Confusion

Barbara Comerford,friend,lawyer and saint, invited me to a dinner for WLIB...well, it was a fund raiser, so I thought. She said since I am opening up an ethnic art gallery, this would be a good forum to meet people and network. She listed a number of people who were going..that I already knew and I wold feel comfortable. Miss Vivian, who was Chief Counsul of the NJ School of Medicine and Dentisty, Miss Pamela,who is Vp of a huge CORP called MECO, Melanie Morola, Public Defenders Office,, all who are customers of mine, and on a friendly relationship...and frequent all the parties at Barbaras house...I was told that the NJ Secretary of State wold be there ,as well as GOV Corizes second in command(forgot the exact title) and that I would adore them both...and they aqre art collectors etc.........
The affair, which I thought was for WLIB radio...A LIBERAL STATION, WAS TO BE HELD AT Maggianos LITTLE ITALY RESTUARANT AT RIVERSIDE SQUARE....A FANCY SCHMANCY PLACE.
I didnt know the dress code, so I whipped up a costume. SInce I am an antique and art dealer, I just might be expected to wear something a bit off the wall...but not too far off. PANCHO, gave me a fabulous tuxedo jacket for xmas, which I thought I would never wear....so as to appease him...and create a :look" I wore a pair of black pants, a new HANUKA SHIRt...BROWN AND CREAM AND BLACK STRIPES, AND THE TUXEDO JACKET...dIFFERENT...BUT NOT REALLY WIERD....
i ARRIVED EARLY...AND THOUGHT I WAS LATE... The first shock was that WLIB, is not a radio station....but stood for WOMEN LAWYERS IN BERGEN(county)adn the event, was a serioes of speeches, having to do with DIVERSity....all about how we need to intergrate ,not only LAW, but all professions, corporations, board of directors....and just about everywhere....not only in NAME, but in feeling.....We need all cultures, all ideas to mix, to make life better, and in the long run, how it will be finantially beneficial as well. Judge SANDRA ROBINSON, AT WHOSE HOUSE AI SPENT TWO NEWS EVE AGO....WAS ONE OF THE SPEAKERS....AS WAS mISS PAMELA,MISS VIVIAN,BARBARA, AND MR AVEDCEDO....WHO IS HEAD OF THE PUBIC DEFENDERS OFFICE. I FOUND OUT THAT MOST OF THEM WENT TO LAW SCHOOL TOGETHER, AND THEY HAVE BEEN FREIND EVER SINCE.. EACH SPEECH CAME FROM THE HEART. They explained in detail why it would be so beneficial to eveyone everywhere....if we had a greater diversity of culture..starting with the lawyers.........When Corzines second in command got up, she readiated such warmth.....and feeling of what is needed to made not only NJ better,but the entire Nation..
Monday is MArtin Luther King DAy, followed by the inauguration......a day of incredible history in the making....Each person included how far America has come...and the joy that this is bring to all of them.....most of the speakers were black,..except Barbara and MR Avecedo.....all speeches were interesting, and not something we had to listen to before we ate......
After all the speeches were made, Barbara asked if anyone had questions or wanted to make comments...Now I am not a member of the organization....(of course) I definatley am not a woman lawyer) nor as articulate as many of them. But when everyone was through talking, I took the microphone. I made a short and simple statement. We in the room are all diverse, as you would like things to be. YOu are here not for show, because you belive in what you do and what you say. AND THERE IS A LOT OF LOVE IN THIS ROOM......AND FORM THIS LOVE YHOU WILL MEET THE SUCCESS YOU DESIRE.
i HAD TO SAY SOEMTING, BECAUSE THE GOODNESS OF THE PEOPLE REALLY CAME THROUGH. i ALSO ME ANOTHER CUSOTMER OF MINE"FRANK MARRA" WHO IS THE HEAD EXECUTIVE OF THE BERGEN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION, he collects Coka Cola Collectibles, NYC Subway things...and political buttons.... Barbara introduced me to the Secretary of STATE "Miss Wells"...Barbara who is like my publicist, told her about the store and upcoming Ethnicty GALLERY....well, within minutes I was invited to TRENTON, for a personal tour of the African and NAtive AMerican art c
collection in the Trenton State Museum...and got names of people who can further my meeting artists....etc
Another lady lawyer saw my business card in someones hand....and came over to me..she said"You gave my husband a wonderful deal on a wind up record player a few weeks ago...he loved your store..." all in all it was a very uplifting evening....
And finally, the food. The evening opened with stuffed mushrooms(huge) and fried calamari..w/sauce... the best calamari I ever had in the world......that was the appetizers....the dinner started with bread and butter, and a finely chopped salad with avocado and fresh blue cheese(maybe gorgonzola) and sliced tomatoes with mozzerela and drizzeled with balsamic vinegar...then they served family style, salmon florentine(w/spinach) giant noodles in a cream sauce with button mushrooms an chicken, CHicken w/cheese and ham(all fused together) in a cutlet....but not parmesan, and gnocchi in vodka sauce.....followed by fresh fruit(wasnt ripe) and chocolate covered creampuffs filled with vanilla icecream.....
The comradere was incredible...and though, I had no ral place there....I knew a bunch of people, and fit right in with the conversation...when it came to politics, diveristy etc. And what made me feel so very special.....is that she calls me her spiritual brother... Her brother was killed in a horrible accident years ago on RT 17 in PARAMUS...and BArbara fought for legislation, that makes knowledge of sending out a defective vehicle in volved in a fatal crash..MANSLAUGHTER.
Yes, there was a lot of love in that room tonight.....