A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
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The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers.
If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links.
If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version.
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How do you feel about living in a big city?
I was playing with my puppy in my suburban backyard garden yesterday afternoon when all of a sudden I got a craving for really good Thai food. Not from just anywhere, but my favorite Thai restaurant in San Francisco. In that moment, I was reminded once again of all that Brian and gave up when we fled to the burbs to realize our dream of owning our own home together.
I lived in San Francisco longer than anywhere else I have lived in my life, 17 years. When I was three years old, our family moved from my birth city of Columbus, Ohio to a small Midwestern town in the middle of the cornfields of Illinois. It was a stifling place to grow up in during the 60s as a budding gay person. Chicago was just two hours but another world away. On the rare occasions I was able to get into the city, I knew it was a place I could fit in. It was the kind of life I wanted for myself when I grew up.
I never did make it to Chicago, but my first opportunity to leave small town America presented itself and I seized it. In 1983, I moved to Denver and a world I could only previously dream of opened up to me. I embraced city life with passion and took advantage of the opportunities.
When I finally moved to San Francisco in 1987, I had arrived in a truly world-class city, no denigration meant to the wonderful city of Denver. Living in a place so vibrant, multicultural and global gave me a feeling of being in touch with a larger world like nothing I had ever expected or experienced.
Granted, San Francisco during that time was also a quite a somber place to be for the gay community. Not all my experiences of living through such times were happy, but they were entirely transformative. I grew up in San Francisco and realized that the world was so much bigger than myself and I could and should contribute to it in meaningful ways.
As the years went by, my life with Brian began to take shape with new focus. City life started to become an aggravation, something that sapped and drained us, particularly financially. We had become homebodies, enjoying each other, our dogs and our tight circle of friends. We were no longer taking advantage of city life and wanted a house and a garden and a quieter pace of life. We cried that morning when drove across the Bay Bridge in our U-Haul. Although San Francisco still sits gleaming just down the Bay a piece, it will likely never again be our home. It is a bittersweet thought.
And now we find ourselves talking about our retirement. We are considering leaving the burbs for an even quieter spot to grow old. We don't know where that may lead us but we hope that there is a Mayberry out there that may be tolerant enough to welcome us home.
How about it? Is city life for you?
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Colorado: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Mountain
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Saturday, October 24th
Dallas Kos Monthly Meet-up
TIME: 12:30 PM
LOCATION: Ojeda's Mexican Restaurant
4617 Maple Avenue • Dallas
ORGANIZER: Send Andy T a kosmail to attend
Latest diary: Dallas Kossacks Round Up and Meet Up!
Saturday, October 24th
SFKossacks Attend Paul Hogarth's Dramatic Appearance in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
TIME: 8:00 PM
LOCATION: The Piedmont Center for the Arts
801 Magnolia Avenue [expect city street parking] • Piedmont
Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos Activism staff member is part of the cast.
The Piedmont Players present Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, a delicious, satirical political drama set at a nominating convention during a mythical 1960’s era election. A play about power, ambition, political secrets, and the race for the presidency, The Best Man takes place at the national convention where two candidates are vying for their party’s nomination for president. It’s an inside look at the dirt-digging, double-dealing, triple-crossing chicanery of presidential electioneering, and what could be more fun in a presidential campaign season than these theatrical fireworks?
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend, $25 ticket price. navajo is purchasing a block of tickets. Kosmail her STAT.
RSVPs:
1. norm
2. Lusty
3. dsb
4. Glen The Plumber
5. remembrance
6. Lorikeet
7. navajo
8.
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Maybees:
zdefender
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Pre-dinner at nearby Ikaros Greek restaurant
TIME: 5:30 PM
LOCATION: Ikaros Greek Restaurant [menu]
3268 Grand Ave • Oakland, Grand Lakeshore neighborhood
After-show Karaoke at Oakland's Greatest Dive Bar
TIME: 10:00 PM-ish???
LOCATION: The Alley [cash only]
3325 Grand Avenue • Oakland
Saturday, Nov 14th
Florida Georgia Line Kos Meet-up in Valdosta, Georgia
Join us for a day of inspiration and encouragement aimed at registering voters ahead of the 2016 elections
Would love to have you participate and share your knowledge and energy.
Florida Georgia Line Kos:
This group will serve as a gathering place for North Florida and South Georgia Daily Kos members and all others who are interested. Our focus, both online and with real life meet-ups, is sharing and organizing political activism; disseminating social, political and progressive issues; community building; and support and encouragement for our red state brothers and sisters. We will organize meet-ups in both the panhandle and eastern seaboard of our states as well as share information on events of interest in our areas in order to build a strong coalition dedicated to turning our states a more pleasant shade of blue.
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • [City]
ORGANIZER: Send JaxDem a kosmail to attend
Latest diary: FL/GA Line Kossacks Scheduling a Meet Up -- Decisions, Decisions
Dallas Kossacks Round Up and Meet Up!
byAndyT ♥ for Dallas Kos
Andy T held another meet-up in Dallas and also listed some Bernie and Hillary events. Check his diary for deets. Also the next event has been announced for Oct. 24. See above in the roster of CUA events.
L-R: ?, Andy T, ?, ?, ?
Identities welcome by kosmail to navajo.
Please visit AndyT's diary. You can still REC it. You can join Dallas Kos by sending a Kosmail to AndyT.
by Chrislove ♥ for Houston Area Kossacks
Another Houston event! Great job, Chris. Photos below:
L-R: Chrislove, Delilah, scott5js, cosette & suesue
L-R: htowngenie, her son, Blood, JJR1971 and PIZZA!
You can join Houston Area Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Chrislove.
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.