Sweet Inauguration photos!

Knowing what an Obama groupie I am (or "became" after Edwards dropped out), fraternity brother "Lude" emailed a link to some pretty awesome Inauguration pics. Staggering overhead shots. And if you couldn't find me, I saved you the trouble. Click to enlarge the photo and to see where I circled myself on the Mall.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/the_inauguration_of_president.html

Inauguration Week Day Three - Tue 1/20

'tis finally here. The big day. A restless night's sleep ends with me waking up by myself with no alarm needed at 3:00am; the 3:15 alarm is turned off without even using it. James offers to drive me to the end-of-the-yellow-line Huntington station so I won't have to park the Jeep there. "Naw," I say, "it won't be bad that early." Oh but it was. We pass the line of cars to get into the parking deck and I leap out at the Metro entrance. I am on the train at 4:05am and the train departs at 4:10am. Damn! Missed the first train of the day, but got on the 2nd. Getting dropped off was indeed a good idea.

My destination: the L'Enfant Plaza stop. I arrive at 4:45am. We are corralled through just one of the station exits onto 7th street. We make our way towards the Mall as one mass of humanity. It is COLD. The Mall entrance is gated off and cops are all around. For such an enormous crowd, patience rules the day. No one is bitter, no one is swearing, we're all just excited to witness history in a few (well, many) hours. Around 5:15am the gates open. Standing in the crowd awaiting this moment, we are all shoulder-to-shoulder and front-to-back; we are all touching. Once that gate opens, we move as one flowing blob onto the Mall; we shuffle our feet, but at no time did I stop touching those around me! No ricocheting off shoulders. No space in between the person in front of you. We moved as one gigantic mass of flesh. Surreal.



So now we're on the Mall. It's cold. It's 5:30am. The oath will occur at noon. There is some time to kill. So basically, me and 2 million of my closest friends shiver and hug and stay close and tell stories and share Obama sightings. One big kumbaya fest.

The sun begins to rise. The chance of possible warmth is exhiliarating. Flags are passed out to the crowd by volunteers. A couple next to me peeters out and actually leaves by 7:00am; they did not dress appropriately and were icicles in short order. Cardboard from recycle bins is comandeered and flattened so we can stand on it; standing on the ground itself begins to feel like standing on a block of ice. We begin to feel terrible. Standing for hours in the cold with no hope of an end for hours and hours.

The previous Sunday was a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. U2, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, etc. all performed. As we approach 9:00am, the Jumbotrons warm up and we are entertained by the taped HBO broadcast of the concert. At least now we have something to look at besides each other; we're starting to lose steam and almost run out of things to say to each other. The concert allows us to wave our flags and dance the morning away. The dancing was great to get the blood flowing and feeling back to our legs!



Then, once the concert is over, military bands begin to play to entertain us. The official program has begun. On the huge Jumbotrons, cameras cut away to motorcades and tinted windows making their way to the Capitol. We have no idea who is in these vehicles, but once the screens show sunglassed Secret Service agents and black tinted windows, the crowd goes wild. Eventually, the announcer states the arrival on the dais of various legislators. Senators, Representatives, dignitaries, and finally....former Presidents. Then, once and for all, a particular attendee arrives on the Capitol steps....


Wow.

Now things move quickly. Introductory remarks, a prayer, and then, the big moment....


In my video , if you can actually hear over the roar of the crowd, you can hear me babble like a baby with joy as I cry. Instant tears stream down my face. It hurts. My face is virtually frozen and the tears plow tracks through the icy cheeks. Joy that words cannot entirely express. "Congratulations, Mr. President." Unbelievable.


Then about 12:30pm, there is a reading by a poet, and a concluding prayer. Then, it's over. It's all over. The Inauguration proceedings are over. By 1:00pm, I begin to make my way to the Metro to try to get to the north side of the Mall where most of the restaurants are. I've been up for 9 hours now and haven't had anything to eat or drink for fear of having to go to the bathroom. I switched my brain over to "Pharmacy Retail" and hypnotized my bladder into a zen-like state. But now, it would really be good to grab a bite to eat.

There are people everywhere. 2 million leaving the Mall at the same time. With no exit information or signs to guide us. The line to the ONE Metro stop near us (L'Enfant) is enormous. It would be suicidal to try to get to the Federal Center SW stop closer to the Capitol. So, I make my way on foot to try to find a spot to cross Pennsylvania to the north side of the Mall.

The parade will be down Pennsylvania from the Capitol to the White House. 2 miles. 1st Street to about 17th Street. Follow the black line I drew on the Mall map from my viewing spot at 4th Street to see my impossible path to a possible lunch and a beer. Click on the image to make it larger and just see the route I had to take.
My circuitous route finally gets me to the L'Enfant Metro stop at 3:00pm. Two hours of meandering and wandering. Another mob of humanity shuffling their feet as one mass down to the trains. By 5:30pm I am back at Huntington station and James and the boys pick me up. Frozen and hungry, they take me to Old Town to an open (this time) Bilbo Baggins for soup, dinner, and bottles of Delirium Tremens Belgian beer.

Satiated and relatively warmer, we make our way back to the Brannons to split three nightcaps of celebratory 18% ABV (or sometimes 20%) Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA. Two bottles aged in the Gordonian "cellar" from 2003 that were thick and malty like a barleywine, and a "fresher" bottle from 2006 that still kept plenty of its hoppy bite. 120-Minute. Get it? 120. 1/20. January 20. Far too clever for my own good sometimes.

Exhausted. Full. Buzzed. It's bedtime. A long day, but truly an AWESOME day. One I may never forget. "May" never? Hell, I WILL never forget!

President Barack Obama.

Wow.

As of 12:00 noon on January 20th, the official photo:

Nice.

Inauguration Week Day Two - Mon 1/19

Woke up early for a trip into DC. Planned to meet NC-friends Jim and Cecile at Gordon Biersch brewpub for lunch. But first, a quick trip to the National Portrait Gallery for some sightseeing. The original "Hope" painting of Barack Obama's likeness was on display, with a good 45-minute wait to see it and snap a photo. Of course I had to do so:

Gordon Biersch is a favorite of Jim's, so it did not take any arm-twisting to meet him there. Yummy meatloaf plus their "InaugurAle" frosty beverage made for a satisfying afternoon.

Then, it was a tour of the National Mall. I wanted to hit the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, but the line was 90-minutes long. By the time I would enter, it would leave me with just an hour to see the entire museum. As this was a must see for me this trip, I opted to hold off for another day later in the week. So instead, the Mall it shall be. Had to see the layout, the preparations, the news organizations camped out, the port-a-potty locations. A brisk afternoon's walk around the Mall. Then, making my way closer to the Capitol, it was a quick visit to the Newseum to tool around and check out the exhibits.

Back to the Metro and the Brannon household to unwind and generally relax. A big day tomorrow! Plans are to wake up at 3:00am! An early retiring by 9:30pm occurred to just TRY and get some sleep. Inauguration Day is here....

Inauguration Week Day One - Sun 1/18

Drove up from Greensboro rather early, making good time even with Maxie requiring TWO stops for whatever reason. Got to the Brannons' in Alexandria, unpacked, decompressed, then hit up Old Town for a mid-afternoon lunch/brunch somewheres.

First stop: Stardust Lounge. Cocktails and lounge. Sounds fun! Closed at the time we got there. Drat. (At least a James Carville sighting, James's FOURTH, occurred in a flash on the street.)

Next try: Bilbo Baggins for some fare. Again, closed at the time.

Curses! We don't want to wait for dinnertime, so we try yet a third spot in Old Town: Overwood. FINALLY, a spot open for our oddly timed meal. Delicious.

Then a leisurely walk around the waterfront and finally back to the Brannons' for a quiet evening. Ahhhh.....

The big day

Look at the time on this post! I have comandeered the computer at the Brannons' to let you know it is 3:15am and I am about to shower and catch that first Metro train into DC-proper and find myself a spot on the Mall.

Inauguration Day.

3:15am.

It's finally here.

This is so exciting it could not wait until I returned to NC to post.

Wow.

Christmas dreams DO come true

Prop 8 - The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

I am not one of the 27.

Way back in April 2008, we had the bright idea to get in ahead of time to try and get Inauguration tickets for January 2009. We were that confident. Before the NC primary, before the general election. So I contacted our Congressman, Mel Watt of the 12th District of North Carolina, and asked for two tickets. We were informed via phone call that official distribution notices would not occur until after the election.

OK. We'll wait.

So the day after the election on Wednesday November 5th, another note was sent to Rep. Watt. We were told they know of our request and we were already "on the possible ticket list".

Fingers crossed.

We just received an email stating that tickets are slim. So slim in fact that a total of 27 tickets are distributed in Guilford County, our residence.

Mel Watt's 12th District is one of the most racially gerrymandered districts in the nation. Seriously. I mean, look at it:

A sliver of darker skin tones all along the I-85 corridor. Charlotte to Winston-Salem? Rep. Watt needs TWO local offices? One in Charlotte and one in Greensboro? Unreal.

Anyway, the email reads thusly:

On November 12, I was informed that each member of the U.S. House of Representatives would receive 196 tickets that we could distribute to the January 20, 2009 inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. When we stopped taking requests for tickets at 5:00 p.m. on November 14 we had received requests from over 5,000 people for more than 15,000 tickets. This, of course, made it an impossible task to satisfy all the requests.

Here’s what we decided to do:

· We decided to allocate no more than 2 tickets to any person who had made a request;

· We decided to allocate 70 of the tickets to elected officials and community, organizational and religious leaders from throughout the 12th District who had made requests; and

· We decided to allocate the balance of the tickets (126) between the 12th District counties based on the relative populations of the counties in the District and conducted a separate lottery drawing for constituents who had made requests from each county. This resulted in the following division of tickets:

Mecklenburg – 44 tickets

Guilford – 27 tickets

Forsyth – 26 tickets

Davidson – 15 tickets

Rowan – 12 tickets, and

Cabarrus – 2 tickets

We are in the process of contacting each individual who was selected to receive tickets based on the above process to confirm that they still plan to attend the inauguration and wish to use the tickets. Some may have changed their mind or may not wish to use the tickets because of the two ticket limit or for other reasons. Tickets not claimed will be distributed based on the county lotteries we have already conducted.

Sigh....granted the inauguration does not technically require a ticket, but to be guaranteed a spot among 240,000 ticketholders when approximately 4,000,000 people will go anyway would have been nice. I still have the January week off work, will still go to DC, and will still stand among the unwashed masses and watch history be made.

At Thanksgiving, ticket in hand or not, I'm just thankful to have a visionary forward-thinking president-elect to help us get through these trying times.

Wow!

In the books.

The scene: the old Guilford County Courthouse in downtown Greensboro, NC.

The reason: early voting.

Half of the legally eligible members of The House of Gordon cast their ballot Thursday in early voting. 45 minutes total from entrance to exit. Everything ran smoothly with no glitches. Add one vote in the "Hope" column for a certain senator from the great state of Illinois. Add one vote to send Greensboro's state senator Kay Hagan to Washington to oust the worthless Elizabeth Dole. Once all the races were voted upon, a full few minutes were spent just staring at the electronic voting screen. Clinton, Gore, Kerry, none of those votes really brought upon a welled-up sense of pride and joy that staring at that "Barack Obama / Joe Biden, Democrat" box did.

Whoever your candidate is, whatever your affiliation may be, whatever your views are, just VOTE.

Political priapism

Bill Maher on MSNBC's Hardball today? Television ambrosia for the Gordons...

McCain's Brain

Embedding these videos into the blog took forever to load when you wanted to play them. So instead, do your civic duty and click on the links to enjoy this historical archive of the three 2008 presidential debates.

Debate #1: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/1152b224a1

Debate #2: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/8b6b5bfd57

Debate #3: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ce362825bd

Candidate switcheroo

One interesting facet of argument and debate is to switch the scenario around to its opposite and see how it fares, see something from a differing perspective; i.e. I'm right and you're wrong...but what if you're right and I'M wrong?

Intriguing.

Got this email tonight concerning a) racism, and b) presidential qualifications and just thought I'd share:

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. consider...

Educational Background:

Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

Sure this comes from a left-leaning source, but try to consider the scenario. Would this road to the general election in fact be viewed differently?

Mild venting over for now. Carry on.

Inconsistent beliefs.

This is about a week old, but it was searched and searched for this afternoon. After reading the comments concerning Fox News's "centrist" and "non-politcal agenda" rumblings in the "MSNBC, i.e. pansies" post below, some points needed to be brought to light concerning the mouthpiece of the Grand Old Party.

Palin's outstanding governor qualifications, vs. Kaine's paltry governor qualifications.

Palin's pregnant daughter left alone as personal matter, vs. Spears teen pregnancy a result of pinhead parents.

Gender cards, victimizations, disrespectful family attacks. Oh my!

Consistently inconsistent, these righties are...

MSNBC, i.e. "pansies"

MSNBC, the left-leaning network and home of Keith Olbermann, has sent Mr. Olbermann to his room and removed him and Chris Matthews from hosting political news events. David Gregory will now host debate nights and election night from behind the desk. Pressure from the "liberal media" such as Fox News and coexistent whining from the Republican National Commitee resulted in this change. Call the waaaaaaaaambulance. Too bad Keith was never a P.O.W., that seems to soften any criticism and can be used as a constant rebuttal to the naysayers.

The skinny:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jlhzoRPoTjgeV9vNrGXaMN2AUGLwD932MSBG0

MSNBC says Olbermann, Matthews won't anchor
By DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC is replacing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as co-anchors of political night coverage with David Gregory, and will use the two newsmen as commentators.

The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions.

Gregory, the veteran Washington hand, will anchor MSNBC's coverage of the presidential and vice presidential debates and election night, network spokesman Jeremy Gaines said Sunday. The change was first reported by The New York Times.

The tipping point appears to have come during the GOP convention when Olbermann criticized MSNBC for showing a Sept. 11-themed video prepared by the Republicans.

MSNBC executives, who had publicly defended their anchors' roles while privately monitoring them throughout the political season, made the change over the weekend after discussions with Olbermann. Despite the controversy around him, Olbermann has been a hero with left-leaning viewers and keyed MSNBC's growth among coveted young viewers.

During her acceptance speech last week, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin talked about the "Washington elite" not accepting her qualifications for the job. Some delegates on the convention floor began chanting, "N-B-C, N-B-C."

Olbermann began to have difficulty keeping his opinions in check, or simply stopped trying.

He sarcastically dismissed GOP pundit Pat Buchanan on the air after Buchanan said the Republicans had been enlivened by the entrance of a conservative Republican.

"Those reading US Weekly with the picture of her and her youngest daughter with the word `scandal' written across it won't be so happy," Olbermann said.

He expressed little sympathy at another point when GOP anger at rumors over the Internet about Palin were being discussed.

"We'll see if people feel sorry for unfounded rumors on the Internet," he said. "If that's the case, Senator Obama's probably standing up and cheering and waiting for people to feel sorry for him."

Perhaps most embarrassing, Joe Scarborough was discussing positive developments in John McCain's campaign at one point when Olbermann was heard on an offstage microphone saying: "Jesus, Joe, why don't you get a shovel?"

Scarborough, a former Republican congressman and host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," got in another nasty on-air exchange with MSNBC reporter David Shuster, and Matthews snapped at Olbermann on-air when it appeared Olbermann was criticizing him for talking too much.

All the drama made MSNBC a punch line when top NBC anchor Brian Williams appeared on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last week. "Is there no control?" host Jon Stewart asked him. "Is it Lord of the Flies?'"

A sheepish Williams said that every family has a dynamic of its own.

"But does MSNBC have to be the Lohans?" Stewart said.

Olbermann was in Denver during the Democratic national convention, but performed his co-hosting duties for the GOP convention in a New York studio. NBC President Steve Capus said the decision was not political, that Olbermann had been sent back to anchor coverage of Hurricane Gustav.

MSNBC's decision comes just before Olbermann's "Countdown" show is set to air, on
Monday, his interview with Barack Obama. That will put Olbermann in direct competition with his nemesis, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly, who interviewed Obama last week and is airing a portion of it Monday in the same 8 p.m. EDT time slot.

Bite the hand that feeds you, MSNBC. As Keith vocally proclaimed his opposition to the current admnistration, his (and the network's) ratings rose. This demotion, along with the double standard of righties spewing vitriolic hate and lefties criticizing the administration but the righties keeping their place within the "liberal media", is mind-boggling.

Nothing is more patriotic than dissent. Grow a spine, MSNBC.

Trent Reznor speaketh

9-8-08: Short Break

I'd like to thank all of you who attended the first leg of the Lights In The Sky tour. If you missed it, check the schedule - we'll be playing through the rest of this year. If you've seen it, come back - we'll have some new tricks up our sleeve on this next leg. We're very proud of this show and it's been exciting (and quite the challenge) for us to present it to you.

Oh, and it was quite a surprise to get back home, turn on the television and discover we've apparently won the war in Iraq! Yeah, some woman from Alaska said so - apparently that troop surge was all we needed! That's good news, because I was starting to think all the shame and embarrassment I've felt as an American citizen traveling abroad the last few years wasn't going to pay off in the end. Now I can rest easy knowing we've successfully spread FREEDOM - AND we've stopped evildoers in their tracks.

Nobody wants anyone preaching their opinions at them - particularly a musician - but PLEASE get involved and pay attention to what's happening during this election and try to see through the clutter to the substance of what is or isn't being said.

Wouldn't it be great to feel proud of this country for a change? Seems like it's within reach.

OK - I got it out of my system. Thanks for reading.

posted by Trent Reznor at 7:24pm

Rundown of the week.

One of us saw it live in the arena, one of us saw it live on television. Either way, we were both excitedly in Denver for the following:

Thursday 08.28.08

The big day. Obama's acceptance speech tonight. Goosebumps.

In the morning, a rare Kimberly AND Chris sighting at another breakfast discussion: the National Journal's daily convention briefing at the Tattered Cover bookstore. From left to right in the photo: Chris Matthews (of MSNBC), Joe Trippi (of the John Edwards campaign), Andrei Cherny (former Gore and Kerry speechwriter), Stanley Greenberg (co-founder with another Chris man crush James Carville of Democracy Corps.), Bill Daley (national Obama campaign co-chair), and moderator Ron Brownstein of the National Journal. A lively discussion of the recent goings-on, easily dominated by the cantankerous Chris Matthews. "Let me finish," was a common statement by the MSNBC anchor. Classic. A good time.

After, we (Kimberly and Chris) were supposed to meet at the Starz Green Room, where various films and political documentaries were shown. Hooray! An event to do together! We RSVP'd for tickets for a film dissecting Obama's spine-tingling 2004 Democratic convention speech. Chris got to the Green Room first, then the news struck via text message:

Kimberly snagged a ticket for Mile High Stadium.

It was discussed the previous day that if a ticket were to be acquired, she would give it to Chris so "he could experience the inside of the convention too". Kimberly all week had gained access to each day's events at the Pepsi Center; she had gained access to delegate- or lobbyist-only events during the day; at night she had gained access to parties or dinners hosted by various top-notch Democratic party luminaries. The crux of the matter was this: lobbying and the vast exchange of money for access sits in direct opposition to what Chris feels politics should be. Senator Obama does not and will not take lobbyist money. Chris and Kimberly frequently butt heads over the core of this matter. "This presidential candidate's platform is opposite what the lobbying cohorts are trying to accomplish." vs. "This is how the current game is played, so to push legislation through the game must be played this way until it is changed." Chris was heartbroken when a mere FIVE tickets from North Carolina were distributed for access to "Joe Q. Public" for Mile High Stadium. The chance of then receiving a ticket via lobbying efforts that run counter to one's personal political and/or ethical stance was tormenting. Chris stated that unless there were TWO tickets available to Kimberly, one for each, he would go; but not go alone. Kimberly found this mind-boggling. She wanted Chris to experince what she was fortunate to, and yet he stubbornly refuses...

The time is nigh, Chris is waiting for Kimberly at the Starz event, and Kimberly states she has one ticket. But the Starz event would have to be forfeited to go NOW directly through security at the stadium. Texts are sent back and forth arguing the matter. Chris would LOVE to go, but frankly not THIS way. Not from a lobbyist. Kimberly is even more bewildered. It is stated that as it is general admission, Chris would not in fact have to interact with the lobbyists. The ticket would just get him in and he can sit wherever he wants within the sections involved. Finally, in a bout of acquiescence, Chris says he'll take the ticket and to meet Kimberly soon to make the ticket exchange.

Moments later, all parties have been informed that the lobbying team wants to go together....and it is stated that their apprentice Kimberly is going with them. Now. Right now.

The roller coaster of emotion is complete. Bitter to confused to acceptance up to excitement and finally crash-landing back BELOW the depths of bitter.

Fine. Kimberly will go with the upper crust of the political machine. Fine.

Chris makes his way to the film instead.

Because of the timeframe between the film's ending and the squeeze to get through security at the stadium, the Obama film has been CANCELED. When it rains, it pours. Chris droops below bitter all the way down to despondency. What. The. Fuck.

As a consolation, one of the "delegate-only" Gugenheim filmings of the 30-minute 1968 documentary RFK Remembered is being shown in its place; one that we could not successfullyRSVP to as we were not delegates. This shorter film would give people plenty of time to make it to the stadium and through security. As a consolation, RFK's wife Ethel and one of their daughters Kerry are in the theater and Kerry makes a brief statement after the showing; so all is not in fact lost.

A watch party was planned at Wynkoop Brewing (with $1 off pints of Obamanator), so that is where Chris viewed the acceptance speech of (hopefully) the next president of the United States of America. Wondering if he'd be able to even hear anything, Chris was pleased when the bar dropped to "library quiet" whenever a speech was made: MLK III, Bill Richardson, Al Gore, Joe Biden, all the speeches.

A twist and turn of events, and we both were in town to witness history; albeit in strangely differing ways. Again, a different week than what we had planned....

Wednesday 08.27.08

Another early morning breakfast panel discussion on the roof of the Denver Athletic Club. This time, the trifecta of Illinois representative Rahm Emanuel, former South Dakota senator Tom Daschle, and forever man crush presidential historian Michael Beschloss. Chris is a HUGE Beschloss fan. Huge. Second time he's seen him "live", the first was during a forum here at Guilford College. Now, in Denver discussing "the impossible job" of the presidency. Giddy. Rep. Emanuel arrived late, Sen. Daschle had to leave early. A revolving door of elected officials whose itineraries and schedules I cannot even fathom following during this hectic week.

Here's a gaggle of videos from this morning's engaging discussion. Much more lively than Madame Speaker's. Pelosi is never on the verge of dropping an F-bomb like Emanuel is...


Almost an F-bomb in that last one. I love Rahm Emanuel.

During this, Kimberly was at a Democratic Senate Campaign Committee breakfast. Chris's "girlfriend" from the Pop the Cap descent-upon-Raleigh days is Kay Hagan, former state senator (and supporter of Pop the Cap) now running for U.S. Senate vs. that no-good worthless Elizabeth Dole. Chris was hoping to hop over the 3 blocks to see her, but alas, Ms. Hagan was not in attendance. Crap. No rekindling of the puppy love flames for Chris. Afterwards, once both our breakfasts were done, Kimberly and Chris BOTH (shocker!) were able to go out to lunch to Denver Chophouse. Huge ass burger for Kimberly, more meatloaf (this time the non-buffalo-at-Wynkoop variety) for Chris. Tasty. And frankly quite novel to see our spouse during the day while in the same city.

After lunch, Chris took an hour plus drive north up I-25 to Ft. Collins, CO and the home of New Belgium Brewing Co. New Belgium is a leader in self-sustaining practices; from wind power to supply their ENTIRE electricity needs, to recycling, to promoting the bicycle as a means to moving yourself around town (I mean, look at the "parking lot" of bikes outside the brewery!), to utilizing microbes to treat their waste water and reducing the load on the city's wastewater plant from the brewery by 98%. Kudos to New Belgium. Now if only we could actually GET their beers locally in NC!

Too bad Chris needed to get back into town for today's big convention speech of the night, because traveling to New Belgium entails driving directly past TWO other Ft. Collins breweries. On the same street! Fort Collins Brewery and Odell Brewing. Rats. If only there was more time....