Last night I attended the SD62 spaghetti dinner in South Minneapolis. I had a great time. I got there early, as usual, and went right to work introducing myself and meeting new people. I met one very nice gentleman who told me he had just lost his job. I gave him the District 6 Toastmasters website so he could find a club near him to network with.
I also met some fellow bloggers who are on this blog site. It was great to meet Eric Pusey, who brought his wife and toddler daughter (so cute), Dyna and also the other Eric who blogs here. Fantastic people!
The pasta sauce was very good. So were the desserts. I only had one small piece of cake, but everything sure looked delicious!
Many of the gubernatorial candidates were still Up North and didn't make it to this event. Those who did make it were John Marty, Paul Thissen, Matt Entenza and Steve Kelley. Some of the absent candidates sent representatives to speak for them. Orrie Salper spoke for Tom Rukavina. Good job, Orrie. Tom, give the man a raise! Tom Bakk also had a staffer to speak for him, as did R. T. Rybak and Margaret Anderson Kelliher.
The one thing I didn't like at all was how so many people kept right on talking through the speeches. This would never happen at a Toastmasters event. When someone is at the front of the room speaking, please give them the respect they deserve by listening to what they have to say.
The two best speakers of the night were not candidates. They were Keith Ellison and Patricia Torres Ray. I was very impressed with the speaking abilities of both of them as well as with their ability to command the attention of a crowd. I especially liked Patricia's ability to get the audience to be quiet and listen to her. Way to go Patricia! We would love to have you in Toastmasters!
The worst speaker of the night was Lori Swanson simply because she was so loud that I had to put my fingers over my ears. How can a woman that skinny talk so loud?
Kudos to Paul Thissen, Steve Kelley, John Marty, Matt Entenza and Orrie Salper for seeking me out and shaking my hand. This was the first time I've been up close with Matt. He went up some notches in my esteem. He seemed very congenial and friendly. And Orrie is always there to share conversation with. He asked me how I was feeling, too. It was very nice of him to show concern.
Paul Thissen asked some very intelligent questions about hepatitis C. Thanks for your interest, Paul. If anyone can get changes made in the legislature, I know it's you and John Marty.
John Marty also asked me how I was feeling and said he would like to know more about HCV. It's a disease that doesn't get much attention. It's also called The Silent Killer.
I have to give Steve Kelly lots of credit for being so friendly to me. After all, I haven't been all that positive in my blogs. I like him. He's friendly and that green tie and/or shirt he's always wearing grows on me. Must be my own Celtic ancestry. Gosh, no wonder I have inner wars. I'm English, Scottish and Irish. With a wee bit of French and Swiss.
Then there's Orrie. I just love him. Now before you start whispering, it's like this. I love Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Al Pacino, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, fresh strawberries, milk chocolate, Diet Coke, Alan Grayson, lamb with mint jelly, Orrie Salper, Asleep at the Wheel, Glenn Miller, Hector Berlioz, etc. It's like that. Nothing more, nothing less. Mark Dayton used to be on my list like that too.
It's great that the candidates are now informing themselves about hepatitis C. This is beginning to be even more of a political issue than in the past, mostly because so many more people are now finally being dianosed with it.
If any of the candidates did not receive the email I sent, please contact me so you can get your response in regarding hepatitis C. The responses will all be sent to the reNEW.MN Campaign website.
I look forward to seeing everyone again at the next event.
Steve Kelley happily interacts with a child.
Matt Entenza Enthusiastically Serves Dinner
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