test blog 3

Everyone is very nervous. Everyone I speak to or email with is fearful and anxious. The other day I made some phone calls for ACT's PA trips - the response has been so overwhelming, organizers needed help getting back to everyone who had signed up. All I was doing was giving people info, but a good dozen people took the opportunity to talk about their fear and anxiety. I do believe we will prevail. Organizers on the ground in OH, PA, Oregon, Colorado and other battleground states are feeling strong and confident. Thousands of polling-place monitors and attorneys and democracy-friendly judges are standing by to protect the integrity of the votes. An army of volunteers will be getting out the vote. But of course, we don't know. We don't know if enough of the public knows the facts (as opposed to the lies), and will vote in their own self-interest (against W). We don't know if the election will be fair. I believe we will win, but we don't know. Everyone on the planet,...

The publishers of New Mobility magazine, to which I contributed for many years, have published the groundbreaking Kids On Wheels . I have many stories on the website, mostly in the "Roll Models" and "Cool Kids On Wheels" sections. (Just enter through the "under construction" message.) Kids On Wheels is the first-ever resource guide for young people who use wheelchairs and parents and professionals who interact with them. There are two editions, one for kids and one for adults. I wrote the sports chapter and some other profiles for the kids' edition. If the book is successful, a magazine will follow, and I'm hoping to get a regular gig with that as well. It's a great fit for me, since I have more than a decade of experience writing about disability issues and a life-long love of writing for young people. Writing the sports chapter, I had the opportunity to speak with kids all over the country who use wheelchairs and are doing sports. I had a g...

The world looks exactly the same as it did yesterday, but everything has changed. Congratulations to the World Champion Boston Red Sox and their loyal, long-suffering fans. Congratulations doesn't seem like a strong enough word. For years Allan and I have talked about what it will be like in New England when the Red Sox finally bring home a championship. Now we will find out. Some Red Sox fan neighbors stopped by last night for hugs and champagne, and told us that their Yankee-fan friends are depressed and angry. Like a Yankees fan has anything to be depressed about. And you know I say that as a lifelong fan - minus 1.5 seasons. My favorite Yankees fan, Matt, called around midnight to congratulate Allan. Now that's class. Matt and I watched most of the 1986 World Series together; he was 5 years old. Allan was still living in Vermont. We go back a ways. I'll stop now, as I generally try to keep this blog somewhat focused, and I sense I am babbling. Check out Allan's blo...

72. The number of volunteer phone-bankers at the ACT NY campaign this morning. Our biggest day yet. 32,000. The number of phone calls made from one ACT NY call center to Florida voters yesterday. That's from one center, on one day. I'm told NYC is logging more calls than many national campaigns. I love New Yorkers! 41. The number of electoral votes in Pennsylvania (21) and Ohio (20) combined. All going to John Kerry. 85. Days left in the George W. Bush presidency. (Also known as days until John F. Kerry is inaugurated.) 1. The number of wins the Red Sox need to win their first World Series in 86 years. R.I.P. 1918.

This is it. One week to go. Phone-banking is going gangbusters. When I started on the morning shift we had 10 or 12 people each day. Last week we had 25-30 a day. Today: 65. ACT Ohio and ACT PA have changed their outlook from "optimistic" to "confident - as long as we do the work between now and Nov 2". Let's do the work, folks. Here's what to do, in order of priority: - If you can take four days off, go to Ohio . Free transportation by bus, free hotel. If you want to fly or drive, you can still get the free hotel room. - If you can't take four days, go to Pennsylvania . Free round-trip buses Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. If you do either of the above, be sure to get your absentee ballot in right away! - If you can't travel, join the phone-bank marathon at the SEIU call center. We'll be there from 9:00 a.m. til 11:00 p.m., doing get-out-the-vote calls in every time zone. There'll be a TV on to watch returns, food, people, energy...

In the final weeks of the 2003 baseball season, I stopped cheering for the New York Yankees. I didn't plan it. It just happened. To further twist my mind, I started cheering for the Boston Red Sox. This might seem amusing to many of you reading this, but to me it was very serious. I don't give my loyalty lightly, don't change hats as a team rises and falls in the standings. My team loyalty runs very deep. Being a Yankees fan has been a big part of my identity. When the Yankees won the World Series in 96, 98, 99 (etc.), people I hadn't heard from in years left messages on my answering machine. Casual acquaintances know they can always ask me how the Yankees did last night. (I always know.) Add to that the peculiar circumstances of my home and relationship – that Allan and I have always been diehard fans of rival teams - and the identity grows even stronger. (Somehow the word "rival" is too small to describe the relationship between the Yankees and the Red Sox. ...

When chatting about the upcoming election, several people have told me they are thinking about what they will do should what we dread and fear actually come to pass. They say things like, "I've been thinking about my plan, what I'll do personally, for my own life". If you have shared those thoughts with me, or if you've had similar thoughts yourself, could I ask you to elaborate? What type of plans are you thinking of? If BushCo is elected, how will you personally change your life? What will you do differently? Please feel free to leave comments here (anonymously, if you wish) or to email me (link to the right). Thank you.