The real deal
Saying Senator Arlen Specter left the Republican Party because he wants to keep his seat is like saying a person is fat because they eat too much. Of course it’s true, but what’s REALLY going on? Thank you, Gail Collins, for stepping up and going deep:
The real import of this story isn’t the 60 votes. It’s that Arlen Specter, with his unparalleled instinct for self-preservation, became a Democrat because the people of Pennsylvania like the Democratic agenda better. And the Republicans were too fanatical or deluded to allow him to straddle the line.
Finally.
A return to nuance
The journalist in me absolutely loved the question asked of President Barack Obama by The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny during tonight’s press conference. It was, essentially, what has surprised, troubled, enchanted and humbled him during his first 100 days in office?
Often that kind of question can elicit more insight into a person than a specific, topic-focused one because there is no way to anticipate it. It requires the person to step back and think and assess.
Hmmmmm. Maybe the life coach in me digs it just as much.
What I know: President Obama has brought nuance to the White House.
Thank you.
Be the change
This Game Plan came from my own recent exploration of how best to use my gifts to Think Globally, Act Locally. It cuts to the essence of my world view.
Photo op
Thanks to Junenoire for her cool photo of yours truly interviewing Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of The Real Housewives of New York City at the French Institute Alliance Francaise last week. It was a delightful evening.
Perspective
So much jolly stuff coming out of the news cycle today — swine flu, low-flying plane and, oh, we’re still in a recession.
Went to Buddhist meditation class and the topic was mindfulness.
I am mindful that I am fortunate.
R.I.P., Bea Arthur
Bea Arthur has died of cancer at age 86. To thank this queen of the one-liner for the laughter doesn’t seem adequate. I enjoyed her body of work — and feel fortunate to have seen her one-woman show on Broadway – but The Golden Girls remains a favorite because it is such a connector of generations, genders, ethnicities. Her expressions, her timing, her delivery … well, that’s the way it’s done.
What an entertaining delight.
Action
So cool to see my friend Kathi Carlson tonight in a Hudson Theatre Ensemble production of Comic Potential. What a hoot she was as a mother (a weeper!) and a farmer’s wife (sort of hillbilly). Love to see my friends’ creativity at work. Terrific evening.
Encounter with the Countess
Let me be blunt. I didn’t expect to be inspired by Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of The Real Housewives of New York City when I took a gig to interview her at a French Institute Alliance Francaise event this week. But I was.
Here’s the Game Plan lowdown on my Encounter with the Countess.
Ahhhhhhhhh …
This evening is like a sweet respite in a wound-up week. It’s kind of like stopping after giving your all in a sprint.
Yes, that’s it. It’s like breath.
Until the next exhilarating sprint.
Viewing pleasure
A pattern becomes a column. Simple, really. All the videos people were sending me the last few weeks (thanks, by the way), plus a few I found myself, have been so uplifting that I decided to write about it in Game Plan. Without further adieu, YouTube Presents the Feel-Good Moment.
