WAG - The calm before the storm
Today is April 8, 2003.
It's Election Day, or "V-Day" (voting day) as I've noted it in my calendar.
I'm in the newsroom and the atmosphere is very strange here.
There are a lot of people here, especially for this time of night, and the air isn't tense.
One person across from is watching German video news reports. The person directly behind me is playing solitaire (he says it's a matter of "vital security").
In the conference room, people are just talking, though they had the show 24 turned on earlier. I'm updating my Blog site, and not feeling guilty about it.
Want to know why?
Right now, election returns have hovered at .90 percent reporting for over an hour now.
NOTE: That's not "ninety percent." That's "ninety percent of 1 percent."
We're going to be here a while.
Most of the stories are already written. Many have been written twice; just with two different endings (a pass or fail & elected or ignored). Many stories have gaps in them waiting to be filled with percentages or quotes from the probable victor or loser I heard someone ask someone earlier to give them a comment as if they'd one and then another comment if they lost. Those people have less gaps and phone calls to make, but less respect from me - who still has phone calls to make.
Of course, it's still to early to do that. I'm not going to ask, "With 00.90% of the vote in, how do you feel about your chances?"
It's interesting looking at the absentee ballot results. For me, it's entertaining seeing someone winning with 100% of the vote with only two votes cast in their favor.
There a lot of comments being made like, "Boy, it's gonna be a close one." "Crap, that guy must have pissed off EVERYBODY!"
Newsroom Update: The girl watching German news switched to playing minesweeper, then pinball, and back to news sites. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is playing in the conference room and word is pizza will be delivered soon.
Compared to the normal, strained feeling that goes along with late night deadlines, it feels like I've wandered into a Twilight Zone episode, that's catered.
Of course, when returns hit 100%, they're now at 6.41% (Yes, it's going to be a long night), things are going to go nuts.
But till then, like a person gazing at the funny looking green clouds in the sky, I'm just going to enjoy the view.
Whoa... More numbers. The clouds are growing darker, but into the storm I plunge.
'Aunty_Em_Aunty_Em_A_Twister_A_Twister'
