Hugging at Airports, Mayonnaise on Sandwiches, Obama in CA

Despite the rush of the political season, blogging may be slow as I get caught up from my trip and prepare for another (nephew’s Bar Mitzvah in Cleveland next week).

Today, I picked up a friend at the airport. It only occurred to me after we were in the car that I didn’t think twice before hugging him (and giving him a peck on the cheek) when he arrived. I hadn’t checked to see if anyone was looking askance at us.

Later, we went to lunch at Pete’s Cafe in downtown LA. After a few bites of my sandwich, I wondered if it had mayonnaise (something I don’t eat as it can upset my tummy). When I confirmed with the waiter that they had indeed put that dressing (or is it a condiment?) on the bread without indicating as much on the menu, the waiter offered me a cup of mint tea (which soothes the stomach).

When we got the bill, he had removed the sandwich and not charged us for the tea, earning him a large tip and guaranteeing my return to the restaurant. It’s nice when an establishment acknowledges such an error. And I wondered why restaurants (and other places which make sandwiches) are so eager to put such condiments (or dressings) on sandwiches without informing consumers. It seems to me they should just serve them plain, adding extras only when requested.

As we ate, we noticed a number of people sporting Obama buttons eating at adjacent tables. Later, when I approached one of them (it seemed I had seen him on TV), I learned that the Illinois Senator’s campaign had just held an event across the street. This staffer had himself just flown in from Iowa.

I was struck that the campaign did not dispatch him to New Hampshire and wondered if the Obama campaign is feeling increasingly confident about their chances in the Granite State. (Or maybe realizing they don’t need to win there to sustain their momentum.) Now, that their man’s definitely in the game, they want to strengthen their campaign’s presence in the Golden State.

I did get a chance to talk to their gay outreach director for Southern California and gave him my card with the blog information (he did not have one of his own). He seems like a nice guy and promised to contact me. If he does so, I’ll report on our conversation.

When I asked about the latest polls in the Golden State, he said that after last night, they didn’t much matter. He’s probably right. Those polls do show the former First Lady with a comfortable lead, but were all taken not only before Obama’s Iowa victory, but also before the holidays. My sense is that the double-digit lead Mrs. Clinton once enjoyed has been cut in half. And then some.