Beating around the (George W.) Bush

Every four years politics in the U.S. can reach an awkward stage. Between Election Day and Inauguration Day there is a couple of months where 'the most powerful man in the world' often has to deal with the end of his/her era. Known as the 'lame-duck' period, soon-to-be-former presidents either seize the moment to make a legacy, or shuffle through the end of an unpopular presidency.
Ever since the world heard the news that Obama would be the America's new president, Bush has been treated like the unpopular kid at school. It makes you feel sorry for the man who did help the U.S. through the second biggest attack on our soil (9/11).

The only overtly political words you will hear from me...

I have been shocked recently by some of the stuff coming out of the election. Happily shocked in the way most people seem to suddenly be so full of hope. Our newspaper is selling out not because we are awesome writers/editors/designers but because everyone wants to read about the message of hope that we are being given. It's a wonderful time to be in America. Let's hope that the hope holds out and becomes something real and tangible.
Unfortunately, I've also be unhappily shocked by some of the reactions of people. Those who just completely shut down and say they must move elsewhere - and are actually serious about it. Why? Because the president-elect is black? Because he's brought hope to a dark country? There are people who have good reasons: they fear the 'give to the poor' attitude, and they have a right to that feeling. But what I feel most people are missing is that Obama seems to want to listen to them, too. He's the first leader that I've ever seen who I can't make a cynical joke about, because I cannot believe in my own cynicism enough to apply it to him.
I'm not stupid. I know he'll make mistakes, probably big ones, but I think he'll own up to them, and better yet actually fix them.
What is the most important quality I see in all of this, and you notice if you knew me, is that these are not my normal, everyday cynical, pessimistic comments. I am not that person. In fact I make fun of that person all the time. But these days, I can't.

And that is all I'm gonna say about that.

Jump on the Word Train

Sometimes the creativity of the people in the newspaper business astounds me. When we are given the challenge of translating the feelings of people, newspeople have traditionally shown it in pictures and in 'pull-out quotes.' But the New York Times came up with a really new concept. It's the idea of the word map, but taken to a completely interactive level. They have created a system by which you can input one word that describes your reaction to the election (or more). Then you can view what others have written based on the time they inputed it and who they support. It's actually a pretty neat thing to do and an interesting way to visualize the reactions of a nation. Plus there's nothing better than boosting the interactive nature of a news Web site.

Here's the site if you'd like to take a look: Election Word Train.

My democratic right

To kick off Election Day, I thought it only fitting, as the word smith I am, to bring up several words that bear particular relevance to today (and in fact to the last couple of months). These were brought to my attention by (bear with me here) the venerable blogger of "Web2.Doh!," who was informed of these oddly perfect words by Very Short List (VSL is a daily e-mail of random and yet awesome finds on the Web) which found them listed on Anu Garg's A.Word.A.Day Web site. So without further ado (or really, too much ado):

~barrack (verb): 1. To shout in support: to cheer. 2. To shout against: to jeer [from a Northern Ireland word for 'to brag']
~obambulate (verb): To walk about [from Latin word for 'to walk']
~meeken (verb): To make or become meek or submissive. [from an Old Norse word meaning 'meek, soft']
~bidentate (adjective): Having two teeth or toothlike parts [from Latin - 'two' and 'teeth']
~palinode (noun): A poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem [from the Greek words for 'again' and 'song']

So I finally exercised my democratic right in the normal way (i.e. actually going to polls as opposed to sending in an absentee ballot). Virginia was supposed to be one of those states with ridiculous lines out the door. No.

I bundle up in three thick layers(for a stint waiting in the rain), grab a book to read during the 'long' wait and pack the Daily Press Voter's Guide for my roommates and we walk to the polls. The walk takes us like five minutes. We walk into the polling place expecting a huge line. Granted, we went at 9 to miss the 9-5'ers so we were expecting less people. But after we enter we realize there is absolutely no line. We literally walk up to our specific sign-in station (three separate tables according to alphabet), immediately sign in, go to the next table to pick up a ballot and then walk up to the tables with 'privacy' things. We fill out the ballot, pop it in the box (I, of course, freak out cause I can't remember if I filled in the right holes - just like i did after tests in school) and then grab an "I Voted" sticker and leave, all in about 3 minutes tops. It took us longer to walk to and from the polls than to actually vote. I was so worried that the line would be longer but now I kind of feel gipped that it wasn't. But then again this just might prove that voting is ten times easier than most people (including me) thought.

It's also my first Election Night in a real newspaper during a presidential election. It's going to be interesting once things start hopping. I hope to offer some thoughts on my experience later tonight, so stay tuned for tomorrows post on the subject.

The craziness may soon be over....

This was my first election season in a professional newsroom. Meant to be the highlight of any serious "newsie's" career, this year has actually been more of a bummer. So many stories that are 'new' just repeat old news and the same old sound bite. And just as I thought it was coming to an end...well, thanks for getting my hopes up and then dashing them, Mr. Newspaper Reporter.

At the end of a story breaking down when results will be reported across the country, the writer finishes his story with this wonderful promise: "And then it's all over...Or not. As the past two elections have shown, there’s no certainty. If it’s a contest at all, the victor may not be declared until Wednesday’s wee hours. Or later."

Which means I may be in the newsroom until well past 1 a.m. for tomorrow's shift waiting to inform all the sane people who went to bed at a normal hour of the name of the new President of the United States as they eat their breakfast in the morning. I will also have been up since 8 am that day, waiting in the expected huge lines to cast my own vote. Yay for democracy and the free press.

I'm excited, though, because being in a real newsroom on election night is exciting. Unfortunately, I've also been in a real newsroom five nights a week, every week since May (it is my job, you know). Which means the election has lost its "exciting" glamour for me. I will be getting free food, including sandwiches and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, however. Plus I guess it'll be nice to finally hear what the past year has been leading up to.

PS: I'm participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). So this means I will be posting every single day for the month of November. My goal is to not resort to something completely frivolous and attempt to stick with the professional nature of this blog. Let's see if I can accomplish this task, even with me being a notoriosly lousy poster.

Eating pizza for breakfast..

What can I say? I'm fairly lazy these days. Even though I've vowed several times in the past few months to start making more of my own food and stop going out to eat so much, I sometimes cannot help myself.
For example, after sleeping in with the boy, we both got hungry at the same time and decided to get up (I admit it) at about 1:30 pm. After debating, we head to Cracker Barrel for an affordable yet filling breakfast and some of their always-fresh coffee. Sadly, the wait was 30+ minutes long and our stomachs could not stand the delay. Instead we headed to Silver Diner, hoping that they wouldn't have drawn so big of an after-church crowd (churches are lazy here...apparently they don't get out until late in the afternoon).
Let me just pause and explain Silver Diner. Though it is a very corporate and flashy place, they tend to have some really unique ideas on food. Case in point: The boy ordered Maryland Crabcake Benedict. He found it delicious, though almost too sweet (which can happen with crab). He pumped it up with some hot sauce and was quite satisfied. They have several twists on American diner classics (like the egg's benedict and omelettes). My best description would be: 'Classic diner fare with 21st century flavor'. Good, no?
I love the omelettes (and the biscuits are slowly improving, too) and that is where my eyes first fell. Until our waitress pointed out a monthlong special: "Blueplate '08." Does this seem oddly like a campaign slogan? Well I think that was the point. For the month of October Silver Diner, a company based only in Virginia and Maryland, offers two unique omelette variations:
"Obamalette - Inspired by the candidate's favorite hometown food, Chicago deep dish pizza, the Obamalette is filled with basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and sausage. Topped with parmesan cheese and served with marinara sauce, home fries and a biscuit."
AND
"McCainlette - Indicative of the candidate's home state of Arizona, as well as his favorite way to cook, Barbeque, the McCainlette combines sweet BBQ chicken, cilantro, onions, peppers, and jack cheddar. Served with a side of salsa, home fries and a biscuit."
The interesting part of this promotion is that Silver Diner tallies up the number of votes (orders) for each candidate (omelette) and posts them online every night. At the end of the promotion on Oct. 29, Silver Diner will make a prediction on the presidential campaign. So far Obama is leading with 1,026 votes (orders) to McCain's 485. Which did I order? Well, the temptation to eat 'pizza' for breakfast was too tempting. And I was well rewarded. While the Obamalette was not overly out of the ordinary (mozzarella is a little too bland for me), the marinara sauce was fantastic. Combining that with the omelette brought the dish to a whole new level and complemented everything perfectly.

Don't forget to read my other blogging project with Janelle for what this experience reminded me of.