First, there was the martini, half of which fell over on a carpet. And a puff. Never place a martini glass with a narrow base on a carpet. Then, there was the second martini & another puff, and the results came pouring in. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, all those sucker states go our way. My oldest brother calls to say it's over. He was right, it was over. If we had elected Kerry four years ago and not endured another Bush term, we would not have the historic moment we have now. Sometimes we have to suffer more for something truly impressive to occur. Yes, we did.

Of course, the glee turned to access. One scotch and one beer to top off the victory. I stumbled home from my other older brother's abode, puked and went to bed. I had to be at work by 5 a.m. the next morning. Nobody ditches work in this economic climate. My lady had doubts about me making it, but sure enough, I rolled out of bed half-ill & half hung-over to pick up The Methodone Man. He said what a lot of people have said the last few days. 'I can't believe we actually elected a black man president in my lifetime.' He said it with amazement and pride. Yes, we did.

I ended up working five days this week. Three 12-hour days in the cab and two half-days for the Crisis Company, role playing scenarios for the police. I can't remember the last time I worked a five-day work week, but we are living in historic times. Some of the cops complained about the results without getting too specific. Like many states, the Democrats swept the elections. For the first time since probably the formation of the state, New Mexico has a Democratic governor, two Democratic Senators, and all three representatives are also Democratic. One of the cops said he didn't like it that one party had all the power, and all I could think of was that six years ago it was the other way around. Did we really forget how it used to be less than a decade ago? Yes, we did.

My baby girl watched some of the debates with me. She didn't seem to favor one candidate over the other, giving each candidate equal limited attention with her newborn focus. She's a half-breed like our new president, so her ethnicity status might be en vogue by the time she's old enough to understand it. We do get a kick out of checking both the Hispanic and Anglo boxes when filling out her forms. On Tuesday, my girl will be three-months-old. I've figured out why people say 'They grow up so fast.' It's because they aren't with the kids every day. I can honestly say that the last three months still felt like three months (maybe even longer), and she seems to be growing just as fast as she's supposed to grow. It is nice that her mother and I survived the 0-3 months hump without any major difficulties. Yes, we did.

Last night, my lady and I saw a local professional theatre production of "Death of a Salesman." Grandma came over to watch the baby. It was a quality show, and the three hour tale moved along without a sluggish moment. The difference between the American Dream success and failure appears to be a fine line. Willy Loman slowly loses his mind as his job crumbles and his family disappoints him. The oldest son, Biff, is a 34 year old wanderer who can't hold down a job or connect with his father since his quarterback high school days. I'm 34 now, and I couldn't help thinking how close to Biff I turned out, especially during my 20s. Lost, going form job to job, losing interest in chasing women. I know there's still a lot of Biff in me, but now with a budding family and six years of being a cab driver, there is a consistency that wasn't there just a few years ago. What can I say, Biff? Yes, I did.

Last weekend, I had auditions for a play needing two black men. I had four guys audition, and one turn down a role. I still cast the play. Yes, I did. I also closed a short play as part of a playfest. The audience voted for their favorite of the seven, and the one I directed won mightily, receiving more than twice the votes of the next highest vote getter. The playwright received $500. I received praise and acclaim and no cash. Yes, I did. I voted for the winners in an election for the first time since 1992. Yes, I did. I got really drunk that night. Yes, I did that too.

Another week is upon me and you and us. The problems and challenges are there just as much as they were last week, but some reason, there is a hope that through all the lousiness we have heaped upon ourselves over the last few years, we can get out of our rut. We don't have to be like Biff. We don't have to grow up so fast. We can enjoy ourselves and feel pride in being the Americans that we are and have really always been no matter what. Yes. We. Can.

Chris Jungle will try to stop after two martinis next time.