Election night observations:

1) I saw two men, Juan Williams and Jesse Jackson, barely control their emotions last night as they watched things unfold. One has written extensively about the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle, while the other actively participated in it. Juan Williams was on Fox News talking about the significance of this moment, and his voice cracked more than a few times. Jesse Jackson stood seemingly alone in a sea of Obama supporters, and was weeping uncontrollably in what he probably thought was a private moment, but of course the cameras caught. I've had the pleasure of meeting both men in my life time, and I was really wishing I could be around them. Not so much as a proud black man, but as a writer who would love to get their raw emotions..besides the crying of course. I saw Roland Martin from CNN crying too, but his writing sucks, so I wasn't as moved.

2) Both my parents were crying on the phone when they called me. My mother is always crying these days, so that's not that big, but I have NEVER seen or heard my dad cry before, so this was huge. He cried at his dad's funeral, but I was way too young to remember that. He didn't even cry at my grandmother's funeral, but last night's moment had him doing just that. He explained to me that in 1968, his senior year of college, he was depressed by the murder of MLK, RFK, and just the overall state of race relations. Now 40 years later he was seeing this. Then, after he was done crying, he said to me, that Barack has LOTS of work to do, and he better celebrate quickly, then get to planning.

3) My voting experience was pretty uneventful. I left work at 4, got to the polls around 4:30, waited in line about 45 minutes, then I was out. If I was a camera person, I would have taken pictures and written snazzy captions under each like my friend Nichole, but I dropped the ball on that one. I had my headphones on, and I was listening to a sports podcast.

4) My lady's sister had to call my lady and I and tell us that Obama won. In an effort to avoid the exhausting coverage, we were watching the Rockets/Celtics basketball game Real Housewives of Atlanta(yet another show, my lady has successfully reeled me in on). Every now and then we'd turn to CNN to see the electoral college votes, then we'd switch back. Talk about stimulus overload...

5) One of best and favorite articles I've written for Hoops Addict is now on the site, but due to this Obama juggernaut, I doubt many folks will read it, which I understand, but selfishly speaking it sucks.

6) I would like to extend a personal thank you and middle finger to the jackasses in my neighborhood who drove around honking their horns at 2 and 3 in the morning. I can understand someone drinking champagne last night, or going to a party and getting smashed. But grown folks driving around the streets honking their horns in the middle of the night like NY cab drivers? That's just ridiculous, and it kept me up way longer than necessary.

7)John McCain gave a very eloquent concession speech last night, and he took the high road with Denny Green, when he really didn't have to. But during McCain's speech people were openly booing and cutting him off to chant his name, and McCain was visibly frustrated at this. I felt bad for McCain last night. Up until last year, Republicans, Democrats and Independents all loved McCain for his ability to bring folks together to talk about and solve problems. Now, he is basically the Craig Ehlo to Obama's Jordan, and he'll probably fade into Bolivian. Or perhaps Obama will reach out to him for help..who knows.

7) And last and certainly not least my friends, we will swear in a new president on my birthday son. That means that each and every one of you owe me not only a gift at that point, but a presidential one. Let's make it count people.