President Obama!

Woo-hoo! What a night! When they called it, at 8pm Pacific time, I was standing on my balcony overlooking the lights of downtown Portland and could hear my neighbors on either side hooping and hollering--shouts of "I can't believe it!" "Did he really do it?!". I could hear shouts, whistles, car horns and pots being banged. I got through to Anna, at Grandma Mickeys keeping her company as they watched the results come in. She was in tears. Excited messages were left on the cell phones of a number of Quinlans--who had tickets to the speach in Grant Park! I caught Aunt Maria as she was standing in line to get in--I could barely make her out over the sound of the crowd, and got to tell her that they had just called it. My sister Peg was still up, despite the late hour in Brooklyn, and still waiting for it to "sink in". I called Mom in Turkey, (who cares that it was 5 in the morning there!)--she answered the phone with "We did it!" What an amazing night, and watching the coverage of Chicago--well, it made me want to go home to that great city. Congratulations America, you did it!