No, I did not actually spent the day with Daryl Hannah, but...

she did appear at both my convention activities for the day. I did another shift at The Big Tent, which proved pretty uneventful. I mostly hung out, watching to make sure peope had the correct passes to get in. Aside from a few times of big rushes, it proved very very quiet, and I entertained myself with random conversation with a paid security guard (wanting to know if famous people had been by the tent yet, and simultaneously, both our phones snapped for DH above), a fire department chief charged with watching to make sure numbers were within the fire code, a young Democrat from Astoria, Queens who despite his poor taste in beer (hated Fat Tire) provided engaging conversation about Vermont hills and New York attitudes, and some fellow volunteers.

After my shift, I headed to the Buell Theater to meet N for the etown DNC taping.With amazing 4th row seats, I knew the night would simply rock. Mayor John Hickenlooper kicked off the night by letting the audience know "politics is rock 'n roll for ugly people." Up first musically was Irma Thomas , referred to as the "soul queen of Louisiana," accompanied by Henry Butler , an amazing pianist (fortunately our seats were such that we could see his hands fly). Thomas talked about life after Katrina. During the hurricane, she lost her nightclub. She reminded the audience that "it takes awhile to recover and we're still recovering." She put out a plea to any legislators in the audience to keep the victims of Katrina in mind as they worked on their budgets. The high point of her set was a belting performance of her song, "Time is on My Side," which the Rolling Stones made famous.

Tom Morello, performing acoustically (a radical change in terms of music from his days with Rage Against the Machine), also kept Katrina in the forefront, describing it as a "natural disaster that became a man-made catastrophe." His song, "Midnight in the CIty of Destruction" highlights personal loss during Katrina. With just an acoustic guitar, Morello embodied Woody Guthrile, clearly evident in etown's closing number.

Next up, Governor Bill Ritter took the stage, discussing how the rest of the world is waiting for America to take the lead regarding climate change. He talked about his trip to the Arctic, noting how the Arctic is a type of crystal ball to see what will happen if we don't do something to stop climate change.

More politics followed, as this program's E-Achievement Award went to Robert Kennedy, Jr., for his stewardship and leadership in environmental causes. In his conversation with Nick Forster, Kennedy commented that he always knew he wanted to spend his life with rivers. He discussed a program he started at Pace Law School where students, under his supervision, sue polluters. Kennedy's talked about his work with the Hudson River and riverkeepers around the world.

ani difranco, no stranger to etown, took the stage next. Before her second song, ani asked the audience to forgive her because the song is "kind of a bummer," just like the last 20 odd years of a Reagan/Bush regime. She told the audience that she decided to play the song tonight because "I don't feel sad. I am surounded by hope." In her interview with nick, ani shared her experiences of renovating a late 1800s church in Buffalo that was slated for demolition.

David Crosby and Graham Nash nostalgically took the stage opening with "Deja Vu." Crosby commented "don't you think there should be a law that you can't have control of nuclear weapons if you can't pronounce nuclear." Of course the crowd cheered. A sing along of "Teach Your Children" kept the energy going.

The final performer, james Taylor took the stage performing some cover tunes, such as "Wichita Lineman" and "Hound Dog" accompanied by many of the musical guests.

For the final etown finale, the spirit of Woody Guthrie permeated the stage and crowd, with a wonderful rendition of "This Land is Your Land." And it was during that finale, that Daryl Hannah joined the performers on stage. 

Once again it's clear to me that a career standing on my feet is not for me. After five hours of steady standing, my poor little feets were screaming for a chair. All that aside, The Big Tent is a happening spot. It is here that a roomful of energetic bloggers, courtesy of Daily Kos, Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, and Progress Now, occupy a room. On the bottom of the tent (which is actually a temporary structure put up in a parking lot), there is one big open room with tables and tables with bloggers perched over their laptops, sending out word to a slew of readers about the convention and activities at The Big Tent. Televisions are around the room broadcasting the convention in the evening. On the upper level of The Big Tent is a stage and chairs, home to panelists throughout the day discussing climate change, new media, politics, and a host of other topics. A host of celebs are involved in some of the panels. Yesterday, while at my post (in front of The Big Tent), I saw Daryl Hannah and Arianna Huffington, my journalist hero.

As planned, both N and I have begun our convention week. N is driving for a couple of days, while I am involved with a variety of volunteer activities.

On Saturday, I took light rail down to Union Station in order to head to Meditate08. Along the route I could see the transformation of a part of Denver. At 4:30pm on Saturday, the Pepsi Center lots were filled with charter buses, police, and workmen wandering about. The security was evident with fences constructed to keep people out of what will be a highly secured area. When I reached Union Station, again a bit of transformation, as the MSNBC booth was finishing its construction. It is from here that Chris Matthews, etc. will be broadcasting their shows.

Walking toward REI and the Aquarium, police could be seen gathered on corners, getting ready for controlling crowds at the Convention. When I got to the Aquarium for Meditate08, this fabulous sign greeted us. Perhaps metaphorically meditating might be viewed as a going under the water of one's busy mind, but I imagine that's a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, attending the opening ceremony was a perfect way to step outside of what is certainly going to be a chaotic week. The ceremony began with a ringing of the bells, followed by a variety of prayers. The mix of spiritual prayers (Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, African) brought a room of several hundred people together. When Giancarlo Esposito led everyone in a chant, a room full of Oms filled all our hearts, or at least mine. After a meditation led by Lloyd Burton of Colorado's Insight Meditation, the crowd rose to its feet as the Rev. Cynthia James of the Mile Hi Chruch led everyone in a rousing rendition of "Lift Your Voice." N and I left there feeling renewed and connected to community.

Yesterday I headed downtown to do my first shift at the Residence Inn Marriott on 17th and Champa. Most of the people staying at the hotel for the Convention are affiliated with the Finance Committee (big donors and sponsors) or the Democratic Governor's Association. Thus, we did not necessarily see famous folks, but obviously saw people central to the political process. Fortunately, my co-volunteer proved entertaining and like-minded, since there were periods of time where nobody came by the information table. I did, however, prove useful to some people, giving a couple of guys the map for a free bike since they wanted to go biking, helping a lost college student find out where to get press credentials, and helping a guest get the best cup of coffee downtown (The Market).

After the shift, N met me and we basically wandered around downtown. We checked out a bunch of vendors and the protestors around Civic Center Park, the Environmental Fair at the sculpture park by the Performing Arts Center, and a Colorado Public Radio/NPR roundtable with Linda Wertheimer. What will stick with me most, though, about my day yesterday was the police presence downtown. On every street corner, near every hotel, on the 16th Street Mall, and hanging off cars like the one pictured, police were everywhere. In full riot gear they followed the protestors and stood ready for action--really actually creepy. A certain air of paranoia seemed to pervade the mall, down to even some of the restaurants. N and I searched for a place to eat outside, an impossible task, and ended up inside at The Rock Bottom Brewery. The restaurant chose to shut down their patio because they were concerned there would be some type of altercation on the mall that might injure their patrons sitting outside--crazy.

And so today, I head off to teach my first class and then will be downtown again, this time at The Big Tent. 

My convention fever has not abated. Plans for the coming week are fully taking shape. I have all my volunteer assignments, along with some tickets to events. For now, here are my plans for the week.

Saturday, August 23
Meditate08 opening ceremony

Sunday, August 24
Volunteer shift at Residence Inn downtown
Wander the 16th street mall and downtown, checking out the scene
Colorado Public Radio/National Public Radio Roundtable

Monday, August 25
Volunteer shift at The Big Tent

Tuesday, August 26
Volunteer shift at The Big Tent
Etown DNC

Wednesday, August 27
Volunteer shift at Residence Inn downtown

Thursday, August 28
Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field

Friday, August 29
Volunteer shift at Rock the Vote

I will try to update daily my adventures in convention land. For now, I have just a few hours left to do my part of the cleaning chores, write some syllabi (since classes start on Monday), prep the week's veggie haul, and other miscellaneous tasks before all my time turns toward the convention. 

I got me some good ol convention fever these days. Between volunteering and the activities going on, it's a wonder that I will be able to teach during the first week of classes.

Volunteer Activities

• The email comes with the subject line: Denver Host Committee 2008 Volunteer Opportunity. This one asks for people to come help pack 14,000 Welcome Bags. And so, tomorrow morning I am off to a four hour shift of packing these bags.
• Another email comes with the subject line: DNC Volunteer Assignment. This is the one I've been waiting for. After enduring an almost three hour orientation/training session a few weeks back conducted by the Dale Carnegie Institute and others, I tried to be patient about receiving an assignment. Alas, truth be told, I would check my email several times a day hoping to see this subject line. Not only did I get an assignment, but I got one I'd been hoping for. Yes, a greeter/information person at one of the hotels downtown. Perhaps I'll finally get to share with the world at large my take on restaurants and happenings in Denver. Give me your budget, your ambiance, your taste buds, and I can recommend a perfect restaurant. So now, I wait for the details of my actual shifts.
• After some searching for other volunteer opportunities, I came across The Big Tent and a call for volunteers. New media, bloggers, a YouTube kiosk--clearly this is my kind of heaven. Today I got the email with the subject line Big Tent Volunteer Questionnaire. Immediately, I filled out the questionnaire, indicating my preferences for type of work and shift availability.
  

And when I am not volunteering or teaching classes, I am considering

Convention Activities 

• Saturday, August 23 5:30-6:30 Meditate 08 Opening Ceremony 
• Sunday, August 24 Colorado Public Radio and NPR's "Behind the Scenes at the DNC." We actually got tickets, so this is a go.
• Monday, August 25  Tent State's Music Fest: women's peace concert
• Tuesday, August 26 Kirten Chanting (part of Meditate08)
• Wednesday, August 27 Revolutionary Love: I am Your Worst Fear (part of DialogCity events)
• Thursday, August 28  Hoping to secure tickets to Obama's speech (TBD in the next few days)