Chicago day 2.5

well, it's getting really exciting now - polls close in Ohio in an hour! We're now calling people to let them know that that can take there absentee ballots to the polls.

OK - that was what I was doing an hour ago! Then came the urgent calls to get people out to canvass in Shaker Heights, OH, followed by calling people in Texas to GOTV for the caucus! Things getting crazy here and I've just been given a vegan cupcake and some chilli!

gotta go now, some more last minute calls and then we get to hope and cheer and hope some more!

Chicago, days 1-2

well, arrived in Chicago safe and sound. Yesterday was a bit of a blurr - 22 hours awake, 3000 miles travelled and 3 hours of campaigning!

we're staying at the house of a volunteer in Highland Park, north of Chicago, about a 40 minute ride on the train into town (and the trains have an upstairs!).

back phone-banking today - calling people in Ohio who requested absentee ballots to make sure that they've voted (or telling them where to vote today if they haven't!). Tonight there's a big party for the results, with chilli provided!

must get back to the phones now, and am going to a diner shortly to eat some corn beef hash!

more updates as they come, and photos to follow when I work out how my new digital camera works!

my god - it looks like the plan came together!

managed to have a lovely evening on Friday (albeit slightly more subdued than I would have liked), met up with cousins from the US for coffee yesterday, am in work at the moment which is going well, am feeling much better, am going home soon to pack and then to meet up with Charlie and Paul for a non-alcoholic drinklet before going home for an early night, ready to get up tomorrow at 6.15 to fly to Chicago!

(well ok - it's not like I had a plan, but if I had, it would have all come together...)

plus, amazing serendipitous moment - I've been trying to find out where Robert Levin is performing as I'd dearly love to see him. I hadn't had any luck and then thought "I wonder what the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are up to whilst I'm there?" and 'lo an behold, Robert Levin is performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4! With tickets at $35, I'm going to Thursday - yay!

btw - I am aware that I'm not completely well yet, so there is a chance that the grammar in this entry has gone a little skew-iff!

also - I'm going to try and find an internet cafe so that I can blog updates of the whole Obama experience!

what you don't want two days before a hot date and five days before flying to another country...

... tonsillitis.

Oh well - am on antibiotics now so should feel better soonish. Think I may work from home for at least part of the day tomorrow as well, so that should help (it's like normal work, but with a duvet and unlimited peppermint and ginger tea!).

Still very excited about the trip next week, and if anyone hasn't seen it yet - check out this very cool guardian article about Obama and the West Wing. It's going to be cold though - about -6 as a maximum daytime temperature! I'm going to try and not be a wimp, but I think I may fail completely.

Well, home soon and then I think straight to bed - am not even going to my ballroom class tonight (which is a shame as it's the first one of the course, but I think for once, my priorities are right!).

an evening of politics - some more bloody than the rest...

went to see the RSC production of King Lear this eve which was amazing. Ian McKellen was phenomenal as Lear, as were Frances Barber (Goneril) and Jonathan Hyde (Kent), among others. Edumnd could have been stronger, but hey, I've fancied him since I first read the play so it's difficult for anyone to live up to that!

now at home watching News24 for the less bloody section of the evening - the New Hampshire primary. I'm trying not to get too excited, but 2 polls giving a 10 point lead is fantastic! More good news is that this week, Obama drew level with Clinton in a national poll - the first time that's happened...

fingers crossed and I'm now going to carry on reading the 37-odd political blogs that I've become addicted to in the past few days - no idea how I'm going to last until November!

Obama 2008

"...in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union."

It's like the West Wing, but in real life!

the full text of the speech is here.