Change is afoot!

I got caught up in all of the electoral excitement when I voted first thing this morning. My roommate and I left the apartment at 6:15 am, armed with our cheat sheets from the Political Potluck and stopped for coffee at Intelligentsia. The sky was cloudy, but the moisture in the air made it refreshing. When we arrived at our polling place, I snapped a great shot of the sign out front, which was in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. After several minutes of sitting in the chairs at the elementary school gym, where it smelled like kids -- crayons, laundry soap and a hint of hot lunch pizza -- the poll workers announced that the polls were open.
As the lines moved, I chatted with a couple fellows next to me who I learned live on my street. We chatted about the neighborhood, about one street where there used to be a crack hotel and how it's likely it will be turned into a Grove-like outdoor shopping area. When it was my turn to enter the booth I was so excited that I almost forgot to grab a ballot.
After marking my votes, I double checked all of my selections and saw my roommate was taking pictures of her ballot to text to her brother. I lingered in the booth to let the ink dry and take in the moment.
When we walked outside it was like a new day. A man stood on the other side of the "No Electioneering" notice with a sign that said "Neighbors please! VOTE NO ON PROP 8." We waved at him to affirm we had and he gave us a thumbs up. My roomie called her mom to relay the excitement. The clouds had cleared and a warm light was now flooding the streets; the street signs, restaurants, storefronts, posters and billboards all seemed brighter than they had before we went in. As I walked down Sunset, I could see the Hollywood sign -- the sky was so clear. I walked up to the bus stop to wait, enjoying the sunshine -- and the hope that it symbolized.