Yesterday was our first day off since arriving here in Minneapolis, which means that I've been working every day for nearly a month straight! To celebrate having a day to myself, I decided NOT to sleep in and woke up early to attend a Health Care Reform rally at the Target Center - with President Obama as the headliner! Of course, I couldn't resist the urge to take Yancy along with me - thank goodness they let him in! It was actually more of an issue for me to pass security with metal snaps on my cargo pants and a hitchhiking paper clip in my pocket!
Nevertheless we eventually found our way to what turned out to be decent seats. We were on the opposite side of the arena, but we sat in the first row of the second level... Perfect for stretching out my legs after standing in line since 7:30am, and also perfect for observing the entire experience!
I've been far too removed from the real world in the past several years (and especially lately) to be able to form my own opinion on the current state of affairs... and in the end I felt like I still wanted more information. The event was not held to be informative, though - it was much more of a pep rally to reestablish a public interest in government affairs, and in that respect it was successful, even a bit overwhelming for me since I had never attended a political rally before.
Recently I had a discussion about how underinformed I have felt and I feel the general public is, and I blamed it on a general sense of apathy nationwide. My generation has been given too much without having to earn it - our ancestors fought for us, giving us an overprotective and oppressive world to live in. I appreciate everything that I've been given, but its hard to feel compelled to stand up when I don't know what it is that I'm supporting.
After the event I eventually found my way outside to be greeted by the inevitable group of protestors. As I walked by a certain group a man exclaimed that it was time to "Expose the puppets!" - which of course was all too easy for me. I eagerly listened to his rambling opinions about everyone else being wrong, and as soon as he used those magical key words again, I briskly pulled Yancy from his bag, holding him high (and in front of his shoddy sign) and exclaimed "No - THIS is a puppet!"
Surprised, the man responded quickly with the appropriate "You sonuvabitch!" and then continued with a hearty laugh! At this point a TV cameraman rushed over to cover the exchange, but as I mentioned earlier my lack of knowledge is uncomforting, so I had to back out of an on-the-spot interview. I know I could have gotten exposure, but at the price of looking like an idiot?! I think not! After asking the kind protestor for directions, I helped a handicapped man fix his wheelchair, then continued onward with my journey.
I concluded my fantastically eventful day by finally attending Mary Poppins. The show made me feel seven years old again. There were moments of absolute magic where every eye sparkled with wonder! The old biddies behind me were just as smitten as the adorable little girl beside me, and my smile never left my face.
It wasn't the best show I've ever seen, but it had moments of pure joy and transported me right back to being a kid... I loved it!
Well, I'm editing some video footage I captured while at the rally and I need to get to sleep soon. I know I promised whale footage weeks ago - believe me, its progressing slowly - but this should be up by the end of tomorrow night.
If you're reading this, thank you.
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