My new friend Gray, Jesse's gift, and a heartfelt text message

I swear this is true... at a particular moment Thursday evening, I was standing on the floor of Invesco Field. One of my coworkers at Studio 08 shouted something to me, and I responded in a loud voice, "Great!" At that exact moment, embattled former California Governor Gray Davis passed in front of me. He thought I had shouted, "Gray!" so he stopped in front of me, extended his hand, and said, "Hello!"

I recognized him, and I told him that I had said "Great!" not "Gray!" We shared the laugh, and he said that had happened to him a couple of times before. Then, perhaps because I had actually recognized him, he stopped, and we had a 10-minute conversation.

Thursday night was truly unbelievable – full of one-of-a-kind moments like that. If you were one of the 38 million people who tuned in to see Senator Barack Obama's historic speech, then you already know it was a pretty incredible night. You had to wonder what it would be like to be there in person. Let me tell you – it was like being in the perfect place, at the perfect time, and pinching yourself because you can't believe you're in the most important place on the planet at that exact moment.

I almost didn't go. I wasn't feeling well all morning, and since I had spent most of the week cordoned away from the action on the main floor of the Pepsi Center, I didn't feel like I'd miss much if I called in sick. I figured we'd be stuck in the Broncos locker room and I'd be watching the Obama speech on a television – the same way I'd watched all the rest of that week's big speeches.

In spite of the fact that I had the hottest ticket in town, I had blisters all over my feet, and I was over it. At the last minute, I decided that I didn't want to make my friend Kay look bad. She had gotten me this gig, and I was afraid if I bailed, she'd get some crap for it. So, I sucked it up, and I went.

Suffice it to say, I'm glad I did. Little did I know that our "studio" was not inside the guts of the stadium – it was outside, on the press risers, less than 150 feet away from the podium. I spent the entire evening with a clear, unobstructed view of all the action. Anderson Cooper wished he had my seat. Best of all, we only did about 10 interviews the entire evening, so we (the crew) were free to enjoy most of the action on the main stage. It was the ultimate reward for a week of tough, gruelling work.

I have never cheered the singing of the national anthem before, much less cheered three times DURING the damn song! But Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson sang the most kick-ass version I've ever heard. Live, no lip sync – J-Hud is the real deal, and she's lost a ton of weight. She looked awesome.

Sadly, I think Stevie Wonder found it. The man has to be 400 pounds. Poor guy. He sang "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" but didn't look like he was having a good night.

Al Gore's speech was a lot of fun, but my favorite was from an Indiana factory worker named Barney Smith. He wasn't a great speaker – actually, he was awful – but he had the best line of the night. "I want a president," he said, "who will put Barney Smith ahead of Smith Barney." The entire stadium roared. This poor redneck guy then tried to stammer through the rest of his short speech while the crowd, including me, shouted "Bar-ney! Bar-ney!"

You can bet that was the coolest moment of his life. 80,000 people shouting the name of an Indiana factory worker.

Pamela Cash Roper, the woman I mentioned in the previous blog who nicknamed my coworker Justin "Speckled Puppy," also gave a short speech. She was a total crackup, even as she told the story of her family's devastation that followed them losing their health insurance. "I'm a lifelong Republican," she said. "I voted for Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush One and Bush Two. But this year, I'm voting for Barack Obama, because I can't afford to vote Republican one more time."

I looked back at Justin, and we both broke out laughing.

At one point, I chatted with the Reverend Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson as they waited next to me for a press interview. I'm not a big fan of either, but you have to admire Al's sense of humor. We were standing there, and I noticed Jesse's lapel pin for his organization, "Rainbow Push Coalition."

I told Mr. Jackson that I used to work for a non-profit called "PUSH," and we would always get calls meant for his organization. I motioned toward his lapel pin and said, "Your pin made me smile because it brought back the memory of how often I used to have to explain that Jesse Jackson could not be reached at this number."

Reverend Al turned to Jesse and said, "Give the man the pin!"

Jesse said, "No."

"Give the kid the damn pin!" Reverend Al insisted. Jesse, looking annoyed, reached over and took the pin off the lapel of one of his aides and handed it to me.

I thanked him. In light of what Jesse Jackson was caught saying about Barack Obama this campaign season, I was going to tell Al, "Careful he doesn't cut your balls off." But, I didn't do it.

When they showed the film preceding Obama's speech, the stadium was silent. I'm not kidding – the entire place froze and watched the various jumbo-trons. When he took the stage, it was pandemonium.

I won't lie and tell you that Obama's speech, itself, particularly moved me. It wasn't what he said, necessarily. I was swept up in the entire moment – the stadium, tears running down people's faces, the feeling shared by 80,000 people at that moment that we were witnessing something unprecedented.

At the end, when the Obama family took the stage together, the fireworks launched from the top of the stadium, and a confetti cannon exploded about 20 feet away from us, my tears came. I know it sounds cheesy, but the combo just pushed me over the edge. I pulled out my phone and texted, "Thank you, Kay, for one of the best nights of my life."

Meeting Elvis and Denver's worst ladies night

Charismatic. Amazing hair. Sex appeal. Lots of hearty laughter. Tangible ambition. An ability to connect with people instantly. Democrats love these kind of men. We fall at their feet and hand them the keys to the kingdom, even as we acknowledge their obvious arrogance, flawed sense of propriety, and their propensity to break our hearts. They are the high school quarterbacks who in spite of their popularity, talk to us – the ugly girls – and make us feel special and important.

Last night was Bill Clinton's night to speak. He's the most famous example of this type of man with whom Democrats fall in love. Even though Clinton pissed so many of us off this year with his attacks on Obama during the primaries, it was difficult to hold a grudge last night as he took the stage and spoke. He's past his prime, but like fat Elvis, Bill still shows the magnetism that once sent our hopes soaring.

Appropriately, I spent some time with the next Democratic Elvis yesterday. Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco, and before long, he will be a senator, or perhaps governor of California. I state this with great certainty. You meet him and instantly know.

This is a man who opened the door to the legalization of gay marriage in California, making him a hero in the gay rights movement. A man who, at age 40, has already been the subject of a huge publicized sex scandal (having cheated on his wife with the wife of his campaign manager). A man who emerged from the shame "a changed man," and who has been largely forgiven. A politician who in spite of his flaws enjoys immense popularity among his constituents because of his passion for his job and his uncanny ability to move things in the right direction.

Gavin spent a lot of time in Studio 08 yesterday. He did half a dozen radio interviews, some television, and was drawn to all of the young reporters for YouTube and web media. He spent almost a half hour with a high school reporter – a very generous amount of time – getting her very fired up and expressing the most heartfelt passion about the need to change the direction of the country. The girls eyes were filled with tears several times when I glanced over.

I spoke to him for a little while. I didn't say much, other than to let him know that a picture with him was worth 20 "gay points," and to thank him for helping me boost my sagging score. He's really skinny, tall, and uses a whole lot of hair product. His face is less handsome up close than on TV. But, you have to admit that the package works. The guy's a star.

Which leads me to an observation. With the exception of Hillary Clinton and maybe Michelle Obama, the stars of this show are all men. Say what you will about "18 million cracks in the glass ceiling." As I've watched the parade of political movers and shakers file through Studio 08, I've really noticed how absent the women are. If there's another Hillary Clinton in the Democratic line-up, she hasn't been doing any television appearances.

It's the men that are getting everyone in an excited tizzy. A female staffer of the Democratic National Committee ran into the studio last night and yelled, "I touched Obama!" People squealed, I'm not kidding. When Deval Patrick, governor of Massachussetts, came through, it was like James Brown had entered the room. Having spoken to him briefly, I can tell you the hype is deserved. Deval is incredible (keep an eye on him, for sure).

But, there are no female Democratic leaders who get everyone tingling and excited. More than 90-percent of the political figures who have been through our studio have been men.

Sure, we have seen Claire McCaskill and Nancy Pelosi, but no one got very excited about their arrivals. No one tried to get their picture with either of them. No high school reporters in tears interviewing them.

Democrats are all about the handsome quarterback. That was the realization I had yesterday, and it made me appreciate, again, how and why Hillary was important to many women who call themselves Democrats. Bad news for you ladies – I'm truly afraid she was the exception, not the rule.

A couple of extra pics today. Me and "Speckled Puppy" Jason, the audio guy, cheesing around with the camera. Jason is totally in love with all the painfully skinny little blondes that seem to be the dominant "type" working the media relations operations.

Microphones at the radio interview stations turned incorrectly (all week). They are supposed to sit upright so the sound can flow in the side of the mic, but they have them all turned to point at the interviewee's mouth, which is completely wrong. Terrible sound quality, Speckled Puppy tells me. Remember my previous blog about the bitchy little queen intern, David? Yeah, the radio stuff is his territory. SP, being an audio engineer, was going to let him know about this common mistake, but David's being such a little bitch we decided to let it go.

I also loved the signs that the CNN remote camera crew put up on their tent. They've grown a bit tired of being the information booth. I meant to ask them how "Ladies Night" went. They probably saw more ladies than we did in the studio.

Tonight we head to Invesco Field for the big night.

My favorite t-shirt so far from the Dem Convention

If this isn't the best shirt ever for picking up men, I don't know what is.

I'm just sayin'...

My "geek moment" at the Democratic Convention

My third day at the Dem Convention in Denver – officially the 2nd day of the event. Ladies and gentleman, it was an EXHAUSTING day. Studio '08 was insane, and other than one 10-minute break to grab a sandwich, I was on my feet going 100 mph all day. I drained six blisters from my feet this morning (lovely image, sorry).

I had a chance to say hello to President Carter. He was very kind and friendly, but at 84, the years are showing. His security detail was huge, and people were lining up hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I really didn't appreciate what a rock star icon he is to some people. Our stage manager, Lori, totally geeked out when Carter came through. She tossed off her headphones and asked for a photo. Carter charmingly obliged, but I thought his Secret Service detail might step in and throttle her for practically tackling the former president.

"That made this entire gig worthwhile. That was my geek moment," she said after she got the photo. "Everyone is allowed one."

Those of us on the crew have pretty extraordinary access to these powerful men and women, and I've been making the most of it. I've discovered that they all seem to love it when you speak with them casually and have a sense of humor. I know this comes as no surprise to those who know me personally, but I've been pretty extroverted with these people, and I've found myself in many cool conversations with them.

I'm a fan of Senator Jim Webb of Virginia (pictured). He's a former Navy Secretary and former Republican. We chatted for a few minutes, and I told him that he owed me $20. "Why's that," he asked? "I picked you for vice president, and my friend Mary picked Biden, and now I have to buy her lunch." He laughed. "Send me the bill, and stop gambling on politics," he said.

Steny Hoyer is the majority leader in the House, and a very powerful man. He had quite a crew of handlers hovering around the studio. Well, it happens that Hoyer is the representative of the area in which I grew up, back in Maryland. We sat there and chatted about lovely redneck Charles County, Maryland, for about five or six minutes. I sarcastically asked him what his favorite restaurant in Charles County was, and he chuckled. "Burger King?" he said, and slapped his security chief on the shoulder. Turns out the security guy graduated from my rival high school.

One of my favorite politicians yesterday was Iowa governor, Chet Culver. The guy is only 42, and he is a mountain of a man. Huge dude. "So, let me guess," I said to him. "They threw a bunch of guys in a room to wrestle, and whoever survived got to be governor?" He laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty much what it was like." We talked for a while about the floods in Iowa this summer, and he admitted that the last few months had been pretty brutal. He told me that nothing can truly prepare you for what it feels like to be a governor when a natural disaster happens.

A North Carolina woman named Pamela Cash Roper was another favorite. She's not a politician, but for some reason played a big role in Obama's North Carolina primary campaign and was a speaker at the convention. She and I stood around cruising boys. "That one there is cuter than a speckled puppy," she said about Jason, one of our sound guys. "Does he play for your team or mine?" When I informed her that Jason is straight, she said, "Oh good, make sure he hooks my microphone up! And tell him to take his time!" The rest of the day, I called Jason by his new nickname: Speckled Puppy.

OK, so to my geek moment. Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina was in the studio, and his press secretary was very cool. We were hanging out while the governor was doing his live feeds back to North Carolina news stations, and I told him about my friend Mindy who is fighting her fourth round with cancer (and doing great!). "Do you want him to write a note to her or something," he asked me? I told him I had a better idea. I grabbed a Sharpie from one of the camera men and wrote "Get Well Mindy" on a piece of paper. "That's awesome," the press secretary said.

So, when the governor came out, I chatted with him, told him about Mindy, and we got the picture below. The governor then took the piece of paper and spent the next few moments writing a personal note to Mindy on the sign, wishing her luck and telling her to be strong.

Think what you like about politicians, but I cannot tell you how impressed I've been this week with their kindness and willingness to connect on a very personal level. Maybe it's the environment, maybe it's because I'm catching them in these quiet moments, but they've all been great.

As Easley was leaving, Lori said, "That was a really good geek moment. Really cool." I felt like I had used mine pretty well. (Mindy, Governor Easley's note is on its way to you.)

Quite a bit of attention yesterday was paid to the Hillary speech and her impact on the convention. Here's what I'll add to the story ...

The booking room is down the hall from our studio. Imagine the floor of the stock exchange. That's what it's like. Dozens of people shouting, pounding away on laptops and Blackberrys, making frantic phone calls – all trying to book television spots with stations around the country. It's a madhouse, and I go in there as seldom as I can. But, last night when Hillary took the stage, the place ground to a halt. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone turned to the TV and watched her speech. Unlike the floor of the convention which was going nuts, the booking room was just full of tired people, listening. I saw at least six people tearing up. Say what you want about Hillary, but she inspired a lot of people – not just last night, but throughout the entire campaign season.

Oh, and while I was listening to Hillary, I was standing next to Brian Schweitzer. Yeah, he's the governor of Montana. He didn't tear up or anything, but he turned to me and said, "That was pretty damn good, huh?"

"Yeah, and she rocked that peach pansuit, too," I said.

He slapped his jeans and said, "I'm glad I'm not from New York."

Behind the scenes at Studio 08

Day Two at the convention. The Pepsi Center is pretty chaotic, but the mood is very festive.

As I mentioned before, I'm working in a little TV studio inside the center called "Studio 08," where we do live interview feeds with news stations all around the country. We are away from the floor, so I don't get to see much of the activity there – you can get that from CNN, I guess. Sadly, I didn't get to see Michelle Obama's speech or Ted Kennedy's emotional arrival, but I could hear the cheering crowds through the wall! We have a TV with a direct feed to the stage in our area, so we watch it out of the corner of our eye with the closed captions on.

It's been a constant parade of political stars through our studio. Got to hang out a bit with Al Franken, the former Saturday Night Live writer and player (remember Stuart Smalley?) who is now running as a Democrat for a Senate seat in Minnesota. I always thought that perhaps Franken was one of those gay men who married a woman (he just struck me that way). Boy, was I wrong about that. Al sat in that makeup chair completely enthralled by the young women doing his makeup. It was hysterical. At one point, one of the makeup women asked if he had ever had his makeup done before. The camera man and I broke out laughing, and Al didn't miss a beat. "Just in a high school play a long time ago," he said.

God, we couldn't stop laughing. When we told the makeup woman later who he was, she was embarrassed. But, I think that's why he enjoyed her so much. For about 10 minutes, she just sat there running her fingers through his hair. He practically purred ... no joke. If you live in Minnesota, vote for the guy. He's a class act. I'm pissed that my picture with him turned out blurry. Bart can operate a million dollar TV camera, but a Canon SD630 Sure Shot confuses him. Ironic.

All the politicians have been amazingly kind and friendly. West Virginia Governor Jim Manchin was over-the-top nice. Such a gentleman. Kentucky's Attorney General, Jack Conway, was another favorite. A beautiful man, and just as real and friendly as could be. The guy is made for television – looks like a soap star. He went to Emory for undergrad and George Washington for law school, and he says that he's teased constantly in his home state for not having gone to the University of Kentucky. "Oh well, guess I'll never be governor," he deadpanned. Funny, funny guy.

Had a chat with Ted Strickland, the governor of Ohio. He did three live shots, one after the other, for TV stations in Toledo, Columbus and Stuebenville (wherever the hell that is). Total pro. Afterwards, he and I shared a laugh. I told him that while he was on the air, I had texted my fraternity brother Dwayne that I was 6 feet away from him and that Dwayne said he had seen the governor and his wife shopping at Macy's the week before. So, Governor Strickland said, "Let's get a picture for Dwayne because I think I bought this tie that afternoon." So, Dwayne, this pic is for you. I asked him if he thinks Ohio is going red or blue, and he looked at me and with total honesty said, "I'm not going to lie to you. I have no idea. People of Ohio are pretty thoughtful about their votes, so I think it will go to whomever works the hardest."

I made a point to talk to as many delegates as possible. These folks are extremely middle-class people, by and large. Being at this convention is a huge event in their lives. So, when you see them dancing on the big screens, looking goofy, I assure you that it's genuine. Some are local politicians, but many are just nice union members or others who ran from the floor of their state conventions and got picked.

The ones with the stupid hats are the ones who go every four years. They're kind of full of crap. The ones dressed to the hilt and bubbling with excitement are the rookies. They are my favorites. They are so excited to chat with anyone who lives in Denver.

Some folks dress for attention. Note the photo of the weird-looking superhero. I think he was there drawing attention to some cause, but I have no idea what. I can't resist a man in Lycra. I asked him if he wouldn't mind loaning the suit to my boyfriend, Anderson Cooper, after he was done with it, and he laughed. Told me the suit was on loan from Wolf Blitzer.

The convention program didn't feel very organized for its first day, I have to say. I noticed this morning, online, that many pundits felt the same way. There was no flow. I love Michelle Obama, and I think it's a shame that many people on the East Coast probably went to bed, bored out of their minds, before she ever came to the stage. People at the convention are over the moon about Michelle, I have to tell you.

The delegates attending this convention are the most diverse crowd I have EVER seen. But, you can really tell how much this means to the Black people who are here. They are so full of pride. I saw Black men and women in absolute tears after Michelle's speech. One man told me that it wasn't Michelle – it was her mother's pride that affected him the most. There is a realization that this generation of Black adults is realizing the fruits of their parents' struggles in the 60s. No one can believe we are about to nominate a Black man for president.

But, before we get there, today is Hillary day. I still feel a little put off by her need to grab the spotlight, but a lot of the delegates here love her with a passion. So, there should be a lot of excitement.

We're supposed to have Jimmy Carter and Al Gore in the studio tonight. It's a little weird to believe that I will likely shake hands with two Nobel Peace Prize winners tonight. I'm a very lucky guy.

Donna Brazille drafted to the Denver Broncos

Day One of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Actually, it was the day before Day One. Sunday, the Pepsi Center belonged to the security folks and all the technical workers like me getting ready for the big event. No delegates with funny hats, no politicians, just a lot of workers wandering around. Lots of testing of equipment, lights, rehearsals for security.

I waited outside in the "Blue Zone" for my credentials for quite a while, and I bonded with a crew of journalists from the Netherlands. They were a little pissed because the weather was unseasonably hot yesterday, and they thought that Denver was located in the mountains. Sorry fellas, we're not Vail. One guy wanted to know how long it would take him to drive to the Grand Canyon from Denver, and he was unhappy when I told him it was at least 12 hours each way. I had a good laugh when they all started mocking a German television reporter who was doing a live shot nearby. My sense is that all the European journalists make fun of the Germans who sort of "bark" their way through their reports. There are more than 15,000 journalists from all over the world at the convention. The Dutch alone have 41, and they said they feel understaffed.

Security was intense, as you can imagine, but no worse than a Monday morning trip through airport security. At one point, there was a miserable, tiny little protest. The entire security operation closed down – no one in or out until it was over – which pissed off a lot of journalists and TV folks who were trying to get into the complex to get to work.

I'm working in what's called "Studio 08." It's a media tour set-up. So, for the next four days, we will have politicians ranging from small town mayors to the candidate himself coming through. We have three tiny studio set-ups, and the VIPs will be talking to news broadcasts all over the world from there. So, imagine Caroline Kennedy comes through, she sits in a chair, gets mic'd, and then over the course of the next 30 minutes, has 3 minute chats with 9-10 stations around the country: Tampa, Providence, Omaha, etc.

My crew runs the TV operation. My job is fetching water, smiling, and holding back Michelle Obama's hair if she gets sick suddenly. Honestly, I have no idea what my role is. I spent most of yesterday standing around doing nothing.

The convention floor looks amazing, as you would guess. My credentials only allowed me access to the floor of the convention yesterday, so I took advantage of the situation. I found my fraternity brother, Dave Drees (pictured), who is also at the convention working on a TV crew, and we snapped a few pictures. You had to be careful because reporters were all over the place. If you flashed your camera in the wrong place, CNN's Jessica Yellin might bitch slap you on national television. Serious one, that Jessica. Steer clear of her.

The national TV anchors are rock stars – no other way to put it. You should have seen the mob surrounding Anderson Cooper. The guy is like Mick Jagger, except unbelievably handsome. I had always been told that Anderson was a tiny little guy, but it's not true. He's exactly as tall as me at around 5'11", but very slender and elegant (not so much like me). I was carrying a tray of sandwiches when we passed within a foot of each other. He looked at me and smiled. Shameless of him – hitting on me while I'm trying to work!

Donna Brazille (CNN contributor, Al Gore's presidential campaign chair, current superdelegate) is a large woman. Not heavy – large. It's a good thing Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is a Republican, or he might have drafted Brazille to start at linebacker next week.

Katie Couric is really, really pretty. She was incredibly nice to everyone, smiling, joking. Very bright and cheerful. Although, I can see why some of the hard-core journalist types might not take her very seriously. She didn't fit in with the others. She wore little flip-floppy sandals and looked a bit like she was going to a kindergarten picnic while everyone else was dressed like they were attending a corporate function.

CNN and CBS dominate the convention floor. ABC is up in a suite, away from the action on the floor, and NBC must be also. I hope Charlie Gibson comes down to mingle with us a little.

We have the YouTube guys in our suite, and I like them a lot. They look and act like fraternity brothers at a tech school, and I bonded with them immediately. They are planning to buzz around the convention, taping little snippets, then running back to Studio 08 to immediately upload their bits. Should be cool.

I have been very unimpressed with the staff members of the DNC, itself. That crowd has zero sense of humor, which I suppose is understandable. Lots of pressure to do things right. We don't think we'll have to deal with too many of them in Studio 08, but we do have to deal with DNC intern David. Bitchy little queen, that one. I'll have to post a picture of him later in the week.

Wish I had something more exciting to tell you about Day One, but it was pretty dull. The excitement starts today, and Michelle Obama speaks tonight. Tune in.

Lewis Black, new art, and navigating the Blue Zone

One day til my convention gig. Last night, Scott and I headed downtown to see comedian Lewis Black in concert. There were a lot of Dems in the audience, and I don't think they loved it when he started laying into both political parties. I'll paraphrase badly here, but he said something along the lines of:

You guys are going to be swamped with these assholes starting tomorrow, and I'm glad I'm getting the f**k out of here. If you are excited and proud about being a member of the Republican or Democratic party after what they've done to the country in the last 16 years, then you're pathological on a level I can't begin to comprehend!

It was pretty funny, but I noticed that while folks like me were laughing and clapping, some people didn't like Lewis raining on their enthusiasm parade. It was my first sign that these out-of-town visitors are going to be zealous at a frightening level. I don't think this is a crowd in the mood to laugh at itself.

Meanwhile, I have to say that Denver is looking very spiffy. A fountain in City Park that has been dormant for 20 years got a $3 million makeover and now looks like something you'd see in front of a Vegas hotel. At the corner of 14th and Champa, I saw a new piece of modern public art that looks like a bunch of child's blocks stacked on top of each other. It spells out "All Together Now," which I thought was kind of cool.

I am a little bit intimidated about getting onto the Pepsi Center site tomorrow for my 1:00 pm "call time." They say security is going to be insane. Here are the instructions I was given last night.

I am parking in a specified garage and then I have to walk about 6 blocks to the Secret Service checkpoint. They have about a half-mile around the Pepsi Center blocked off -- no cars, no pedestrians, nothing. They call it "The Blue Zone."

Then I look through the madhouse that is the Secret Service outer perimeter for a woman named Elaina (sounds Russian, huh?) who will have a clipboard with names of TV crew personnel. The mysterious Elaina will give me my Secret Service credential (applied for two months ago) and I will enter the Blue Zone to "Checkpoint C." I have to walk along a yellow line without deviation for about three blocks.

At Checkpoint C, it's the magnetic checkpoint and bag search. Sort of like going through airport security, but with Secret Service agents and military dudes holding machine guns. No beverages, no liquids of any kind, no food, no jokes, no funny business. Once past all of that, I walk another six blocks inside the protected zone (not sure what color that's designated) to find the TV truck, meet my event supervisor, and get to work.

They advised me to leave 2 hours to get through security, which means I'm leaving my house three hours before my "call time."

I have been instructed that I cannot wear jeans or sneakers. I have to be in a collared shirt and khakis of some sort. God, I am going to be filthy and funky after a 12-hour shift. Whew! Thinking about taking a change of clothes.

Not sure if it will be too dorky to wear my Obama campaign button. Maybe I'll wait for Day Two and gauge that.

Woke up this morning to the Joe Biden for V.P. decision. I was really hoping for a surprising game changer, but then realized that Obama, at his core, is pretty conservative and the choice made good sense. He needs an attack dog right now, and Biden's up to it. But, I worry that Biden is going to end up being the bane of Obama's existence into the future. The guy is really arrogant and has a propensity to say stupid, stupid things.

Here's the latest shot of the stage that the Denver Post shared today. I'm excited to see it in person.

It's all just part of a twisted plan to get Gavin Newsom's phone number

Starting Sunday, I'll be working at the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver. A friend of mine sets up television broadcast crews for big events, and she hired me to be a production assistant for five days. Yes, I'll be fetching coffee. But hey, I'm being paid to hang out on the floor of the convention from 1 pm to midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and that's sort of cool. She also made sure I'll be on the field at Invesco on Thursday when Obama makes his big nomination acceptance speech.

Hopefully, some interesting adventures await between fetching sandwiches and moving bundles of cable. If nothing else, I get a really groovy media credential to hang around my neck which gets me pretty wide access to the facility.

Michelle Obama and I are totally going to be best friends by the end of this. Or, maybe I'll get to yell something like, "Yo, Pelosi! Move it, hon. You're blocking the shot here!" If I don't get thrown out of the place by Tuesday, it will be a miracle.

So, we will be taking a break from student leadership entries for a week so I can share some adventures from the convention. Watch for them starting Monday morning, if you're interested. And, if not, I'll be back with regular postings around Labor Day.

The picture here is of the stage at the Pepsi Center. It was just released this morning by the Denver Post. I'm expecting Howie Mandel and a bunch of starving models to emerge from it at any moment.

I wonder who owns NACAsucks.com?

Just got a press release from the publisher of Campus Activities Magazine. The publishers of the magazine and Eric Lambert, owner of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA), are suing the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA).

As you'll see from the press release, CAM and APCA are going after NACA for allegedly engaging in some tacky and juvenile business practices. Not sure if this is all true, but if it is, it makes NACA look pretty stupid.

Read the press release, and then I have a few comments at the end.


--------------------

For Immediate Release:
Campus Activities® Magazine and APCA File Suit Against NACA


When I first got wind of the fact that NACA had purchased such derogatory web domains such as apcasucks.com, I just knew it had to be a mistake. After all, I spent eleven years with NACA and certainly had kicked around some foolish ideas during my tenure, but nothing so demeaning as purchasing domains that had reference to a competitor and then directing them to their (NACA’s) website.

Obviously everything hit the fan around the time of the NACA National last year when this news came out. Both schools and agencies were angry that a national association with such a long history in the entertainment marketplace would stoop to such low tactics.

Personally, I didn’t believe it and I notified our national advisory board members, our student ambassadors and NACA board chair, Jon Dooley of Marquette University, that we would not get involved in an incident I felt sure the staff, the executive director and the board would not have had a part in. I decided to back out to wait and see what would transpire.

Then came Alan Davis’ email to the NACA volunteers. “The ownership of apcasucks.com and ihateapca.com expired on February 11, before the National Convention, and we did not repurchase those names at that time … I regret the controversy that has developed regarding this situation, and I appreciate those of you who have contacted our office directly with questions and concerns. Our intention was not, and is not, to embarrass APCA and any other organizations … NACA maintains its position as a professional association dedicated to advancing activities in higher education. I greatly appreciate the dedication of NACA’s membership and volunteers and want to assure you of our commitment to operate in a manner that is consistent with our core values, which include high ethical standards.”

Obviously it is APCA’s position that Alan Davis and the NACA staff would have had no intention of taking down these web sites if they had not been caught red handed. Also Davis’ apology was not directed at APCA but at the NACA volunteers who were not hurt by the unethical antics.

Now, where Campus Activities® Magazine fits into all of this.

I had several conversations with Eric Lambert after this situation was discovered, and of course he was upset and angry that NACA would stoop to such a deceptive way to lure customers away from his organization. Even though NACA assured their membership they were finished with the underhanded and illegal practices of using competitors’ trade names to redirect traffic to their site, Eric’s research had come across the following: campusactivitiesmagazine.net; campusactivitiesmagazine.org; campusactivitiesmagazine.biz; campusactivitiesmagazine.us; campusactivitiesmagazine.ws; and campusactivitiesmagazine.info; ALL of which have been and of this writing are still being intentionally re-directed to NACA.org.

I was astounded. They had not only been caught with their hands in the cookie jar but having been slapped, they continued to steal the cookies. Campus Activities® Magazine is a registered trademark of SES, Inc. dba as Cameo Publishing Group. NACA has violated both state and federal statutes above and beyond the offenses they were guilty of with APCA because they violated a registered trademark.

I want our readers to know that in this case we have no choice but to pursue suit in this act and will ask for punitive damages as well. We have and continue to spend countless man hours and dollars on our website to compete with an organization who has virtually endless resources. We have offered the “Olive Branch” on numerous occasions in a request to set aside our differences and work together in the best interest of the campus entertainment community. They have been offered the opportunity through us to expand their exposure to all of America’s campuses active in purchasing entertainment and related programs. They had everything to gain and nothing to lose, but instead they chose to try to tie into our success by pilfering from our prospective client pool.

Regardless of the position NACA takes, these were purposeful acts and highly unethical for an organization which has had such a great history in the campus market. What could they have possibly been thinking? What could have made them so desperate to turn to such low brow activities?

I have been in this business for 28 years now, 11 with NACA and 17 with Campus Activities® Magazine. I am proud of my association with the campus market and all the excellent student activities programs, agencies and talented artists who make up this industry. It hurts me deeply to have to fill a column I enjoy writing each issue with news that tends to pull us apart rather than bringing us together. But Campus Activities® Magazine has always been my baby. It was our first magazine and the one we remain the most proud of. It allows us a chance to bring buyers and sellers together in a market that is filled with diversity and new opportunities. It is my obligation to protect its reputation and its future. For sixteen years, we have been the number one campus entertainment trade publication in the world and I have to think it is because we listen to our readers and make every effort to deliver what they want.

Sincerely,
W.C. Kirby
Owner / Publisher
803.712.1429
Kirby@cameopublishing.com

-------------------------

I am sharing this here because it's worthwhile for those of you in campus programming to know about the ongoing dispute.

In the interest of full disclosure... My company is an associate member of NACA. We don't participate in many NACA events because we don't feel NACA is a great place to promote educational speakers, and because NACA is incredibly expensive. Their ads, their exhibit prices, their membership – everything is exorbitantly priced for those of us running small businesses, and it's very hard to get a good return on the sizeable investment that NACA requires. But, we're a member, because we get some benefit from their mailing lists and occasionally, one of our speakers wants to attend a conference they sponsor.

We are occasional advertisers in Campus Activities Magazine, and we have won their "Agency of the Year" and "Speaker of the Year" awards several times in the last five years.

We are former members of APCA, but stopped our membership and attendance at their conferences several years ago because, like NACA, we weren't getting a positive return on our investment there.

If NACA staff members are spending their time trying to undermine these small businesses, then it's safe to assume that CAM and APCA are taking a bite out of their bottom line and they are feeling threatened. CAM and APCA are alleging that NACA is engaging in unethical activities to try to undermine them.

Imagine your local Walmart launching a covert campaign to drive a small boutique hardware store in your town out of business. That's kind of what this is like, if it's true. I'm bothered that an organization (NACA) which basically exists on the fees paid by small businesses like mine is spending its resources attacking other small businesses. Certainly if there is room in the industry for so many agencies, speakers and performers, there is room in the industry for more than one organization serving them.

My advice to NACA is this. In business, you deal with competition by providing a higher quality product than your competitor. Customers usually follow. With its massive resources, volunteer network, and established brand, NACA would do better to strategically improve its product, rather than going after the competitors nipping at their heels. If NACA improves its magazine, the ad dollars will come. If NACA makes its conferences more affordable, the attendees and the exhibitors will come.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

College presidents urging a return to 18-year-old legal drinking age

The Associated Press reported yesterday that 100 college and university presidents – together in a group they've called the Amethyst Initiative – are urging lawmakers to reduce the legal drinking age from 21 to 18, saying that current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking.

We're talking big schools: Duke, Ohio State, Syracuse. Although it doesn't surprise me that many of the nation's college presidents feel this way, I didn't expect them to publicly lobby for it. Campuses spend a huge amount of time and energy dealing with enforcing alcohol policies, and the college presidents assert that binge drinking causes more harm than legalized drinking would.

Every year at this time – "Back to School" – we get lots of news stories about binge drinking. Millions of parents are dropping off their freshmen on campuses during August, so the stories get lots of readership and get everyone riled up. New students are hitting the booze pretty hard in the first weeks on campus, sexual assaults start racking up, and alcohol violations are through the roof. All of this is closely followed in October by National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, and we all nod in agreement that alcohol abuse on campus is a huge issue.

But this puts a wrinkle in things. There hasn't been serious discussion about reducing the drinking age in a long, long time. Forums and debates on the pro's and con's of lowering the legal drinking age will probably garner interest on the nation's campuses this year, particularly as young veterans begin flooding campuses. Historically, the return of war-time veterans to campuses usually stoke these fires. "If I can face insurgent fire in Fallujah, why can't I legally drink a beer?"

Of course, in the other corner is MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which has a very powerful voice in Washington and is well funded by sponsorships from automakers, insurance companies and oil companies. MADD, more than any other organization in the country, will be on a rampage to damper any Amethyst Initiative impact. They've got a campaign already in place called "Support 21." The organization is pretty ruthless, so expect them to pull out the big guns if necessary. Lawmakers are not very likely to take on MADD if they can help it.

"The Gay Fraternity"

New fraternity chapters typically have a lot of gay men in them. Because it's part of my own personal fraternity experience, I watch for the phenomenon. While I won't say it's always true, it's true pretty often.

I've had lots of people ask me about it, and here are my thoughts.

New fraternity chapters typically don't haze, and this is attractive for young men facing sexual orientation issues. Hazing among presumably straight fraternity men has a markedly homosexual character. Lots of nudity, dominance, sweating... you get the picture. It's kind of hot on DVD, but not so fun if you're the hazee of an established chapter, petrified that you'll be "called out" by actives who might then hurt you.

New fraternity chapters are very busy trying to get noticed on campus, and this appeals to the gay overachiever who's very busy proving his self worth. I won't get all psychological on you here, but young gay men are starving for approval, closeted or not. Plus, all young men have a lot of sexual energy. While my straight brothers were pouring that energy into chasing and bedding young women, guys like me were pouring it into Homecoming activities. You should have seen our Homecoming banner – grown men wept.

New fraternity chapters seek good looking, popular guys who know a lot of women. Nobody brings as many hot women to a party as a gay guy. Yeah, yeah... it's a stereotype, but half of my straight brothers only got dates for formal because I made phone calls. I'm just sayin'...

I asked my friend Michelle if that's too stereotypical of a statement. She said, "No way. I loved the gay guys in fraternities because they were the most fun and at the end of the night, all they wanted to do was have a drunken make-out session and cuddle."

As someone who lived through it and has seen it in action countless times, I'm standing by my belief that having some gay guys is absolutely critical to the success of a new fraternity chapter, particularly at competitive campuses. We are an essential factor of the winning equation. Whether or not we've come to terms with our sexuality, guys like me bust our asses to achieve, gain acceptance from other brothers, make a good impression with administrators, get girls to parties, and belong to something during a time in our lives where a big personal struggle is raging in our brains and hearts.

When I look at my own national fraternity, I see it. There are chapters of my fraternity that have won all the national awards in the last 10 years, and in the years since their charterings, lots of gay men who played important roles in those success stories have come out. Three of the first five presidents of my chapter are gay, for example. From Washington to North Carolina, Texas to Indiana, the astute observer in my fraternity has noticed the phenomenon. I can't believe that other fraternities are any different.

But here's the part of the story that bugs me and motivated me to write this blog entry.

After the chapter is established, after the awards come in, after women on campus have crowned the chapter their favorite one to hang out with... the backlash begins. Inevitably, men in the chapter start worrying that they are getting known as "the gay fraternity" on campus.

Other, less successful chapters on campus love labeling the successful new group as "the gay fraternity." In spite of all the awards, the positive reputation, the leaders in every campus group, the new fraternity falls into the trap and starts having a organizational self-esteem issue.

Heterosexual men in the new fraternity become very worried that they are members of the so-called "gay fraternity." They begin pushing for recruitment themes that emphasize heterosexuality. Their t-shirts stop saying things like "leadership" and "brotherhood," and start showing pictures of busty women. They sit in recruitment meetings and start voting against potential new members who seem gay.

Maybe these men fear that they won't be able to meet women, or that their manhood will be called into question because of their association with gay men. They generally love and appreciate their gay brothers, and would likely defend their contributions to the chapter's success. But they really, really hate being part of the "gay fraternity."

Dependably, the successful young fraternity that benefited tremendously from hard-working gay brothers at its conception becomes very homophobic as it seeks to shed the label. Without really intending to do it, the chapter becomes a tough place to be a gay brother. Brothers who might be gay can't win elections. Their ability to be effective in the chapter depends on their ability to be "less gay." This, of course, is very damaging.

They might drink more to fit in. They might put themselves in multiple sexual situations with women at formals and after organized parties to demonstrate their "manhood." They push their homosexual activity further off campus to protect the reputation of their chapter.

One young gay fraternity man I know would road trip at least every other weekend to a city four hours away so that he could have fun away from his chapter. At first, he did it willingly because he didn't want to contribute to his chapter's "gay fraternity" label. But eventually he grew to hate his chapter because of its homophobia. He pulled away from his fraternity during his senior year because the subtle homophobia felt very personal.

I'm writing this blog today because a friend of mine advises a chapter that is currently going through the "gay fraternity" phenomenon. They are a couple of years in, they've won dozens of awards, they've become a force on their campus, and sure enough, they've been labeled "the gay fraternity" by other groups on campus. A lot of brothers are unhappy about it, and their backlash process is in its first stages. It's begun subtly with a heterosexist theme for an upcoming recruitment function.

Fortunately, they are a smart group, and I hear that an honest discussion is scheduled for an upcoming chapter meeting. That's progress. I don't know how the discussion will go, but I hope they can at least acknowledge the phenomenon and have an honest discussion about how they want to respond to it.


Image is of the sculpture "The Outcast" by Attilio Piccirilli.

Unexpected vacancies on your exec board

Welcome back to school and another year of student leadership. But, hey, bad news! One of your officers isn't coming back to school – or following a summertime self-awakening, she has decided that your organization sucks.

So, now you have to find someone to fill the position for the semester until new officers are elected around the holidays. What do you do?

First, check your bylaws (if you even have any). See if your bylaws specify how open positions will be filled. Some organizations will require some sort of quickie election, but most organizations allow for an appointment by your executive committee.

If your organization allows for an appointment to fill an open position, you have to think carefully about who to move into the position. Give it some thought... don't make an impulsive decision.

You might decide to fill the position with an experienced ex-officer who already knows what needs to happen. For some organizations, this is the least dramatic and controversial way to go because most people view the appointee as doing the group a favor. Plus, people generally already trust this person's talent. Just be sure you don't appoint someone who was a lousy officer during their term of office.

You might decide to promote the person who ran against the person for the position. This has potential to cause some drama, because a majority of your voting members did not choose this person in the first place. But, you know that this person wants to prove something.

You might promote up someone who has been doing great work for the last half year on the committee. This is a great way to reward someone who has been working hard and who likely knows most of what that officer was doing. This is a good choice when you want a smoother transition, but the new officer will have to prove to everyone that he/she deserved the promotion.

You might decide to go with a very young leader who shows a lot of leadership promise. Giving a young maverick a chance to prove him/herself might give him/her a direct path to an elected executive position when elections come around at the end of the semester.

You might decide to appoint the biggest complainer in the organization to the position. Nothing shuts up a whiner like a to-do list, I always say.

In any case, it's best to work with your executive committee to weigh all the options. Brainstorm all the good candidates and list the pro's and con's. Then, have a conversation with your top candidates to see who is interested. You can even have each candidate come and make their case to the executive board.

Bottom line: the more thoughtful you are about choosing a successor, the more confident you'll feel about your eventual choice, and the more you'll be able to defend your choice to those who are unhappy (and there are always members who are unhappy because they would have chosen someone else). The worst thing you can do is to simply appoint a friend of yours because you're afraid that you won't be able to handle another choice.

One email is not an adequate effort

"I sent him an email and never heard back."

I had an intern who gave me this excuse when I asked about the lack of progress on a project. I looked at her, and with my most sincere and patient voice, I asked her, "Well, did you try calling him?"

"No, I guess I'll do that."

She rolled her eyes. "People are so stupid sometimes."

It's amazing how many students think that issuing one email is the SUM of the effort they can be expected to put forth when it comes to communication. They will send one email, then throw their hands in the air. "I've tried!"

There are lots of reasons why sending out one email is not a sufficient effort. Many people ignore emails, or check their emails infrequently. Some people read an email, then forget to act on it. Sometimes, if you hit someone with an email at a busy time, they will barely pay attention to it. Then, there are people like me who receive 250 emails a day and have a very hard time acting on each one.

Some people like email, and some don't. Some prefer other methods of communication.

I experience this phenomenon on a regular basis with our customers. I have one customer who refuses to answer a phone call, but I can text her a message and she immediately replies. I have another who simply will not reply to an email, but if I take a piece of paper and write "PLEASE CALL ME! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU FOR 2 MINUTES!" and fax it to her, I'll hear from her within 10 minutes. One of my facilitators is best reached using AOL Instant Messenger.

Now, I could piss and moan about it. But, I download AIM, and now she and I communicate regularly. It's about finding out how your people communicate, and getting the message to them. You need to have multiple approaches until you find what works. Some people respond better to a phone call or voice mail. Some seem to only reply to text messages. Others need a face-to-face communication, with an email reminder.

Some people need a message flown over their house on a banner pulled by a single engine plane. Good luck with them.

Imagine you want to have a committee meeting with short notice. You must reach out to people in multiple ways in order to get people there. Sending one email to people, then whining when you're sitting at the table alone, is not a sign of unmotivated people. It's a sign that you need to work on your communication skills. It's a sign that you need to try a little harder.

When only one person knows the answers

Interesting thing happened in our office today. Our entire communications system went down, and the CAMPUSPEAK world ground to a screeching halt. No email, no voice mail, questionable phone service.

This during one of our busiest sales times. Small crisis, indeed. My staff and I are pretty paralyzed when the Internet goes down.

Everything is back up now – the crisis lasted about two hours. But, what's annoying in hindsight is that we were completely paralyzed because the employee who set up the communication system is no longer here. And, when the crap hit the fan, no one knew what to do.

It's the Mack Truck theory. When only one person has the knowledge, what do you do when that person is suddenly no longer around?

The employee in question left suddenly, and information about the communication system he set up wasn't adequately passed along from outgoing employee to the new one. Everything has worked fine for months, so no one made it a priority to gather the information.

This is such a typical story. It annoys me that I let it happen to my company. I got comfortable with him always knowing the answers, and then he was gone. My bad.

You have to be careful. You might have a very talented officer who sets up a glorious website, or signs a complicated service contract, or creates some database with all of your vital information. When and if that person vanishes, what are you going to do?

Here's the basic advice today: it's not good when all the knowledge about how something works lies in the mind of just one person. Have him or her write down instructions for everything. Have them clue someone else in to how things work. Make this an expectation. When the person complains about it, remind them of the Mack Truck that will hit him this afternoon when he leaves the building.

Today, as we moved a dozen ceiling tiles looking for a hidden router, we were reminded that it's a dangerous thing to simply let one talented person be the sole keeper of knowledge.

Tickets for attendance

I speak to many Greek audiences, and many of the places I speak put sign up sheets in the back of the room for attendees. I am not a fan of sign up sheets.

First, it's easy to sign a couple of names for people who aren't there. Second, people sign in, take a left turn to the rest room, and run away. Third, it causes a huge bottle-neck, because everyone shows up at the last minute, and then you need to start the program 15 minutes late while everyone signs in. This in turn is a penalty for all of those students who bothered to show up on time!

There is a better way, my friends.

All you really care about is how many from each chapter attended. You don't really care WHO attended from each chapter, right?

As each person arrives for the event, give him or her a ticket. You can buy huge rolls of these at any office supply place for next to nothing. People need to be in the room by the start time of the program to get a ticket. Use a different color ticket for each event.

Then, when the program is over and people are leaving the auditorium, they deposit their tickets in large envelopes, boxes, or other containers decorated with their letters. All the Delta Gamma's drop their tickets in the DG envelope. All the Sig Ep's drop there's in the Sigma Phi Epsilon envelope. It takes mere seconds.

Then, you close up the envelopes, and count up the tickets. Do it right then, or do it the next morning. Whatever.

But what if they bring non-members to the program and these individuals drop their tickets to artificially boost the chapter's attendance number? Well, I think that's a good thing. Encouraging chapters to bring guests is a great way to provide some positive PR to your Greek community (particularly if your speaker is really good). Maybe they'll even bring young men or women whom they are trying to recruit. Hooray!

Another advantage of this system is that it forces people to arrive on time (to get their ticket) and to stay for the whole program (or they cannot drop their ticket in the envelope).

If you're feeling really ambitious, you can combine this attendance system with a door prize contest. To do this, simply buy the kind of "two part" ticket rolls that allow the attendee to keep one half and you keep the other half for the door prize bucket.

But, please, stop the sign-in sheet madness.

Yeah, it's a little sad...

Something funny happened after I graduated college. August became a slightly depressing month.

When I was in college, I looked forward to summer jobs wrapping up, and I could feel the excitement building for fraternity recruitment, football games (yes, even at Indiana), and the general thrill of a new year beginning. I missed my friends and couldn't wait to get back to campus.

But, then you graduate, and August just means the end of summer. And, when you work in higher education as I do, it means that it's time to get back to work. Trade in the shorts for the suits. Play time is over.

During the summer, I give my staff half days on Fridays. It's a treat for surviving a very demanding school year, and it encourages my staff to get out and enjoy themselves a little bit more. Take a long weekend... catch a Friday afternoon flight and go somewhere cool. For me, it usually means a long workout, a trip to Costco, and getting my car washed.

Well, today is the final "half day Friday" of our summer, and dammit, it's depressing. Our catalogs are hitting campuses about now, and next week will be a really busy one as people begin arriving back at campuses and booking speakers.

Don't get me wrong -- I love what I do, and I'm really grateful you're booking speakers! But summer ending also means that, soon, I'll be back in that TSA security line and listening to the United Airlines safety announcement. I don't miss those things during the summer.

So, student reader, if you come back to campus a little early, and your advisor seems a tiny bit sad or moody, don't worry. We will snap out of it in a week or two. But cut us a little slack. We're in mourning.

These are the weeks when we will try to grasp a few final evenings with friends, before our evenings are entirely claimed by student organization meetings. Our weekends are about to vanish. Job stress is about to make a dramatic return to our lives. And then will come the moment in which we know that summer is truly over...

No, not Labor Day...

The first alcohol violation of the new year.

Take a deep breath everyone. Here we go.