I wanted to give people a sense of what it is like on the ground.  I'm writing about the Edwards campaign office in Nashua but I expect the offices for other candidates aren't much different.  If you want to volunteer, people would love to have you in any office.  And I'll put in a plug that the folks at the Nashua office are hard working and very cool.

Last week I worked in the office a little bit while soberboy and I were up for an event.  There is a real mix of people volunteering in Nashua.  I spoke with both staff and volunteers last week to get a sense of what brought them to the Edwards campaign.  What I found was a myriad of individual stories all adding up to a common choice.

Between noon and 8pm yesterday we received just over a foot of snow.  The towns in the area all had early dismissals so my 11 year old was home and ready to frolic.  Around here we make snowpeople and snow angels.  And soberboy likes to gobble up snow as if it were candy.  I haven't convinced him yet that shoveling can be fun.

This storm dropped light fluffy snow, the kind that is easy to shovel and that melts on your eyelashes.  We don't have any hills around here so we have to travel if we want to do any sledding.  In this one area I feel that my son is missing out on something special.  When I was a kid we only had to cross the back yard to slide down a hill on whatever contraption we could drag up the hill.

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

This is an anniversary of sorts for us.  soberboy was born prematurely and spent his first 6 weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit--the NICU.  On December 6, 1996 I got a call at 2 am from a NICU doctor.  He said that soberboy was gravely ill and had been resuscitated several times.  By the time I arrived at the hospital they had drawn blood multiple times and had more episodes where he needed resuscitation.

By the time the day shift arrived they knew he was septic and he was placed on 2 separate broad spectrum antibiotics.  He also needed a blood transfusion since 3 pound babies don't have much blood left after repeated draws.

He was O+ so he was an easy match.  Within a half hour of his blood transfusion I watched his complexion go from waxy grey cadaver to pink baby.  Eleven years ago today at about this time soberboy was able to drink a bottle of breastmilk.  After approximately 25 resuscitations, 5 of which I witnessed, he didn't have a single one after his blood transfusion.  We have no idea who donated that lifesaving blood.  But every year I spend these 72 hours focused on gratitude for those anonymous heroes who give the very essence of life.

This is the gratitude season and I've started thinking about small things, one time interactions with strangers that have made an impact on me.

This spring I was in a hospital waiting room while soberdad was having surgery.  I was half knitting, half waiting for C & J (yay wireless in the hospital) and an older woman told me that there was a simpler way to deal with my yarn.  She showed me how to roll the ball so that the yarn came out from the center and the ball wouldn't fly across the floor.  I thanked her and she said, "a woman showed me that one day in the park and she told me to teach it to someone else.  And now I have."

A few hours later there was a woman in the same waiting room on the verge of an anxiety attack.  I had seen her trying to buy Tylenol in the hospital gift store but they didn't carry any over the counter drugs.  She begged the women at the info desk and was directed to drive to a store 2 miles away.  I offered her the ones I was carrying.  She took them and the women at the desk thanked me.  The older woman explained that she was worried about her husband's surgery and that Tylenol helped with her anxiety.  I'm sure she would have been fine without the placebo effect but it was nice to be of service.

Eleven years ago at 11:41 in the morning soberboy made his entrance into the world, two months ahead of schedule.  He arrived in time for the opening kickoff in the BC-Notre Dame football game.  He weighed 3 1/2 pounds and was sent directly to the NICU breathing on his own.

soberdad and I were laughing last night about those early days.  I was tired from picking soberboy up at After School Athletics and then bringing him to CCD.  After that he wanted to head to Dolphins Swim Club but I said he needed to do his homework and eat dinner.  He spent 6 weeks in the NICU and we watched baby after baby be discharged wondering if he would ever go home.  Now we wonder if he will ever slow down.

We live in Red Sox Nation.  It is difficult to explain what that means to someone not from here.  I grew up paying marginal attention to the Red Sox but my grandmother and my mom were both huge fans.  soberdad grew up sneaking transistor radios into school on game day and listening to the game instead of the teacher.  soberboy was able to recite the Sox line up and their numbers, in order, when he was three.

As the Sox travel to Colorado I was thinking about all of the oddball superstitions we have attached to them.  soberdad has always teased me for my magical thinking but he engages in it himself.  After the Sox lost the 3rd game to Cleveland he went out and bought himself a new Red Sox jacket.  He did that in 2004 when the Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees.  They never lost a game in the playoffs after he bought the jacket.  When he walked in the door the other day he just shrugged and mumbled, "well it worked last time."

photo by soberdad

The Head of the Charles Regatta is the largest rowing competition in the world.  It takes place next weekend, October 20th and 21st.  I’ve always admired the sport ever since seeing the shells out on the Charles as I rode the Red Line from Cambridge to Boston.  It always looked so peaceful and graceful.

A year ago I signed up to row in our local maritime school.  I was in my mid 40s and gravity, a sedentary job, and stress from my husband’s cancer diagnosis brought me to the docks.  I felt out of shape, my arms were flabby and I knew if I didn’t have time set aside for myself I would find myself in a rut.  I didn’t expect to be good or to enjoy it much.  I just wanted to spend time in nature.

Rowing is enjoying resurgence, particularly among women in my age group.  I knew none of that when I showed up that first morning in the worst clothes imaginable to row.  I’m now closing in on the end of my 4th session rowing and I am totally enamored of the sport for a variety of reasons.

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

I'm filling in for Eddie C tonight while he's out partying with the San Francisco kossacks.  His original plan was to post pictures from his Aquarium visit but then he got realistic.  He'll be back with pictures next week.

Yesterday morning I had coffee with a group of women with whom I row.  One of the women mentioned that she was going to Boot Camp for baking at the Culinary Institute in October.  Those of us who enjoy baking all did it with our grandmothers when we were young.  I have such fond memories of making treats with both my great grandmother and my grandmother.  To this day I find it relaxing; the more complex the recipe, the more I decompress.

Carnaki began this series on a week like this.

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

In 1972 I was at my friend Meg’s house when her parents discussed the Presidential race.  They went on and on about how Nixon was going to end the war.  

My Dad coached high school basketball.  When the boys graduated, some of them went to college and some went to Vietnam.  I wanted the boys I knew to be safe.  I told my parents that I would vote for Nixon because he was going to end the war.  My father sat me down and went over the history of the war, the history of Nixon’s statements, the history of McGovern’s votes and his statements.  I learned that night to do my own research and not to accept campaign promises without weighing them carefully.

Warning:  This is slow to load because it is picture heavy.  Please be patient because I think it is worth the wait.

I know this diary is being posted 3 days after the endorsement of John Edwards by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.  But I have many more details than I've seen available in any write up and I've got pictures.  So, better late than never.  The endorsement took place at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua.  Carpenters signed in through their locals and buses came up from Boston, Connecticut, New Jersey and other northeast states.  

Good evening from New Hampshire.  I'm at my parents’ house to raid their garden and their internet connection.  I just came from my 4th campaign event of the day.  I had the Happy Story diary last night and this one tonight.  Then I've got to write up some of these events in another diary.  So my issue, my FP?  An embarassment of riches.  Today it shows up as too many great opportunities to fit into one day.  Yesterday it was about good candidates.  And always it is about how I manage, how we manage, juggling our rich opportunities.

WYFP is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

Today I was conversing with a fellow kossack about recognition.  There have been diaries lately on how to get on the rec list or why people aren't getting on the rec list.  My take is that if you want to get on the rec list you offer to sub for C&J or WYFP.  Then you have a guaranteed rec list diary.

But we were writing about what our purpose is here.  My feeling is that we can write diaries and make comments and some will get noticed and some won't.  To me, other than the community diaries, my job is to put the information out there and then leave it to the universe.  I have no control over the outcome.

Yesterday soberboy and I made the trip up to New Hampshire to see Elizabeth Edwards.  My parents attended as well.  The event was held at the home of Andy and Andrea Baver in the town of Mont Vernon.  Mont Vernon has a population of 2,347.  There were a little over 100 people there, not including about 15 kids ranging from infancy to 10.  Not bad for 2:00 on a week day.

While my parents are still undecided, my mother loves the wooing she is receiving from the Edwards campaign.  I had to call her to let her know Bill Richardson would be in the area and where he would be.  But the Edwards people call and invite her to each event and then call back to ask her for her impressions afterward.  That makes an impression.  My son wanted to go because he was interested in Elizabeth’s cancer story.  Soberdad has been treated for prostate cancer this year and I think soberboy wanted to see another parent dealing with the issue.

I thought I'd diary the experience of seeing John and Elizabeth Edwards on Saturday night.  Three generations of my family went to the event.  I'll give as much of a rundown as I can remember and add some pictures.  My 10 year old son also wrote something up about the experience so I'll include that at the end.

My parents had gotten a call from the campaign inviting them to the event.  My mother liked having someone from the campaign reach out to her personally.  I called the Nashua office and asked if I could drive up from Massachusetts and bring my son.  The coordinator was great.  Along with saying he'd love to have us, he wanted to make sure that my parents were given the correct information about the event.  At the last minute they had to change the venue because there was more interest then they had predicted.

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

I've actually been working on 2 different stories this week, one on 2 yearlyKos panels and the other on a conversation with my son.  But I woke up this morning feeling queasy and have been horribly ill all day long.  I'll spare you the details other than to say that when I wasn't asleep I was barfing.  soberboy was a big help to me today, helping me to the couch from the bathroom and rubbing my back.  He even arranged for his own transportation to sailing camp.  In honor of his maturity I'm turning Happy Story over to him tonight.  And then we're both going to bed.

I'll link to a few pictures I took yesterday so that you can see him in action.

On behalf of the 12 Step Caucus at the YearlyKos convention we'd like to share a little about our experiences.  And we’d like to thank the organizing committee.  Our little community was 21 in total, with a core group of about 8.  As one of the members said on Saturday, "we're a caucus!  We’re a real caucus!!"

We want to extend a huge thank you to Gina who was a tremendous advocate for the caucus from the very beginning.  She and Shanna worked hard to make it happen.  And I would be remiss if I didn't send out a huge thank you to Robin McMillin who was our last minute angel.  She moved heaven and earth to make sure we had coffee for our 8 am meeting.  And thank you to Nolan who allowed us, and the Flying Solos, to set aside a table for a safe landing zone at meals and keynotes.  None of you will know how significant a difference you made for our members this weekend.

Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face.  It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience.  The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.

Hello to all from Chicago.  Eddie C and I are here together somewhere near the Water Tower where we found free access.  Sorry for the lateness of the diary.  We went to a restaurant that used to be good when Eddie was a kid but he finds it to be mediocre now.  Wby I left Cape Cod Bay to order sea scallops in Chicago is beyond me.  But my meal was good.  Eddie missed the cherry pie of his younger days.

We're drinking cammomile tea in an empty coffee house and thought we'd check in with all of you.

If you missed the last diary on this, the 12 Step Caucus is intended for those in any recovery program (AA, NA, AlAnon, OA, GA, SLAA...), those wondering about whether a recovery program might be a good fit for them, and those who have quit on their own or through a non-12 Step recovery program.  It is an opportunity for all of us to get together at the start of the convention, connect with each other and get comfortable.

I wanted to update everyone on where we stand thus far.  We're awaiting a room assignment from Gina and we will be meeting from 8-9:30 on Thursday morning.  For those of you arriving later in the day I'm trying to arrange for a non-drinking table at the keynote just so that we can get connected with each other.  Gina has been extraordinarily supportive of us.  She's out straight with last minute things for the convention and these are small details that will get worked out.  And let's face it, we're people who are used to making do.  I'm arriving on Wednesday and my first order of business is to try and arrange for coffee at the caucus.