honking poll

it is a slow day today (so far!) so I took a walk. Our IT staff has been mostly sitting hunkered over laptops pouring over election stories. It's a beautiful day and the streets are alive with Kerry supporters calling on drivers to honk -- and more often than not they seem to be responding in one way or another.

A Bush supporter stands at the corner where our building is and tries to hand out leaflets. He looks a little forlorn and I almost feel his pain enough to take a flier from him. He smiles nervously as people walk by eyes gliding away to avoid eye contact like a homeless person.

I sit on a park bench a while, taking in the sun on the falling leaves, and nod off a while, tempted to just lie down and let nature take its course. Instead I get up and find a Colombe a coffee shop a friend recommended and wander back to the office the long way.

People by and large look happy (though some look annoyed at the honking), an african american guy gives me a broad grin and says "It feels good, I think we are going to win today." The Kerry supporters looked pysched. I hear snatches of election conservations everywhere, thought with a large hint of concern about fraud ("i'm going to vote twice today" "oh yeah a long hallowed, Philadelphia tradition").

It's hard not to be optimistic -- but alas there are still reasons for pessimism (esp having heard some person in WI slashed tires of some vans to carry Republican volunteers to the polls).