NY1 reporters' campaign dairy from the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Friday 11:50 a.m.

I am in the midst of the long journey home.

Dining on tasteless Mexican food at the Denver airport, I am headed back to New York while the rest of the ICH crew is off to St. Paul.

As I learned this week, being five months pregnant and covering a political convention don't mix so well. While my colleagues soldier on, I will get some R&R this weekend. I can't say that I'm not jealous of those going to St. Paul. John McCain made the RNC a lot more interesting this morning with his VP pick.

On the way to the airport, aboard the Hertz bus, jammed with DNC goers, last night's big speech wasn't the talk. I didn't hear anyone around me use the name Obama. It was all about Palin. Based on that five-minute bus ride, it's clear McCain was successful at stealing the spotlight. Whether Palin holds her ground, we'll have to see next week.

Unfortunately, I'll be watching from hundreds of miles away.

Thursday 2:02 p.m.

I woke up this morning when most people were just going to bed. At 1:30 a.m. my alarm went off, and I was surprisingly alert and in a good mood. I must admit, I'm not a morning person.

We had to be in place at Invesco Field by 3 a.m. Denver time (5 a.m. New York time) to begin doing live shots. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you know that Barack Obama is delivering his acceptance speech before an intimate crowd of 75,000 people.

The venue change has posed incredible logistical issues for the hundreds of media companies covering the event. Normally, television stations build only one set for the four-day affair. For this convention, we had to construct two sets and move our equipment to a completely different building, all in less than 24 hours. Looking at the weary souls unrolling fiber cables and carrying cameras and lights, I seemed like the most well-rested person in the place. People were so tired that they were taking quick naps in the golf carts used to move people around the convention site. I haven't gotten that desperate yet, but it's getting close.

Giving the speech in a stadium does, believe it or not, pose a risk for the campaign. It either can play into John McCain's criticism that Obama is nothing more than a celebrity or it can energize new and existing supporters. Not taking any chances, the Obama campaign is trying to make the event appear more intimate and formal (if that's possible) by placing the podium on a stage complete with Doric columns that belong on a stately Washington building (the White House comes to mind).

I'm going back on the field soon. If I'm not asleep by the end of the night, I'll write more.

Thursday 1:41 a.m.

For a convention starring Obama, was it too much a Clinton affair?

There's what some are asking now after for a second day in a row -- and remember this is only a four-day affair -- a Clinton was center stage.

Actually, it was both Clintons. Senator Clinton had spoken Tuesday, and returned for a spell Wednesday afternoon, in the sole bit of political intrigue at a convention since Ted Kennedy refused to buckle to Jimmy Carter.

It was to halt the role call process -- a normally tedious affair in which bit state players gain a chance to recite their state's proudest invention ('hope of the paper clip!").

This time no one -- not even convention planners, it seemed -- knew when it would end. It turned out they were waiting until the evening news broadcasts. Then Clinton emerged to halt it, throwing the floor to Obama. And yet it seemed she was the one standing under the brightest light.

Wednesday 1:08 a.m.

There were two big speeches tonight: Hillary Clinton's and Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner's.

You probably didn't hear a lot about Warner's keynote address (too bad, because he highlighted bipartisanship), but you probably heard tons about Clinton's speech to unify the party. From talking to a number of delegates, it seemed she hit the right notes.

One supporter called the speech a "home run."

Clinton enthusiastically endorsed Barack Obama numerous times and told her supporters that the issues they care about will be addressed by Obama, not John McCain. Her words will likely help to unify the party, but they may not be enough to bring everyone together. There are still some supporters of hers (how many? It's unclear) who are furious over the outcome of the primary, and are vowing to stay home or vote for McCain.

For now, Clinton, it seems, did what she could. Whether or not it will quell her critics remains to be seen. After all, Hillary Clinton will likely have to deal with people who don't like her even after she retires from politics.

Tuesday 1:22 a.m.

Growing up, the Cyndi Lauper hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was my anthem.

Imagine my excitement to re-live my childhood, when I saw the singer on the convention floor with the New York delegation. What a perfect interview opportunity!

She's not a delegate herself. The Queens native only recently got into politics, first for Hillary Clinton, now for Barack Obama.

She's here to show support for the gay and lesbian community. Lots of celebrities are here to promote their causes.

Some are more fun to interview than others. Rock on, Cyndi.

Watch Rita's Cyndi Lauper interview.

Monday 11:24 p.m.

Who says Hillary Clinton doesn't like Barack Obama? New York's junior senator and former presidential candidate appeared at a New York State delegation breakfast and had nothing but praise for her former rival.

She was clearly on message Monday.

When asked if the convention was too much about her, she replied, "There's no doubt that this is Barack Obama's convention."

When asked about Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's comments saying that she wants to run for president again, Clinton replied, "I've never said that."

But Clinton did seem to suggest that her delegates can vote however they want when her name and Senator Obama's name come up during the roll-call vote for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday. The details are being still being finalized, but according to her former campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, who appeared on "Inside City Hall" Monday, it's likely the vote won't go through every state.

And speaking of McAuliffe, he was not completely on message Monday. On "Inside City Hall," he said Obama should not even consider blaming the Clintons if he loses the election.

It seems that no matter how many times the Obama and Clinton camps say they like each other, the rivalry and hurt feelings will never go away.

Monday 10:23 p.m.

Stooped but never silent, the lion of the Senate took to yet another Democratic convention to support his choice to continue the Kennedy mantle.

"For me, this is a season of hope," Sen. Ted Kennedy told the adoring crowd in a surprise appearance. "New hope for justice and fair prosperity for the many and not just for the few."

The liberal icon added: "Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against group and straight against gay."

Kennedy's appearance was only his second public event since he announced this spring he suffered from brain cancer. His hair was thinned on the left side, apparently a sign of surgery. His nephew, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., told NY1 his uncle was still sharp, although future events on the stump were in doubt.

Ted Kennedy's appearance was at once somber and rowdy. At its conclusion, DNC head Howard Dean was seen with reddened eyes. Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate colleague John Kerry listened with his arms clasped on the shoulders of his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

For hours Monday it remained unknown whether the 76-year-old would make a public appearance. A report said he was waiting to see how he felt. Then signs touting "Kennedy" spread through the Pepsi arena. And once on-stage, Kennedy said there was never a doubt.

"Nothing, nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight," he said.

Monday 5:49 p.m.

Michelle Obama's first convention speech may coincide with Sen. Ted Kennedy's last. The Boston scion, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, is in Denver. Reports say that if he is feeling well enough, he will speak Monday night before delegates in what will be another marker in a convention already dripping in history.

Speech or not, Kennedy will likely at least acknowledge the audience. A Ken Burns documentary on his nearly half-century in the Senate is to be introduced by his niece, Caroline, daughter of the slain former president.

Amid word of his arrival, thoughts went back to previous conventions. Kennedy has seen many, but perhaps none as stirring as 1980 in Madison Square Garden. He had challenged President Jimmy Carter for the nomination. He lost, but after a bitter battle for votes upstaged the sitting president, he earn a reported 40-minute ovation along with a place in the pantheon of great convention speeches.

He said then: "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endorses, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Here in Denver, we ran into Congressman Barney Frank in Kennedy's Massachusetts delegation. He alluded to the emotional outpouring that enveloped Kennedy after his diagnosis announcement this spring -- a grief that knew no party allegiance.

"I think many people in the country are sort of taking comfort from the fact that he was there to worry about the poor people, he was there to worry about the infirm elderly, he was there to fight discrimination," Frank said. "I think to a great extent America kind of off-loaded a lot of its conscience onto him."

What will the convention floor be like if Kennedy appears? we asked.

"It will be enormous enthusiasm," he answered, "tempered by a recognition that this is an era of greatness that is at some point coming to an end."

Sunday 11:58 p.m.

It was a political shiva.

That's what someone whispered at the welcome event for New York's delegation – a memorial service for the state's departed daughter. Nearby were heaping servings of deli finger food and a small band, whose tunes were mercilessly drowned out by the din of commiseration.

It was supposed to be New York's moment, and how sweet it would have been had Senator Hillary Clinton not stumbled. Instead, Illinois was savoring a triumph of a favorite son, and the Empire State was assuring everyone it was unified behind Barack Obama.

Everywhere there was talk of unity. Unity. Unity. But it came with a whiff of resignation.

People gorged on sliced meats and latkes. The band played on, but you could barely hear it.

Sunday 8:11 p.m.

As the Democrats prepare for their big party, the Republicans are getting ready to crash it, so to speak.

Members of the GOP unveiled the headquarters for their rapid response team on Sunday. It's in a nondescript building on a street about a mile from the convention center. This week, Republican operatives will be listening closely to all the speeches, armed with opposition research to attack whatever the Democrats say.

This is a common practice at political conventions. Republicans and Democrats both had rapid response teams in 2004. They give the party who's not holding the convention to get in the news cycle. In this heated political season, no one wants to be left out of a week's worth of stories.

What should you expect? Plenty of attacks and quick responses to the big speeches, especially Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's. Get ready for both parties to spin you these next couple of weeks.

Saturday 7:34 p.m.

Democrats across Denver were spending the day talking about Joe Biden.

A shock, I know.

We ran into several people who said Biden would give the ticket the right "balance." They're worried that undecided voters think Obama doesn't have enough Washington insight or blue collar appeal. Sure, Biden could help in those departments, but, keep in mind, voters don't usually pick a president based on a running mate.

The impact of the Biden selection will be better known as more delegates start arriving and pollsters survey voters after the convention concludes.

Saturday 6:52 p.m.

Some people are hoping the Democratic Convention in Denver brings in big cash. We met one street vendor who came here from Atlanta to sell Obama t-shirts and buttons and Obama and Clinton dolls.

Not surprisingly, the Obama dolls were more popular.

But there are Clinton fans here. We saw quite a few of them walking around today, proudly wearing Hillary t-shirts. I think we'll be hearing a lot from them over next few days.