Bandwagon - Long Play Version

I'd told everyone to meet us there at 6:45 pm, and although we arrived promptly, there were probably over 100 vehicles already at the television station, and the place was a madhouse. Fortunately, several people with better sense than me had arrived early and staked out seats. Melissa, desiring to wear fur without distressing people at PETA, arrived wearing a live cat. She claimed it was an abandoned kitten that was ill and needed constant body heat, but I know a fashion statement when I see it. Her husband, David, had made all of our signs for waving out of wire and sawed off pieces of broom handles. That sounds silly, but they are egonomic and lightweight.

Nisha, who is an accountant in real life, came directly from work wearing a dress and heels, and was seen during the event standing in her heels on a chair waving a sign and yelling. Anthony Miller and Olivia Ahyoung were sitting together and carrying on fiercely. I love my supporters.

My husband, in a flash of genius, invited one of his colleagues who is 6'8" to wave a sign. My husband says it was just common sense.

James, 7, in complete disregard for life and limb was jumping up and down with his sign on top of a folding chair, which he did until I sent the producer over to him to speak sternly to him. I was trapped at the front and couldn't reach him or be heard over the din.

My friend Gordon was serene through all this chaos. He is my true friend. He even hung around afterwards to hear the other speeches. His helper, Stewart, was an extremely enthusiastic sign waver, and he had the "veterans support" sign, since he's a veteran.

My sainted treasurer was there, as was my long time friend, Claire Kelly. Both of them seemed to know half of the people there.

Over the weeks, the three of us who are running for this seat have had our individual ebbs and flows of difficulties with the race, but toegether have maintained not just civility, but a kind of comaradary. Last night I was cheery and the fellows seemed down, but in the past, when I've been down and they seemed up, they have always assured me that they, too, are miserable. It's almost like it's in bad taste to enjoy a judicial race.

The judicial candidates went first, in ballot order, so I was last of the first. Because I've heard the stump speeches of my colleagues so often, I found I was relatively relaxed. Plus, I knew I had to make this count, because the guys have television advertisements and I can't afford them. So I tried to make it count.

One of the guys who used to work in our office went through the judicial nominating process a bunch of times before finally being appointed. He always said you should smile during the interview. I tried to smile during my precious television time, but I mostly forgot to in the middle. I also had to look over at the side of the television studio that did not contain my supporters, because if I looked at them I was going to totally lose my composure.

For me, the best part was when I finished, exactly on schedule at 2:26, and there was this pause and then my supporters went ballistic. Even people not associated with the judicial race were applauding with enthusiasm. Afterwards people I didn't know were reaching out to me to shake my hand as I went by, congratulating me. It was heady.

So now it will be on 13 times more before the primary. But I don't know that I could bear to watch myself on tv.