It's COMING!

Next week the RNC will be a few blocks away from my office. I'm really uncertain about what to expect. There will be increased amounts of traffic, both on foot and in vehicles. There will be demonstrations and protests, more police officers, news coverage, political celebrities, and a whole lot of people in St. Paul (and I hear in Minneapolis too). The police have been working on security measures for months. They've removed all the hanging flower baskets around the Xcel, as they pose a safety risk. Police officers from around the metro have been called in to help. Roads will be closed, traffic will be re-directed (past my house, thanks a lot!), parking will be a mess. Last week our building manager handed out a packet of information about the RNC. It left some questions about what events would really be taking place and what downtown employees can expect next week. The information was explicit, however, about emergency procedures. We have a lock down plan, which includes bottled water and cell phones. It gives me comfort to know that the glass windows to the outside on our 1st floor office are bullet proof (our building used to be a bank). Still, I think if I'm the only one in the office next week, I'll lock the door. It'll be very interesting how things go. I'm sure at the very least I'll see some protesters. However, with how upset the U.S. citizens are with Bush right now,I really wont be surprised if the RNC is met with great resistance, even rage. In the back of my mind, I can almost forsee unruly protesters, perhaps chaos. I hope things go smoothly for the RNC and the twin cities. I'm sure I'll have things to tell you guys about next week, though. (hopefully I wont be ranting about how bad traffic is.)