Wednesday, November 05, 2008

So Yeah, WE DID. (See our Planet Harlem Obama Party in VIDEO). You Lose Some, You Oughta Win Some!

Last night = obvs a historic occasion. Not only did I slice my leg open (re: your questions in the comments -- that's defo not the blood dripping down, I literally did get sliced from knee to ankle) but Barack Obama WON the election AND -- inspired by these events and vodka, I willingly traveled TOWARDS, rather than away from, a large mass of human beings congregated in one small space. Not only this, but said human congregation was at the intersection of 125th & Adam Clayton Powell, in New York, NY, one block from my old apartment. We made you a video about it! [below] And it was beautiful, so fucking amazing, there's no place on earth I would've rather been. A jubilant & incredibly diverse crowd -- our collective joy broke into blossom, turned into amber waves of grain, and will now fed our hearts and souls forevs and evs. We did it!

I've really enjoyed, deep in the little embers of my ever-loving heart, reading your comments last night and today. You're all so special and warm my heart, seriously, you've all said such amazing things.

You know when you can't help but SMILE? I hear this happens to other people all the time, but I am a tin-man/vampire, so.

OMG! How many "omgkfasjdaklj" texts did you send last night? OMG, i KNOW! Me too!!!

As for Prop 8 -- the fight isn't over. That's all I can talk about right now, as I don't think I can handle any bittersweet in my sweet today. I'll deal with it, I'm not gonna block it out like I did with other childhood traumas, a psychological coping mechanism that made me into the batshit crazy person I am today. I'm gonna deal with it like later on tonight or this week. Tegan & Sara, btw, are leading a prop 8 protest rally in WeHo tonight. That's amazing. I love America!

Also, nice job Palin. You are so over, we need a new word for over.

Every now and then, there comes an event so magical, and so huge, that I don't feel I can do it justice in any way except to run around the streets and scream with people. Mostly, I feel you've probs read enough of my words and the words of others today. C'mon, you know how I feel my feelings today, obvs.

So I've made you a video. We took the camera last night but weren't that good at filming important stuff, but you know how I like to turn straw into gold. And by gold I mean "goldplated" but it's the thought that counts.

It's a little corny, I have some of Obama's speech in Grant Park there as well as footage from our jaunt, which you witnessed in writing last night as I live-blogged. A;ex and I went next door (our friends are my neighbors!), got Chase & Ang, and went right to Planet. Obvs. Among other amazing things I overheard was "Who's house is it?" "THE BLACK HOUSE!"

Also, this guy walked past me and said "You need some change, right?" in a burst of enthusiasm and I was confused, as was Alex, I was like "is he saying that I'm gonna be the poor one now? If he is, that's kind of amazing and awesome, but why is he offering me change? Is it my outfit?" and then I realized he was talking about the other kind of change. You know, THE CHANGE WE NEED.

[Great article about Rachel Maddow in New York Magazine, P.S.]

You can see some of last night's brill insanity. Wheeee!!!!!


Also, an update on my leg -- it still looks pretty much the same, perhaps slightly worse, but is beginning to scab. Stay tuned for more updates!!!

21 comments:

asher said...

holy shit. i really just thought that photo was of the blood trail, not the whole wound.

i take back my toes like fingers comment.

are you okay?

Anonymous said...

i heart this video, it is amazing to see such excitement and joy in NYC. it was much of the same here in DC -- people were honking/whooping/weeping/dancing in the streets. hi-fives were standard greeting. it was impossible to find cabs and so i walked 2 hours in a sea of people from the hill, all the way home. everyone was drunk on alcohol, hope, relief, or all three.

winning last night was better than any other win i've ever experienced. better than rushing the field when michigan made it to the rose bowl in '04, better than the yanks in 2000, better than EVERYTHING. WE DID ITTTT!!!

ps re the gash. whoa. neosporin that shit or else you might get a weird frankenstein scar.

Anonymous said...

So, I slept through pretty much the whole thing (not my fault, induced by drugs given during an outpatient thing at the hospital), but my (formerly?) republican sister called me to celebrate when he won Ohio, and although I hardly remember the conversation it was exciting. Since I couldn't go to work today, I spent the whole day making up for missing lat night by reading everything I could find about it. Which was a lot.

It was a little anticlimactic reading the live-blogging late, but I still laughed a lot.

Poor leg. And we all need a little change!

Anonymous said...

I love how one of the black dudes starts saying something about a "McCain Train" then all the other guys push him out of the way.

The video, as awesome as it is, still doesn't do the entire experience justice. It only represents a small fraction of all my emotions last night.

I cried a little... I don't think you noticed.
Which is the point.
Holler.
We did it.

Lady Thoughts said...

I am in Seattle and last night my gf and I were going to bed and all we could hear were horns and people screaming with joy and feelings.

It was a nice change: to go to sleep to the sound of hope instead of rain...

Anonymous said...

the video is amazing and super well done. last night, when they showed harlem on the news i was almost proud to have been there. i shouted to my mom that i knew where that was, it made me almost want to go to starbucks and hug the homeless man. i said almost. i never thought i'd say this about 125th street, but i wish i could have been there.

dorothy said...

Yes we can! Yes we did! Yes we will!

Atherton Bartelby said...

OMG that video ROCKS IT. I SOOOOO wish I had been there! I am still like floating on a cloud today or something. Except for that California thing. Wasn't Hav supposed to make sure that was all nicely tied up? WTF?! ;-)

Anyway, yes, we can, and we did, and we will. YAY!

AK said...

We went out on our porch and screamed and blew a whistle and banged on a pot. And it was still damn quiet. That's the suburbs for ya. Luckily our 46" flat screen TV made us feel like we was in Chicago with family Obama. Thanks for the video. That was warm fuzzies jumping all over. Don't worry about 8. It will blow up in their faces—those freaking hate mongers.

Oo Lynnie oO said...

haha. love the video! you look so happy =)

last night was insanity. i had to take an exam at 8 and my professor was reading us the results as they came in

and when i got home i watched him win surrounded by all of my republican roommates.

i cried a little watching his speech and when joe biden came out and all of the families came out my heart just exploded into butterflies.

after everything, after volunteering and trying to get people excited...i have never felt this proud! ever ever! and auto-win was DEF. a part of the whole experience for me, so thanks.

Vashti said...

Great video! And I'm not just saying that because you mentioned Oregon AND pronounced it correctly [though obvs that's always a big plus]. Last night was just all around superb and filled with happiness and hope and ice cream [we didn't have any vodka *sigh*]. My mom called me on her way to the rally in Grant Park. It made me wish I was still in Chicago.

PS - That cut is vicious. Feel better.

laura said...

last week everyone in here [philadelphia] went batshit crazy and tore up the city when the phillies won. gross. then last night everyone was so excited that they just went outside and walked to city hall and cried and smiled a lot. it was kind of redeeming.
and hellooooo ohio! i never never never thought my big red motherland would go for obama. but they did!!

Mercury said...

YAY! oh, I so wish I'd've been there!

I was like "sweet, Obama won" and then this guy I sorta know texted me and invited me to a movie, and I was feeling like not just sitting at home, but celebrating somehow, so I agreed, and went, and it was Tropic Thunder. and then I was sitting in the theater beside a dork who laughed his ass off through the whole thing while my brain cells committed suicide and tried to be secretive about texting the people who tried to call me to let them know I was trapped in a horrible awful movie and why, why should I be watching this shit when Obama had just won the presidency?!? I should be celebrating.

I wish people in AK were partying in the streets.

No, I just wish I was in New York, forever for good.

riese said...

asher: It's funny it didn't occur to me that people would think that, but it makes sense. Yeah it actually feels fine. It's sort of weird though that I'm gonna have this scar for the rest of my life probs, like scars sure do happen fast. As long as I don't get tetnis or whatevs I feel I am good to go.

NEP: Oh yeah, I can't imagine trying to find a cab. People in their cars were screaming and yelling too, it was like such a relief and joy to have something everyone could yell at everyone else about but at the same time know that we are all on the same side of the yelling. I kept trying to think of a U-Mich sports related experience that was similar to this (which sounds ridic to most ppl I'm sure, but you know ... the whole rushing the streets thing) but nothing even reached this stratosphere.

I know I feel like my leg dressed up as Frankenstien for Halloween. If only the bolt had stayed in my leg!

Allie: I love all the formerly Repbulican sisters/mothers/friends/hoohas on this fine fine day. That doctor who gave you a drug that would make you sleep through this is mean! But better to LOL late than never at all.

a;ex: YOU CRIED? YOU CRIED AND I MISSED IT? NEXT TIME I SEE YOU I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!

If you listen closely you can hear him go "The black man is afraid of what McCain can do for America," or something like that, it's pretty amazing.

Leah: I heard crazy drumsongs, it was all beautiful. We had hope and rain, I think.

jersey: I never thought I'd say this about 125th street, but I was happy to have been there. No one yelled at me or called me a cracker. We all had love. Seriously if that can't make you believe in magic, than nothing can. Also, secretly there's a shit-ton of random granola lesbians in Harlem, they just never left their couches 'til last night.

dorothy: Yes yes yes! YES yesyes!

Atherton: I know, that Californai thing was a big fucking let down. Hav's there right now trying to tie it up again. She volunteered at the polls and said it was going well. It just fucking sucks! But OBAMA! YAYAYAY!

AK: There were a lot of pots being banged on in Planet Harlem for sure. I'm hoping Prop 8 is blowing up in their faces as we speak. If all things are fair and beautiful as I believed they were last night. We haven't figured out how to make our teevee work yet. GOBAMA!


OO Lynnie OO: there were parts in the video where I actually look so tangibly happy that I didn't recognize myself. Like where I am smiling for real and not on effort. Obvs I couldn't put that in the final product, far too personal. That means so much to me that you'd say that I was a part of the experience. I feel like I worked for it too, working for moveon and everything. Yay America! I sort of am super keen on Biden lately too.

Vashti: Great watch! And I'm not just saying that 'cause you could actually hear me say "Oregon" (I always worry it's too quiet 'cause I hear it so many times I know what everything says).

The cut feels fine, actually, it's just um, deep. Like the deepness of the well of my happiness!

I think this is the first time I didn't wish I was anywhere but what I was.

laurrrra: I know! I was so heartwarmed by Ohio too, and not just 'cause I live with two Ohio-ians and my family and their farm is in Ohio. My grandma had a lot of choice words for Sarah Palin when we spoke last month though so I was hoping she'd be doing her part to take Clinton County, the Wilmington vote and maybe even spread the word all the way to Dayton. But then she called tonight talking crazy about plane tickets, not mentioning the election, so you never know. How'd I start talking about myself again.

Redemption songs.

I should have said this landscape,
lush and empty and so undreamed,
is the party to which we bring our own.
I should have kept talking until I'd gotten it true.
Something abut what the mouse doesn't know
and the owl does. Something intolerable
like that, with which we love. (sd)

mercury: Your votes are still being counted up there in AK. I can't believe there is a movie called Tropic Thunder, they're going to have a serious lawsuit from Tropical thudner, I think they make suntan lotion. Or maybe I'm thinking of a ride at King's Island. (OHIO!) One time I left a movie about torandoes to get chinese food and never went back, that was before texting was invented. I bet it feels super far away from the joy up there. I don't like Sarah Palin for making Alaska feel even farther away than usual.

I wish you were in New York forever for good too.

DH said...

I don't know if there are enough Gmail emoticons to adequately express how I feel about your video. The scene from Harlem was amazing, that's sure not how I remember 125th street. Also, nice to see your and Alex's happy smiling faces again, I've missed them.

I have a few feelings about Prop 8 and early adopters. Let's discuss them sometime.

Bourbon said...

Good job with the video. lol @ "yayyy who wants a civil union?"

autumn m said...

this made me happy. i totally felt that i was there, in a not really there cause im watching a video on the internet, kinda way. i have decided that the next time something important and Historical happens, i am going to NY just to celebrate. probably not. but still. and if they would have been like just kidding.....i to would have gone on a rampage. that would be a not so funny joke. and im going to bet that alot of people secretly had tears of joy, and tried to hid it from there friends. i have alot of feelings about Alex's happy dance. like maybe it shouldnt have happened. im pretty sure she should be Embarrassed that she did it in public. yeah..........

riese said...

dh: Firstly, I'd like to suggest the inclusion of the crab emoticon. That's not how I remember 125th street either, it was like a whole new world, Much like I hope the world itself; whole and new.

razia: I know right? 'Cause that's all we're ever gonna get, it'd seem.

autumn: It was like riverdance, it was really awesome, Alex's dance. NY is usually not the best place for historical events 'cause there's so many fraking people, but sometimes y'know, you just like wanna be around a bunch of people. Dancing and so forth.

Anonymous said...

umm what about last time we beat OSU? like 80 years ago .. or 2003. people raged, the streets were packed. i'm fairly certain i torched a couch on the lawn of a frat house.

not as epic, but the closest thing to victory mayhem that i've had in ann arbor.

ALSO, same day, i sliced my hand open from thumb to mid-forearm (not as intense as your leg but it was deep and bloody) trying to shotgun a beer and rather than seek medical attention, opted for a sock (dirty --off my own feet) and duct tape as a suitable remedy.

obvs ended up being a HORRIBLE idea ... it got gross and i had to go to UHS the next day and explain what happened. they made me get a tetanus shot which sucked.

moral of the story is: drunken mcgyver tactics always leave a scar.

autumn m said...

riverdance??? really???....wow......mmmmmm

MoonKiller said...

That video made me ashamed of Britain and it's boring elections.

Two people bought me his book for my birthday. And my friend made me a card with Superman's body and Obama's head and he was carrying me under one arm and the world with the other and it was amazing, then we started to sing Barack Obama Can He Fix It? To the tune of Bob The Builder.

And I looked at the picture of your leg again to see if it really was as bad as I thought it was yesterday and it would appear I now believe it's worse.

My wordveri is: teirinfe. It looks like a drunk person trying to spell Tenerife.