Sprawled Out

Since the inauguration, I imagine our new President feels a bit like a rag doll, the way everyone's been tugging him this way or that way, trying to fit so many visions for our future into the stimulus package. If what passed yesterday in both houses really is the New New Deal, the programs enacted as part of it will be historic and exemplary, a real blueprint for what our new economy, and by extension our culture, will be. The things we throw money at as part of our economic recovery are the pillars we hope can hoist us out of this big, sagging mess of a recession.

And so, it was with swelling heart that I read the following excerpt from an interview the President gave in Florida recently:

Not only do we need to rebuild our roads, our bridges, our ports, our levies, our dams, but we also have to plan for the future. This is the same example of turning crisis into opportunity…Now, look, this is America. We always had the best infrastructure. We were always willing to invest in the future. Governor Crist mentioned Abraham Lincoln. In the middle of the Civil War, in the midst of all this danger and peril, what did he do? He helped move the intercontinental railroad. He helped start land grant colleges. He understood that even when you’re in the middle of crisis, you’ve got to keep your eye on the future. So transportation is not just fixing our old transportation systems but its also imaging new transportation systems.

That’s why I’d like to see high speed rail where it can be constructed. That’s why I would like to invest in mass transit because potentially that’s energy efficient and I think people are a lot more open now to thinking regionally in terms of how we plan our transportation infrastructure. The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities. So we should be using this money to help spur this kind of innovative thinking when it comes to transportation. That will make a big difference.

I for one, really believe that condensing our cities and making them more livable will bring about the right kind of development and can strengthen our social structures. And this will be huge in configuring the next economic era. It's just nice to hear someone more powerful than little old me agree.

Much

Woah. WOAH! A lot has happened since last I updated this little blog. We were too busy CELEBRATING over here. Remember how psyched we were way back in April? Well multiply that primary enthusiasm by another six months and then you will begin to approach the level of anxiety and anticipation about Tuesday's results. I think I was honestly too nervous to bring up the election again before it happened, a little worried that the Bradley Effect might happen, sort of concerned that we were in for another disappointment even after all the hype, terrified about the possibility of a Mccain-Palin victory. A defense mechanism really, so that if the unthinkable happened I wouldn't have to crawl into a hole never to emerge. And even after the networks called not only Ohio, but also our dear, dear Pennsylvania for Obama, I was still nervous to believe it. That we had actually won this thing.



But we did it. A belated and probably redundant congratulations to everyone who did anything to help this campaign be so historic and successful! I know I'll never forget the feeling of seeing such a candidate win even as I doubted it could happen. And that speech? Don't even get me started...

I know the Mission in San Francisco was brimming with election night excitement, despite the unfortunate Proposition 8 results. I hope you found a way to celebrate in your own neck of the woods.

Busy Day!

I went to VOTE EARLY today. And for anyone out there who is wondering, my ballot is definitely getting counted. In the state of California anyway, you receive a bar-coded stub expressly for checking to make sure. Oh man, it felt so good.



And then I went out shopping for a halloween costume. I know, I know, crafty as I may be, Halloween just always seems to sneak up on me. I just have so much trouble deciding on a costume. Should I go as sexy abe lincoln? or something referential like a character from Clue? or more conceptual, as the universe? or more halloween 2.0, like a scarecrow? This year I headed to Thrift town and let the costume speak to me.



Oh this? This I spotted on the way outside and it made me smile. It isn't my costume. Maybe I'll give you a glimpse of the final verdict tomorrow...

And in the meantime, happy halloween...