RedEye's election night observations

Newsrooms are great places to be on election night. There's free food, snarky commentary and deadline anxieties that turn journalists into ticking time bombs. Here are some of RedEye's observations during the course of election night. (Also see Stephen Markley's dispatches from the Obama rally at McCormick Place here.)

10:11: CNN calls New Mexico for Obama. Overheard in the RedEye newsroom: "That's not a major projection. That's a regular projection."

10:05: "I have a hard time coming up with a Plan E. Don't ask me about a Plan F." John King on CNN.

9:36:"We're obviously tracking every vote in every state." Anderson Cooper on CNN. Well, I sure hope so.

9:24: A cheer went up when the Bulls won. Simple pleasures.

8:58: "There's a big but(t) in Nevada." Some random reporter on CNN.

8:48: Overheard in the RedEye newsroom: "Where is Will.I.Am.? That's my question."

8:32:"It is just wow." John King on Florida.

8:30: "Look at this, look at this ..." Wolf Blitzer loses his mind when announcing Florida is separated by 600+ votes. Chill man, you have 12 more hours to go.

8:10: Overheard in the RedEye newsroom: "What is reverse coattails? Is that a sexual position?"

8 p.m.: Major projection: Wolf Blitzer has a coronary before the night is over.

7:54: The best thing we've seen all night: The "Skyfall" trailer. Bond, always Bond.

7:53:"Don't make us come up there, Wisconsin." @sethwanta

7:36: Overheard in the RedEye newsroom: "There's a Bulls game tonight?"

7:35: Chicago Tribune's newroom is already out of cola/pop/soda, whatever you call it.

7:33:"Obama, today America is really counting on that "once you go black" theory..." @steph9056

7:23:"Remember Sarah Palin? #ChiVoteWatch" -@sethwanta

7:20:"ok. pizza, Xanax, beer, and an emergency escape plan. bring it on #ElectionNight. #ChiVoteWatch" -@LOOSELIPSmik

7:16: "Congrats, Obama." - Romney voter still in line in Chicago. @sethwanta

7:15:"A nation divided politics tonight." @AdanFigueroa

7:12: It'll be nice when this election is over so we can go back to ignoring Ohio.

7: Illinois going for Barack Obama is not exactly a "big" projection.

6:59: "They've been playing jazz music" = least surprising fact about Mitt Romney's rally as told by a CNN anchor.

6:48:"hey @cnn, why don't you just tell me who's going to win florida-florida state? #tallyhassee@tracyswartz

6:38: The election ads have not stopped.

6:34: Of course Virginians vote at the Jiffy Lube concert venue.

6:31:"As we wait for more real votes to come in," Wolf Blitzer. What, West Virginia is not good enough for you?

5:53 p.m.:"I can't look at Wolf Blitzer without a beard," Jessica Galliart, RedEye social media lady.