Dinners, Luncheons and Dancing, Oh My

So when the laid news came, the flood gates opened for great events.

After some birthday parties, happy hours, and the Wendy show, Tuesday I went to a luncheon at the Paley Center with 50 AMAZING women, to discuss ways the media can help mobilize women and girls around the globe.

And when I say amazing, I mean leaders of top outlets like Lifetime (who is on a serious come up!! LOVE Sherri), and my buddy Courtney from Feministing sitting next to Donna Karan at the table ahead of me. Aside from making great clothes and scents, she had some innovative ideas on healthcare.

And just as I felt myself shrinking in my seat from being around such powerful women, Gayle King waltzes in.

After a great pow wow luncheon, there is mingling. I try to get to Gayle to say hello but she keeps getting stopped and I keep mingling so Im not hovering - no one likes a helicopter. I see her grab her bag and begin to head out. I sigh at the missed moment when she whips around and taps me and waves like we're old friends. Wow, I think. (OWN is also on my lists of businesses Im watching closely). She says how pretty my skin is. I compliment her on her pretty purple dress and she jets out.

I floated back home and worked on my personal website, inspired to make moves.

The next night I went to a dinner Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism hosted, honoring an amazing newspaper reporter who saved lives in Chicago by exposing the great errors of capital punishment cases there. Walking on the campus, it took me back days on the Yard, running around campus covering events for the school paper and researching papers (Im a nerd and was lucky to do papers on issues I wanted to know more about).

Just because Im laid, doesnt seem like the social calendar is cooling off . . . with ten days home in Atlanta next week!

And it just has been a reminder on the importance on building real relationships versus a contact or grabbing a card. Staying in touch with great people has doors opening.

-CJ

(Thats me partying at my friend's surprise birthday party the night after being laid . . . thought it was my coming out party . . .and no, thankfully there is no name for that awful dance:)