| Hope! | 12:24 AM |
Obama won! And we will soon have an intelligent and articulate man in the White House again. Someone who truly believes we're all equal and really wants to make things better for everyone regardless of who they are. Never in my life have I felt so much anxiety about an election before. I couldn't concentrate all day worrying about how it would all turn out. And honestly it turned out even better than I had expected with McCain conceding even before we'd finished dinner. It feels amazing. It feels hopeful and I'm excited and relieved and I think a lot of other people around here are as well. I could hear shouting and excitement in the street earlier and can still hear a little of it now. January 20th can't come fast enough.
| Dia de los Muertos | 12:07 AM |
I've always been fascinated by this holiday, but this is the first year that it's meant anything to me because we did the Dia de los Muertos procession in the Mission. It was more lovely and more lively than I had expected. There were lots of people dressed up and made up, some of them incredibly and beautifully lavishly. I didn't take any photos, but there are plenty on flickr.
The procession is slow and short, starting at 24th and Bryant and ending at 26th and Harrison. There was a giant stagecoach pulled by a team of bicyclists on one giant bike (reminds me of a conference bike at work) with about 6 bicyclists pedaling (it looked like six bikes in two rows all attached or welded together -- I didn't get a very close look).
And the altars at Garfield Park are amazing and beautiful. I thought about my mom all day because I was thinking about going on the procession and what I was going to take. In the end, I only took a little candle to light for her because I had no idea what to expect. Next year, I think I might take something a little bit bigger.
I like this holiday. It seems weird to call it a holiday, maybe tradition would be more appropriate, but it suits me because it's such a sweet way to think of the loved ones you've lost. It's not morbid, it's not sad, it's a celebration of all the things that person enjoyed in life, and the memories you have of her. She's often in my thoughts, but on this day, I get to share her with other people who miss their loved ones as much as I miss mine.
