How can you tell when Anaea feels overworked?

She starts compulsively writing things that have nothing to do with what she ought to be doing, that’s how.

Just taking a moment to share that I am absolutely, utterly, fantastically, unspeakably happy that I’m in Chicago this week. Being in Chicago this week means I spent last night watching press conferences and reading news articles and hunting down Obamanatical youtube videos to make me feel better. If I’d been home I’d have probably been grumpily shoving things in boxes or, worse, actually working.

Since I was in Chicago I went walking through the neighborhood near a cemetery on the south side and got to see all of the home made Obama support signs. There weren’t quite as many of them the “For Rent” and “For Sale” signs but, at least in that neighborhood, he’s the only candidate.

Being in Chicago means that I spent lunch talking to super-high-up-but-not-really-a-boss lady on my team about how we’re both so proud of our boy and suddenly very worried that his jackass ex-pastor may have ruined it for him. She’s Hillary’s prime demographic, and shared my bottomless disgust for her. She remembered the conversation we had ages and ages ago when I explained why I thought Ron Paul was dangerous, and we dissected the different potential outcomes for just how the two major parties are going to destroy themselves.

At the meeting where we were validating the system build this afternoon I was doing most of the changes they wanted on the fly. I told them what I was doing when they asked when they would be able to see the changes. “Hang on just a sec and I’ll fix it so you can look at that now.” I was answered with an enthusiastic chorus of, “Yes we can!” I swear on my cold, unfeeling heart, I almost got emotional. “Okay, now I need a minute. You just made me too happy to look at my computer.” Only in Chicago. Two of them live in Indiana. They’ll be taking time off to vote.

I can see it now, the future of the “my president” vs “your president” verbal meme that’s been going around since 2000. It’s a city full of people who think D.C. can go straight to hell because they’ve found their guy, end of story. If this election does reduce me to sappy indignity I really hope I’m here that week. It’ll be nice to be surrounded by a city of people who know precisely what I’m thinking.