DAY 328

DAY 328
02.26.08
TREE 204

This morning I wrote in my journal, ate, and read the paper.  I just took my time and then headed to the Obama headquarters.  I said I was ready to canvass and Joel, a staff member there, said I could wait for someone else to show up or go alone.  I didn’t feel like sitting around so I just went by myself.  Joel gave me the run down: I am not swaying people right now, but identifying the supporters.  And off I went to west Cincinnati. 

I hit a couple of houses and then walked to some section 8 apartments.  That was about the time the snow really started to come down.  The main door to each building was unlocked so I went in and tried to match up names on my roster to the names on the mailboxes.  Most apartments were empty and the place was rundown.  Every building had a beeping smoke detector.  I finally talked to one older couple.  The woman said she liked Clinton because of her Health Care plan.  The husband hadn’t really thought about it but liked the eight years under Bill and so leaned towards Hillary.  So I began to explain why I liked Obama and spoke of some of his plans.  By the end the guy was ready to vote for him and the woman said she would consider it.  That felt good. 

Then a few doors later I heard a young man talking loudly to his mother on the phone.  He was on my list so I waited for quiet then knocked.  I heard what I swear sounded like a cocking of a gun and then he yelled through the door, "who is it?!"  I quickly told him I was a volunteer for Obama and he just said he wasn’t interested.  I gladly moved on. 

Shortly thereafter I went back to headquarters and told Joel I’d like to go somewhere a little safer if I was to continue going alone.  I ate some lunch then picked up a packet that had me go to Miami Township, way out east.  I got lost getting there but finally made it to the neighborhood.  There were a lot of young couples with kids but a good mix of political leanings.  It was cold but I was getting the hang of it and plowing through. 

Back at headquarters again, Joel told me about a debate watching party at Crowley’s Irish Pub this evening.  Then I made haste back to Bob and Marilyn’s but got lost again.  Cincinnati is so confusing.  I ate with Marilyn and Bob and told them about my day.  Then I got ready to climb and go to the debate party.  The pub is in Mt. Adams which is right next to Eden Park.  So when I got to the park I pulled off at a lot and prepared myself. 

It was dark and bitterly cold with icy precipitation.  There was a tree right by the lot that actually looked perfect so I didn’t waste time. 

The first limbs were low and strong and the climb was relatively easy.  I just had the hardest time keeping my hands warm. 

I couldn’t identify this tree but it had a great limb structure for climbing and in two spots in the trunk the limbs branched out from the middle like a star. 

The middle of the star was flat as if the trunk just stopped but one of the limbs would take a sharp curve upward and act as the next section of the trunk.  It was on that second flat spot that I stopped and tied a pink ribbon and struggled to take pictures as the wind tossed me and my hands shook with the numbing cold. 

I don’t think any of them turned out too well at all. 

But as always, despite the ridiculous weather conditions, the yellow light of the street lamp and the distant skyline made for a beautiful view. 

It’s almost as if the craziness of the situation makes it that much more special.  The experience in valued because of its rarity.  I’ve seen wintry views from within atree that most would never even imagine to see.  It truly becomes a unique perspective. 

I quickly climbed back down and got back in my truck eager to warm my hands.  Then I drove to the pub, had a few beers and watched Obama embarrass Hillary with a bunch of Obama supporters and staffers.  It was a very good and memorable day. 

3-6-09:  Do you remember that debate in Cleveland at the end of February last year?  You can watch the whole thing on YouTube, but Tim Russert was there, they argued about their Health Care plans, NAFTA, the independence of Kosovo, who leaked the photo of Obama in traditional Muslim garb to the Drudge Report, talking with our enemies, special interests.  I think Hillary made some desperate attempts to argue words about who supported Israel more.  It is all ridiculous to me now seeing as how the economy became the largest and most concerning issue.  It is also ridiculous that Hillary won that primary in Ohio. 

—

I am up to my last few days in New York.  My last Wednesday there, February 25th 2009, was an awesome day.  Scott got home early from a conference and we got ready for Trapeze Class!  One of Scott’s friends does trapeze regularly at the Trapeze School of New York on W30th between 10th and 11th and she got us a spot in a class at 6pm.  We get there and it’s in a very industrial area around Chelsea.  It isn’t even really a building but a large white tent structure.  We get in and sign our legal waiver and shed our street clothes.  We meet our instructors and they take us through a few minutes of training on the floor. 

Scott and I both thought we would build up slowly to getting up on the high trapeze, maybe swing from our hands a few times, learn how to properly drop to the net.  No.  They tell us how to grab the bar, how to just off the platform and then they tell us to climb the ladder.  Granted, we get a harness and are tied in, but I go first to the platform. 

There we are told to chalk our hands, we get hooked and they say, you will swing, hook your knees, drop your hands, and swing from your knees, hands back on, drop your legs, drop to the net.  All on the first go!  They said just to listen carefully for the calls and have fun. 

So I went, I did it, it was awesome. 

I think having us just jump right into, throwing all these moves at us at once keeps us from over-thinking, keeps us from getting scared.  We just have to react, use our instinct. 

Scott went next and I don’t think he liked hooking his knees. 

He dropped to the net, went over to where you flip over the side and unhook from the harness and his face said it all. 

He was scared, sore, and I couldn’t wait to get up there again. 

After a few knee hangs that had us add a back flip to our dismount off the bar into the net. 

I was all about that but Scott looked at the instructor like, you think I am going to do that?  But he did just fine. 

Then they had us really arch our backs on the knee hang at the top of the swing to prepare ourselves for the transfer. 

One of the instructors got on the far swing and up I went.  They said we had to following their timing exactly, get to our knees fast, and reach for his arms, when you feel him grab and you grab back unhook your knees.  Well, I reached felt him grab and just let go with my knees then grabbed his arms. 

It worked out fine but they could tell I let go early.  Scott went and made it his first go, and then I went again. 

At this point Scott was done.  He could barely walk from hanging from his knees, he was nauseated, dizzy, and had a headache.  There was another woman in the class who had been going with us but had been coming to classes for a while and knew more of what she was doing.  But she left to catch a bus so I was the only one left.  I was so pumped about this the instructors just started to get me to try things.  Instead of a knee hang I then did an inverted hang with my body straight. 

Then they had me try one where I kick my legs up and get my waist to the bar then rotate around the bar till I am holding my body up by my arms.  I have done this on bars before so I was ready.  But they tried to tell me that with the momentum of the swing and practical weightlessness at the peak that rotating over would be way easier than I am used to.  I went for it, my body flew up and came crashing down on the bar on my stomach. 

I did this about 4 or five times and eventually got it but the next day my stomach was bruised. 

Another cool thing they had me do once I got that position was push off the bar and dive over it and down into the net.

All in all, probably the coolest thing I did in New York, and probably in a while.  The instructors asked if I would come back but were disappointed to hear I lived out of town.  I would totally do it again.

—

Tree climb:  After trapeze and some good Italian food with my brother I left him to recover and I went up to Columbia to meet Garret and Traxler.  They met me in the quad by the library and I scouted for a tree. 

I picked one near the Journalism School. 

I got right to it and told my friends to watch out for me.  Up I went to the top as I heard somerandom students make some comments. 

At the top I started to take pictures when I heard, "Get down!"  It was a security guard.  I was in the middle of a shot and didn’t reply.  I was kinda pissed because he made me move and ruin the shot. 

But he repeated himself and told me to get down "right now!"  So I put my camera away and started down, taking my time so as not to rush and make a mistake.  I look down to find Garret or Traxler and hope they are explaining my activities to the guard.  No, they had scattered… thanks guys!  Near the bottom the guard asked if I was a Columbia student.  I said no, and he told me to get off campus immediately.  I apologized and told him I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.  He said if he caught me again I knew what would happen.  I really didn’t but I assumed it would be the cops.  I walked on a few feet, took one last shot of the whole tree,

then we went to a bar, met up with Ted and had a good time hanging out.  At that point, getting kicked off felt like par for the course.  It was actually great because I climbed, I got pictures, and I got a good story.

On the subway ride home it was the first time I was on a car all to myself.  It was so nice I thought I’d record the event.