First impressions of Indiana

Welcome to Indiana.

I did not get any such welcome except a 3.5 hour drive in the pouring rain, detour routes on unknown highways, my first view of factories as far as the eye can see, and more semi trucks than I've ever seen on I-95.

Despite getting lost in SE Chicago and again somewhere in Indiana, I managed to make it to my Extended Stay hotel and then off to the SEIU Local 73 office. I was worn out from 8 hours of traveling and being soaked from sudden showers every time I stepped out of the car, yet I was still thrilled to see volunteers pairing up and heading out to register voters. I checked in with the field coordinator and got all the details on our choice of Jill Long Thompson for Governor and our voter registration drive . After getting my bearings I went out grocery shopping and stocked up on the essentials. Yes, that's Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Heck, fall is my favorite season and I need to celebrate it no matter where I am. I'm sacrificing Halloween for Obama so I might as well enjoy a few nights in of rich tasty goodness.

Overall the hotel is nice- It's like a studio apt with a full kitchen. Sure there is a ton of construction going on but so far the banging didn't start until 9am which is bearable.


Merillville, IN where I'm staying reminds me a whole lot of my hometown of Melbourne, FL. Every store you can imagine is on US30- and I definitely checked out the neighborhood- there's a mall, Best Buy, Target, Old Navy, Sam's Club (booo!), movie theaters, Barnes & Noble (go there now and see the huge Wicked paraphernalia set up- not so subtle hint: great Xmas present for me would be the 2009 calendar) and a ton of restaurants- including my fave Olive Garden!

Not that I imagine I'll get any time to hang out in these places- but it's comforting to know if I need ANYTHING it's right there.

Which got me thinking... I feel ridiculously comfortable here. I have a car, every store easily accessible, a place to stay with everything I need... Oh My Gosh I enjoy "suburbia" or whatever this is way more than the big city life. (D.C. is definitely a big city to me).

In D.C. I feel limited. I can only shop for what I can carry, my back and arms are always sore from heavy lifting of groceries, furniture, or whatever else I get myself into. I just signed up for Zipcar, but even then I freaked at the idea of driving in D.C. or driving the pick up truck-and it's expensive.

Am I really saying this? Is this just me missing home a little bit? Will things get better in D.C.?

Well I don't know the answer to that, but I do know I am set up here and ready to go get a ton of people signed up to vote and vote Obama!

Voter reg. In indiana begins!

Today starts my 5 week volunteer trip in Northwest Indiana to register voters and encourage them to vote for O-ba-ma.

I'm out here as part of my job because we know that the most important thing for working families in this country is to elect a president who understands their struggles and needs. Obama is that candidate and already has a proven record. I'm just thrilled that I get to work day in and day out to get him elected in these last few weeks before the historic Nov. 4 election.

If you ain't registered or if you are unsure if you are all set to vote, go ahead and check out Vote For Change which has a super easy interactive form that walks you through the steps of checking whether you are registered, where, and how to get registered.

I hope to update often with stories and pictures from the field so stay tuned!

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Too easy to get away!

Between work and personal travel I have spent just as many days out of the district as residing here! (a point to which my d.c. friends love to point out and grumble).

With Bolt Bus though, a whole new world, aka the Big Apple is open to me after just 4 hours on a luxury bus. 4 hours? Why not take the train you ask. Well that is a whole lot more money. Using Bolt bus the trips are about $20 or under and you ride in style and comfort on a luxury bus. I use the time to read and zone out- which in itself is a mini-vacation! Depending on your bus driver, you may stop half way for a potty break and snacks-- the bus does have facilities, but let's be honest- you loathe anyone who actually uses it. Oh- and they have free wifi on board!

So yes I'm going to NYC via the Bolt Bus for a second time this weekend.