It is a grey, overcast day. As I drive to the convention, I encounter brief showers. I was up late last night for some of the parties that are an important part of conventions. The parties last night had a slightly surreal aspect. A local school was having its prom at the same hotel that the Democratic Convention Parties were at; prom dresses and political buttons. I hadn’t had any food or coffee yet, and I was feeling a little bit down. Yet as I arrived at the convention center, I saw crowds holding signs for their candidates.

Checking in was quick and simple. I was asked what organization I was with and I said I was a blogger. There, on the list next to major newspapers and TV stations was the group, “blogger”. I was the only person in that group.

With my press credentials in hand, I walked around the floor. The roar of the crowd, meeting old friends, getting a chance to speak briefly with Deval Patrick, and getting a cup hot chocolate my attitude has improved greatly. This is what democracy looks like.

The convention center is the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. Four years ago, my eldest daughter skated in a competition here. I wandered around picking up literature and have a large stack. The issues that are being faced here in Massachusetts are the same issues that we face in Connecticut and that I imagine most face states. It seems as if can and should be learning from the states that surround us.