In just the first three days of volunteering at the Democratic National Convention, I have boldly gone where few have gone before, met people from around the world and a lot of interesting folks from this one.

When I first found out that the convention was looking for volunteers, I figured this was my chance to see what a political convention was all about. I could have, I suppose, have been a delegate, although that was an iffy proposition (I was a delegate to the El Paso County caucus) and wasn't able to make all the meetings. So with no questions asked, I could become a volunteer in Denver.

I mean, after all, how often is one so near a convention town. And the last time it was in Denver was 1908.

So my wife and I signed up for the orientation class and went to Denver one Saturday morning. Instead of a lot of hooah Democratic Party politics, it boiled down to "how to be a good host." After all, this was not only a presidential nominating convention, it was showing off Denver and all of Colorado. We had classes from the Dale Carnegie Institute and from the folks who run hotels and resorts. Good customer service is the same as being a good host. Being a good host is also the same and making friends and influencing people. It all seems so simple, but it is something that we all tend to forget.

I attended a second session on how to be a driver. Driver's Ed for someone who graduated high school 40 years ago? Again, some things we take for granted in all the years (or even lack of them) in simple things about driving.

So now we were qualified, it was just a matter of being summoned. And we waited. And we waited. And we waited.

We also applied for tickets to see Obama's speech. We are on "the waiting list." We started to feel the same way about volunteering.

Finally, I got an email. Instead of driving, I was now with the Host Committee On-Call Volunteer Center. I figured that could be interesting, so I said yes. Then I got a call to drive. So I just showed up on their doorstep Friday morning.

Friday I was loaned out to the Democratic National Convention Committee (the Host Committee is Denver, the DNCC is the national organization---some subtle difference there). I went to the Pepsi Center and was assigned to the Information Technology Team. Not my strongest area, but I could do what they needed done, which was to look in all the nooks and crannies of the Pepsi Center and see which TV functioned, which didn't and why. If you've not had the chance to see the Pepsi Center "backstage," it is a honeycomb. The rooms are number by floors and sectors and then room. So 1.01.01 is floor 1, sector 1, room 1. Simple? It should be, but it isn't.

In the area not normally open to the public is a main hallway with room on both sides of the walkway. But you might go down the hall, find room 1.01.01 and the next room is 1.03.09. Somewhere between these two doors are a lot of other rooms. Trying to find the second floor was a challenge (you go from the lobby to the third floor automatically.

Eventually I found all the rooms and all the TVs, many of which needed installing. Hopefully someone could use my notes and take care of the problem. In at least one room I was asked to move the TV (by, of all people, broadcast TV folks) and I hoped to catch a glimpse of someone well-known. Someone said, "Look, there's Chris Wallace," but all I saw was Bill Mac, a friend of mine from Channel 8.

Saturday, I was back with Host Committee, doing what needed to get done, which included helping to remake hundreds of goodie bags for the media. It was hard work, but fun. And also, being a good host included meeting a lot of interesting people along the way. After helping to set up a DNC souvenir stand on the 16 th Street Mall, I met an Argentinian journalist and a Hilary Clinton supporter form North Carolina. I walked them down the block, pointing out where they might want to go. While the journalist rushed off, I did have the chance to talk with Clinton supporter. It was interesting to hear her views on the upcoming nomination, something I would never have gotten from watching TV. I also met folks from California and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where my wife's families are from. There was also the man who had created a coffee table book of Barack Obama's thoughts which was downloadable on the Internet.

Sunday was a new challenge. My wife was to join me Monday, however, late Saturday night, my daughter, Alicia, wanted to go, too. Sunday was our only opportunity. So up at 4 a.m. and off to Denver at 5. Sunday, I finally got to drive. While I was waiting to do my first pickup (at the Oxford Hotel to go to the Red Rocks Amphitheater), my wife and daughter started working on fanny packs for the volunteers. Alicia was then the elevator operator for a while (the elevator to the sixth floor of the Tabor Center, where we were, needed an access card to reach on the weekends). Soon she headed with my wife to Sheraton. When she returned, she asked to go with me.

Sunday was Green Sunday in Denver. As the finale, there was a concert with Sheryl Crowe, The Dave Matthews Band, Sweetwater and some other guests. We didn't drive them out there. But we were fortunate enough to drive some very interesting people. We got to hear the substance of one of the speeches on architecture, humans and the world, which I listened to, really wanting to ask a lot of questions about, but we are to "refrain" from bothering the passengers, unless they strike up a conversation. Our last trip involved a completely charming woman from California, originally from Dublin, and her young son. It was really fun to meet all these folks and have them touch our lives, if only for a short time.

Sunday, however, was also crazy day. Driving was not something someone in their right mind would have been doing downtown. Not only were parts of Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway closed, but vast portions of Colfax Avenue and other streets as well. Protestors and street performers were out in full force, as were the police-on horseback, on bicycle and an SUV covered with a SWAT team that made Darth Vader's Stormtroopers look wimpy. Fortunately, we didn't see any confrontations.

My wife, in the meantime, went down to the Sheraton and passed out some of those same bags I had worked on the previous day. She was fortunate to meet a lot of folks from around the world.

I don't know what the next four days will bring. And no, we volunteers have not gotten tickets to Thursday night's speech, either, unless we were selected by lottery. So much for a democracy.