Thursday, October 8, 2009

Election Nostalgia

This time last year I was an emotional wreck regarding the Presidential election.

Every day I checked HuffPo, Politico, Drudge, Defamer and Fourthirtyeight.com for news, laughs, horror, and electoral vote predictions. I'd also drop in on NYtimes.com and Washington Post, and after work I'd watch MSNBC, CNN and PBS, followed by The Daily Show and Colbert Report. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. On the weekends I phonebanked, either down the street, or, as the election drew closer, at the Sony Studios Lot in Culver City (they had acres of Krispy Kreme and pizza).

Also around this time last year, our Honda Civic was stolen. It was parked in tandem with our '96 Toyota, which the thieves moved out of the way and put back after taking the car they wanted. (What, the Toyota wasn't good enough to steal?! Its stereo was, though.) The car was recovered at a motel parking lot with a fake shotgun in the back seat; we believe our poor Civic was an unwitting accomplice in a series of robberies. We had to get all the keys replaced, but at least we got the car back.

Is it weird to be nostalgic for a time of sleeplessness, rage, and stomach-clenching anxiety?

Maybe what I miss about the election is the feeling of being involved, tuned in and focused on so many political issues. It's impossible to maintain the heightened, intense level of interest I had going last year and stay sane, but I realize now it was an exciting time that I look back on fondly.

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