Sick

No notes on the weekend as yet--not because it was a bad weekend; it was a lovely weekend. But because I'm sick, and it seems to have started manifesting late yesterday afternoon while I was at ironymaiden and melkahb's place -- an aggressive fatigue. Last night, my throat became very sore. I slept in until noon and now I'm with the sore throat and two cats who really want to be fed.

I guess the upside is that I don't have to call in sick anywhere. I can just be sick and rest myself without guilt. See? Silver lining.

Sick.

Feh.

DNC day 1 from the couch

Since I was feeling lousy today, I basically spent the day on the couch with one or the other cat. Most of that time I spent watching the Democratic National Convention on C-SPAN. A lot of the pre-prime-time speeches were given by folks you'd only hear at such an event -- committee members reporting on their work, caucus members and special interest group representatives (NARAL, National Education Association, etc.) and then the Town Hall, which felt to me to be a little too orchestrated, a little too prepared.

I agree with dianora2 that Nancy Pelosi is not a great public speaker. I felt like she was reciting more than speaking from her heart. She had a job to do, which was to take the first shots at McCain, but she did it early enough in the day that the pundits seemed to have missed her doing it at all. I was baffled when the talking heads on CNN said the Dems were too soft on McCain tonight until I realized that they were talking about the prime time speakers. But the prime time speakers had other work to do tonight. Far as I can see, Ted Kennedy was there not only to be lionized but to pass a torch, and Michelle Obama was there to be reintroduced to the country.

Jesse Jackson Jr., I thought, was terrific. His heritage shows all over his presentation -- and I don't think that's a bad thing, because he's clearly presenting a new take on it for a new generation and a new era. Which is good. I wish he'd smiled a little more, though; his words and presentation were uplifting, but his expression seemed downright grim. I don't see his daddy on the schedule (maybe I'm missing it?) and I'm glad.

Caroline Kennedy always presents well. I thought she did a fine and loving job of presenting her uncle and placing Barack Obama into historical perspective with regard to the Kennedy legacy ...

...especially since the incredibly moving tribute to Ted Kennedy and Ted's own appearance not only had "Lion of the Senate" written all over it (with good reason) but also had "passing the torch" written all over it, given how Obama figured into the presentations. But the Kennedy tribute and his appearance really choked me up. I hope he's still healthy enough in January to be there to get health care reform passed. It would be a gift.

I thought Michelle Obama hit it out of the park. I thought she was terrific: articulate, personable, down-to-earth, accomplished, someone that average people could identify with. And with her two girls beside her, she became someone every mother in America could connect to, which is exactly what was needed tonight. I know there are people who didn't like the dress she wore, but I did. It wasn't a suit (thank God!), it had a lovely, becoming neckline and I liked the little sparkle in the ornament.

I'll be curious to see what's up with Hillary tomorrow, and whoever else is scheduled to speak. I'm hoping to be healthier, too, so I may catch far less of the proceedings than I did today. We'll see.