Sitting on Shpilkes

I cannot wait for tonight.

I will be up, either at my desk with my internet connection on, or at the local "Barack, Arack, and Boreka" election party (so named by the Canadian-Israeli organizer because "Barack" rhymes with "Arack" - it's open to McCain supporters equally) at the PresenTense offices.

I will have my lists of states, my maps, my pen and my calculator! Whoo hoo! Whoo hoo! All psyched to stay up until at least 4 am Israel time! Go democracy! Whoo hoo!

**UPDATES**

1:50 am: The polls are closing in some states, and I'm still up. Chose to stay at home where I can poke around doing chores in between checking the news sites. On my desk I've got a list of all states, who they voted for in 2004 and whether it was close, which states are considered "swing" this year, and how many electoral votes they each get. Am greatly enjoying the interactive features at NYTimes.com. Am ready to keep an eye on Senate and House seats, and results of referendums. Am psyched!

4:15 am: Well, finally we're seeing some movement. If the votes in early-reporting states go the way the projections say, Obama currently has 62 electoral votes to McCain's 8. In more definitive news, the Dems have won 51 seats -- a majority -- in the Senate. In between keeping an eye on the results, I'm watching Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story on YouTube, segment by segment. It is a terrible film. It has nothing to do with the books, and it's just all around bad. It moves slowly, the plot is going nowhere. It's awful. The only reason I can stomache it is that I'm pretending that it has nothing to do with the series by L.M. Montgomery, and just happens to be about people named Anne and Gilbert. That, and because once I start to watch a movie, it would have to be slighty more terrible than this for me to stop in the middle. But I'm tempted.

4:35 am: A distant muezzin is sounding; time for morning prayers!

I find it very interesting, which news outlets are calling projected winners in various states. One would think that after what happened in 2000, they'd be more cautious. Some outlets have been projecting winners, even in swing states, after only 2% or 5% of precincts have reported in. The differences are wide: At this very moment, FOX, ABC, and NBC all say that Obama will pocket 200 electoral votes vs. McCain's 85 or 90. Meanwhile, the New York Times is the most cautious, attributing 87 votes to Obama and 8 to McCain.

I'm sure they've all got there actuarial science behind them. But Sarah says: It ain't over 'til it's over.