Open Thread and Hello From Chicago

I've been hanging out in Chicago since YearlyKos ended, seeing friends and sightseeing in my original home town, so I haven't posted anything but the items I set up to post automatically before I left. Sorry to neglect you all but everyone needs some time off the net!

Let's just say for now that YearlyKos was absolutely fabulous, fascinating, educational and fun. It was stimulating to be among netroots activists from all over the country, witness a lively presidential debate up close, attend workshops with prominent bloggers, experts and media, hear Howard Dean give another barnburner of a speech, witness the passion of Wesley Clark for ending the Iraq war and so much more. Gov. Richardson was all over the place greeting conventioners, our U.S. Senate candidate Don Wiviott was much in evidence and was one of the cohosts of a packed netroots candidate gathering, and we celebrated with the Teamsters right on the edge of Lake Michigan. I'll be writing more on all this when I return this weekend.

In the meantime, there's been rambling through Lincoln and Grant Parks, strolling harbors, taking in lakefront wonders, eating Italian beefs and Chicago's famous pizza and even watching fireworks just beyond the hotel room windows. Today there's a trip on a three-masted schooner, a stop at the Art In, stitute and partaking the culinary delights of Greektown or Little Italy. Tomorrow the plan is to visit Millenium Park along Michigan Avenue.

Hope all is well back in the Land of Enchantment. It's been hot and very humid during most of my time here. I forgot how wavy my humidity-fluffed hair can get....

Of course the capitulation of too many Dems who voted for the awful expansion of the FISA wiretapping act angered and disappointed me no end, as I'm sure it did you. Go ahead and comment on this or anything else that's going on as this is an OPEN THREAD.