Holy. Freaking. Crap.

[evilhippo]

I should really, quite seriously be in bed right now, but while this is fresh in my mind, I have to write about it. I have a few pictures up on my flickr page, which really don't do the event much justice, but provide some backdrop, at least. I was in Grant Park from 5, when I got off work, to midnight, when Obama finished his speech. I don't even really have words for the experience. My feet hurt, I didn't realize how starving I was until I got back to my apartment, but more than anything what's sticking with me right now are the high-fives I shared with everyone in reach at 10:00 tonight, the amazing, amazing way the crowd behaved (I have been to rowdier concerts, guys, and you know what kind of wuss music I listen to), and the crowd on the way out. I have never, ever experienced anything like that. The speech ended, we all all stood there for a while, taking it all in, and then we turned around and headed out. Peacefully, casually, but punctuated with cheering and we filled up the streets from Michigan over to at least Dearborn for the full expanse of Grant Park blocks. That's just a huge chunk of downtown. And we were cheering, shouting, people were up on the concrete barriers taking pictures, people were waving and cheering from windows. It was... it was something very seriously important, and I can't express what it means to have been there. To have seen it, and been with all those people (most of whom I wanted to hug, including the police, who were all working 12-hour days and who I hope have the luck to not have to deal with any major troubles. But I mean, seriously, I got my bike (in a crowd of tens of thousands of people my bike was not stolen from the streets, even though I have a craptacular lock), I got on a bus, and I got out of downtown in no more time than it takes me to get home after work. Chicago rocked on organization tonight.)

And so I will leave you guys with this link. I am by no means a videographer. In fact, after the countdown the video quickly turns into a Blair Witch-style jumble while I give people high-fives and scream (the hesitation there, between the cheering and the all-out cheering, is the difference between our "Yay, CNN projections!" and "HOLY CRAP, THE ELECTION!" cheers). But this is the big moment of the night, at ten when we all knew it was coming: The Grant Park Victory

I'll think more deeply about this later. For now... HOLY CRAP. And also I need sleep.

P.S. HOLY CRAP. And yes, I was wearing my arugula.