*breathes*

Okay. I've finally done the last update to the totals for tonight. I still have stories coming in from reporters at the D and R parties, so I'm staying up for that, but I can take a breather for a while.

I can also take a moment to say FUCK YEAH!

Things aren't 100% rosy, of course. We lost some of the marriage ballot measures--though we appear to be winning in Arizona. And the Senate isn't fully sewn up, yet. I'm also still disappointed about Darcy. There are still plenty of King County ballots to be counted, but if percentages hold, she probably won't make it. Granted that the House is still in our control again, but I wanted to see her make it, for personal reasons. It's disappointing that that district is still so red. Stoopid selfish rich people.

The good things: BushCo are now reined in to a fairly sharp degree. Getting any uber-conservative legislation passed is going to be impossible. It's also good to see that so many of my fellow Americans finally got their heads out of their asses.

The not-so-good things: So many people are still hung up on the "marriage" stuff. Meh. Also, we still don't have enough to fully override vetos, so most of the good legislation we'd try to put through probably won't make it.

It's mostly a matter of holding our breath a little longer, now. We're not in danger of drowning anymore, but we're still not fully on solid ground. Two more years to build up momentum, and we can get there, I think. We need a strong prez candidate and some good luck, and I think we'll be okay.

At the very least, I'm no longer ashamed to be an American. Still not exactly proud--I'm a proud Northwesterner, more than anything else--but at least I don't feel too bad about the rest of the country as a whole. I think we're finally moving in the right direction, at least, and that's the best I can hope for right now.

Oi

I've only had about four hours of sleep and Ms. Moon is trying to get me to fall over and whimper for the rest of the day, dammit.

But I need to haul my sorry carcass into class at least for a while. I may skip my online class today, though I think the prof would kill me if I did.

Lost tonight, plus studying for a psych quiz tomorrow. I need to do better on this one than the last.

No more word on Darcy Burner's race until later this eve. It looks like she's just going to miss, though, if percentages hold. My calculations have it at 50.78% for Reichert, which is just over the number that triggers an automatic recount.

Still holding my breath for Virginia, but good to wake up to news of Montana and Rummy's resignation. Good freaking riddance. Now if Rove would just implode. I don't wish death on many people, but Rove is one of the few I'd really like to see twisting in the wind. Although, actually, the torture of watching his carefully planned sleazy election tactics failing is sweet, too. What a horrid, creepy little man he is. He's like a chubby version of Wormtongue.

Random health musings

Studying for my psych quiz tomorrow, and I came across something rather interesting. Apparently, life expectancy (for women, at least) is highest in Hawaii.

And yet Hawaii also has the highest obesity numbers.

High on the death list (44th out of 51) is Nevada. And yet the state is only #11 on the obesity chart.

Also, life expectancy is low in New York (35th out of 51.) Yet they have a relatively low obesity rate (17th).

The only place where obesity and death rates match is in the South and D.C.

If obesity--on its own--causes disease and death, wouldn't Hawaiians be dropping like flies? And why are Nevadans and New Yorkers dying when they're supposedly so much fitter than Hawaiian chubbies?

( My theory )