Reality Sets In

It is now the end of day two of the Democratic National Convention and I've done nothing.
I think I've finally come to terms with what "editorial assistant" means; nothing. The most my fellow interns and I have done for the Associated Press is answer a couple phone calls.
My friend Laura is working the convention as well and yesterday she called me and told me all about how exciting it is to work on the floor of the Pepsi Center.
I haven't even made it inside the building yet.
I don't want all of you to get the wrong idea about me, as much as I wish I was doing something worth while, the truth is I am not.
At the end of the day I get to put this experience on my resume, and as long as no one asks, it was the greatest journalistic experience of my life.
What a bummer.

A Sense Of Humor

Do not let it be said that journalists lack a sense of humor.
I got a call from my friend and collegue Tara today asking if I would bring something to the AP tent tonight.
When Tara came by my house she had a bag with a baby doll and what appeared to be a kid's swing. She told me that someone at the AP tent wanted this to be set up on one of the trees inside the tent.
In case I didn't let you know, the tent that's been erected in the parking lot of the Pepsi Center was erected around whatever flora that happened to be there. Not wanting to kill half a dozen trees and a couple dozen bushes, the tent was simply built around them.
Long story short, I have FINALLY done something "worthwhile" with my time here. And true to who I am, it just happened to be something comical.



Personally I don't get the joke...something to do with swing voters, I'd assume.

One Day...

• I'll be able to look back on this and laugh.
• Every hour I've put in babysitting computers will be paid back tenfold...and not by monetary means.
• I will sit in an office belonging to someone who my current self would call a "big wig" and he or she will ask me about my time interning for the Associated Press. I'll say something witty about how cold it was or "boy the hours sure did suck," but at the end of the interview Mrs./Mr. Big Wig will shake my hand and I'll leave the office thinking pretty highly of myself.
• This job will yield something other than time to watch movies and read.

The fact of the matter is I am on the eve of the biggest thing to happen to this city and country in the last who knows how many years and I've officially exhausted the episodes of House I can watch for free online.
I'm not upset that I'm stuck here, honestly I couldn't be happier. Unless of course I was in my warm bed, watching protesters sleep, or even not shivering. I do know that my time put in here will mean something to someone someday; just not now.
One day I'll be glad I did this.

Friday Night's Punk Show

I was lucky enough to see a punk show at Red Rocks Friday night. It was a good show and I'm glad I got the night off of my AP gig to attend. I just wanted to share a picture taken by a good buddy of mine, J Gammeter.










The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who haven't been through Colorado in a good long time, waited until their last song to unfurl a giant Obama banner.
It was really interesting to see the crowd's reaction to the banner, but more so I really admired band's quiet respect for the Democratic nominee for president. After the banner came down the band finished their song and walked off stage. No preaching, no whining; nothing. It is easy for a band playing to a crowd the size of Red Rocks to jump on a soapbox and tell their fans how to vote. Especially if the band (and fans) in question are inherently left wing punk rockers.
Well played Bosstones, well played.

Saturday Night's Alright For Secutiry

After a paltry 10 minutes going through security and a paltrier 10-minute walk to media pavilion three the explosions started.
Of course I was afraid. As a student turned intern walking through the grounds of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, any loud noises should really startle me.
As it turns out nearby Elitch Gardens was only setting off some fireworks.
Still, kinda scary.
Bad news for all of my loyal readers, it looks like tonight will be yet another yawn filled evening. The AP writers are in town, but don’t have work to do between 10pm and 8am.
Maybe tomorrow night will be a little different.
In other news, the convention starts Monday and security has OFFICIALLY tightened up. My normal entrance to the grounds, the one I’ve been skateboarding through for a couple weeks, has been blockaded by a couple dozen armed security personnel.
C'est la vie.

Ugh. The Nights, They Provide No Warmth

Boy, August sure is cold. Definitely at around 4:15am.
This is my fourth night straight of tent-sitting and I fear I'm falling into a habit of staying up all night. Even class is easier to sit through after 10 hours of nothingness.
Maybe I can get back into the swing of things over the next couple days. I'm lucky to have the rest of the week off until Friday.
This week the Associated Press writers are coming to town from all over the globe. Reporters and editors from the world over are coming to Denver to participate in this system we call democracy.
Since all these cats are coming I'm going to have something to do, officially. Today I even received a title change; I am now an Editorial Assistant. Hooray.
Barring some crazy event, I won't be updating until Friday night, but I promise if anything else changes I'll keep you posted.

That Sunrise I was Talking About

Yesterday was a little overcast for a picture at sunrise to match my post, so here it is.









Also, an update. It seems there will in fact be journalistic work to be done, even for a lowly intern like me. More to come as information unfolds.

A Word About This City

Denver is a thoroughly decent city.
Size-wise, it is nowhere near New York or Chicago or even Philadelphia.
As a skyline, Downtown Denver doesn't inspire any spectacular sentiment, in fact I find it quite lacking.
Historically, Denver has an interesting past. Nothing out of this world, but stuff definitely worth mentioning.
Even in terms of crime, Denver is nothing to be proud of; positively or negatively.
"Well Dominic, have you anything nice to say of the city housing this illustrious event that has given you gainful employment?"
Yes. Denver is the best place for me to be right now.
I was walking through downtown yesterday on my way to the doom tent and I realized that with all of its mediocrity, Denver is an amazing place.
I've found a place that I can go to school and work within a square mile of each other. Both of which are a 10 minute bike ride away.
I live in the city that will host the Democratic Presidential Nominee for four short hectic days, hopefully giving me some ass-kicking experience in the go-between.
There are shows galore here, with venues ranging from huge to tiny. For local musicians, Denver is actually quite a place to be from, let alone play in week after week.
What little culture there is in this city is quite impactful. Critical Mass is always a good time and it would seem there are quite a lot of pissed off people ready to throw shit at me.
I really do love this city and as each day begins with sun rays peaking through the cranes building upscale apartment buildings across Speer, my gainful employment gives me at least one serene moment. I blink back the sleep and realize that I'm one day closer to anything and everything this City has in store for me.
Even if Denver has very little for me, what I've gotten out of this place (including but not limited too: an Onion internship, a glorified babysitting job, schoolin', professional contacts galore and a couple mean stares in traffic) will shape who I'll be in whatever other city I end up in.
Thanks Denver, don't you go changing on me.

Once Again, From The Top

Here I am, fourth night on the job and second in a row. This time tomorrow I'll have put in 42 hours.
I don't feel nearly as crushed as I should, probably because I know how important this all is. What I am doing may not be the "sexiest" part of journalism, but I like to think that without me this whole process would be moving less smooth, if not at all.
Thoughts or suggestions?

Time Flies

Wow, 4am came super quick tonight.
Shoshana and I played a couple games of Cribbage, a new favorite of mine.
We tore through Old School and I've donned my headphones for Lucky Number Slevin while Shoshana catches a couple winks.
Also, nothing whatsoever has happened "security" wise since I got here. Other than worrying about the rain leaking through the roof and onto computer equipment.
I want to take this time to clear something up. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression about what I am doing. There is nothing intellectually difficult about my job, and the only physical toll is the lack of sleep.
I have the utmost respect for the people that come here during the day and set up these computers, routers and miles of wires that will someday soon connect this large white tent to the rest of the globe.
And those people making those connections? Those people are just as crucial. I was walking around the tent earlier and I noticed that some of the six-foot tables had makeshift nametags on them. Nothing more than printer paper with simple words; photography, entertainment, reception...Vance.

It was that last one that stuck out to me. I don't know whoever Vance is, and it is likely I never will. The thing that hit me was this: whomever Vance is, they were important enough not to get a generic label like "photography."
Somewhere along the line this Vance person did something right. Maybe they wrote a killer lead to some fancy feature. Maybe he/she happened to jump on the bus and made it to the scene a couple seconds before the other guy/girl. Maybe, just maybe, Vance has known the right people for all existence and would have had that paper no matter what.
Either way, Vance is something to take aim at, something to shoot for.
My name is nearly as short as Vance's and Vance isn't here now. Two important facts when you consider my current situation. The font size used for either my first or last names would have to be smaller so I may not even get a piece of paper. True to my word though, I hope not to be stuck with overnight gigs for much longer.
Long story short, I plan on moving to bigger and better things.
Short story long, I appreciate my opportunity and would gladly do it again. Steady work with the Associated Press is two things I would be happy with for the rest of my life.
I'd be content with my current gig, but some part of me wants something greater, something far more meaningful and impacting. Isn't that what makes me so awesome though? I concur.
Vance has something I don't-besides five letters on a white piece of paper taped to a conference table. Vance has experience. To tell the truth, I am assuming Vance has experience. For all I know Vance is the cousin of the cat setting up the conference table and said cousin thought Vance would love to see his name tacked on to said table. All of this could be based on a semi-practical joke gone unnoticed.
But I digress.
Assuming Vance is someone worth being, I will one day be Vance.
Wish me luck.

Night Number Thr33

Here we go again folks.
Tonight I find out I truly am the lucky one. Last night the two overnight cats got rained on. In the tent.
Yeah, apparently when the setter-uppers were doing their thing, they put up giant flood lights that aren't necessarily water tight.
We had a freak rain storm in Denver and my compatriots ended up scrambling to cover computers with sheets up plastic. Although something to do would have been nice, I'm kind of glad I didn't have to do that.
Update (12:34am): The Rain Has Begun. I spoke to soon.
Anyway, tonight should be fun. I've got my laptop, a couple movies and a burrito to last me through the night.
Fun fact: After 6 hours in class Tuesday, 10 hours of layout for my school paper The Metropolitan (where I am assistant news editor), 3 hours of class Wednesday, 5 hours of delivering The Onion Wednesday, 10 hours here Wednesday and 6 hours of class Thursday, I got to sleep 15 hours Thursday night. That's the first time I got to sleep before 9pm in almost six years. Huh.
Hunkering down now, wish me luck.

Second Batch of Random Thoughts

• 6am came a lot quicker tonight than it did Monday. The factors that play into this include but are not limited to: lower temperature and more distractions (see: internet, writing, homework, Star Wars, lack of trains)
• Not to bum anyone out, but I really wish my mom could have seen this and experienced this with me.
• At last count I had two cups of coffee. I might need a third or a fifth by the time classes roll around…in four hours.
• Speaking of classes, what the hell was I thinking taking this gig knowing I’d have to make it through four classes in seven hours after spending ten hours holding down the fort?
• I wish better words came to mind for me to express “f**k it is cold.”
• Crickets operate at a frequency/decibel level that penetrates my headphones.
• Good morning sun, how I’ve missed you and wish I could have slept before I saw you again.
• This will all be worth something when I’m older. Character building is good for me, blah blah blah.

Comment Replies

As promised, here are replies to your comments. For a reference point, please click the comments link under my first post on August 11.

Mike - Sadly I was not sleeping, but I do appreciate your confidence in me.

David - My phone number can be found on Facebook, feel free to hunt it down. The convention officially starts on August 25 (my friggin' birthday) but there will be Associated Press writers in the tent 24/7 starting soon...I hope.

Tricia - I'm glad you waited patiently, but I must disappoint you: I was in fact not "working." What I was doing was sitting on my butt staring at flickering lights and listening to crickets. The combination of those two things, I've recently found out, is just enough to keep me awake.

Greg - You're a good friend and I can always count on you to bring up serious concerns. Such as the inevitable zombie attacks that will be the culmination of this experience.

Irina - Youth is awesome, I agree. Hopefully my experience babysitting these computers and desk chairs won't leave me emotionally and physically youth-less.

Shaun - You asked and you received. Also, you will be happy to know I have "taken stock." Thank goodness I have all this time on my hands to get homework done. If only I had bought some textbooks.....

Nana - There is very little traffic at this time of night/morning, but the ceasless train noises ought to keep the undead at bay.

Evelyne (Mouma) - There is security roaming around the grounds as well. They are lucky enough to have heated trailers to retreat to though.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time not only to read what I have to say but to comment on it as well. Special thanks to Shannon for informing me that people where actually responding to my post.

Mindless Post The First

• It requires 52 steps to get myself a cup of coffee.
• My next overnight shift, I shall bring a copy of the AP Style Book, if only to make myself feel more official. (Even this bullet could be incorrect and it worries me that professors of mine may be reading this and judging my ability to journalism [or their ability to teach])
• On the same note, you’ll notice none of my posts contain the words “its” or “it’s.”
• Coffee count: Two glorious cups, one minor spill.
• Non-dairy creamer is gross, but crucial.
• I’m getting a lot of writing done. Hooray.

Monday's Events

As I said earlier, Monday night was a little of a downer. I had this grandiose idea that I would spend the entire night blogging (bloging?) and little other work would get done. Sadly only the latter half of that plan worked out.
At 10pm Shoshana and I staked our claims in a massive tent on the west side of the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver. In two weeks time I knew that the place would be hustling and/or bustling and I was looking forward to an evening and morning full of excitement, or at least something to do.
As it turns out, not only was there no work to be done, there was no internet to waste my time with either. Occupying space was/is my only task.
Shoshana and I reluctantly wiped the elated grins off our faces and hunkered down for a long night.
Over the course of the next ten hours we did what we could to waste the time. My girlfriend (and new roommate) Shannon was nice enough to bring a Monopoly set to us. The brothers Parker served us well; we Monopolied like fiends for a solid two hours until the last roll of the die. I lost. Card games also helped pass the time. We started with poker, utilizing whatever we could find as chips. I am proud to say I now know the conversion of landscaping rocks to Arrowhead bottled water caps. (5 rocks to 1 cap)
I ended up teaching Shoshana how to play Rummy as well. This was uneventful as the game was played on the tail end of our caffeine high and before our second, more slapstick, wind began.
Here we took a bit of a break. We both nodded our heads to our respective tunes, though I couldn't tell if it was the music's beat or the creeping hand of sleep that did it.
Around 3am we heard the big, big noise of what I can only assume was Hell's A/C kicked in. If it's been a while since you've been lucid at 3am, allow me to refresh your memory: The day's heat has more or less dissipated from the ground and the lack of sun is starting to take its toll on the average temperature. Needless to say it wasn't exactly warm in the monstrous tent, and when that conditioned air started to blow our way it was down right cold. So cold in fact that my only escape was jumping jacks outside the tent, where it was at least 15 degrees warmer. (That's in Fahrenheit for our overseas friends)
For those of you who have seen the clock roll from 11pm to 4am recently, you know that at some point in the night you receive what is known as a second wind, or what I like to call a "non-runner's high." The only issue with this is your second wind is never as reliable as the first. Personally, I become goofier and less attentive to my immediate surrounds and proportionately more attentive to whatever may or may not be floating in the air past my face.
It was at this point I suggested we play a game of War. (Link provided for anyone who had an active childhood that did not require mindless card games)
As it would turn out, this is the perfect game to play when the mind's zenith is a couple hours in the past. Basic math skills were not needed, really all we had to do was look at two cards and decide which was higher. There was some contention when the two numbers were close or if they happened to be the same suit, but all-in-all I would recommend War to anyone trying to kill time at 5 in the morning.
As the sun peeked over the sad excuse for a skyline that I call home, there was less than two hours left in my first shift. Thanks to War I missed the first rays of light, but I did get outside early enough to keep hypothermia at bay.
Eight o'clock came soon enough and I headed home to sleep through the first of my Tuesday classes. I was mildly perturbed that my internship had so far yielded no journalistic results, but I was happy to have a fourth of my workweek in the bag.

Round II

I am terribly sorry for the lack of updates, it would seem I'm off to a bad start.
The first night here we didn't have any internet so my colleague Shoshana and I ended up wasting ten whole hours with Monopoly and various card games. More on all that later.
Tonight is Wednesday/Thursday and I was told yet again that there were no internets to be found.
But being the enterprising go-getter that I am I did some tumbling and found a router with some juice.
So as the title says, here we go with Round II.
Over the next five or so hours I plan on responding to all of the comments left on the first post. I forgot to add a forwarding e-mail address for the comments so I didn't even know all of you out there were even interested. Now that I do my ego is as big as the tent it is housed in. In case you were wondering, my metaphor skills do diminish at the same rate as a (blank) (blanks) a (blank).
In addition to a recap of Monday’s events and comment replies, I will also be posting random thoughts that I deem relevant.
Also, in my stumbling around the press tent I found a coffee maker and the necessary accoutrement. One cup down.
Wish me luck.

Here goes my sleep schedule

All right folks, if you've stumbled here it is most likely because you are a friend/relative/admirer of me, Dominic Graziano.
What you may not know is what I've gotten myself into.
As of today, Monday August 11, I am starting an internship with the Associated Press at the Democratic National Convention in beautiful Downtown Denver.
My internship will include, but not be limited to, work at the convention (slated for August 25 - 28) including Barrack Obama's acceptance speech at Mile High Stadium on August 28.
As many of you know I am a full time student at the Metropolitan State College of Denver, and thanks to its relative proximity to the DNC, my campus will be closed the week of the convention. One of the advisers at Metro took it upon himself to line up an internship program with AP. It will be QUITE the experience. Not just as a resume builder and a way to keep busy while classes aren't in session. I will effectively be a part of political history. The last time the DNC was in Colorado was in 1908, and this time around I get to be a part of everything that is going on.
But here's the fun part: these next two weeks before the convention, I'll be babysitting computer equipment at the AP mobile press tent outside the Pepsi Center. Overnight. Seriously, my shift is from 10pm to 8am.
I’ll recap: today, Monday, I was in class from 8:30am to 11:15am. I’ll be at work tonight until 8am tomorrow. After which I will be in class from 10am to 5:45pm.
I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.



Ok, on with it then.
Throughout the evening I'll be posting to this blog. I don't expect you to stay up with me through the whole thing, but if you are awake between 10pm and 8am MST, feel free to give me a call or drop me a line here.
It should be an experience, to say the least. The good news is I'm prepared for anything.