Well, the last day of August brings another hot and muggy day to the Big Apple. But when you spend most of your day in the air conditioning, who cares?

Monday brought about the official start to the Republican National Convention … and, if it’s possible, it seems security is getting tighter. The cops patrolling the lobby of the Westin New York at Times Square are insisting that their bomb sniffing dogs go through my bags everytime I return from an assignment … and they get upset with I try to get the dogs to roll over. Go figure.

One negative note regarding this “Heavenly” hotel. As I climbed aboard an elevator Monday to race up to my room to grab a much needed piece of equipment, a woman and her little girl jumped on and the youngster proceeded to start pushing elevator floor buttons. Her mother giggled, thinking it was cute. I have news for you lady … to you, it’s cute … to those of us who are trying to get on with our own lives … it’s not “cute.” Actually, it’s a pain in the buttocks! Not that I hate kids or anything … but I think they should be forced to behave.

Okay, into the convention center – Madison Square Garden – where Senator John McCain delivered a speech that seemed to fall flat on most of the people with whom I was sitting. They wanted to be inspired to storm the gates of the Garden … but the speech didn’t seem to do it for them. But these same people who thought McCain was flat were up and jumping when former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani took the stage. Folks, here’s a guy who knows how to bring a crowd to its feet!

After the first night of the convention, I found myself invited to a party thrown by General Motors at a hall near the Garden. Alright … I wasn’t invited … I crashed it. But that’s okay because it was a private party given by country superstar Travis Tritt. What a show! Sara Evans will be here on Wednesday. I’d really like to meet her. Have I mentioned earlier how I think she’s gorgeous? Later.