Rock the Vote

It is, of course, election day, and I have proudly done my duty and cast a vote for the next President of the United States (I actually did so this weekend, because I am lucky enough to be at work all day today). An undeniable sense of excitement permeates the air on days like this, because the opportunity to have even a small part in such a monumental decision is truly amazing, even if I am not particularly enthusiastic about either of the two leading candidates.

Today I am proud to be an American. It's wonderful that in this, in voting, we as a nation can all come together. I am proud of every person who today, in spite of the formidable weather, heads over to his or her designated location and casts a ballot. The fact that our predecessors were able to establish a system that truly enables the peaceful transition of power is astounding to the nth power. Just ask, well, any pre-American civilization. Ask Bloody Mary or Joan of Arc; ask Louis XVI, Julius Caesar, or Openchancanough; ask even modern leaders, like Laurent Nkunda, Hamid Karzai, or Aung San Suu Kyi. Sure, Americans have encountered bumps in the road (there was that certain matter of the Civil War and the subsequent decades of Civil Rights movements), but overall, we make it look so easy. I wish more people could understand that, and were grateful for it. I wish we didn't take it so much for granted.

That said, I will be so glad when this election is over. I, for one, have heard about all the campaigning I can take. I'm sick of the mudslinging (in all directions), sick of SNL, sick of regular news channels. I'm glad they so diligently covered the issues, because they helped me decide which candidate to vote for--but that doesn't mean I'm not glad that it's all coming to a close. I think I was almost to the point of overload, possibly on the brink of a frustration-induced explosion. I will be tremendously relieved to not hear anymore about the race for the White House. Finally, we will be able to move on!

So, for those of you who share my sympathies, and want to think about something other than the election for a few minutes (after you've voted, of course :) ), here's an interesting tidbit about a previous November 4th, courtesy of the History Channel's website.

November 4, 1939
The first air-conditioned car is displayed

On this day, the 40th National Automobile Show opened in Chicago, Illinois, with a cutting-edge development in automotive comfort on display: air-conditioning. A Packard prototype featured the expensive device, allowing the vehicle's occupants to travel in the comfort of a controlled environment even on the most hot and humid summer day. After the driver chose a desired temperature, the Packard air-conditioning system would cool or heat the air in the car to the designated level, and then dehumidify, filter, and circulate the cooled air to create a comfortable environment.

Air conditioning is my friend. Packard, you are an unsung hero. I salute you.