... it is very different here

and yes, I know, I'm not a Republican so maybe it is that I just don't get it... can't connect with it.  (How anyone can connect with the t-shirt above I can't quite tell, on sale right outside the Xcel Center this afternoon).  But. The vibe is different.  Do you know it is $3 for a bottle of Dasani Water in the vending machine? And yes, the vending machine is cool ... very... but still.  Three buckeroos.  And nothing seems to be for free.  Here at the Republican Convention you must pay for everything.  No promotions. No parties in the workspace.  No beer nor wine receptions.  (har har I can hear the Republicans cry, "It's all about you democrats and your desire for a welfare state.")   But no, it is very very staid.  Not a lot of excitement in this crowd (not counting the lady sitting behind me during the pronouncement of the Republican Platform.  Now she was a whooper and a holler-er, loordie!).  The (other) ladies look at you and you can sense their disapproval.  They walk along the aisles with this strange downward turn on their lips, as if they have lived a life of eternal disappointment.  The girls dress with no flair.  Their suits are conservative.  No expression.  Button down shirts and woolen (or cotton) vests.   Neat. Tidy.  Proper.  As if to express yourself through your dress is a mortal, mortal sin. And as for the Republican Man.  His trousers, neat, and high up to the waist.  Shirt tucked in.  Colorful tie, (which I like -- a bright orange one caught my eye this morning, very splashy).   And then there are the hats.  Cowboy hats mainly but a lot of hats.  Not sure if the cowboy hat equates with the republican hat but all I know is that McCain is talking non-stop these days about taking off his Republican Hat and putting on his American Hat in an effort to relieve the victims of Hurricane Gustav.   I'll let you know tomorrow if I notice a difference.