Brooke Ellison has the cutest smile.
The other day there was a DL21C event where Brooke Ellison was to introduce Claire McCaskill. And I showed up a few minutes early, and McCaskill was still on her way. There were few people in the room. I naturally walked over to Ellison to introduce myself. She took one quick glance at me and just broke into this disarming smile. I joined in. It was a naughty, prankish smile.
Usually I introduce myself saying, "Hi, I am Paramendra, I am from Nepal." If you say India, people think outsourcing and are alarmed, first thing.
It felt like I had seen her at some other event before. I had recently visited her website.
Then I wandered off onto the floor. When you do that, you usually bump into at least a few young, white males who are huddled into each other, talking perhaps baseball. You read the Do Not Enter sign and let them be. I don't much care for baseball, or football, or basketball. I care, but not enough to know the scores. And I am fine with that. Politics is my sports, politics and soccer, world cup soccer.
After her speech, McCaskill worked the room. I walked over to her and told her I hope she wins because we need more women in the Senate. Then I asked her who she thinks is going to be president. I guess I am a little too early, too excited about Hillary. I don't hear the clear echo. She gave me a long list of hopefuls, which was perhaps the diplomatic thing to do.
"Here, I just touched a Senator," I said, and touched her shoulder. She grinned.
This guy David who runs the show at DL21C, I don't know if he knows me or not, but we have talked at least once. I am not too eager to get on his rolodex. I am not yet rolodex material. Although I ended up talking to this guy who works at the same company as David. The guy had worked for Bobby Kennedy. I was impressed.
Leila Noor showed. Dana Northcraft was in tow. They make quite a pair. I guess they are good friends. I have seen them together so many times. Leila told me Brooke is running near her part of Long Island. I did not know. She noticed I looked dressy.
"I am discovering I actually like the rest of it, I just dislike the tie."
Dana took me to task for drinking Coors beer. "Did you know that they fund anti-choice positions?"
I did not know.
"I'd rather be drinking tea right now," I said.
Dana is a midwesterner. I am a refugee into New York City from the great states of Kentucky and Indiana.
Right now Drinking Liberally is my organization of choice in town. I like the structurelessness of the whole thing. You just show up. You don't even talk politics half the time. There are no guest speakers. There is no center. There is no top. There is occasionally free beer, although it is perfectly okay to not drink, my first choice option.
And Justin Krebs and I have gotten a little jokey. There is that comfort level. Only last Thursday I learned for the first time that David, one of the cofounders of Drinking Liberally, works at Google in town. I was so impressed. And I did not know during all these months of knowing him.
This is such a commercial town. People are constantly trying to figure out how much money you have. As in, where do you live? What do you do? The idea of making money fascinates me, although I don't enjoy the process of spending all that much, although you will have to try me after big bucks. But money is a privacy issue, no? As in what you make and spend is your thing. And classist comments are no different from racist comments, sexist comments.
Getting people to talk about their work is great. But skip the money part. Just talk to me the craft of what you do. Are you a carpenter? How do you work the wood?
So I cornered David. He said yes, he has been with Google five years now. I told him I think Google is the sexiest company alive. ("I read your blog regulary," he said months ago.)
Leila knows David, but at the Brooke event Leila and Justin introduced themselves to each other. I was so surprised they did not know each other.
At the last Drinking Liberally Justin talked up some attack ads Brooke was facing. One says, "I don't play golf, I have a handicap." That made me so angry.
"That will backfire," I said.
"And there is another in California. The Dem in question has no legs. The ad there is, the Democrats want to cut and run in Iraq," Justin informed.
That is so low. For the electorate such attack ads should be dead on arrival.
I also met this guy who makes political documentaries. He apparently has won some Emmy Awards for his work. And his beautiful Russian wife.
"The largest electronics shop in Moscow is owned by someone from my country."
"I read War and Peace at high school."
"What do you think of Putin?"
"Moscow in the most expensive city on earth."
She said she had met some "weirdos" at the Drinking Liberally in San Francisco where she was recently. Justin was on defense.
"That is a smaller town. The weirdos have fewer things to do there." I was chuckling.
The guy expressed interest in making a documentary on the Maoists of Nepal. When I got back home, I introduced him to a few people over email, including the editor of what is perhaps the largest, definitely the first Nepali newspaper in America, a Li Onesto who has interviewed the top Maoists in the past, a local Julie who has made two movies in Nepal, and the star video blogger of the April Revolution who I worked closely with.
Adam and Stephanie were just done working on a campaign. And one guy whose name I forget. He is headed next to Ohio for election work. He said he can't drive.
Liberally Tipsy
Justin Krebs
Drinking Liberally
DFNYC, Drinking Liberally, DL21C, Cosmopolity
Primitive Liberals Need To Stop Attacking Hillary
It was at the Brooke event, I was one of the last to leave, as was Justin. And Elizabeth, who is one of the DL21C leaders, and Hilary with the Spitzer campaign. We talked shop. Justin said he knew Brooke from college.
On The Web
Brooke Ellison for New York State Senate
The Brooke Ellison Story: Ready for School A screech of brakes, a small body flying through the air -- and 11-year-old Brooke Ellison couldn't move or even breathe on her own. The Brooke Ellison Story (2004) (TV)
Harvard Gazette: Ellison '00: 'Miracles happen' since her news-making graduation from Harvard College in 2000, she has written a book
Bookreporter.com - Author Profile: Brooke Ellison and Jean Ellison
Brooke Ellison - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brooke Ellison Story - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Morris Agency Brooke Mackenzie Ellison was struck by a car on her first day in seventh grade and given little chance of survival.
Amazon.com: The Brooke Ellison Story: DVD: Christopher Reeve,Mary ...
CNN.com - Transcripts she inspired Christopher Reeve .... She was paralyzed from the neck down at age 11.
ClaireOnline.com - Claire McCaskill for United States Senate
Missouri State Auditor - Claire McCaskill
Claire McCaskill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DSCC : Biography of Claire McCaskill
DSCC : Missouri
STLtoday - News - Missouri State News
Claire McCaskill (Senate MO) | WesPAC
Claire McCaskill: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
Claire McCaskill on the Issues
Claire McCaskill: Information From Answers.com
In The News
Claire McCaskill intern updated Facebook info. UM Maneater, MO
Michael J. Fox To Host McCaskill Fundraiser KMBC, MO
Talent’s Bid for Re-Election to Missouri Senate Could Be Even ...
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