US makes it out to vote, to have their say, to speak their mind, because after all we are fortunate to have that right and should use it. Riley will be wearing her (fingers crossed) lucky dog collar, showing her support for a particular candidate. Hopefully we'll have a clear winner by late morning UK time on Wednesday, no repeat of 2000 thank you very much. And I'll have an answer as to whether I will have a self imposed 4-year exile outside the US, or whether it will be safe to move back if we so choose in the next four years.  Happy election day everyone! May the best candidate win. Please.