Virgil's Wedding opens tonight!

Come see us in the Santa Susana Black Box Theatre February 26, 27, and 28.

Showtimes for 26 and 27: 7pm
Showtimes for 28: 2 pm and 7 pm

All shows are $10 with ASB or if you are a child or a senior citizen, $12 general. If you have the chance, find one of the cast members and get an invitation--you will save a lot of money on the ticket. Either way, please come to the shows and support the drama department and your friends!

The show is about a couple in a small southern city called Lickskillet who are getting married and hire two sophisticated big city ladies. Madness ensues. It is a very funny play, and well worth both your time and money. The play is family friendly, so bring the whole family for a night of fun!

And plus, it has me as a Reverend in a moustache. 8D

Hope to see you all there, it's well worth it!

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America.
Joe Biden is his Vice President.
Democrats hold the majority in the House and the Senate.
Change is near.

I am so happy, it's hard to put it into words.

I feel so inspired by this election, and that's just it--I feel inspired. Wonderfully, blissfully, thankfully inspired. I was watching ABC all day once I got home, eager to find out the results of the polls, hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that Barack Obama would win the Presidential Election.

And he did.

At exactly 8:00 PM on the West Coast, and 11:00 PM on the East Coast, Barack Obama was declared the President Elect.

I was sitting on the couch all night with my parents and sister around me, and when it was announced we all got up and cheered. We shouted, we clapped, we smiled, and our eyes welled with tears. My dad pulled out the champagne, and we all toasted the 44th President of the United States of America--Barack Obama. I know I keep restating his position, but it's just still amazing to hear it.

We all watched McCain's concession speech, and quite honestly, that was one of (if not the sole) best speeches of his entire campaign. If he ran his whole campaign like that, it would have been a much closer race. He was decent, humble, and congratulative. I was touched by the way that he handled it, and glad to see that there were no (blatant at least) hard feelings between the two.

Then Obama came on to deliver his victory speech. He looked presidential. He was smiling very faintly, holding hands with his wife and children, waving to the crowd. He looked somber and responsible, and when he started giving his speech, his comport continued.

It was an amazing speech.

I know that a lot of people were expecting something entirely different from him, something exhuberant and envigorating which would vivify the crowd to a tumultous roar, but he delivered a very serious, humble, and altogether inspiring speech.

He didn't talk about himself. He didn't talk about Democrats. He didn't promise to lower taxes, and give out free health care, and bring about the coming of the messiah. He talked about America. And American citizens. He talked about the future, and making great strides in it. Even if some of his plans could not be done in one year, or two years, or even his term, but he would start. And starting is half the battle. He talked about those who would cause harm and hatred and chaos, and said that we would defeat them. He talked about those who would bring peace, and said we would support them. He talked about the first-time voters (like my brother, Aaron) and how they broke out of the stereotype of their generation--their apathetic, cynical view of our government--and they proved it wrong.

This last statement is what hit me the most. For the longest time, I've lived in a state of mind where I'm extremely cynical about the government and those in charge of the country. They've done so much that I've disagreed with and so little that I have agreed with. They've handled situations badly and have not taken the high road. They've used their fists and not their words. I had come to terms with it, begrudgingly, and basically accepted it that the government was corrupt and there really wasn't much that we could do about it.

But now there's change.

A step towards change is a step towards the future.

A step towards digging ourselves out of the ditch we've gotten ourselves into. A step towards ending this endless war. A step towards more acceptance and less hatred. A step towards America becoming a respected country once more. A step for me of being a proud American. At this point in his speech, I started crying. I couldn't contain it. Happy tears rolled down my face, and I was smiling all the way.

Obama coming into office means so much more to me than "finally being rid of Bush." It means that we are shifting into drive, out of neutral, and pressing the accelerator. I finally have a reason to be excited and hopeful about America. For half of my life--and what a shame to have most of my memorable life with only one man in charge, the part of my life where I actually find myself interested in politics and the running of the world--it has always been the same. Now change. Change towards what exactly? Hope. Hope that we can move forward. Hope that we can better our lives and the lives of others.

Obama as president means so much more to me than I can accurately put into words. For once, I'm not voting against the other guy, but actually for someone. It's not the lesser of two evils, it's someone who I actually believe in. True, I myself could not cast a ballot. But I have encouraged others to go out and do so. My parents voted. My brother voted for the very first time. My time is not far off.

I am so blessed to be here at this time to witness this change, this transition from nothing to something, and to be able to soak it all in. True, there is no guarantee that Obama will be able to do everything he promised, but still, isn't a hope better than just closing our eyes and running along like the lemmings we were before?

Hope is around the corner.
Change is around the corner.
Life is around the corner.
History is around the corner.

And thank God that we were all here to witness it.

Tomorrow is election day.

Please go out and cast your ballot if you are eligible! If you're not of age or are otherwise ineligible, please make it your duty to find at least one person and make sure that they cast a vote.

Tell your family!
Tell your friends!
Tell your enemies!
Tell everyone!

The fate of the next four years lies in the hands of whoever gets elected as 44th President of the United States of America. Please make sure you have your say in who that person will be.

On top of that, there are many other propositions that are being proposed! Read through them carefully, make a decision, and vote on those!

Regardless of your political standings, whether you be Democratic, Republican, Independent, or anything else, it is your civic right and duty to cast a ballot tomorrow in this historic election. So much can and will change in the course of one day, and please make sure that your opinion is cast into consideration for this!

It is a simple lie to say that "One more vote doesn't count" or "It doesn't matter if I don't vote this time." It certainly does matter, and everyone needs to do their best to make sure that this country gets back on track. Whether you believe that Obama and Biden can change, or perhaps McCain and Palin, please please PLEASE go out tomorrow and vote in this election!

Again, make sure that everyone you know who is eligible goes out and votes, too!