We Are The Change We Seek

The SoCal Obama Campaign HQ opened tonight in the Palms area near West Los Angeles. They didn't realize it was going to be such an event, but they joked that Sarah Palin had obviously done a really great job at energizing OUR base. heh.

They weren't really prepared, there wasn't anywhere near enough room inside. They went down the street knocking on business doors and found one who had a big parking lot in back and would let us gather.

I went because I want to volunteer and help out... and I learned something about myself. Without someone ELSE to help, I was motionless. I wasn't sure where to go after the impromptu rally portion. There were people around who I could ask, but they were mobbed by people. I just didn't feel the motive force to insert myself forcibly in front to talk to one of them (which is how everyone else was getting in and getting attention).

I was waiting to talk to a woman would had a badge that said she was a Volunteer Coordinator. She was dealing with some really rude people who were miffed that they couldn't get upstairs (the cool place). They would not drop it and kept handing her pieces of paper proving their worth to go upstairs but she continued to be polite. While I was waiting for my turn, another person came up with a basket of flowers and gave them to the Coordinator. Now she's holding her bottle of water, the papers from the rude couple and a huge basket of flowers. The rude people haven't left yet, and they give her their business cards to include with the other pieces of paper... and then try to hand her more stuff and she's totally overloaded.

Finally, action found me. I stepped forward in front of the rude couple and asked the Coordinator if I could help her and hold some of those things. She handed me the basket of flowers, thanked me and asked me to take them upstairs to the receptionist..... upstairs. Take that, rude couple! booyah.

Once I got upstairs and delivered the flowers, I was able to talk to several volunteers and put my name on every volunteer sign-up sheet I could get my hands on. Including the one held by Kal Penn, the actor who plays Kumar in all the Harold and Kumar movies.

The night was crazy, but being a nice guy won out in the end and I think I got my foot in the door.