relief
I opened Firefox on my work computer this morning and one of the tabs still had the New York Times election results page for the Alabama Senate race that happened yesterday. I guess its cookies or whatever were still stuck on where they were when I shut down before leaving yesterday afternoon, so it loaded at first showing the chances of Roy Moore or Doug Jones winning at "even" -- and for a minute, I felt a slight panic. Were my celebratory tweets last night jumping the gun? I honestly feared even when I posted them that they might have been. The race was close, after all -- a difference of 1.5%, extraordinary given the Republican was a multiply-accused child molester -- and Roy Moore even refused to concede, like the weasel scrotum that he is. He still hasn't, as far as I know, even though the automatic statewide recount only occurs if the difference is less than half of one percent.
Anyway, I refreshed the page and it updated the info, still showing Doug Jones to have won, which was another relief all over again, after feeling it last night.
I was in the bedroom watching Judd Apatow's honestly relatively mediocre Netflix comedy special when Shobhit came in and said, "Very high probability Doug Jones will win." Most of the results had come in at that point, and it was already looking like his victory. I was both shocked and relieved -- I truly expected that beyond-odious Roy Moore would win, and that it would still feel like a gut-punch even with that expectation. Having Doug Jones pull through was like bracing for a punch that, out of nowhere, never materializes.
Never in my life have I paid so much attention to a Senate race in another state. More specifically, never in my life have I really paid any attention to a Senate race in another state. If this past year has taught me anything, it's that the politics of every other region in the country matter -- not just those of my own state or district.
What else? After I finished with that comedy special, and also worked a bit on my year-in-review video, I tried kind of halfheartedly to work on the New York Times crossword with Shobhit, and after maybe ten minutes we both gave up. I really wanted to watch an episode of The Crown anyway -- and that's what we did, episode 3 of season two. All I can say is: Claire Foy is excellent as the Queen. It does feel like there's some fundamental dramatic element missing in the absence of John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, but, what can they do? The man did die. The first three episodes focus a lot on speculation around the stability of Queen Elizabeth and Philip's marriage, and I'm glad to see that part essentially resolved in episode 3. I wouldn't want that to be the arc of the entire season.
Tonight stats another five-day run of one thing or another planned every single day: advance screening of Darkest Hour (starring current Oscar front-runner Gary Oldman as . . . Winston Churchill!) tonight; tomorrow lunch with Karen, and in the evening the third-annual trek down to Tacoma to see this year's Star Wars movie on opening night with Gabriel (and Tess, and this year, Shell); Friday I suppose sort of semi-planned, as I have yet to plan something for the evening, but we are having the Holiday Cookie Exchange at work. I don't intend to bake any cookies. I considered it, decided against it. Even a few people participating results in a stupid excess of cookies. The weekend is largely reserved for Laney: monthly get-together to watch Mad Men at her place Saturday evening; and she invited me to come with her to see the Winterfest performances of Captain Smartypants and Sensible Shoes at Seattle Center Sunday afternoon. One of those days I also hope to see The Shape of Water with Ivan, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet regarding when he's available. My hope is Saturday afternoon, and I am presuming if it happens then we'll also be accompanied by his new boyfriend, Drew. Shobhit is likely not to want to join -- and he works all Saturday afternoon anyway -- because he is certain to get a SAG Awards screener for that movie anyway. He will for Darkest Hour as well, and he's coming to that with me tonight, but that, at least, is still a free screening.
I don't know yet how next week will play out overall, only that the following weekend is basically Christmas Weekend -- Christmas Eve is that Sunday, anyway. And Gina and Beth are coming up to spend the afternoon and early evening that Saturday, the day before Christmas Eve, looking at the holiday sights with me (and Shobhit, if he's not working), after seeing a play that afternoon at the 5th Avenue Theatre.
Apparently Gaia, the Italian exchange student, is history. Gina texted me that she "challenged me one too many times," and she's back again with the exchange coordinator. The original plan was for them to host her for the full school year, until June. I guess it didn't work out -- and she and a friend had tickets to the Macklemore concert at Seattle Center, which we were originally going to wait for until it ended. That won't be necessary now, but I'm hoping we can still fill out the late afternoon and early evening with lots of holiday stuff, especially the traditional ride on the Holiday Carousel and looking at the Gingerbread Houses at the Sheraton Hotel. I keep thinking about trying to find other nice Christmas displays to check out in downtown office building lobbies -- something Auntie Rose did with me around Christmastime in 1995 -- but that may be more challenging on a Saturday.
[posted 12:32 pm]