Anxiety

Cat Fight!
Originally uploaded by privatenobby

When you asked my brother-in-law David how he was doing sometimes he'd say, "Aw, I'm as anxious as a three-legged cat in the middle of the interstate."

That's how I felt all weekend, and it's clearly not only my premonition about the UT/Tech game... It's this election.

In 1992 I was in grad school at Ohio U and we were so excited about Bill Clinton. That Wednesday morning after the election was glorious and full of promise. I could never have predicted the turn of events after that time, but on that morning everything was perfect.

I feel that same sense of excitement this time but everything feels less pure. Is it my age? Am I cynical? Or are we less innocent now? I think it's me. And I also think it's the circumstance.

When I worked at Amy's we had a grease trap. That thing had to be cleaned every month or 2, I can't remember how often. But when Roto-rooter came with their truck and hooked up that hose, the smell was, as Emery once said about a terrible smell, The Devil. It was the worst thing I've ever smelled or seen. Sometimes you'd see a bit of whatever was being pumped out.

That's what President Obama or John McCain is going to be doing for the first year. Cleaning the grease trap. When whoever gets in gets in and opens up that trap to see what's inside, I think it's going to be smelly and foul.