It's been a good day, but nothing has gone according to plan.  Out of time...  We'll just have the comments below the fold.

Last night was amazing.  Obama supporters started pouring into our super caucus site very early.  We were shocked: 75% of the people showing up wanted Obama stickers, and none of them were on our lists of 1s and 2s.  But almost all of our 1s and 2s arrived, also.  I was handed a check for $100 for the campaign by a woman waiting in line.  The lines grew and grew, and finally, the party officials gave up and told people to caucus without checking in.

I was the super site chair at Monarch K-8, just east of Boulder proper.  This is suburbia--middle class with 2.5 kids, and just a few of us late 20s, early 30s types thrown in.  I didn't know what to expect for turnout at our site.  We ended up with over 500.  I thought it would be close between the campaigns, but every time I turned around, someone was asking, "How can I help Barack?"

The Obama crowd was energized and enthusiastic.  They were young and old.  After the rules, there were the speeches.  And the speeches said everything about these two campaigns.

I always hated school dances.  I rarely went.  There was so much more fun to have elsewhere.  But for now, I’ve grown up to be an educator, which means that tonight, I’m stuck at the school dance.

Top Comments, and hopefully some spiked punch, below the fold.

A friend of mine suggested that there is such a thing as a free lunch.  She mentioned that when she worked at a sort of exploitation agency people sent over free lunch all of the time.

But the cost was SOUL CORROSION....yeah...not a free lunch!  I think most work comes with some cost of soul corrosion, which sucks.

Inside, find some drivel from me and tonight’s TOP COMMENTS.

Send top comments to TopComments AT gmail DOT com.  Please include your username, or Ambrosius will get credit!

Oh...and how cool is this: my cat is trying to get into the liquor cabinet.  I think she wants GIN.

I scan the websites of the local papers hoping to find interesting articles, like this one about the naked running priest.  

I found juicy gossip this morning!  There is an article about this post on myDD from Raf Noboa, a Polis staffer.

This Noboa post is practically a case study in everything to do wrong.  As far as I can tell, the post announcing a logo design contest (yawn) resulted in giving his opponents positive press, making his candidate look like a mud-slinger, and the campaign look like it is more than a little confused.

I spent my day doing chores.  Fortunately, there were all good chores.

Thoughts on enjoyable chores and TOP COMMENTS below the fold.

I think an important habit—especially important for young people (since it is such a great time to form positive habits!)—is the habit of giving back.  This is especially important for those of us who are privileged.  And while we are not as privileged as, say, Republicans (who just abuse their privilege anyway!), we kossacks are, on average, more privileged than the average bear.

Some thoughts on giving back to our communities below the fold.  

About three years ago, I was part of an effort to organize a local business.  It is fairly large, as far as retail establishments go, and it is one of the few industries where independent businesses have seen some effort from the employees to be organized.  However, the employees at the bookstore where I formerly worked chose not to join ranks with their counterparts at Powell’s.

Especially on a day when Senate Republicans killed legislation to help workers organize, a couple of reflections on the organizing process and why we didn’t succeed below the fold.

Tonight’s TOP COMMENTS are below the fold.

Come in, you’ll like it.  Besides, since Thursday became the new Friday long ago, we’re serving GIN and other stuff.

So, I am just home from a visit from the grandparents.  It is always interesting to take a foray into the wilds of the ultra conservative.  I learn things.  For example, you can tell something about women who wear men’s shoes.

Many secrets revealed and TOP COMMENTS (ok, and lots of GIN) below.....

Hi, I'm Ambrosius.  You might remember that I like GIN.

We met a while back, I shared a lot of delicious fermented juniper berry juice, and then the Spring got out of control; Bar Ambrosiana went on hiatus.

Tonight, we REOPEN BAR AMBROSIANA and have Top Comments below the fold!

I’ve been ranting all week at school.  I’m exhausted from ranting.  Sigh.....  Maybe one day I will rule the world.  We’ll be happy then.  I promise.

Until then, you can find today’s TOP COMMENTS below the fold!

Spring is always a mixed bag in my mind.  Yes, the days are getting longer.  I’ve had the opportunity to run outside twice this week!  Until recently, I didn’t have time when the sun was up, and given our 61 straight days of snow cover....well, it’s no wonder I have a little winter weight to shed.

The runoff is about to begin.  That means floods.  That especially means no skiing!  While there is still 5 feet of snow in places at Winter Park, it will be gone here in a few weeks.

Signs of Spring....and TOP COMMENTS below!

Tonight, I again don’t have much of a TC theme in mind.  Maybe I’m lazy.  Maybe I’m tired after (yet another) long week.  Meh.  Whatever....

I’ve tried three times.  Tonight’s theme....well....yeah....

TOP COMMENTS below the fold.

I had a wonderful travel day.  It was so great that they delayed my flight for two hours.  I just loved sitting on the runway!  Unfortunately, they moved my seat to the exit row, which made me uncomfortable.

Happy Backwards Day, everyone!  Yes, tonight’s diary is written in the spirit of Backwards Day.  Why?  Well, my day has sucked, and I want to pretend it was stellar!  Really, because I accidentally spelled my real life name backwards in an email, and I thought it would be fun to have Backwards Day here at Top Comments!

So, what backwards things are you thinking today?  You hope that President Bush has a holiday named after him?  You want to make babies with Dick Cheney?  You hate gin?  Join us below for some backwardsness and NO Top Comments!

So, I am not writing much of an intro.  Why?  Because I can.  Fear not: I’m really happy, overall.  I'm just really tired and there is a lot I need to do, especially since I have an early flight tomorrow.  And, I just don’t feel like writing an intro.

Top Comments is below the fold.

We have spent a lot of time talking about money lately.  I think that there is a unique challenge that we all must deal with when it comes to earning money: how do we make our work meaningful.  For some of us, that is fairly easy, we work in non-profit settings.  And everyone tells us that this is inherently meaningful.  For others of us, that is more challenging, since we work for the man.

In either case, there is a certain existential dilemma.  What meaning does this work have in our lives?  Are there ways to make even the most cog like job meaningful?  Are there ways to make the most meaningful job economically sustainable?

At root, I see this diary as focusing on that existential problem of discovering and defining ourselves.  It is a major task for the young adult, and it didn’t end in college.  That said, there are many constraints with which to deal, and I think we might have some creative thoughts on how to manage those, too.