Thursday was spent at the condo, as was Friday. Thursday it was myself and two other interns at the house. Most of the day was spent investigating some background into Michael and the campaign. We spent some time commenting on blogs and online news articles. In the afternoon we headed to the pool for some fun in the sun.
Friday was more of the same. Friday night I went to Ft. Lauderdale with two of the interns. It was the first time we had really gone out since Key West. It was nice to go let loose a little.
Saturday we spent the day in downtown West Palm Beach. The West Palm Carnival was far beyond anything I expected. Once again I was amazed at the rich history and culture of Florida. I constantly remind people of the connections between Florida history and that of the West Indies. This festival showed how strong those connections were. It was as if we had stepped away from Florida and into the islands themselves.
After walking around the carnival some we passed out fliers throughout the downtown region before heading to City Place and passing out more fliers there.
City Place seems like a great community redevelopment that has kept some history to the place but like so many other places throughout America the redevelopment has been built upon the destruction of actual community. In our desire for vibrant communities we bulldoze history, stories, the very things that create community. And in their place we build fake facades, place generic names on things, and fill the commercial space with international retail chains. We bulldoze unique communities and in their place create generic cookie cutter retail districts.
True communities are more than facades, landscaping, and international retail chains. Each of these things has its place but I would rather see our cities focus on celebrating the history of place that they have. I would rather see more efforts to preserve the beautiful urban landscape that is already in place be improved upon. We have enough strip malls, outdoor entertainment complex, and shopping centers. What we need is mixed use, mixed income communities were multiple transit options are available. Places that celebrate the history of the place while keeping focused on the future.
After spending some time at City Place the team headed back home. The food has been getting low at the condo so there wasn't much to eat for dinner. We were all pretty tired from the day out in the sun. Almost as soon as I sat down I fell asleep. Michael came woke me up just as my first dream began. For the next few hours I worked on the facebook and blog for Michael. Then once all the photos were updated and the blog entries posted I snuck out and off to Taco Bell for a late night snack.
After getting food I sat down and talked with one of the other interns. He has decided to leave the campaign, a decision many of us are debating, but he is the first to jump. Even though the campaign is going strong there are some undercurrents of issues that shouldn't be there. He had another opportunity open up and decided that with all the undercurrents here that the new opportunity would be a better fit.
Overall the campaign seems to be going good but it is starting to slow down. We have few events planned and even our housing isn't guaranteed. With such a unplanned future many of us are starting to become a little concerned. I am confident it will all work out. I am here for the journey and sometimes the best parts of the journey are the unknown roads.
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