I get that small d democracy is incredibly important, but does it have to take place at the crack of dawn? I really didn't pay close enough attention to what I let myself get roped into, and I paid for it in pain this morning. I had to leave for Boulder super early, and I arrived to check in at 07:30, for a meeting that went way longer and was way more contentious than I counted on. A year ago, when we held the state caucuses, my precinct was an "orphan," meaning that it had no captain, no one to run the meeting. I held my hand up to the room of thirty or so strangers, and said I had experience with that sort of thing, and I'd be okay with leading the proceedings. I had no idea at the time that I was signing up for a multi-year commitment. They hounded me all through the campaigns, asking for me to volunteer to knock on doors (not happening) or make phone calls (REALLY not happening). I avoided everyone during the worst year of my life. But this year I decided that if I'm going to talk smack about resisting and fighting back, I have to put my money where my mouth is, and participate. So when the county party announced that the central committee (of which precinct captains are members) was holding its biennial reorganization meeting this weekend, and I was expected to show up and vote on officers and by-laws, I shouldered my responsibilities and participated. Some of the goings-on were fascinating. Some were even a little inspiring, such as when some young faces stood in front of the crowd and talked about where they saw us going. (I even had that tingling on the back of the neck feeling when a young State Senator spoke, kind of like the feeling the nation experienced together when a certain young law professor gave a keynote address in 2004, and we all saw the future.) But then there was the horrible herding cats aspect of the assembly, and worse, the power plays and in-fighting that comes with party politics. We were in a middle school auditorium for almost four hours before the first break, and between the narrow wooden seats and venti London Fog tea latte working its way through my system, it was quite frankly hell. Still, I did my duty. I engaged. I voted for the people I thought would do the best, and even in the two votes where I wasn't with the majority, I was happy with the officers selected. That was the mood of the people around me as well.
But if I am ever again in a room with 450 people who only pretend to understand Robert's Rules of Order and who are spoiling for a fight, please for the love of all that is sweet and good in the world, sedate me first. We were derailed for more than 20 minutes by a procedural discussion over when our next meeting would be held in September, and who would sit on the volunteer committee to decide when and where it would be. Shoot me.
I had to bug out of the meeting early. I had to be in Greeley to show a house that ended up being so totally inappropriate for my buyers as to be almost not worth the trip (except for the getting to chat with my friend part). I believe the way I phrased it was "it was built in the mid 1980s, and it stunk of it." It was a tri-level with a sub basement, so technically it was a quad-level. It was so choppy as to feel even smaller than its 2600 square feet. It was billed as updated, but it still had the original wall oven and trash compactor. There was brass everywhere. And it had a corded wall telephone and an octagonal window in the master bath. Does it get more 80s than that? You know, it didn't bother me a bit though. Because as of late last night, this girl is under contract again with the new buyer. I know better than to spend any commission money before it is earned. The next few weeks are going to be hectic and stressful. If I make it all the way to the closing table this time, I am going to party like it's 1999. (That might mean I'm going to hoard canned food and ammo and assume that the world is about to end... I'll keep you posted.)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been up since 0545 this morning (or really since the feline confrontation that occurred at 0430), and I am dead now.
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