Fired Up! and on Fox

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, FIVE INCHES OF SNOW! Four hours of sleep, three BMs, two cranky kids, and a diaper full of pee!

The primary has been dominating our lives and somewhat derailing our holiday preparations. I believe we truly reached the zenith of our involvement with the Obama campaign today when Peter, Josie and I sat around a small table with him and four other voters (and about 100 reporters with lights and cameras) to talk about "Reclaiming the American Dream." We arrived at the Common Man restaurant (aptly named), at 11 and met the other round table participants. Great folks, mostly local, one friend of ours. We were ushered with great urgency to the cocktail lounge where we sat and waited (and nursed) for about 30 minutes while Barack interviewed with some networks. He then met us to thank us for our time. We then entered the brightly lit conference room and took our seats. Barack spoke for about ten minutes, then he asked us to tell us our "stories." One woman is 66 and destitute because of a dependence on a medication that costs $3,000 a month. Another woman is a single young mother of a three year old trying to put herself through college. Another is a single mom faced with the challenge of paying for two college educations in a couple of years. And then there was us. What's wrong with us? What's our story? I spoke about being decidedly "middle," having no pressing problems and two decent incomes, and STILL being close to the edge. That and the need to work, the cost of daycare, the desire to raise our own children but the inability to survive on one income. Barack spoke articulately and convincingly to each of our concerns, noting his own family's difficulty with balancing work and child care. It is amazing to think that we could have a national leader who is so close to the middle class experience (pre-book, that is). I asked how the "American Dream" applies to immigrants, being a country of immigrants, noting our Nepali friends' challenges as recent immigrants and their dissapointment with the education system. He spoke for a while about how we have a problem with illegal immigration because our legal system is disfunctional. Etc. Etc. When our hour was up, the press descended upon the other participants more enthusiastically than upon us, the most middle of the middle. When the occasional reporter did pause to ask our names and if we were "undecided voters" (the most popular people in NH these days), when we responded that we were strong Obama supporters they excused themselves and moved on to the next potential sound bite. Josie slept through the entire event obediently, but not without proper reverence for the remarkable opportunity to be so close to the next President.

As for the rest of life, I am exhausted and have Napoleonesque temper (short). Jasper keeps opening up the presents under the tree and insisting that they are his. It will be great to get started on "vacation," not that there is any rest from this wonderful life of ours.

Oh, and: On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six mice a-dying, FIVE MORE INCHES OF SNOW, four hours of sleep, three BMs, two cranky kids, and a diaper full of pee!