DELL

I'm on the phone with Dell tech support. As I sit on hold, I realize that thier national number is 800-XXX-DELL.

That's hot!

made my day

Walking down Market Street in San Francisco yesterday, I spot an oncoming, 30-something blind guy, sweeping the sidewalk with his white cane. He is wearing a burgundy t-shirt with yellow lettering inside a Tennesee-state outline. It reads:

"You're the only '10' I see."

Maggie remembers

Maggie just posted a bunch of stuff from Boston. As did Lori.

on the job

Since we've been back, the support from friends and strangers has been tremendous. But I think most folks have a much more glamorous idea about how I spent my time in Boston.

I was either driving a big truck, begging teenagers to move thousands of signs to another part of the Fleet Center, and then calling movement cues once each day's program began.

1)Me calling cues (the mic' is attached to my sleeve, the receiver wired to my ear.)
2) Maggie, Matt and Kas screwing around on the CNN set, and
3) Lori, Maggie and I just before the balloon drop.

update: 169,432

UPDATE: I forgot about 3 batches of secret signs.

HOPE IS ON THE WAY (Edwards - 5000)
AMERICA CAN DO BETTER (Kerry - 5000), and
HELP IS ON THE WAY (Kerry - 5000)

We didn't get them until hours (minutes) before they went on the floor, and we tried to get them out there stealthily.
They were last minute adds, and they didn't even make it on my spreadsheet!

Funny story:
At the end of Edwards Wednesday night speech, we snuck in 5000 HOPE IS ON THE WAY signs. CNN and the other news networks had been tracking my staff everything we moved into the hall, so they could get the first shot of new signs/flags/whatever was going up. Because the "hope is on the way" message was such an important part of the Edwards speech, we had to figure out a way to get the signs in without the networks seeing them and without one delegation putting them up to early (i.e. the constantly unhappy Indiana or the sign-hoarding Oklahoma.)

In order to keep the 5000 placards embargoed, we wrapped them in black trash bags, and then walked them to each delegations Floor Whip (babysitter) and instructed them to sit on the bags until directed by radio to open the bag and pass out signs.

Then the Fire Marshal shut down the floor at the beginning of Edwards speech. Only folks with Backstage passes could deliver the final few states. One of the floor captains and I ran back and forth until we surveyed each state (by radio) to find everyone had them.

And now we wait.

We all stood in the Boiler Room (Floor Management control center) and waited for the cue line, "God Bless You and God Bless America!" - at which point 5000 signs saying HELP IS ON THE WAY would all fly up as the Edwards family joined the senator on stage. Happy day.

Then, just minutes before cue: Fucking Pennsylvania opened their bag and Fox News (of course, Fox) caught a glimse of 2 or 3. It wasn't enough for the folks at home to notice, but it was enough for me and everyone in my chain of command to start screaming -"Pennsylvania put your fucking signs down! Sit on them, get them down! Damn it, Pennsylvania!!!"

The whole room was screaming and I was deciding if I had to haul ass backstage, underneath where Edwards was speaking, and pull the signs down myself. I scanned the room for other folks with a Backstage I could send - it was me, my boss, and some guy I didn't know. Screw it, I thought, I'll send this guy to scream at Pennsylvania - I'm tired of running.

At that moment two things happened: 1) the cue finally came and 2) I realized I was leaning in to tell Ben Affleck to haul ass to Pennsylvania and start screaming.

I bet he'd have done it. That dude was everywhere last week.

154,952

The 154,452 signs, flags, and hats we brought to the floor:

10,000 A Stronger America for Sec. Albright
2,000 AFL-CIO! for AFL President Sweeney
5,000 AFT- Real Deal for Ed McElroy
20,000 American Flags for Willie Nelson/John Cougar Mellencamp
10,000 America's Future for President Clinton
1,000 BOXER! for Senator Boxer
250 Clyburn for Sen. Clyburn
10,000 Edwards (red verticle) for John Edwards
5,000 Edwards (white vertical) for John Kerry Acceptance
250 Eleanor for DC for Mayor
10,000 ELIZABETH! for Elizabeth Edwards
5,000 Firefighters for Kerry for Schait Berger
4,500 Flashlights for 9-11 Moment
2 Governor Richardson for Governor Richardson
250 WARNER for VA Governor Warner
5,000 Hats for Balloon drops
5,000 I'm a Health Care Voter! for SEIU
5,000 Human Rights Campaign for Cheryl Jacques
5,000 K/E Official Logo for Bill Richardson (gavel to order)
10,000 KERRY (vertical white) for John Kerry Acceptance
200 Kids Handmade for Gavel to Order
3,000 LCV for Kerry Edwards for Deb Callahan
250 MAX for Max Cleland
100 MICHAUD for Congressman Mike Michaud
1,000 Nancy the Riveter for Rep. Pelosi
3,000 NEA Kerry-Edwards for Reg Weaver
500 NY hearts Bill for President Clinton
500 NY hearts Chuck for Senator Schumer
500 NY hearts Edwards for John Kerry Acceptance
500 NY hearts Hillary for Senator Clinton
500 NY hearts Kerry for John Kerry Acceptance
5,000 OBAMA! for Barak Obama
2,000 Pro-Choice, Pro-Kerry for Betsy Cavendish
100 Rep. Brozack for Rep. Brozack
50 South Dakota Handmade for Senator Dashle
1,000 Stonewall Dems for Barney Frank
3,000 Strong Women, Strong America for Women Rep's
500 Thank You, Bob! for Sen. Graham
10,000 Veterans for Kerry for Max Cleland
10,000 We Love Teresa! for Teresa Heinz Kerry

… and the Balloon Drop.