What Can It Possibly Mean?

I hope this isn't a bad sign.

I taped the Jimmy Stewart movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" last night. I'd been lamenting the fact that I hadn't ordered it from Netflix in time for today's Election Day Geek-Out, but hurrah! Ted Turner saved me once again and it was on overnight on Turner Classic Movies, so I setup the VCR and taped it.

First thing this morning, while it was still dark out, I made coffee and crawled back under the duvet, with Alice, My Trusty Cat. I watched a few minutes of CNN and MSNBC, before flipping on the VCR. I'd never seen Mr. Smith before and was immediately sucked in. This is one of the most powerful and entertaining political movies there is--it's earned its status as a classic.

Somewhere, about 120 minutes or so in of this 129 minute masterpiece, the tape ended. Just stopped. Done. All full-up. Now, I'll never know if Mr. Smith wins the honorable fight against corrupt business interests, or if he and Clarissa end up together. Oh, I'm sure they all end up living happily ever after (it is a Capra film afterall), but what if they don't? Or, what if, on this election day, things don't end up happily ever after here either and this was the ominous sign? I don't think it had anything to do with the "LP" and "SP" settings on the VCR. I'm afraid it's a harbinger of the news to come.