While I Was Out

Note to self: political campaigns don't take a break for Labor Day weekend. While I was in Puerto Rico for an end of summer retreat (and a friend's wedding)with James, history was happening back in the States.

Highlights:

Thursday, August 28: Over 70,000 people (Oprah! Fergie! Jennifer Hudson!) gather at Invesco Field in Denver to watch Barack Obama accept the Democratic Party's nomination for President. Having read and watched the speech I'm actually impressed...I won't use the c-word just yet, but I'm finally understanding where Barack would like to take this country and I especially like this line: "America, now is not the time for small plans."

Agreed.

Friday, August 29: John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I wonder how Hillary feels about that: a relative unknown becomes the first woman to lead a major party's Presidential ticket. The pundits scramble to come up with an opinion on Palin before heading to the Twin Cities for the Republican convention until...

Saturday, August 30: Hurricane Gustav puts a damper on all things political and festive as it heads straight toward New Orleans, prompting concerns that the city's levees will not hold out. Again.
What will the Republicans celebrate now?

Monday, September 1: The family values party has a lot of splainin' to do when it is reveraled that Palin's seventeen-year-old daughter is pulling a Jamie Lynn Spears. The pregnant teen is keeping her baby and marrying the daddy a-la-Solange Knowles. Hey, life happens. Barack Obama, himself the son of a teenage mother, has put the issue, and the candidates' families, "off limits." Until November, at least.

***
This is the part where I usually put up a pic from my weekend, because I'm vainglorious like that, but unfortunately my camera deleted all my pix. Was it the humidity in Rio Grande that did my Sony Cybershot in? Fortunately, a friend caught a pic from the festivities at the El San Juan Hotel for the opening of Brother Jimmy's, a BBQ joint, on the roof of this landmark hotel.



Yeah, that's me with Lance Bass. And the neon sign up and to the left of us is priceless.