Sunday

7:40 a.m.- My plane leaves for Texas, where I have a layover before heading to Chicago, and finally to Minneapolis. I hate flying, and it does not help that Hurricane Gustav is rumored to strike even Texas.

9:00 a.m. We arrive in Texas and I hear the pilot reading the transfer plane destinations and their gates. Suddenly I hear, “Minneapolis.” There is a straight flight there? I wonder if it is full, and if I can get on it instead of the Chicago plane at the last minute. I knew watching and rewatching multiple seasons of the Amazing Race would eventually pay off!

I rush lightning fast to the gate my Chicago flight is supposed leave from and ask about the Minneapolis flight. The attendant gives me a phone number to call, which I do. I am then told that I can be placed on standby for the Minneapolis flight for free, but I should hurry to that gate. Only 12 seats remain, and many people are trying to upgrade their tickets in case Hurricane Gustav grounds area planes.

When I reach the front desk, the attendant tells me I cannot do standby with the type of ticket I have, but when I tell her what I was told and why I am headed to Minneapolis, she quickly relents saying, “ OK. Just this once.” Fantastic! I am on my way! But there’s a problem. My bags will still take the path I was originally to take. I cross my fingers and take the risk. I’d rather have my bags stuck in Minneapolis than me.

12 p.m. I arrive safely, and I learn that my bags will arrive in Minneapolis at 4 p.m. My hotel is too far away to go to only to return to the airport later, but luckily the light rail system travels through the airport, and the Mall of America is only a few stops down.

4 p.m. I pick up my bags and check into my hotel where I learn that Monday evening’s events have been all but cancelled. George Bush and Dick Cheney were schedule to speak Monday evening.

I am sad I will not have the opportunity to see the President speak in person, but on behalf of the party I am glad he is not speaking. I have nothing against the guy personally, but George Bush seems to be the albatross around the neck of John McCain. Maybe it’s a good thing he will be unable to attend the convention . . .

After I clean up, I head to the Minneapolis Convention Center, where the opening night gala is occurring.

6:30 p.m. The gala is technically a red carpet event, and I think the message was supposed to be that everyone attending the convention is so important to the Republican Party they all deserve a red carpet. Whereas at the Democratic National Convention only Barack Obama and his “celebrity” friend have the red carpet laid out for them. However I think the message was lost in translation. My gut reaction was, “I thought the point was to place this event in stark contrast to that of the DNC. I never attended anything this extravagant there.”

When I say extravagant, I mean the food. Once again there was an open bar, but this time there were dainty, little desserts, sliced roast beef and croissants and cheese and crackers among other delights. The rest of the Civic Fest was very gimmicky. I was confused. I thought the state fair was several streets down. I felt like I was in a Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum- Politics Style, and the scene from Rat Race where the family accidentally attends the Hitler museum kept coming to mind.

Multiple areas were set up to take souvenir pictures with mock-ups of well-known presidential symbols, like the Oval Office and the front steps of the Supreme Court. Ronald Regan’s limo was being shown off, as well as multiple versions of the American Flag, meant to show attendees what the flag would have looked like had Hawaii not joined the U.S.A. etc.

A miniature of the White House was set up, and even in miniature form, the president’s Washington D.C. home is huge. It’s amazing how much detail the artist put into this replica.

Next up was a machine that turned pennies into souvenir Republican National Convention coins for the low price of 50 cents. Oh, wait. Sorry. It was just an information stand. Darn.

Note: I was given a bag at my media check in with goodies specifically for Republicans that contained a commemorative RNC box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I shall cherish it forever!

There were also the typical vendors, peddling their John McCain wares and local booths that highlighted Minnesota’s accomplishments. The only local booths that caught my interest enough to remember were the information sheet on the Tilt-A-Whirl, the popular carnival ride that spins in circles, and an eagle convention goers could name.

Apparently the Tilt-A-Whirl was created in Minnesota, one of the state’s largest achievements apparently. Voters had four choices of eagle names. I can’t remember what they all were, but I know one was not English, and one was Franklin, after Ben Franklin who voted that the Turkey should be the national bird.

I did not vote. I left that decision up to people more capable than myself.

8:30 p.m. The Convention begins to wind down as delegate buses begin to show up to transport onlookers back to their hotels. I am invited to an after party at the Kansas delegations hotel, the Westin, a top-tier hotel, but I decline. I am exhausted and Monday is sure to be a big day even though the convention has been temporarily halted.