VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm taking the day off. First of all, I want to spend some time doing GOTV stuff and making sure that everyone in my little circle actually does the deed. Second, no way I'd be able to concentrate on anything at work.

Yesterday was crazy. We had 6 families scheduled to check in and got an extra 2 others. One family wasn't going to show up until later. Normally we don't do check in after hours but the couple in question have been to the house before and I love 'em a lot and I wasn't going to be in today anyway so I went home for cocktails with The Neighbor, then went back to the house until 8 frakking p.m. But it was ok. I did a report, set things up to make MAB's day easier and generally puttered until my folks arrived. I'm so productive.

Look at that. I just spent a couple of minutes blogging about something really mundane on this, potentially the most historic election in the history of American elections.

There's a little town in New Hampshire that is always the first to vote, Dixille Notch. Crazy name for a town. Anyway, they haven't voted Democrat since 1968. No, wait. They haven't voted Democrat since 2008. Last night 21 votes were cast: 6 for McCain, 15 for Obama. A trend? Here's hoping.

Man, oh, man, oh man. Today is going to be Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. But won't it be awesome if 'round about 8:30 my time I'm dialing all my buddies in Chicago - who are all going to Grant Park for the big Obama party - and drinking champagne and celebrating the fact that we live in a changed America? Because, my friends, if Barack Obama is elected, America will be a different place. For the first time in a long time the politics of hope will have, in fact, triumphed over the politics of fear. We will have a calm, intelligent, creative thinker in the White House...which we're going to need for the mess the next President inherits. We will live in America where that whole "you can be anything you want to be" mantra will actually be true for ALL children of ALL backgrounds and ALL ethnicities. We will live in an America where no pundits will ever again ask the question, "Yeah, but can a black man be elected President in America?"

If Barack Obama is elected tonight, we will still have a sucking chest wound of an economy, 77 more days for W to continue the wrecking ball that is his legacy and 2 wars. People will continue to lose their homes to foreclosure, families will still have to opt out of sending their kids to college and folks will still be lamenting the balance in their 401k. But it will signal a change. We will have a president who will, and I believe this with all my heart, unite us. He's going to inspire and encourage us. He'll take the reins and start steering this puppy out of the ditch. Because, yes. He can. And we can with him.

That's why I'm off to vote - proudly and with tears in my eyes - for Barack Obama. And if you haven't already voted, I hope you'll join me.