Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A different kind of Election Night

Tonight feels weird.

I'm a reporter. I work in the news business. So for the last eight years? When Election Night came around, whether it was a primary or a general election or in the fall or spring, I was usually pretty sure I'd be working. Either sitting in my office waiting for results to come in and make those hectic phone calls to touch base with candidates in the few minutes I had left before deadline or else I was out at a candidate's election night party, waiting to hear the candidate make a victory or concession speech.

Tonight was different.

Oh there were races. Big ones. Folks in Wisconsin were voting for a new governor. And we had a pretty high profile U.S. Senate race along with other races.

But me? I wasn't working. Huh?

I worked a day shift and was officially the "on call reporter." The one that would get the phone call from her boss at 2 a.m. if that U.S. Senate race went into the wee hours of the morning waiting for a winner to be declared. And that phone call? I'm crossing my fingers I don't get it, but the night's still young.

So as I left my office at 7:30 p.m. (had to stick around for the newsroom tradition of pizza on election night), my co-workers were heading out to their assignments. I almost felt lost. But I had thought ahead and my gym bag was in my car. So I headed over to the YMCA for a run while watching the election results start to pour in.

The run was good - 5.3 miles to make up for the run that I skipped yesterday. Thankfully there weren't many other people at the YMCA since they would probably have questioned my choice of socks. Somehow forgot to pack my running socks so I ended up wearing my black work socks. Classy.

And the results? Oh boy.

3 comments:

rueschmike said...

I am going to lose my job as my company decided to relocate the division I worked for in Texas to Wisconsin. I have been traveling to Milwaukee every week. When I am waiting at baggage claim every now and then I strike up a conversation about how the previous trip it took x amount of time for the bags to show up. Anyway everyone is shocked when I tell them my company moved up here, granted another division was already here. Nice to know Wisconsin is now open for business!!

teacherwoman said...

Sounds like you were glad you didn't have to work the polls last night! nice job on the run!

keen shoes said...

That sounds great!
Congrats on the 5.3 mile run..