Obamamania
For the last couple days, the buzz around town has been the big Obama rally. Thursday, I heard about it from about 5 different sources in the course of an hour. Mr. A and I made arrangements for the girls to stay with my parents and we decided to go. Mr. A’s BIL decided to come along with us.
Saturday morning, we got a call from a friend who told us about the small number of priority seating tickets that were going to be available. Mr. A and I jumped in the car and 15 minutes later, we had priority seating tickets for the three of us. Then, Dawn called and said it was already getting crowded at 12:30. We had been planning to go at 3:00, so I got panicky. We decided to leave by 1:30. The doors were going to open at 4:30. Mr. A was decidedly unenthusiastic about standing in the hot sun for 8 hours, but BIL and I were excited enough to propel our little group forward with great speed.
We got to the stadium just as a new line was forming. With our yellow tickets in hand, we were only about 10 people in front of us at our entrance. We stood there for about 2 hours before we got to go in and get frisked by the TSA agents.
Then, around 4:00, we made it through the metal detectors and waving our lucky yellow tickets, we made a run for the front of the stage. We managed to get a spot about 3 people back from the fence, just of the left of the stage. We sat there in the hot, hot sun for another 2.5 hours before the show started.
Once the speakers started, we were not disappointed. Senators Biden and Obama were only about 10 yards away from us. I know it sounds very corny, but you could practically feel the charisma dripping off of Obama. He made eye contact with me once and I actually squealed. He winked at an older lady who was swooning to my left. He stopped his speech to call the EMTs attention to someone who fainted due to the heat. He even through is own water bottle into the crowd for that person.
The speech was good. He said things that made me want to kiss vote for him.
After the speech, Obama came around the barrier and shook hands with everyone he could reach. I thought I was too far back, but I stuck my hand up and managed to shake his hand. Once I realized I was shaking his hand, I got so excited I started jumping up and down. It took a good couple seconds before I let go. Clearly, this is because Obama is my new boyfriend and was trying to have a moment with me there in the crowd.
This picture is actually of Obama with my BIL’s hand, but it gives you a glimpse of the moment. I think in this photo, he is saying, where is that stunning young lady whose hand I just squeezed? Unfortunately, I missed this because I was jumping up and down screaming like I had just seen the Beatles. Ahem.
Here I am with Obama, my new boyfriend. And also a raging sunburn.
Mr. A couldn’t get contact with my new boyfriend Barack, but he did shake hands with Joe Biden. I think he said he has now personally groped all the Democratic VPs in his lifetime…or something. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention because I was protecting my Barack-caressed hand.
It was a long, hot day, but SO MUCH FUN. I left the rally ready to do what it takes to get this man elected. As long as that does not involve me having to go door to door to talk to strangers or call strangers on the phone, that is, because I hate doing those thins. But I am willing to do other things for the cause. Things like wearing an Obama T-shirt as I go about my daily activities. I can’t wait to do my part to help my boyfriend get elected.
Thanks to BIL for taking all the photos!
August 31st, 2008 at 7:10 am
OMG so jealous.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:13 am
the envy!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:47 am
swooooooooooooooooooon.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I watched this yesterday on CNN! I can only imagine how much better it was in person. I loved your retelling of the whole event, I’m still laughing!
August 31st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
That is the most awesome thing I have heard in a long time!
I am so jealous! lol
August 31st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
You’re so funny. I was dying laughing while I was reading this!
Also, I am super jealous, but I am kind of glad I can live vicariously through your blog and didn’t have to stand in the sun for eight hours.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Very cute/funny post. I’m so green with envy.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Great post and I don’t even like Obama! Your enthusiasm is making me take another look at Obama. I have always liked Joe Biden.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Har! Great tale! Sounds very exciting. Here in AK, the McCain/Palin Tshirts have sprouted like wildflowers in the past day…
August 31st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Sounds like a great time!
August 31st, 2008 at 10:33 pm
You are too funny. I’m envious, too, although not envious enough to wait in line for eight hours, I have to admit.
I may be willing to phone strangers, though, so maybe that makes us even?
Nah, you got to shake hands with Obama. Swoon.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Also very jealous. He is such an amazing man. I have freely admitted since January that I have a huge crush on him. I’m a little older and not as cute as you, but I’d definitely give you a run for your money if I had a chance to make him my boyfriend.
August 31st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I do not like talking to strangers either–on the phone, in person or otherwise–but I am planning to take the kids canvassing in your purple state and/or Michigan. If you can get up the guts, maybe we could all go together.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:47 am
oh my God….so frickin exciting!!! I, too, am very jealous. You should know that he’s really my boyfriend though. You definitely have to do your job to get people to vote for him in your state since there’s no question that Illinois is already his!
September 1st, 2008 at 12:52 am
Yeah, I’m a little in love with him too. And his wife. Lucky you!!
September 1st, 2008 at 2:21 am
Squeee!! I am screaming for you on the other side of the world. You will never wash that hand right?
My stomach is already in knots with worry about the election and there’s not much I can do from here. Every American I know here is sending in absentee ballots for (ahem) your boyfriend. Ours even get to bolster him taking Ohio. PLEASE.
And yeah, I’m wiht Bmama about Michelle. Whoo hooo!
September 1st, 2008 at 3:33 am
What is Mr. A holding behind his back in the first picture? Also, the picture of you and the sunburn and your new boyfriend? Hilarious because so typically clinical.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:57 am
Great picture of him speechifying.
I don’t know if this will really serve obama much but it might be very satisfying to go over to m*chelle Malk*n’s blog and open up a can of logical whupass on her. She vexes me muchly.
September 1st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
P.S. Obama touched you!!!! SQUEAL!
You can never wash your hand again.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Jealous. Swoon. A friend was on the floor at the convention. She got all sorts of swag for little JWo, which I thought was cool, but not quite as cool as being Obama’s new GF. So happy for you. You deserve him.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I seriously cannot believe you TOUCHED Obama. Holy CRAP. If he were my boyfriend, however, I’d sit him down and make him eat a sandwich. He’s tiny!
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I got to see him when he spoke here (WY) for the primaries…but I was never close enough to shake his hand. So jealous!
Great post!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
DON’T WASH THAT HAND. EVER.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Hmm rock band or presidential candiate….. mmmm
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I had to laugh at your swooning because I definitely have a crush too. I really miss living in NH - for one reason only, I might add - and that is getting to shake hands and see so many candidates up close and personal. I’m bummed I don’t have the opportunity with Obama (yet, at least).
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I am SO jealous of your new boyfriend! *squeal*
Whenever a presidental election comes around, I wish more than ever that I lived some place other than Utah so my vote would actually count for sometime. Sigh.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
If he would only get that disgusting wart taken off his nose! I can’t stand the sight of it.
September 6th, 2008 at 2:40 am
you’re a rock star now! (not that you weren’t earlier, with your blog fame and all
And the best part is that you’re hilarious!! AWESOME rendition of the event here!