Archive for November, 2008

A Good Time Was Had by All! (Except Me!)

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

Here are two pix from the local election watch party of some of the fine folks who have volunteered and done so much in support of Obama. On the left are Chuck, Sharon, Ann and Gail. On the right is Gail with two of her favorite men, her husband, Ed, and The President Elect!!!

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My daughter Phoebe was somewhere in the crowd, I’m glad to know the family was represented at the festivities! I would have loved to have been there partying with the rest of them, but alas! am stuck in Vienna!

These people sponsored movie nights (Iron Jawed Angels), a food drive for Obama (“Yes We Can!” Canned Food Drive), made thousands of buttons (Thanks Gail!), sold shirts and lawn signs, wrote post cards to encourage people in battleground states, and of course, helped with voter registration, neighborhood canvassing, and get out the vote. 

It has been a great experience – not only did we see the election of the candidate we support, we all have friends we wouldn’t have known otherwise. Our new friends include Elbert an 80-something black man who has seen so much in his life and has now seen the election of a black man for President.  And Arturo, who helped Gail make buttons and turned in a remarkable number of voter registration forms. Arturo introduced us to his children whom he brought to Obama campaign meetings – and some of us are looking forward to meeting the newest baby that was born just a few days before the election. We have it on good authority that the newest little girl is an Obama fan – it says so one her onesie!

It’s Lonely Here in Vienna on Election Night

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

I am so grateful to be able to contribute to work that brings me to Vienna periodically. But tonight, I must admit, I’d be happier to be home at the local election watch party. To be able to share the anxiety with others who have worked the last two years trying to bring new leadership to the country. At 12:30 am Vienna time, only some of the polls in Indiana and Kentucky have closed and are reporting. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay awake to see the final outcome. It doesn’t help any to have gotten panic emails and IMs from the Obama camp saying, “It’s close! We need you to call!”

Ok, so where I’d really like to be is in Chicago. They estimate there may be as many as 1,000,000 people gathering there for a celebration with Barack Obama after the election. For the good of the country, I sure hope those million people are celebrating with President–Elect Obama!

Arg. How will I make it until someone calls the election?!?!

Great image of Paris lost for an “off” switch!

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Flying in to Charles DeGaulle airport this morning, I was struck by a lovely, and unusual, image of the city. Certainly different than I’ve ever seen. There was a gray fog over the city, shrouding many of the immediately recognizable landmarks in the city. But rising above the fog was the Eiffel Tower in the distance, dark gray against the light gray fog. I thought about taking out my camera, but we were nearly landed, and a camera is one of those electronic devices “with an on/off switch” so I didn’t get the picture. Shame.

My first trip to Vienna

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

Here are some pix from my first trip to Vienna. Well, at least the first trip where I stopped, left the airport, worked, got to walk around the city. This was my first trip where Vienna wasn’t just a layover on the way to somewhere else!

The first pictures are of some little sculptures in the display window of a museum I saw when I was walking with Doug, one of the members of the team. They look Mongolian to me – and since that’s the other country I’ll be traveling to over the next few years, they caught my attention.

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And these are pix of the Italian Alps on the way from Vienna to Milan, Italy. The pictures are natural color, taken through the airplane window, and not adjusted in any way (other than cropped in some cases). I liked how the fog crept in through the sharp valleys.

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And then there were these little darlings. They were adorable, but do you see what each of them has in hand? A blackberry! Arg! Addiction starts young!

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The Previous Trip to Vienna

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

The last time the team was in Vienna, it was August. Here are some of my favorite images – including a “Group Photo” taken from an amazing restaurant high on a hill above Vienna. We all work for Erin – the tiny but brilliant person in the middle of the pack.

Team Erin

Ok, I know I just said she was brilliant. But here’s a picture (left below) from a restaurant where it took us both about 15 minutes to realize that the teacup she had asked the server for several times – was right there under the tea pot! Great design, but ultimately a humbling pot of tea!  Sorry about the lack of focus – was laughing!

On the right is an amazing monument in Vienna – built by Emperor Leopold I to commemorate the city at long last emerging from the plague.

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Boooooo-rack Oooooooooobama

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

I haven’t been able to get out into my precinct as much as I had hoped to help get out the vote. So, I was glad I could do a little free advertising when lots of kids – and their parents! – came by the house for Trick or Treat! I was especially impressed with one group of trick-or-treaters who were so busy admiring the Booorack Oooobama pumpkins, they forgot to ring the bell to get their candy!

Thanks to the hosts of yeswecarve.com for some great templates!

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