On a very important election night...

Polls just closed here, and at 8:02 I heard cheers, boat whistles and even firecrackers. It's New Year's Eve, a few weeks early.

I of course live in a firmly Democratic enclave, something I have thoroughly enjoyed after many years' residence in a Republican suburb (where two or three precincts could have their quadrennial caucuses in one average-size living room!) Now even that suburb is trending Democratic, at least in statewide races - who would have imagined it?

Tonight my only regret is that somehow my brother and I missed connecting at the airport, so I didn't get to hear about his trip to India first-hand. Although there is only one place that arriving international passengers can get to the baggage carousels, we still didn't find each other.

McCain is better than his supporters, who just booed when he said he had called to congratulate Obama. Later, the people at the Biltmore actually applauded. Still, McCain is rising above the level of his campaign. Let's hope the civility continues.

I liked the echoes of MLK in Obama's speech. For those of us who vividly remember 1968, tonight is the kind of leap into the future we never expected to live long enough to see.

Here's a link to a very nice post about voting in person, from my son's blog.