I think that HOPE is what made me cry tonight. I’m honored to call “That One” my president.

Many times in the past I had wanted to become active in a campaign. Up until Obama came on the scene, I never had any REAL desire to volunteer. Even this time, something was holding me back. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was the idea of trying to talk to people who would have none of what you have to say. Perhaps it’s my desire to be non-confrontational in my life. And it might even be my fear of rejection rearing its ugly head. But I took the step and made some calls for Obama and the WA democrats yesterday.

A group of us guys went to campaign headquarters down on Mercer and got a list of numbers to call, a short little script and got to calling. The first couple people I called I was super nervous. But eventually, I became much more comfortable and even did some freestylin’ (not rapping to people). I had a couple of good conversations, a new appreciation for those people that call me with their individual campaigns, and a little insight into campaigns.

Out of about 30 people called, I probably actually talked to about 6, left about 15 messages, and the rest were wrong numbers or the people were not home or didn’t have any kind of messaging system. By the end, it was really easy and natural and I would definitely consider doing it again when there’s something I can get behind. I’ve also volunteered myself and my car for election day to do whatever needs to get done to get people to the polls.

It feels good to have given some of my time instead of just clicking donate on a website and to meet the other people who are just as passionate about our candidate as I am. If you’re considering volunteering, DO IT. You won’t regret it (probably).

I’ve decided to try my hand at knitting again. Back before it was cool again for guys to knit, I made some squares and gave them as presents. This time, I’m raising the bar for myself and am trying something round instead of square.

It’s getting cold again and we’re planning on sailing through the winter, so I need a hat and my novelty Canada hat purchased from the duty free with the pom pom on top isn’t going to cut it anymore. Besides that pom pom can get caught in the… rigging… ropes… and I can be… decapitated or something.

One thing that’s necessary if you’re starting out is having someone to show you how to do it. I tried learning from the internets, using videos and tutorials, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. You’ve got this pile of tangled yarn in your hands, your poking sharp sticks through it and it’s supposed to look like what?

There are some sites out there that are pretty good, though. The tutorials on KnitPicks.com are pretty good and will get your started. I recommend trying to just do a square for your first project.

I’ve got a large skeen of Fisherman’s wool from Lion Brand. Although it’s not red, I hope to have my very own Zissou hat soon. Will post photos if I ever get started for reals.

Yesterday, LoLo and I went out on Ben’s Westsail 28 with Ben and Fisher. Full account of the trip here, at Ben’s blog..

Lo Lo did amazingly for her first sailing trip, considering we had Force 6 conditions with some gusts topping 45 mph and 3-5 foot breaking waves in the sound. She’s a natural for sure.

Can’t wait to get sailing in our own boat (on much calmer days).

We purchased a sailboat this week! Our combined sailing experience is about 3 day trips (during one of those trips, we didn’t even have enough wind to get any movement with our sails up). Should make for a great experience!

Check our the new boat’s blog at http://northwest21.blogspot.com