Five years ago today...

I would have never guessed that a Halloween party could change my life, but that’s exactly what happened five years ago today. Not only did I win the best costume award for my Madonna costume (circa Vogue), but I also met Allen.

Marc and Jody had mentioned Allen to me in the past, but I wasn’t interested in being set up. I was loving my life as a newly single girl and I wasn’t in a hurry to give that up. But as fate would have it, we met on our own at their first annual Pimps and Ho’s party.

I will always remember that party as being one of the most exciting and fun nights. With my pointy cones, I was definitely a hit at the party. Of course, Allen likes to point out that it was a good night for him, too, because I wasn’t the only girl into him there! But I know he only had eyes for me :)

The real excitement, though, was the chemistry brewing between Allen and I. Throughout the party we flirted and talked, but we were both doing a good job of playing it cool. In fact, at the end of the night when Allen asked me for my phone number, I boldly told him that I was in a hurry to leave with friends and if he wanted to he could get it from Jody.

Man, was I kicking myself the next day for that. I was so worried that I blew it. But as you can probably guess, it totally worked and he called on Sunday to set a date for the following weekend. As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Making history

This story is being circulated around the Internet. It made me smile. I'm glad I'll be able to tell my children I helped make history

Upon arriving at the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati to vote early today I happened upon some friends of my mother's - three small, elderly Jewish women. They were quite upset as they were being refused admitance to the polling location due to their Obama T-Shirts, hats and buttons. Apparently you cannot wear Obama/McCain gear into polling locations here in Ohio .... They were practically on the verge of tears.

After a minute or two of this a huge man (6'5", 300 lbs easy) wearing a Dale Earnhardt jacket and Bengals cap left the voting line, came up to us and introduced himself as Mike. He told us he had overheard our conversation and asked if the ladies would like to borrow his jacket to put over their t-shirts so they could go in and vote. The ladies quickly agreed. As long as I live I will never forget the image of these 80-plus-year-old Jewish ladies walking into the polling location wearing a huge Dale Earnhardt racing jacket that came over their hands and down to their knees!

Mike patiently waited for each woman to cast their vote, accepted their many thanks and then got back in line (I saved him a place while he was helping out the ladies). When Mike got back in line I asked him if he was an Obama supporter. He said that he was not, but that he couldn't stand to see those ladies so upset. I thanked him for being a gentleman in a time of bitter partisanship and wished him well.

After I voted I walked out to the street to find my mother's friends surrouding our new friend Mike - they were laughing and having a great time. I joined them and soon learned that Mike had changed his mind in the polling booth and ended up voting for Obama. When I asked him why he changed his mind at the last minute, he explained that while he was waiting for his jacket he got into a conversation with one of the ladies who had explained how the Jewish community, and she, had worked side by side with the black community during the civil rights movements of the '60s, and that this vote was the culmination of those personal and community efforts so many years ago. That this election for her was more than just a vote ... but a chance at history.

Mike looked at me and said, "Obama's going to win, and I didn't want to tell my grandchildren some day that I had an opportunity to vote for the first black president, but I missed my chance at history and voted for the other guy."

Secret confessions of a newbie blogger

I used to believe that bloggers were self-important egomaniacs who actually believed that other people cared what they had for breakfast or thought about politics. And who knows – maybe I was right. It wasn’t until I started following a few blogs, though, that I understood the value in online journaling (aka blogging).

Following blogs gave me an inside glimpse into the lives of the authors. These bloggers became my “friends” and now I have to check their sites every morning to see what’s new.

So I got to thinking…In our crazy, busy world, it can be difficult to keep in touch with friends and loved ones. What if, instead of my annual, two-page Christmas letter outlining the highlights of the past 12 months, you (our friends and family) could log in at your leisure to see what Allen and I have been up to? And what if, instead of that one-sided message, the “letters” were interactive and you could leave messages and comments? This is what caused me to convert from a blog-hater to a full-fledged blogger.

Now if you’re one of those people who think blogs are stupid, by all means – don’t read this. You won't hurt my feelings. I’m still a fan of e-mail, telephone calls and face-to-face visits, and we can keep in contact that way. However, if you like what you see, feel free to stick around and maybe even have a laugh at my expense.