I didn't count right and thought I had only one week left to finish everything at work until my boss pointed out that I have two weeks and he extended me one more week. The Lord sure have mercy on me!

I've been working pretty hard, missing both the combined Greater Dallas Pachyderm and Northern Dallas Pachyderm candidate meet and greet last week as well as the regular monthly meeting of the Northern Dallas Pachyderm yesterday.

I will be one of the groomsmen for a friend's wedding in November so I need to find some times and come in for tux measument this week.

I can't believe our annual camping for our youthgroup is coming up in less than two weeks!

Convention Monday, August 30th: I woke up, took a shower and then read the schedule. Found that for today, we all supposed to wear the denim shirt we were given yesterday in the delegate package. I walked from my hotel at 43rd St. up 7th Ave. to the New York Hilton at 53rd St. for breakfast with the Texas delegation. We were reminded of flag etiquette at the end of the breakfast for those of us who aren't wearing cowboy hats all that frequent. Saw lieutenant governor David Dewhurst so I had a picture taken with him after breakfast. Said hello to congressman Michael Burgess and his chief of staff. Was in line to get on the bus and was told they are not going to let anyone get in to Madison Square Garden with a bag. I was like, what's the point of passing out the bag to the delegates if we cannot use it to carry things. Scrambled to find friend who would put the bag in their room upstair for me. Got on the bus and was taken to Madison Square Garden for the first general sessions. Security blockade was at least two blocks from the building. On our way in, we saw a group of young kids, like junior high, stood inside the security zone almost at the entrance to the building, asking if we had security passes that we were not using. It was hot. We got there late, and the line through security with the metal detector was long. They made everyone turn on all the electronics to make sure that they were really what they looked like. For digital camera, they made us take a picture of the floor. For cell phone, punch in a digit or two. We passed through, kept taking the escalator up until we get to a floor with the gate shown on our credential. Went to our section, row and seat. I looked at the seat arrangement chart, then walked around and tried to find friends who were also alternate delegates from California, Florida and Georgia.

We found Texas alternate delegates were seated behind this huge camera platform and we couldn't see the stage at all. We later complained with our Republican National Committeeman Tim Lambert and he said the whole floor seating arrangement will be reconfigured on Thursday night Also, we could basically sit anywhere we wanted in the alternate delegate sections all around the floor. We didn't really have to sit in the Texas section at all. People moved around all the time talking to friends from different states. We heard remarks RNC chairman Ed Gillespie, co-chairman Ann Wagner, former Montana governor and Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Manager Marc Racicot, New York city mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Convention CEO and Manager Bill Harris. Then there was video tribute to recently deceased Republican party leaders, especially our 40th president Ronald Reagan. There were 2-minute speeches by various congressional candidates, with Congressman Tom Reynolds from New York 26th district, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee in charge. Then we had the nomination process going by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and rolling roll call of the states, the most fun part that you see on TV all the time, with Secretary of the Convention Sara Gear Boyd and I believed Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton as assistant secretary of the convention joining speaker Hastert. Things seemed to move very fast from the floor, with things I don't even recalled taken place except for the 2-minute speeches: senator George Allen of Virginia, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee with more 2-minute speeches from senatorial candidates. Then Ohio governor Bob Taft, chairman of the Republican Governor Associations with gubernatorial candidates, don't remember if there were 2-minutes speeches, probably were. Follow by remarks from College Republicans president Eric Hoplin, Charlotte, NC mayor Pat McCrory who is also the president of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials, Irish-American president Susan Davis, National Conference of Republican County Officials president Marilyn Byers, Young Republicans president Michael Mack, Hispanics Across America president Fernando Mateo. Finally wrapped up with a benediction from the famous Joni Eareckson Tada of Agoura Hills, California that we hear often on Dr. James Dobson Focus on the Family radio show.