Phew. Exhausted yet? Because I am. But I'm having a blast, blogging all the way... I will feel much better when I get all caught up. And right now is a good time to do that... because I'm pretty much stuck in my hotel room, waiting for Gustav to do whatever he's going to do... so we can all get on with our lives!
Okay, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!! (cue the Al Roker voice!)
First thing's first.
Sally had to get her Diet Coke. Secret Service wouldn't let cans in, only bottles. Of course, we had cans.
So Sally managed to scrounge up $3.00 in change for a bottle of Diet Coke. Love. True Love.
We all took shameless pictures at our home states' signs.
Justin grew up all over, but he went to high school in Florida, that's how I decide where you're from.. where you went to high school, mmmkay?
Sally is technically from Louisiana - but the Florida sign was closer, and well, she did work in Orlando for like 7 years....
Salty: mic check.
Scoop is apparently New Mexican.
I told you, he does everything we do!
Where John McCain is supposed to officially accept the Republican nomination!
This will be the view from the front row.
We shot a cool "behind the scenes" story Sunday that we aired Monday morning.
Thanks to us, Scoop has an all-access pass!
Talk about one lucky elephant!
Ironing out some technical problem...
Thousands of balloons are tied up in the ceiling of the Xcel Center - I'm still praying they have the opportunity to fall!
I was really looking forward to that quintessential "convention moment" with the confetti and all.
4 Balloon casualties.
So sorry for the loss.
Looks like crime tape and everything, Ha!
The ticket on the jumbo screen.
(teleprompter in the foreground)
So cool!
We shot our behind the scenes story...
And made random strangers take pictures of us....
On our way back up to the skybox to edit, we ran into Ann Compton! (of ABC News for those of you tired of googling)
She was so kind and posed for a picture with me!
Yay!
Let me introduce you to some of my other co-workers.
This is Wes.
Photographer extraordinaire.
This is Larry.
Computer hooker-upper/fixer extraordinaire.
And this is Naz. Assistant News Director extraordinaire.
And just an all around nice guy!!
(side note: that is the most gigantic credential bib I think I've ever seen in my life!)
Sally and I had a little more fun with Scoop. Setting him up in the live shot position.
(Please, no comments on the obvious need for photoshop in this picture, thanks.)
I have a couple of videos that also go with Sunday, but I'm still learning how to post them. Let's see.... Oh, here's a 360 video view from our skybox:
And here's a little something that didn't work out how we would have liked it to work out in a dream world, but it was still fun. (side note: I don't really talk like this - the audio quality on my digital camera is crap)
We didn't end up getting that interview with Pawlenty (we're still hopeful for perhaps another opportunity later in the week) but Sally did shoot some sideways video of him in the hallway:
Also - unfortunately, we weren't fast enough with the camera for this, but we did see Mika (apparently post work-out) and a handler walk by. I love Mika!!! She smiled and said hello. Good for her for working out!
I also shot some video of Sally & Eric interviewing the CIO for the convention about all of the technology they're using for the first time at an RNC convention. (the story never actually made air because of Gustav, travesty.)
Okay, still with me? And this was our SHORT day! Hahaha. We finished editing our stuff for Monday morning, then we were off to eat at the MALL OF AMERICA!
I have to say, it was HUGE and all - but I think so many other malls have grown up so much - they're so big that they take the "wow" factor out of the Mall of America.
The mall Michael and I went to in Dallas was pretty amazing, for example.
It had an ice skating rink.
Oh - but the parking was FREE at the MoA. I thought that was pretty sweet!
Okay, looking back at the pictures, maybe it was a little over the top...
It was like sensory overload!
All I know is I ate bbq riblets and had cold stone and I was one happy girl.
All of that before 5pm. Then, it was off to bed for a marathon of a Monday! More on that, next time. My battery is dying. Cheers.
Oops - I nearly forgot. Scoop thinks he saw his father at the MoA.
Not sure about that... pending paternity test results.
We got here Saturday afternoon. We didn't have that much to do. We just wanted to get a lay of the land, etc. Rest up for a week of "big coverage." (Meanwhile, Gustav was swirling to the south, with all kinds of plans of his own to rain on our parade - but whatever)
Here's a peek at my hotel room. I only take this pictures because of Christin's inspiration - but my hotel rooms are never as cool as hers!
I do like the king size bed, and I appreciate the fact that there is no scratchy hotel comforter! I hate those things.
This is my view. Not bad, eh? It overlooks the indoor pool.
I hope to get out there at some point, I did bring a bathing suit... maybe tonight (I think it's Monday, haha - I feel like I haven't been 100% sure what time or day it is since we go here!)
Shameless mirror self portrait.
You know you wanted it!!!
Then it was off to check out our diggs at the Xcel Energy Center.
The place is all decked out!
This is the view from our skybox.
The view of our skybox from the convention floor.
This is our workspace. Laurie was calling to set up interviews. The workspace is in a trailer across the street from the Xcel Center.
I'll have to get some more "behind the scenes" pics of that so you know what I mean.
Then I made a couple of trips around the Xcel Center. I was trying to get to "the hospital" to pick up my co-worker, Eric. (long, funny story, but HE'S FINE - if he wants to share the story, I'll have him do that, it's a classic!)
So I set out for "the hospital across the street," right?
I met some clueless police officers (they were flown in from across the country to help with security, but did not know their way around) and some nice homeless people.
I saw some cool sites.
This is FOX News headquarters - it's HUGE - I'd say they have a bigger presence here than any other media.
And this is the CNN Grill - they took over a restaurant - they did this in Denver, too.
I SOOOOOO WANT TO GO THERE!! Pray for me that I will be able to convince my co-workers, who are not as into all of this as I am - to go there at least once.
I'm such a dork. I wonder if they have t-shirts?
Hmmmmmm....
FINALLY - after about an hour of walking around downtown St. Paul. I go there. United Hospital. Not St. Joe's or St. John's or whatever that other hospital was called.
Definitely not how I was planning on spending my first afternoon in St. Paul - but I was not about to leave my co-worker stranded at the hospital forever.
You know how it takes forever to get discharged from an ER?
Glad he's okay. Phew.
We ran into a really nice guy on a street corner on our way to dinner, he reminded me of the Trubadour days on Gilmore Girls! :
Right after I shot the video of this guy he said, "This better be on youtube by tonight!" Check.
I love having dinner on the company! I love it when anyone buys my dinner. Scoop does, too.
Oh, we ran into Al Franken in the parking garage Saturday night! And we went to a Super Target... my world stopped. (because of my undying love for Target - not necessarily for Al Franken, but it was cool that he was willing to be photographed by Sally with my camera - she's such a sport!)
The fun began almost immediately at Ronald Reagan Airport. My co-worker, Sally, is totally game for my wacky ideas. This is great, so great. All I need is someone to egg my ridiculous on, and it's OVER. Evidence:
Sally and Mac Daddy. Such a sport.
I think this cardboard cutout makes John McCain look big. Not tall big, I'm not sure how tall he is really, but anyone over 5' 7" is "tall" to me and Sally, so....
My turn.
Return of the Mac.
I don't know why he was looking so upset? I tried, in vain it appears, to lighten the mood a little...
My eyes are constantly peeled for celebrities and fauxlebrities (the people I have to explain to my friends and I know they're totally googling later).
This guy is NOT Chuck Todd, technically.
But he looked like him from a distance.
And this little guy is not famous yet, but give him time.
His name is "Scoop." Sally named him. He's a webkin, and if you know anyone under the age of 10, you know that Webkinz are to small children what diamonds are to women, what 50 yard line NFL tickets are to men, you get the picture.
Anyway, "Scoop," (Eric later started calling him "Stump," he answers to both) is along with our group for the duration of the RNC.
He goes where we go! You can follow Scoop's adventures here on my blog, so check back over the next few days to see what he does, like.....
Here Scoop is waiting for his flight out of DC.
You can see, he's trying to stay up with the latest in politics, what with his BlackBerry and his Newsweek and all...
Scoop had a hunch this little storm in the Gulf, "Gustav" would be playing into how our convention coverage would shake out...
Good news nose, Scoop!
Justin pointed this out to me, this is apparently the "red carpet" United Airlines will roll out for you if you're a frequent flyer or if you pay more or something.
Wow.
Thanks!
And apparently non-a-listers who step on said red carpet are quickly told to "back away from the red carpet."
It's all of like 4 feet long. Where are the paparazzi, I ask?
Seriously.
Air travel has become quite hilarious.
Redemption: One step back, two steps forward!
Any airline that "proudly brews Starbucks Coffee" is fine with me!
This was my mid-air brew.
We connected at O'Hare.
And we ate lunch at a mini-Chili's.
The menu was strange. It was pretty much burgers and nothing of the Tex-Mex like.
Huh? No fajitas? And I'm at Chilis? I didn't know what to think.
Scoop was game.
We couldn't figure out if this was a joke or something.
We asked our waitress, and she told us something, but was kind of half laughing, so, still not clear about the "out of chickens" sign.
Thank GOD they weren't out of Diet Coke. I had to snap this shot in honor of Sally.
Sally is seriously powered by Diet Coke.
I think this was #47.
Justin helped Scoop to some water.
Then we were off once again!
Planes....
Trains....
(That's Howard Kurtz in the background! Google that name if you don't know it, I'm going to come back to this in a moment)
And automobiles.
*Yes, this is a mini van. No, I did not break my pledge to own a mini van. (no offense to any mini van mamas who may read this blog, it's just not for me)
All we needed were some soccer magnets.
Okay, quick story: So, we spotted Howard Kurtz in the tram to the rental car part of the airport. Then, he was in the same line we were at Avis. We were going to approach him for a picture, but he seemed to be in a hurry. Sally noted something funny! I don't remember if I blogged about this - but when we went to the New Hampshire Primary - we saw Howard Dean in the Hertz rental car line. Sally said Saturday "I wonder if we'll always see a Howard in line for rental cars. Weird!
This is sally in New Hampshire in January Howard Dean is in the background, to the left, haha!)
I know, I know, you're terribly tired of reading about Hurricane Gustav - and you're killing yourself looking for an update on how we're doing at this little event you may not have heard of yet - oh, the Republican National Convention. Well, I'm here to serve. I live to, really. So, here goes. (as long as my Holiday Inn wireless network is available and I don't just fall asleep because, well, I am in a bed...)
I'll do this chronologically:
All packed and ready to go! I usually take the Metro to Reagan - but that black suitcase is a beast - I overpacked, in case Gustav would leave us stranded in St. Paul for a few extra days - but this time, I took a cab.
Even the cab driver noted my laziness "You walk from here, ha!" He said in his broken English.
Nice.
I hated to leave my best buddy behind.
Brokaw did a nice job of looking extra pitiful, thus making me extra guilty-feeling.
Thank God he's in the gracious, loving hands of Jessi!
