Dancing with the Weather Goddess

Back from another day at the Convention Center.  This time, I was an information booth rather than a sign post.  A step up!  And I felt that I actually helped people find their way…to the restroom.

I began today with a visit to Occupy Charlotte.  Pretty peaceful.  Talked with a few people, some mellow, some angry.  Actually, one guy was angry at some of the occupiers.  Personal space issues, I believe.

I have been talking with a lot of people here.  Some are other volunteers and some are just people on the street.  I had my first experience with using a cell phone to check my email.  Now I know I don’t want an iPhone.  Those letters and spaces are way too small for me to target accurately. 

I have stopped a two different people on the street, saying “I like your shirt” and “I like your button.”  It turns out that they were selling them.  So, I added them to my souvenirs.

Masses of people here, kind of like a more low-key Mardi Gras.  No street drinking, but feeling like a fish swimming upstream.  A few oases with fountains, statues and saxophone players.  Ahhhh....

The Weather Goddess has, up to now, looked kindly on me.  I missed the intense heat, but got enough of a taste to appreciate my home climate.  I experienced two thunderstorms, one at Twin Oaks when I really needed it.  I was on a tour of the seed-saving fields when a sudden thunderstorm caught us.  Everyone went rushing to the vans to escape the downpour.  Everyone but me.  I stood in the middle of the field, arms outstretched like Julie Andrews on a mountaintop, face to the sky, blessing every cooling drop.  The other thunderstorm was yesterday afternoon during my shift in the convention center.  I could see the lightening and hear the thunder, all while remaining dry and pointing the soggy delegates the way to the shuttle. 

Now, I’m not sure if this is the doing of the Weather Goddess, or some fearful humans, but the place for Obama’s speech tomorrow was changed due to a fearful weather report.  It was changed from the open air Bank of America Stadium to the indoor Time Warner Cable Arena which decreased the amount of seats by 50,000.  This means that none of the volunteers get to use their tickets to the event.  Which includes me.  Disappointing, yes, but the trip has been so worthwhile anyway, I can live with it.  I am already casting my eyes westward with desire.

I briefly mentioned Ananda earlier.  I met her on the phone on my way to the communities conference.  She was giving me directions on how to get there when I mentioned that I was from Washington.  Just so happens that she is traveling and wants to go west.  So, here we are in Charlotte, packing up for the journey home.

Her blog is  http://anandaelyce.blogspot.com/