Editor's note: Erika Nortemann, our fantastic editor, stands in again while Angelique enjoys her vacation. Angelique has checked in from her hotel in the Bahamas, and she has threatened to stay on vacation. We are appalled. We love Angelique. We know you do, too. Please email her at achaze24@yahoo.com and tell her so.

In my quest to grow up into an adult during these last months of my college career, I have decided to abandon my blissfully ignorant stance on politics and become more aware of the candidates who want to lead my country in less than a year and a half.

Two of my very politically-active friends are working for the John Kerry campaign, and after hearing my newest self-improvement goal, they quickly informed me of the annual Steak Fry with Iowa Senator Tom Harkin that would be taking place on Saturday. This year, every democratic candidate would be attending and speaking briefly. They told me it would be a great way for me to get introduced to the world of politics and campaigning. So I paid my $15 student-rate admission and thought at the very least, I'd get a steak dinner out of the experience.

I expected to be seated in a large dining hall with people milling about in nice clothes, talking candidly about the current events of the day while making connections and catching up with old friends. I thought maybe there might be a slight eruption from time to time when political viewpoints clashed, but I thought for the most part that this would be a fairly civilized event.

I should have known I didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into when I discovered the Steak Fry was held in the middle of a hot air balloon field.

Despite the rainy, windy weather, the beginning of my first-ever political event was pretty mild. Everyone was walking around with their favorite candidate's name plastered across their bodies, trying to convert more unsuspecting spectators to join their campaign. If you were one of those unsuspecting spectators (which I was) who had snuck past the mob of sticker-givers at the front gate, you didn't last more than a minute before a supporter from every campaign approached you, asking if you'd like a sticker or a button or a tee-shirt or an orange (yes, they even had oranges) with their candidate's name on it.

I took a Kerry tee-shirt and sticker -- I didn't want my friends to murder me.

Unbeknownst to me, it was in that very instant I became part of an unspoken brotherhood of Kerry supporters. Fellow Kerry-wearers passing me would look at me and give me this knowing nod. What was I supposed to know? I thought that's what I was there to figure out. (Little did they know that up until I came to college, I had been brought up with a strong Republican viewpoint.)

It was because of this unspoken fraternity that I met Bob and his wife Jean, who gave me a steak dinner and a seat next to them under the coveted Kerry tent. Bob ranted and raved about the war, the economy and every other issue of the day, while I sat back, eating my steak, baked potato and baked beans, praying he wouldn't ask me to comment about anything. I had come to this event merely to be a bystander, to passively watch the political world carry on with its business without me in it as has done for centuries. He did, however, eventually ask what I thought about Bush, and I said I was against him drilling in ANWR (which I am.) Bob was satisfied.

When I heard that Kerry would be arriving soon, I said good bye to Bob and Jean and began walking over to the entrance gate. I could barely see it anymore. A good chunk of the 5,000 people that were supposedly in attendance were gathered in their respective campaign groups, hovering around a few leaders with megaphones.

"When I say 'Dean,' You say 'President.' DEAN!" "PRESIDENT!"

"When I say 'Edwards,' You say 'Now.' "EDWARDS!" "NOW!"

I made my way through the mobs until I found the mob of which I had been labeled a supporter. One of the Kerry campaigners thrust two thin, blow-up noise-makers called "Bushwackers" at me, told me to beat the hell out of them, and sent me towards the hordes of Kerry supporters.

So much for my passive bystander status.

"Vote for Jobs; Vote for Kerry; Four more years of Bush is Scary"

It was complete organized chaos-exactly like my high school pep-rally days. Only the spastic cheerleaders were now campaigners and the rowdy crowd was made up of a lot of gray-haired old ladies and their husbands.

"JK ALL THE WAY!"

When the Gephardt van pulled up next to our mob of Kerry supporters, I thought a riot was going to break lose. Out of nowhere, throngs of Gephardt subjects pushed their way through, yelling their fierce battle cry now that their king had arrived. But the people from the Kerry kingdom held their ground, shouting with a new-found enthusiasm. The battle continued as Gephardt made his way through the crowds. And only when the last Gephardt fan had retreated to follow his leader, did the Kerry army simmer back down to their normal dull-roaring chants.

I thought everyone here was in support of the same party!

When Kerry arrived, I found myself at the front of the pack, separated from my friends, and only feet away from the man and smashed right up against a cameraman. The mob followed Kerry to his tent, and I moved with the mob (because I didn't have any other choice). The tent erupted with cheers as its hero entered under its protective ceiling. Only did then I manage to duck around some eager supporters to find my friends, who just laughed at my bewildered face.

Each candidate stood up later and gave a short speech about how sucky Bush was and how they were going to make America better, but they all basically said the same things. This was the part I had come for -- to be enlightened about their aspirations, but instead I was enlightened of the general Democrats' view of the last four years and the hopeful direction of the next four.

But that was ok. The afternoon was full of unexpected surprises, and I was amused. I even chanted a couple of the cheers as Kerry entered the field. Even though the rallies were a little wild and anything but the civilized, small-talk I thought I was going to, I was invigorated with everyone's enthusiasm for politics. You hear a lot about the bad side of politics, the scandals, the deceit, the secrets, and it was nice to get down to the core of what makes this system work -- people gathering together for what they believe in, trying to make a difference.