Election Reflection

From Election Night 2008

I’m a bit delayed with this post. Then again, what better time to discuss the election outcome than on the day designed for the whole nation to take time to give thanks?

I vividly remember where I was when Barrack Obama first entered the national stage. It was just a couple days before my mom and I moved to Arizona to join my dad. We were in a neighbor’s living room to watch that night's Democratic National Convention speeches, and I was standing toward the back of the room. I remember being enraptured by his keynote speech, his presence on that stage. (Watch that speech in full here.) A year later, when Obama came to Tempe to stump for Senate candidate Jim Pederson, I knew I had to be there. The crowd seemed huge then (read my account here), but by the standards he set this past election, it was downright intimate, and I was able to press my way to the front to shake his hand and say, “Thank you for all your hard work, Senator.” Five years ago I wrote up a list of things I want to do before I die (a “bucket list” before they were called that), and near the top of the list is “Meet the President”. I’m half-tempted to check that off thanks to my fleeting connection with our now President-Elect, but I have a greater hope that our brief contact is only a foretaste of a future meeting.

A girl can hope, right?

From Election Night 2008

On election night, I had a few friends over to watch the results roll in. When the election was called in favor of Obama, I expected the tears to flow like they had when I watched Michelle Obama speak at this year’s convention, like they had when Barrack graciously accepted the nomination. But somehow the tears didn’t come this time. I think by then it felt so natural, he looked so Presidential, the tears seemed better fitting for Jesse Jackson and Oprah. The only thing that flowed at our watch party was the bubbly, and that was quite sufficient.

From Election Night 2008

In short, on this day of Thanksgiving, I add this to my list of things for which I am grateful:

I am thankful for the inspiration Barrack Obama has brought to our country.

PS - I'm also very thankful for my sister, Ally, whose birthday is today! Love ya, Sis!

Obam-ha-ha

Best laughs of the day –scratch that– week came from this 10-minute video.

Here, There and Everywhere
I don't know when I'm going to be able to hear a report about the Virginia Tech massacre without crying. When I first heard the news Monday morning I never expected I would feel such a connection to this event. Analyses of the tragedy often include that banal phrase, "It could happen anywhere." But when I hear the reports, it's not anywhere. It's Mizzou. When they talk of the dorm where the first shootings occured, I picture the third floor of McDavid. When they mention the engineering classrooms, it's Engineering Building West, a building that hosted several of my courses, that I see. And the spontaneous candlelight vigils? I envision them at Speaker's Circle and the Quad. It doesn't matter how many times I see pictures of VT students or graphics showing the school's campus layout; it hits closer than that. My mind fills the gaps between reporters' words with my school, my RAs, my friends. This feels personal.

election reflection
Disappointed? Yes. I cried. Surprised? No. But do I understand it? I try. But I just don't understand how 52% of America can say they are dissatisfied with how things are going and still elect the same leader. I don't know how I'm going to be able to listen to that man for another four years.

post-election projections
+ Colin Powell will leave.
+ Condoleeza Rice will leave.
+ Donald Rumsfeld will be asked to leave.
+ John Ashcroft should leave but won't.
+ Karl Rove will tour the country, waving his arms about and shouting, "Hallelujah!"

props to san francisco

a bit more
For Luke's enjoyment, if he ever reads this anymore, and for Sarah: I think the alternate name for the SNDC conference last weekend was "Mac enthusiasts unite." Beautiful iBooks were simply everywhere.

beyond what they teach in the classroom
I learned that I have a lot to do still before I'm ready to start seriously looking for a job.
On the list:
-make business cards
-create a website of my portfolio and resume
-put together print-outs of a handful of my best work
-get some color into my portfolio
One thing that I found everso interesting was the variety of responses I recevied about various layouts in my portfolio. There were about two or three pages/spreads that received the most comments. After one reviewer would praise my choices in design, the next would tear it apart. It fascinates me how subjective design can be. Overall, I think the most important lesson from the weekend was learning how to be more confident when talking about my work and what I want to do with design.

a quick rundown of the sights
I spent most of the weekend in the Omni Shoreham being inspired and learning how to schmooze, but at night we hit the main sights of DC. You know them: White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, the Mall (which is huge, by the way), the Smithsonian (just the buildings, no time to go inside) and the Capitol. Sunday morning before we had to leave for the airport, I ran to the National Gallery. My intention had been to get to the Phillips Collection, which houses Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party, my all-time favorite piece of art. As my luck would have it, the painting is somewhere between Buffalo, NY and Denver on a traveling exhibition. Instead I saw a lot of VanGoghs, Degas, Monets and a few other Renoirs so at least I got my fix of Impressionist art. Next time I go, though, I want to have enough time to go see some of the more modern art like Matisse and O'Keefe.

a sighting of another sort
The Rev. Al Sharpton was on our plane from DC to St. Louis. GQ had a page in this month's issue about his style and running for the Presidency....which I just happened to have on me. So before boarding, I so graciously asked him to autograph his page. And he so ingraciously (ungraciously?) scrawled his name without so much as a "Have a nice flight." Nice campaigning, buddy. No vote for you.

to forewarn my parents
This will probably be my worst semester grade-wise. I am so overwhelmed with reading for classes I couldn't care less about and these readings compete with the time I'd rather be spending doing stuff that matters (i.e. building my portfolio with Vox clips). My posts will probably be sporadic or else very brief from now on. (No Garvin-length posts for me.) I'm sure you can deal with that.

praise God