I'M STUCK IN MINNESOTA

friends,
i write you from a lovely, quirky little coffee shop in minneapolis, mn called "caffetto," where i am drinking a latte and eating a pumpkin muffin. i arrived in minnesota sunday and started work yesterday. for those who don't know (which you all probably already do), i am the new field canvass director for NARAL in ny. and they wanted me to train out here in mn, where NARAL has an awesome, well-established canvass.
by the way, canvassing means door-to-door fundraising, basically. so i am that guy while i am in training. that guy who comes to your door, talks about abortion rights and asks for money.
yesterday, an old man who still had christmas lights on his house told me he "wouldn't donate to [me] if [i was] the last person on earth." he then proceeded to tell me he thought what i was doing was "horribly, horribly wrong and evil."
such is my job.
the ny branch rented me a car. it is a pt cruiser. so that is hilarious.
i'm staying with a wonderful pot-smoking single mother who is a phone canvasser and she is really, really awesome. on my first day she took me on a driving tour of the twin cities, which was really nice. her daughter is 2 and is a truly exceptional child. shes at the stage where she babbles a lot and talks incessantly, and she soaks up new words like a sponge. it's incredible. she is adorable.
in fact, everyone at work is sweet. its crazy because a bunch of the people i'm canvassing with here are coming back to ny with me for 1-2 months to continue my training. which is cool. i will have summer friendz!
all that in mind, i am under a colossal amount of pressure. by the time i leave here, i will theoretically out-rank everyone who is training me (except the mn canvass director, who will be my direct peer). what the hell! all of these people have been canvassing for NARAL for like 3 years, and here i am coming in as a trainee, a total canvass newbie who will soon be their boss. naturally, this makes me feel like my daily performances have to be perfect. i feel like i need to be regularly making canvass quota ($150/night) starting on my second day (today). i sort of feel like i need to be superhumanly awesome.
i keep thinking: why me? why did they pick me for this?
but i also keep thinking: someone must have thought i was qualified.
so i guess i am qualified.

time to sign off and go to work. mega job perk: dont have to work til 1:30 every day while im still canvassing. awesome.

farewell, lovers.