January 2, 2004
Would you rather work for John Kerry or be dead?
At work, I'm usually fixing things and not often building them. Typically, I get requests like, "Tara, Appication XYZ is broken, could you go see what's wrong with it?" I scan down someone else's script, find the problem and fix it. On Thursday, I got a chance to be a builder. Armed with a list of demands requirements, I picked up where I had left off on New Year's Eve, despite being distracted by all of the smart and quasi-famous people strolling by and stopping in for a chat. It's amazing how many intriguing people hang around the DFA office and what you can pick up just by listening. There seems to be a preponderance of Type A's who don't leave the office until well after midnight.
Headphones and loud music drowned out the chatter enough for me to make decent progress, but the shortened day flew by and soon we were off to dinner and a movie. We tried to entice some friends to come with an invitation to see Paycheck, but when they declined, the Liloia clan 'fessed up that we all wanted to see Cheaper by the Dozen instead. After all of their years in the public eye, Steve Martin is still hilarious and Bonnie Hunt is still adorable. The movie was cute, funny and appreciated by all of us. And it turns out that movies don't cost $12.00 a ticket in Vermont either.
Jonathan K-T captured a picture of the awed moment of sunshine that I mentioned earlier. But it was a fleeting moment, which led straight into an icy snowstorm on Friday morning.
I had hoped to return to HQ for a few more hours of work before the drive home, but snow forecasted all the way back to Boston made us reconsider. Leaving early proved to be a wise decision when our little Kia fishtailed back and forth across the mountainous highway in the ice while heavy tractor trailers sped by at 65. At one point, as we passed an overturned SUV and slid sideways toward a steep dropoff while trying to stop in traffic, I thought to myself "I don't want to die to the Super Mario Brothers theme song" and shouted back to Trevor to mute the GameBoy.
Dave didn't relax his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel until we were safely into the rainy patches of New Hampshire. I had hoped to stop and hear a few candidates speak on the way home, but no one was in the mood after the last 90 minutes of anxiety. You can hardly feel more out-of-control and helpless than in the passenger seat of a car that's on the verge of spinning out. It's not as if you can make casual small talk with the driver or take a nap to pass the time. We'll definitely be back to visit Vermont — the least of our reasons is to see the Ben & Jerry's factory that we skipped when we skidded past Exit 10 on the ice. But I could never live in Vermont permanently. Not until they get a Target or two up there. We made a final stop at the Medford, Mass. Krispy Kreme shop to show Sarah how the hot, original glazed doughnuts are made, then headed home.
I was impressed by the raw energy of the Dean Machine in action. Staffers routinely express their sincere desire to change their country for the better and they truly believe that Howard Dean is the man who will accomplish that goal. They're working hard, they're exploring new territory and they're clearly having fun. There's just one thing that has to be said to the campaign staffers: Do you think Kerry's people have botulism growing in their fridge?
Comments
Kerry is so stiff! I thought his "Why" speech was comedy.
I would like to work locally (Santa Cruz/Aptos) for John Kerry. I am a senior citizen and could only work for a few hours a week, but I am very keen to have a democratic president! Please do respond. Telephone: 831-462-9862