Don't know about any of the other states, but NC is doing an Early Voting program that is great. Instead of standing in line at my precinct on Election Day, I popped into the mall, strolled through Belks and cast my vote today. In and out in about 20 minutes.
So do it now or do it on November 4th. Do it at the mall or do it at your local precinct. Vote for Obama or vote for McCain. But do it...and then be prepared to back up your vote with involvement and support after the election regardless of who is elected.
Divisiveness is NOT going to get our country out of our current state. When it comes right down to it, citizens are!
Di
I have been SO busy that blogging has fallen by the wayside. Thank you to all the people who have e-mailed with concern to make sure I'm all right!
Last night, my daughter Haley and I participated in what I consider a historical event. I have never been to a political rally and neither has she. But we decided to go to the free James Taylor concert for Obama at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
They did not allow banners into the show, otherwise ours would have been THE BEST:
The show was at 7 but the doors opened at 5, so we got there just a little after 5. We were early enough that we were about 7 rows away from the stage. The crowd was, for the most part, quiet and polite. A lady behind me was knitting. College girls were flirting. College boys were hiding subs under their jackets since food was not allowed. The only disruption was a 2-year old (yes, a 2-year old at a concert where she would have to wait two hours to see something she really doesn't care about when she wants to be home eating Cheerios one-by-one while Mom fixes dinner) who was kicking up a fuss...some of the kicks landing in our backs. But THAT, and her brother and friend who were with them, is a whole different blog.
How close were we?
Yes...that close. And no zoom lens. It was the quietest concert I have ever been to. The last time I saw JT was 29 years ago at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center where we had lawn seats and it was a drunk and disorderly crowd. This crowd listened respectfully as James Taylor talked about his roots in Chapel Hill and his love of the Tar Heel State and how incredible it is that this year WE ARE A BATTLEGROUND STATE!
He started with a sweet acoustic version of America the Beautiful.We listened quietly as he crooned our favorites, like Something in the Way She Moves and Sweet Baby James (which I used to sing to my son as a lullabye). In between songs he shared self-depracating stories about his long career, how he worked with Carole King and worked up his own version of You've Got A Friend to play at a gig they were playing together...not realizing he would be playing it EVERY NIGHT FOR THE REST OF HIS CAREER. (During this song, I called Amy (my BF, in case you didn't know) and let her listen to a song that is clearly written about OUR long, dedicated friendship.)
He spoke quietly and understatedly about Barack Obama and his own commitment to the campaign. The concert spoke to me of reason over rambunctiousness (as opposed to Hank Williams Jr.'s similar concerts). The people in the crowd, maybe even the kicking 2-year old, represented the people I want to be with supporting Obama. Supportive, respectful, believers in the candidate more than the rhetoric.
He even had the crowd sing a hushed "Go Obama Go" as a sweet harmony to his guitar picking and singing.
Enough politics...29 years later, James Taylor still sounds as sweet and his music continues to inspire with its quiet meaning.
Di
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