My reward? I get to drink a cup of coffee in peace and contemplate my own miserable, snot filled head.

I grew up in North Carolina. To me, it will always feel like home. And today, I’m not the only one with Carolina in my mind. In fact, the whole country is looking to our state to make the difference.

There’s something different in the air this year. I’ve sensed it in the crowds I’ve played to, and seen it in the eyes of folks I’ve talked with. North Carolinians are hungry for a change. And for the first time in a generation, the presidential race could go either way in this state — it’s all up to us.

That’s why this week I’m doing my part by traveling around the state I love, using my voice to tell everyone I can reach that it’s time to vote for change.

And now I’m asking you to do your bit. Find a Campaign for Change office near you and volunteer to talk to voters. The Obama campaign has a plan to win North Carolina, but they need 100,000 volunteer hours to pull it off. I’m going to give as many as I can, and I hope you’ll join me.

We all know that we have some serious challenges to solve: The economy is in rough shape, jobs are disappearing, and quality, affordable health care is out of reach for far too many.

Across the country, folks are realizing that the only way to really tackle these challenges is to work together. If we let ourselves be divided by party, race, or fear, we’ll fail. And the stakes are just too high to let that happen.

This spirit of unity and purpose is what Barack Obama’s campaign is all about, and it’s why I’m a proud supporter.

But proud support is not enough right now. We have to get out there, tell folks they can start voting today, and make sure they do. So please, sign up to join me and volunteer as much as you can this week:

http://nc.barackobama.com/NC100Khours

Together you and I, and the great state of North Carolina, are going to put our country back on the right track.

Thank you,

James Taylor

Visit: NC.BarackObama.com | Email: NC@BarackObama.com

I can’t begin to understand the ammount of apathy in the young people I talk to. Is it a failing on behalf of the system, education, the parents? I don’t know. I do know, however, that therre are far too many people in this country who think their vote doesn’t count….who think that politics don’t effect them. What? With all the current crisis int he political world having a DIRECT effect on our daily lives, I would think it would extremely evident now, more than ever.

Please, please, please people….its only a few days of your life. Sign up, make phone calls, knock on doors….have an effect, make a difference! Every vote counts. No matter your age group, you have a stake in this election….whether your retired and worrying about the financial market or your young and worried about your financial aid (or possibly being drafted)…..get out there and make a difference.

Yard signs don’t win elections….volunteers do!

Just a quick catch up for now and some photos later when I get my desktop set back up and can download the camera.

We’re all doing pretty well. Emmett has conjunctivitis in both eyes, so that’s been a bit of a struggle, but hopefully the eye drops we got from the doctor yesterday will clear it up pretty quickly.

Ollie’s loving preschool. It’s still a chore to get him to tell me about his day, but the few details I do get sound like he’s having a great time. His counting is getting better and better and so are his letter sounds. Because he’s in Montessori, he’s also learning life skills, so he’s been pretty good about wanting to “help out around the house”.

I’ve also dropped out on the communication front because I discovered Charliane Harris’s Southern Vampire series. Sounds cheesy as hell, right? Not at all. I read 7 books in 6 days. I finally got my hands on the 8th one about a week later and went back and re-read the others. Pretty sad. It all started thanks to a new series called True Blood on HBO. It’s based on the books. Now the whole family is hooked on the show, at least the adults, so we all pass the week clamoring for Sunday to watch the newest episode.

I’m enjoying my mornings with just Emmett immensely. He’s at such a magic age. His vocabulary is mind blowing and he’ll hold entire conversations, now. We’re watching Sesame Street right now and counting to 5 while I type. He can recite his alphabet, too. Seems he’s tired of Elmo, so he’s reading a book about construction sites to himself. What a kid! He’s still jealous that his brother goes to school and he doesn’t, but next year will come soon enough.

That’s it from here for now. Onward and upward to more presidential debates and the NHL’s opening night on 10/10. Go Canes!

We’ve had a little rain this afternoon in advance of Hanna, but the winds are just now begining to blow. The pressure has dropped enough that the cats are stuck to me like glue and the dog has burried herself under some blankets. It looks like the exciting part of this little tropical storm will be coming in the wee hours of Saturday morning. With any luck, I’ll get settled enough not to see it.

The boys are doing fantastic. I think we’ve immerrsed them enough into the science of the storm that they aren’t afraid. Ollie actually got a hold of the remote this afternoon and was all excited because he turned to our local weather channel. Emmett took advantage of all the activity and decided he would stay up late. since he napped this afternoon, I indulged him. We cut out all kinds of animals out of Play-dough and to my surprise, he counted them all for me. He could quantify 5 cats and 3 ducks. I think that’s pretty impressive for 2 and a half.

I’m certain we won’t blow or wash away from this storm. If anything exciting happens, I’ll post about it, but I sincerely doubt it.

Not only was today the first day of Ollie’s educational career, it’s also his fourth birthday. We celebrated over the weekend with a trip to Raleigh to do all kinds of great 4 stuff. I’ll post pictures of that later.

My little boy isn’t so little anymore. He’s taking his first big steps out into the world without Mommy.

So here’s a quick catch up: Emmett got the final all clear from the oncologist a couple weeks ago. His lymph nodes haven’t gotten any bigger and all his blood tests came back normal.

Ollie starts pre-school next week at the local private Montessori school. It may well drive us into the poorhouse, but it was the only option that wasn’t church based. Hopefully with some family help, we’ll get by. He should be able to go to the Montessori charter school (free) for kindergarten next year.

Emmett has decided to start using the potty (HOORAY!). Yesterday he went the whole morning without a diaper, so we’re making definite progress.

Andy is loving his new job. He gets to be a full-time geek and not have to worry with bank politics. The hours have been a little rough lately, since his company is short a body, but we’re all adjusting.

I’m doing pretty well, myself. I’ve been enjoying the hell out of our new Wii Fit, but I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever stop being sore. Between that and reading tons of books, I’m whiling away the time until hockey season starts. We’ve already planned our first tailgate. How sad is that?