I did not have... a bad time yesterday

On Thursday I managed to get a ticket to a political rally that was going to be held in the school auditorium on Saturday. It was a big deal because former President Bill Clinton was going to be there, campaigning for Democratic State Senator Ron Klein, who is running for the US House of Representatives in one of the most closely watched races in the nation. His opponent is E. Clay Shaw, who has represented Florida's 22nd district for over 25 years. With the election this coming Tuesday, the stakes have been high. I planned to cover the event for the Pompano Pulse, the school paper that no one knows about, along with Luke, this blog's number one commenter. He was going to record the event on his digital minicassette-type recorder, and I was going to take pictures and perhaps some video.

The event was yesterday, and my sister and I thought we were getting there early, but it didn't seem to be early enough. There was a huge line to get into the auditorium, and they hadn't started letting people in yet. Most of the people there were not students. They were Klein supporters in general along with some teachers from school. There were some Secret Service guys around, along with people handing out fliers of various kinds. Eventually, I met up with Luke, and not long afterward, they started letting people in. I was expecting to be searched by Secret Service guys, so I brought a pen and paper for us to take notes in case recording devices weren't allowed for some reason. Surprisingly, there were no searches; getting in was a breeze. The only problem was that the auditorium was almost full when we got in. I thought we were doomed. I knew we'd never be able to get good audio or photos from way in the back.

Suddenly, our friend TJ came to the rescue. He told us that Ms. Vazquez was sitting near the front and she had two extra seats. Luke and I took them, and unfortunately, my sister had to find a seat elsewhere. We talked for a bit while the school band and the orchestra played onstage. Some students (probably members of Student Government) stood in front of them. Eventually, after the presentation of the flags and other ceremonial things that give the JROTC something to do, the rally began. Pompano Beach Mayor John C. Rayson, who is running for a judgeship, spoke first, followed by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents the Fightin' 20th in Washington. Next came State Senator Skip Campbell (running for State Attorney General) and Eric Copeland (running for State Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services). They all basically talked about why Ron Klein should be elected as part of the Democrats' effort to take back Washington this year.

After that, there was a long break during which the band came back on and kept playing the same few songs. People shuffled around, and Luke and I discussed what we had heard. Eventually, a guy said that Bill Clinton was on his way, and finally, the president of our Student Government Association introduced him and Klein. They were greeted by overwhelming applause as Clinton shook a bunch of people's hands. Klein spoke briefly before handing it over to the former President. He was the one that everyone had been waiting to see, and it showed. I took a lot of pictures (one of which you can see above) and recorded a video about two minutes of his speech. Like the others, he criticized the current administration and expressed a desire to see a change in Washington on Tuesday.

When he was done, the band started to play again, and a bunch people went up to try to shake his hand. I tried to get up there, but it took a while because everyone else was trying to go to the front. By the time I made it up there, Clinton had moved to the other side of the auditorium, where more people were mobbing to talk to him, shake his hand, and take pictures with their cell phones and digital cameras. After that, he walked up on the stage, where he continued to shake hands with people standing on the floor. As he passed by, I extended my hand, and he shook it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but you'll just have to believe me.

By then, a lot of people had left, and as I stood in the middle of the emptying auditorium, Ron Klein passed by, and I shook his hand. Later, I met up again with Luke, who had gone to get his red fedora. We were hanging around because Luke wanted to ask Ron Klein about his position on the Darfur genocide. When Klein came back around (having gone out of the auditorium through the front door), we introduced ourselves, and Klein shook my hand again, this time introducing himself as though I had never heard of him: "Hi... Ron." Luke proceeded to take out his recorder and ask the hard-hitting questions while I took a few pictures. We thanked him and then went our separate ways. All in all, it was a very interesting experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Pulse's coverage in its final form.

Shortly after getting home, it was time to go out again, this time for a surprise party for TJ's 18th birthday. I pretty much hung out with Luke, Michelle, Megan, Brian, and of course, TJ. It was at a pub, and I'd never been to a pub before. I didn't drink, though, so don't worry. I did have a good time.

A year and a half ago, Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, lost his voice to a spasmodic dysphonia, a condition of the brain that no one had ever recovered from. Though he tried to regain his voice, he thought he might never speak again. Then one day, his efforts unexpectedly paid off. Read about how Adams conquered spasmodic dysphonia.

Ernest Hemingway, famous for his spare style, is said to have written the following (very) short story: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Wired asked some writers to come up with their own stories of six words or fewer. They ended up with some Very Short Stories.

Two years ago: "So, here's the first (and hopefully not the last) edition of Ask Jordon."