Election Night update

Since he was snubbed in the Academy Award nominations, and since it's late on Election Day/Night, Matt thought he'd take a moment to remember his one-in-one encounter with Alexi Giannoulias, now the Democratic nominee for Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat.

About four years ago, Giannoulias - then a candidate for treasurer - called a press conference with State Sen. Linda Holmes in Aurora. It was about gas prices or something. Matt has already forgotten because...it didn't make much sense at the time. (In fact, the more questions Matt asked, the less sense it made. )

Anyhow, Matt showed up at the "press conference." Just Matt. Well, Matt and the photographer who snapped this picture off Matt dutifully scribbling notes at the "press conference" where reporters were outnumbered by speakers. As the photographer said: It's a lonely job but somebody has to do it. She could have also noted: It's a lonely job, but we still have to fill the paper.

Even though Matt was alone, Holmes and Giannoulias still set up a podium (although if you look closely it's just a cardboard box), still spoke from prepared notes and still thanked everyone for coming. Not "Matt." Everyone.

Still, the true highlight was the location. The pols picked an abandoned lot across the street from a gas station, again, so they could highlight whatever they wanted to say about gas or gas prices or gas fumes. Well, it turns out this "press conference" was on private property. And the property owner - who ran the ice cream shop next door - wasn't notified of the big press gathering.

So, he chased all three of us off the lot. And so the "press conference" ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper.