Photos from work yesterday

We worked an event many hours away from home, but it was worth it. The views were awe inspiring. The setting, amazing. I would love to be wed here. I can't afford it, but still...

I most always love what people can do at these events: beautiful & fun.

Now that I have a card reader and can actually use my camera for fun, expect more pictures, just cause.

Stepping Into the Fray

Monday I attempted to attend Sen. Ben Cardin's town hall meeting on the campus of Towson University. When I arrived, I soon found around 2000 people were there before me. I knew instantly I would not get in.

I had already planned on recording my experience through photos and audio. Since I was not going to make it inside, I walked around, took pictures, and recorded my conversations with people.

Here is my story, in pictures and sound.


I made this sign the day before, using art supplies left over from college, some sharpies, and the top of a document storage box.

Audio: at work, gearing myself up to go

Audio: the drive to the meeting

Audio: traffic

Audio: helicopter

Audio: just arrived

slight misspelling


Audio: O'Malley & Sarbanes chants
(Martin O'Malley is the current Democratic governor of Maryland; John Sarbanes is the current Democratic representative for Maryland's 3rd district, a position formerly held by Sen. Cardin.)

Audio: signs
The Pro HCR crowd and various signs.


Audio: describing an almost argument
Pictured below.


Audio: so many people; hot day


Audio: line growth


Audio: reading Anti HCR signs


Audio: Ladies, Canadian wait time fliers
Two young ladies were passing out fliers, comparing wait times for Canada versus wait times in the US. One said she was going into the medical field, as well.

My rebuttal to their assertions: Audio: A Canadian!
I was so happy to speak with an actual Canadian about HCR. He spoke about how he had the same surgery in both Canada and the US, and it took longer to have it here.


Audio: Pro HCR conversation
Spoke with the gentleman picture below. (Note to self: Need to work on getting faces into shots.)



Audio: multiple commentaries spliced into one
Kids playing, holding Pro HCR signs, their Mom watching while sitting in the grass.


Audio: Pro HCR conversation
Spoke with woman who had intense conversation with gentleman shown below.

Audio: part of the reason why I was there
Spoke with same woman about my situation.




Audio: Anti HCR conversation
I spoke with the man pictured above. It is a long conversation, occasionally going off topic. He was nice enough, even though I do not agree with his views.


Here is a trio of pictures I took during a heated conversation that day. Some Pro HRC folks stopped the escalation.



Audio: shirt lady
I helped a lady take off her over shirt and we spoke about why she was there.

Audio: explaining AstroTurf & gentleman as weakness


Audio: lead up to Green Shirt
Me trying to be ambitious.



Audio: aftermath
Me getting teary. He was not a nice person.

Audio: Pro HCR conversation
Quick conversation after I spoke with Green Shirt. Made me feel better.

Audio: Pro HCR conversation
Gentleman says one of the reasons people are here is because of who is in office.

Audio: commentary
"Why so few?" chant reaction.

Audio: commentary; Pro HCR chant
"Get a job" is your answer to HCR?
Hummer driver anti HCR = ironic

Audio: Anti HRC conversation - couple
The lady and gentleman I spoke with in this snippet were seated rather close to the street. At times, the noise from the chanters drowns out some of what that were saying.

Audio: overheard conversation; $1 a month
The gentleman in the white shirt had a conversation with the woman and gentleman sitting on the grass. White shirt, in the audio clip, is the one asserting that paying $1 a month can keep medical bills at bay. I tried to interject myself into the discourse.



Audio: Pro HRC conversation with duo
The gentleman shown below agreed to hold my sign while I walked around. I spoke a lot with the lady shown. She was very sweet. In the audio clip above, they speak as to why they came. She talks about her troubles with the health care industry, along with her ongoing medical problems.



Audio: gentleman from before checking in
The gentleman in the first photo below spoke briefly with me before he left. In our short conversation, we spoke about how it was important people were talking, even if they weren't changing minds.




Audio: two Pro HCR conversations
Spoke with a lady and a gentleman holding signs. She wanted to show there are people for the reform. He said our problems won't get solved on this street, but he was still there.

Audio: conversation with sign-holder before he left
In this exchange, we talk about elections, family & friends, and politics.

Audio: others documenting experience
Musing on not being the only one with a good idea.


Audio: Pro HCR - a president of nonprofit
He is the gentleman in the tie. Next time, I will get his head in the shot too.


Audio: lit sign
Note: After looking at the second (not shown) sign again, Gov. O'Malley is actually depicted holding a binder with papers. I guess it was suppose to symbolize a bill or law.


A few commentaries towards the end of the event.

Commentary

Commentary: after the meeting was let out

Commentary: leaving



And my last words on the subject later night.

Final thoughts, before bed.

Almost There

So I just finished editing all of my audio into manageable sound bites. I've been using the notes I took earlier to help.

My entire day has been about trying to tell this story well. I hope, when I write my blog tomorrow (though to warn you, it may be in multiple parts over a few days), it lives up to what I hope to tell about that day and what I experienced.

Testing My Links

After four tries, (YES, FOUR DIFFERENT WEBSITES!) I think I finally found a site I can use to link all my audio files from the protest to my blog. This post is a tester. If all works well, the link below will be a 30 second clip of myself at work before I head out to the event.

Nervous before the event

Soon, It Will Come

I had hoped to write and edit a blog post today about my experience at, well outside, the town hall meeting for one of my local Senators. However, I have already frustrated myself beyond measure dealing with trying to figure out how to upload audio onto this blog. For some silly reason, it is not as easy as uploading an image or a video.

So it will be a day or two before I can share with you my experience. Until then, I'll leave you with a link to a picture on my TwitPic page. It's the sign I created to sit on my lap in the meeting, but instead was waved outside on the street (just not by me).

I like to make things neat and pretty.

WTF

Twitter is down. That's annoying.

To be honest, Twitter is the best part of my day (while my SO is out of state). Apparently it's been down since 9am, which gives me little hope that it will be up again soon.

Well, seeing as I have oodles of time and no rampant, instantly self indulgent, way of filling up my day...


Last night, while cleaning up the apartment, I found an old notebook. Call me shocked when I realized it was a story I had worked on years ago. I know you will find this highly narcissistic, (then again you are reading my blog) but I had been working on an autobiography of sorts.

The first question (insult) that comes to mind when I type this is, "What are you doing writing an autobiography? You're not even 30!" Yes, this is true, but, as I was writing the stories I could remember of my life, I found I talked more about my family then myself.

So far, I've centered on my parents, my brothers, and my aunts and uncles. As I wrote all these interesting factoids, from my father's philandering to my relatives eccentricities, I was more interested in them than me. I found it interesting that one, all these people existed, and two, I was related to them. I know every family has their stories, so why shouldn't I write about ours.

I imagine, once I'm done (though who ever is with such an expansive concept), I'll pull things from this blog as well. So much has happened in the two years since I lost the notebook and found it again, the biggest of which was the loss of Ella.

I know I will need to include her, as well as Aunties and Uncles, but, truth be told, I imagined writing about the three of them as their own book. In fact, there is another notebook in my home office with their names on it and the opening lines already written. Like this lost example, I starting writing and then stopped to think about how I wanted to proceed.

I found myself last night muting the television (scandalous!) and picking up where I left off. I wrote about three pages (front and back). And it felt great.

I'm currently working my way through my mother's siblings. She is one of eight, so it's taking a while.

I'm not quite sure what the eventual book will be like, but I'm enjoying the experience of writing it.

Another little twist: I started this project right as my SO and I started our relationship. Talk about surreal, reading how we had a five hour conversation when we initially started "hanging out." [I know that is the right term for what we did, but it seems so juvenile. People, we really need to come up with a more adult lingo for the adolescent feelings and experiences we still have to go through. Just a thought.]

I imagine the story of my family will be intertwined with the story of our relationship, if nothing else for the fact that when I start each new entry, I speak a little about my day. And my SO is such a part of my life, back then and now, I don't know how you can't keep it from permeating on the page.


Well, that helped, a little. Seriously, I'm sure they've already come up with a name for Twitter addiction. I may not know it, but it feels like I have it. Or maybe it's just a learned impulse, since I'm on it all the time at work.

Oh well, gotta give up the dope sometime.

Shock and Awe

So, I'm liberal. Not that this information is a big shock to anyone, but being that I align myself with the Democratic party, I am having a hard time today. I watched Keith & Rachel's shows from last night, and all I can think about is trying to figure out a way to stop these bussed in puppets of health care lobbying firms from disrupting town hall meetings.

I know this may seem like an esoteric topic, but as a person who is highly invested in the outcome of this legislation, it feels like my health is being tossed about with little regard to my personal well being. I, along with millions of other Americans, need this reform.

I understand these people are misinformed, that they are pawns of a health care industry that makes billions of dollars by kicking sick people off their rolls and keeping people (like me) from getting coverage. I understand what is going on, but I am worried that some don't. I'm worried that the Right is going to spin these debacles they created as actual grassroots efforts to influence legislation, when most people with a brain can see that is far from the truth. I'm worried that Democrats in Congress will not stand firm in their previous commitment to the American people to help change this country. But mostly, I'm worried that one of my greatest fears is true, that no matter how hard you try and how "right" you are, money wins in the end.

So that is where my head is now and all I can do to try to make myself feel better is to think up ways to stop these people. Here are just some of the tactics I think lawmakers should try:

1- Send invitations to town hall meetings through the mail and require persons who come to show they actually live in the congressional district of the person speaking.

2- Have it be a speech-only town hall, asking for questions ahead of time from constituents. Have a transcript of the meeting available online for people to read, should they not want to attend but still want their questions answered.

3- Have an online town hall where you have to enter an address in the district, with a matching resident's name, as the "password" to be let in.

I know there are ways to subvert all my suggestions, but it seems to me that no one in my party is standing up to these people. It's different if you are on television (thank you Keith & Rachel). You have time to prepare and severely lash out against the falsehoods and lies perpetuated. But, if you are a person in that town hall trying to get answers and information from your representative, and some person, bussed in from out of state, keeps yelling slogans instead of letting the legislator speak to the people she represents, what are you to do?