My dad met Barack Obama this past Friday morning. He and and my friend D, the youth pastor at our old church, were sitting in a local cafe chatting over coffee, when they look up to see bodyguards everywhere. Next thing they know, they’re surrounded by cameras, and Barack himself is shaking their hands.

Dad said he just froze up and didn’t know what to say, so he congratulated Obama on his win. Then D and Obama started talking about youth and hope and the audacity thereof, etcetera, etcetera.

While we don’t live in NH, we’re just a stone’s throw away, and it’s pretty cool to have the chance to see the candidates face-to-face. On the other hand, until the primaries are over, we’re ever aware that our daily activities could land us in front of the cameras and on the news. It’s a tough trade-off for we notoriously reserved New Englanders.

Oh, and Dad says that Obama’s definitely shorter in real life.