Patch Blog: Dispatch From the Democratic National Convention

First of all, please forgive any typos. I'm in the Charlotte convention hall with spotty WiFi tapping away on an iPad. There is a line of journalists and bloggers plugged into this workstation reporting their convention stories.

Media is everywhere, and when I landed in Charlotte I was interviewed by a Sacramento TV station that overheard me say I was a California delegate. This is the day before the official convention proceedings.

I arrived last night in Charlotte from a short layover in Dallas in a airplane filled with delegates. One spunky lady from Texas started the Obama campaign chant of "Fired up...Ready to go" just as the plane landed. There is a bus that shuttles delegates from the airport to their hotel, but I'm staying with family who lives about 40 miles from Charlotte in a little town called Waxhaw, so I had my own ride.

Every morning there is a breakfast check-in to get your convention credentials. You can't go anywhere without a credential. Security is very tight at the convention. The California delegate check in is at the Blake Hotel, and this morning Nancy Pelosi was the keynote speaker.

Charlotte weather is hot and muggy. The fashion accessory of choice are the free paper fans that are passed out in the swag bags.

Ok, let's talk about the swag, the most important part of any convention. You end up with an assorted bag, ranging for free Bloomberg flip flops, a pound of sugar, Obama buttons and paper fans, along with a lot of notepads water bottles and other stuff with the names of elected officials.

Today is caucus day, with the schedule filled with meetings of the African American caucus, youth caucus and Asian Pacific Islander caucus, among others.

Later this afternoon, I'm attending a Bloomberg Link symposium on the Media and Politics and a party honoring the Italian American delegates at an Italian Restaurant (you never go hungry at a convention). I'll also attend another party honoring the DNC Black Caucus and a third one hosted by a startup group where band The Roots will play, with special guest Will.I.am.

The hard part of being at a convention is figuring out where you are supposed to be at what time.