Let me allow you a little insight into my crazy family. Some people stay up late to watch the world series. Some people have blow-out parties for the super bowl. Some families have crazy Halloween parties. Us, we hunker down around 7:00 each election night around the TV with our favorite snacks, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer for a long night of watching the returns come in. Nerdy, we know. But we love it. With the invention of the smart phone (in our case, the iPhone) we are even worse. You overhear things like "how is the school levy for ______ fairing" and "well only 25% of the returns are in, and the biggest precinct hasn't been counted yet, so there's hope" or "OOOHHH look at the ______ 4th...that could be interesting as the night wears on!" We aren't normal, red-blooded Americans, this much we know. But we're political junkies. When our president (and I'm not declaring political allegiances here...we watch them all) gives the state of the union, we sit down and watch...and my stepdaughter and I give commentary. We feel a kinship to George Stephanopoulous. Yes, I married into this, but I contribute as well. My own family is pretty much the same. When we watch the returns come in on CNN and our local ABC affiliate, it is as though the anchors and analysts are a part of our family. Just last night these very words left my mouth, "I wish we could have David Gergen for Thanksgiving...in a sweater vest and slippers. I think he'd really contribute to the conversation. In a fun, smart, uncle sort of way." I mean, really...who says that? And how many people really know him?!
So this morning, we are both a little sleepy because we went to bed late. I don't even know when I fell asleep, and my husband claims he turned the TV off around 1:00am. The last thing I remember was the sound of the theme from "John Adams" playing as CNN went to commercial. Today I'm a bit drowsy, heavy-lidded, and wanting to listen to more of NPR's morning edition to get my fix. Ugh, politics. You're a cruel mistress.
