Going, Going, Gone
Saturday night I attended the holiday party of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's DC chapter at the happening new restaurant/bookshop/performance space Busboys and Poets. I'm normally not that comfortable attending a schmooze-fest like that by myself, and I'd only just joined the group a month before, but my friend Dennis couldn't make it at the last minute, so I was on my own. I could do this.
Everyone I encountered was warm and welcoming, and there were three saving graces for the socially nervous: speeches (including one by Frank Mankiewicz -- the public-relations executive and former NPR president whose father, Herman, cowrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane -- who came off as a gracious straight ally), entertainment (the good-natured if not exactly riotous Washington Improv Theater), and best of all, a silent auction.
I'd never before bid in a silent auction, but emboldened by a glass of wine, I bid on two items: a $50 gift certificate to Universal Gear -- where, if my $15 bid had won, I would have been able to afford maybe a few pairs of underpants (depending on the brand) -- and two cookbooks, a $57 value for which I bid twice (that wine!), the second time at $35.
Well, tonight I came home to hear on my voicemail that I won the cookbooks! They are The Food You Want to Eat by Ted Allen, one of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy guys (he's the sort-of-cute one with glasses, not to be confused with the most-cute one, Jai Rodriguez, part-time Pier 1 huckster). One food I don't want to eat is meat, so I hope there's room for the likes of me at Ted's table. The other book is the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Excellent timing, as I could use some fresh inspiration for my holiday baking, which should kick into high gear -- er, into gear -- next week. Stay tuned.
A "special guest" at the NLGJA party was singer/musician Bob Mould, whom I see regularly at my gym, though we've never met. While what I've heard of his music isn't really my cup of tea, he has a well-written and thoughtful blog I enjoy checking in with for some reason.
Another blog I recommend: The Happy Booker, whose proprietress, Wendi Kaufman, is a barrel of laughs and utterly charming in person. Her blog is equally lively and a well-informed site for literary matters in and around DC (and sometimes other parts).
Everyone I encountered was warm and welcoming, and there were three saving graces for the socially nervous: speeches (including one by Frank Mankiewicz -- the public-relations executive and former NPR president whose father, Herman, cowrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane -- who came off as a gracious straight ally), entertainment (the good-natured if not exactly riotous Washington Improv Theater), and best of all, a silent auction.
I'd never before bid in a silent auction, but emboldened by a glass of wine, I bid on two items: a $50 gift certificate to Universal Gear -- where, if my $15 bid had won, I would have been able to afford maybe a few pairs of underpants (depending on the brand) -- and two cookbooks, a $57 value for which I bid twice (that wine!), the second time at $35.
Well, tonight I came home to hear on my voicemail that I won the cookbooks! They are The Food You Want to Eat by Ted Allen, one of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy guys (he's the sort-of-cute one with glasses, not to be confused with the most-cute one, Jai Rodriguez, part-time Pier 1 huckster). One food I don't want to eat is meat, so I hope there's room for the likes of me at Ted's table. The other book is the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. Excellent timing, as I could use some fresh inspiration for my holiday baking, which should kick into high gear -- er, into gear -- next week. Stay tuned.
A "special guest" at the NLGJA party was singer/musician Bob Mould, whom I see regularly at my gym, though we've never met. While what I've heard of his music isn't really my cup of tea, he has a well-written and thoughtful blog I enjoy checking in with for some reason.
Another blog I recommend: The Happy Booker, whose proprietress, Wendi Kaufman, is a barrel of laughs and utterly charming in person. Her blog is equally lively and a well-informed site for literary matters in and around DC (and sometimes other parts).
posted by Billy at 4:30 AM
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