What a Day!
Well, the day November 7th has been marked on the calendar for some time. A while back, I received a summons for jury duty. I debated trying to get out of it for child care reasons, but didn't. Then, last week, November 7th became big for another reason: The Governor was stopping at the Hop Yard.
Since you never know about a summons or the governor, we just figured today would all work out...and it did. I called in on my summons Friday night and discovered I had to report, this AM in Oakland for my civic duty. Then, we got a call Friday night, that the Governor was definitely stopping at the Hop Yard today at noon. Forget civic duty. I wanted to meet the governor.
Early this morning, I mean early, the phone started ringing. The media showed up at the Hop Yard for the morning news long before 6AM. I had to get up anyway to get to Oakland, so while no one wants to hear the phone at 5:30AM, it was manageable. The girls, not used to hearing the shower or the phone early, were both up sensing this was not a normal day.
Because of all the hoopla, the girls were shuttled to NanaPapas around 7AM, the same time I headed into Oakland. I was determined not to miss the Governor for jury duty, but I was more than a little worried that an angry Democrat might just torture me and deny my pleas for mercy. Let's face it: Oakland is awfully close to Berkley, geographically and politically.
I arrived at the courthouse about 8:15AM, and immediately started explaining my opportunity. It was helpful that in the middle of my plea the morning news showed the Hop Yard, so the clerks took pity on me, wished me well and sent me on my way. I was headed home by 8:25AM.
From the car, I convinced the Grandmas that they should join me on the adventure. One grandma took a lot more convincing than the other--those who know them can guess which was the "reluctant" one. The five of us, two grandmas, two kids and I, arrived at the Hop Yard at 11:30AM. We waded through the crowds to the front gate of the patio. Your name had to be on the guest list to gain access to the restaurant, and we heard several people grumble as our non-high-powered looking gang cruised right through security.
The event itself was not nearly as interesting as the circus that surrounded it. In front of the place, there were protesters, supporters, a class full of kids, uniformed police men and suited men with ear pieces milling about. Inside, there were about 200 very republican looking people excitedly eating lunch and watching the news coverage of the circus outside. Many talked about how it felt like we were extras on a movie set or living an episode of the West Wing. It really was exciting as we awaited the Governor's arrival.
The Governor came in the back door about a 1/2 hour late. The protesters completely missed him on his arrival. He worked his way around the room and encouraged everyone to vote. He was supposed to go to every table, but as he reached us, this very rude man stepped in front of me and introduced himself to Arnold. Given that I had La Nina in my arms, I was in no position to throw an elbow, so I waited. Then, the Governor turned to the table next to us and stepped on my foot in the process. That's right, he didn't shake my hand, he stepped on my foot.
The crush of people moved on with the Governor and I glared at the evil man who had pushed me aside. I will never forget his face and the next time I run across him, I will most certainly bring it up and embarrass the heck out of him. (Vengeful, aren't I? But hey, he hadn't kept two kids entertained for 2 hours while waiting to shake hands. I had. I am sure he will be delighted to hear of his rude folly and how he ruined my 3 year olds only chance to meet the governor. My husband will be humiliated by my behavior when this occurs, but he knows how I get when rude people mess with me.)
Then, one of the Governor's people came over and told us where to stand to meet the big guy. We strategically positioned ourselves and did finally get to shake Arnold's hand. I don't think we were able to snap a picture of the actual handshake, but it happened. Arnold has very soft hands, dyes his hair and is no stranger to botox. Then, our celebrity leader was off to Fresno. The whole thing was a total hoot. Now that it has passed, here are a few highlights:
* La Nina was never really clear on who exactly we were at the Hop Yard to see. She was hearing us Governor as Customer, so she dubbed Arnold, "The Customer". While we were waiting, it was helpful to take the kids out to the patio to watch the crowd. During one excursion, LaNina asked if the "Customer" was going to arrive on a cloud, like Mary Poppins. The police man standing near us and I both explained only Mary Poppins travels by cloud, the Governor was probably in a plane or helicopter.
* The news reports talk about several hundred protesters gathered outside the Hop Yard. However, the crowd was split evenly between supporters and detractors. The detractors were just louder and more 'photogenic'. The supporters were well, you know, republicans in their khaki's and golf shirts. They just don't make very compelling images on TV.
*I was thrilled to see every political editor from every local TV station, including my favorite Randy Shandobil. I shook his hand and told him how much I love Channel 2, and he thought I was a little nutty. He would be too if he were home with two kids.
So, that was our big day. It sure beat jury duty. We probably won't have another chance like that and it was sure fun to meet Schwartzenegger. If you live in California, don't forget to vote tomorrow.
Since you never know about a summons or the governor, we just figured today would all work out...and it did. I called in on my summons Friday night and discovered I had to report, this AM in Oakland for my civic duty. Then, we got a call Friday night, that the Governor was definitely stopping at the Hop Yard today at noon. Forget civic duty. I wanted to meet the governor.
Early this morning, I mean early, the phone started ringing. The media showed up at the Hop Yard for the morning news long before 6AM. I had to get up anyway to get to Oakland, so while no one wants to hear the phone at 5:30AM, it was manageable. The girls, not used to hearing the shower or the phone early, were both up sensing this was not a normal day.
Because of all the hoopla, the girls were shuttled to NanaPapas around 7AM, the same time I headed into Oakland. I was determined not to miss the Governor for jury duty, but I was more than a little worried that an angry Democrat might just torture me and deny my pleas for mercy. Let's face it: Oakland is awfully close to Berkley, geographically and politically.
I arrived at the courthouse about 8:15AM, and immediately started explaining my opportunity. It was helpful that in the middle of my plea the morning news showed the Hop Yard, so the clerks took pity on me, wished me well and sent me on my way. I was headed home by 8:25AM.
From the car, I convinced the Grandmas that they should join me on the adventure. One grandma took a lot more convincing than the other--those who know them can guess which was the "reluctant" one. The five of us, two grandmas, two kids and I, arrived at the Hop Yard at 11:30AM. We waded through the crowds to the front gate of the patio. Your name had to be on the guest list to gain access to the restaurant, and we heard several people grumble as our non-high-powered looking gang cruised right through security.
The event itself was not nearly as interesting as the circus that surrounded it. In front of the place, there were protesters, supporters, a class full of kids, uniformed police men and suited men with ear pieces milling about. Inside, there were about 200 very republican looking people excitedly eating lunch and watching the news coverage of the circus outside. Many talked about how it felt like we were extras on a movie set or living an episode of the West Wing. It really was exciting as we awaited the Governor's arrival.
The Governor came in the back door about a 1/2 hour late. The protesters completely missed him on his arrival. He worked his way around the room and encouraged everyone to vote. He was supposed to go to every table, but as he reached us, this very rude man stepped in front of me and introduced himself to Arnold. Given that I had La Nina in my arms, I was in no position to throw an elbow, so I waited. Then, the Governor turned to the table next to us and stepped on my foot in the process. That's right, he didn't shake my hand, he stepped on my foot.
The crush of people moved on with the Governor and I glared at the evil man who had pushed me aside. I will never forget his face and the next time I run across him, I will most certainly bring it up and embarrass the heck out of him. (Vengeful, aren't I? But hey, he hadn't kept two kids entertained for 2 hours while waiting to shake hands. I had. I am sure he will be delighted to hear of his rude folly and how he ruined my 3 year olds only chance to meet the governor. My husband will be humiliated by my behavior when this occurs, but he knows how I get when rude people mess with me.)
Then, one of the Governor's people came over and told us where to stand to meet the big guy. We strategically positioned ourselves and did finally get to shake Arnold's hand. I don't think we were able to snap a picture of the actual handshake, but it happened. Arnold has very soft hands, dyes his hair and is no stranger to botox. Then, our celebrity leader was off to Fresno. The whole thing was a total hoot. Now that it has passed, here are a few highlights:
* La Nina was never really clear on who exactly we were at the Hop Yard to see. She was hearing us Governor as Customer, so she dubbed Arnold, "The Customer". While we were waiting, it was helpful to take the kids out to the patio to watch the crowd. During one excursion, LaNina asked if the "Customer" was going to arrive on a cloud, like Mary Poppins. The police man standing near us and I both explained only Mary Poppins travels by cloud, the Governor was probably in a plane or helicopter.
* The news reports talk about several hundred protesters gathered outside the Hop Yard. However, the crowd was split evenly between supporters and detractors. The detractors were just louder and more 'photogenic'. The supporters were well, you know, republicans in their khaki's and golf shirts. They just don't make very compelling images on TV.
*I was thrilled to see every political editor from every local TV station, including my favorite Randy Shandobil. I shook his hand and told him how much I love Channel 2, and he thought I was a little nutty. He would be too if he were home with two kids.
So, that was our big day. It sure beat jury duty. We probably won't have another chance like that and it was sure fun to meet Schwartzenegger. If you live in California, don't forget to vote tomorrow.
posted by One Lucky Mom @ 7:53 PM
1 Comments:
At 2:18 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I loved your story. I've been reading your blog for months, and never left a comment until now. This reminds me of the time Steve and I had our photo taken with George & Barbara Bush at the Bakersfield Business Conference. During our 5 seconds with them, Steve could only think to tell them he was sorry to hear that their dog Millie had died. (This shows how long ago it was!) See you at the Newfarmern TG! Robin Fawkes
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