life as a dog…

Security is sort of a nightmare – security agents (Secret Service, Boston PD, and army-types) are crawling everywhere. There’s only a couple places to enter – and then you have to do the whole magnetometer thing. Other than that you get right in.

We’re almost set up – still waiting for a video feed from the house, so we can start streaming. We’ve been here all day waiting though. That’s a drag.

I’ll add more later as things happen – sightings, events, etc.

Getting ready to drive on up to Boston for the DNC Convention.

I’m going to try and get online while I’m up there, but I think I’ll be stuck on dialup. Yuck. If I do, I’ll give some reports from the show.

I’m back. Long trip. I already mentioned the first day and what I had to do. We managed to get as far as Cambridge Ohio before finding a hotel. Next morning we left, and drove the rest of the way. Did the Thursday shoot and were finished. Friday went and did more shooting. We were finished just after noon, so I was able to head to my parents earlier than expected.

(Side note of trip – the Rax that I occassionally stopped at for my fix is no more…literally. It’s been torn down. Oh well…I think there is still one in Wheeling. If not, the one in Richmond is still there)

Went to my parents, and got there about 5pm. I wasn’t in any rush, so it took about 2.5 hours. They had their church group there. I’m thinking, oh boy…a bunch of conservative Catholics. I was pleasantly surpised that one couple was not – they were definitely not Republicans.

First night we played Dominos. It’s the first time I’ve ever played, and I must say, I’m disappointed I didn’t play before. It was a lot of fun. But I think the more people, the more enjoyable.

Saturday I basically sat around and just relaxed. They all went either sailing or Seadoo’ing (yeah, it ain’t a word…so what). Later that evening I went around the lake with my parents and a couple others on the speedboat.

Sunday I got up and headed back. Trip back was pretty uneventful, until we got to Morgantown, WV. There was an accident that caused traffic to come to a standstill. We saw a lifeline helicopter fly in. A camper van must have been going too fast around a turn, because it obviously flipped several times. Because of that delay, I got home around 1am.

After this next week (the Dem Convention), I have GOT to take a break. I’m exhausted, and it’s going to bite me in the butt if I don’t (read: oversleeping when I need to be at a shoot).

Tomorrow isn’t really going to be fun. I have to wake up around 5am to get to a shoot by 7am. When I’m done with that, I have to drop my truck off for servicing. Once that is done, I have to be packed and ready to drive to Ohio at 5pm. Then drive as far as we can get and find a hotel. Then get up and drive the rest of the way for a shoot at 4pm on Thursday. Then Friday shoot all day in Ohio, and when finished, drive 2 hours to Indiana. Saturday is a day of rest. Then Sunday, drive back to Virginia. And pack for the Democratic Convention AND for a trade show we are covering – though I won’t have to do that, since I’ll be in Boston.

Got the crappy Siemens phone back to the store. Now I have an NEC phone – flip phone with no portruding antenna (my Motorola one broke once, don’t want that to happen again). This phone is MUCH better. I can actually use it in other countries (not that I’ll probably get that chance anytime soon). And it syncs up with Outlook – no more having to type in numbers on the phone! It has a camera, though I have absolutely no use for that.

And it’s a phone that Black Jack actually plays correctly! (Whoever programmed the Motorola Black Jack needs to be smacked. If you and the dealer match, the dealer does NOT win! That’s called a push, and no money changes hands). Yeah yeah, whine whine. So what! NYAH!