When people ask me why I moved back to Upstate New York the answer is a very succinct "Because of the money". And then I shrug and say that it's just ok. When people ask me how I ended up in Washington, DC for six years, the story is longer. I don't shrug or give it a brush off, I happily go through each step starting with my early acceptance into American University and crying in the middle of Houlihan's when I was accepted.

I LOVE that Biden is being introduced through his groundbreaking support of VAWA, the violence against women act.PunditMom is live-blogging the speech over at Momocrats. I love Jill Biden right now- how overwhelming this must be for her. I am so touched by Biden the father. I am so touched by Michelle Obama crying her eyes out. I love that we have men on the podium who are openly emotional- who cry and hug and kiss, father and son. And Biden did a wonderful job of setting apart his life as an underdog's, a fighter's.

Momocrat Julie Pippert interviews New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen for both Momocrats & BlogHer.

Well, America, in case you've forgotten, there's a whole 'nother party out there vying for your attention, and while this Democratic National Convention might look very promising with its pastel backgrounds and its Edward Kennedy tributes that will eventually make everyone think he's already dead, John McCain is just waiting in the shadows for his turn. That's part of the reason that senior McCain adviser Carly Fiorina is holding court in Denver (the other part is that she, like so many of us, just like to sit back and watch the insanity from the bleacher seats).

Growing up in LA, I was so accustomed to helicopters that I never really noticed them until I moved away. The chop-chop-chop was just a part of the urban jungle landscape. So it was with great alarm when I first noticed helicopters circling my beloved 'metro cowtown' of Denver the last month or so. It was the local law enforcement practicing emergency drills for the Democratic National Convention - the biggest party to come to town since ... since the 1908 Democratic National Convention.

When the RNC pitched local event planners about the opportunities that would abound during the Republican Convention in St.Paul, Kristi Gray Shepherd was optimistic.

From the Obama campaign: "Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November. They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver. To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination."

Congratulations, you're going to Denver for the DNC! While you're making lists of things to pack, thinking about all of the great people you're going to meet, and dreaming about the stories you're going to write don't forget to prepare for altitude sickness. Even if you've never experienced it before you will want to be prepared, just in case. What is altitude sickness? Air sickness is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to low air pressure.

Yesterday, the Rules Committee of the DNC agreed to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan, but gave delegates only a half vote each to use at the Convention this summer. In my view, this is a symbolic slap on the face to the delegations. A vote at the Convention does not mean much, as far as I know.