I sat at the highest end of the Waldorf, sampling a large chocolate-dipped strawberry, as punch-colored candles danced shadows across my hands. The crystal glasses, the silver forks, and the bone china before me lay untouched. Only a sweet berry was appropriate to taste; the bite nearly soundless. My Swiss dotted blouse was too slight for the chill of the temperature control, and the Irish linen napkin spread a thin blanket in my lap.
I was mesmerized.
The echo from the stage resonated with each word. At circular tables illuminated with the mastheads and fashions of Vogue and W, the ladies who lunched and the editors who skipped it, all sat quiet, their eyes to the sleek steel podium.
Beyond the ring were the heads of cities and divisions. Power suits, stovepipe pants, killer heels, and dripping jewels. These ball-busters shattered the glass ceiling long ago on the way up, and looked fabulous every step of the way.
These masters of men were women. And we were here to celebrate them.
On the stage: Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Saradon, Geena Davis, Diane Sawyer, Candace Bushnell, Katie Couric. The women who brought me near tears of laughter and possibilities were Jill Abramson, managing editor of the Times, the legendary Joan Hamburg, and Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief, Glamour. They spoke of their struggles, their wishes, their loneliness, and finally, their success.
The content was inspirational, my thoughts were inspired. At $250 a head, the chicken would be remembered as decadent and the goodie bags; heavy with product. But for me, it all ignited my imagination.
I left beaming, skipping along in scuffed slingbacks, and asking myself a singular question, over and over.
When would I be one of them?
I was mesmerized.
The echo from the stage resonated with each word. At circular tables illuminated with the mastheads and fashions of Vogue and W, the ladies who lunched and the editors who skipped it, all sat quiet, their eyes to the sleek steel podium.
Beyond the ring were the heads of cities and divisions. Power suits, stovepipe pants, killer heels, and dripping jewels. These ball-busters shattered the glass ceiling long ago on the way up, and looked fabulous every step of the way.
These masters of men were women. And we were here to celebrate them.
On the stage: Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Saradon, Geena Davis, Diane Sawyer, Candace Bushnell, Katie Couric. The women who brought me near tears of laughter and possibilities were Jill Abramson, managing editor of the Times, the legendary Joan Hamburg, and Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief, Glamour. They spoke of their struggles, their wishes, their loneliness, and finally, their success.
The content was inspirational, my thoughts were inspired. At $250 a head, the chicken would be remembered as decadent and the goodie bags; heavy with product. But for me, it all ignited my imagination.
I left beaming, skipping along in scuffed slingbacks, and asking myself a singular question, over and over.
When would I be one of them?
Yesterday's event, tomorrow's dream...
20 comments:
I'm so jealous.
And this line:
"These masters of men were women. And we were here to celebrate them."
Love it!
how'd you get to go to something like this? It sounds so freakin cool. I'm gonna be you when I grow up.
This was lovely...I loved the line about the chicken and goodie bag. You shall be published one day. I am glad that you had such an amazing time at the lunch!
Give it somet time...I'm sure the Women of the Waldorf didnt make an impact on the world on their first try. But with your blog and words of inspiration, I'm sure you'll get there soon...
P.S. I'm dying to know what goodies you got in your bag! Please do spill!
Oh fun!! Would love to meet that bunch! :)
Thanks for all the comments guys--cheetarah especially-lol. I so appreciate your encouragements and your support in my quest to take over the city in a "literary" way.
As for the lunch, once in a while I get to go to something through work (or past work) connections. This was one of the best events I've been able to go to so far (possibly second was Spin Magazine's New Year's concert back in December), because of how inspiring it was.
d.t.--the bag had Biolage Shampoo and Conditioner, Godiva chocolates, Avon mascara, a gift certificate for a Clarins facial,Glamour magazine, and some other items, plus it was wrapped up in a very chic Cozi shoulder bag. I was pleasantly surprised...(I've found sometimes the bags at these things aren't so great, but since the Glamour editor-in-chief was one of the honorees, I think she took over)
What fun! I love that inspiration and imagination were all you needed!
of course. take manhattan by storm.
we soon will be mesmerized by your literary hurricane!
K, how fun. So jealous. I would be inspired, too.
It will be your turn on the stage, telling articulate stories of struggle and then success before you know it...Just Keep Writing...
Once upon a time, I was you, wondering when I would be one of "them." Now, I am. And I think I'd rather be you, with all my possibilities ahead of me.
and maybe someday we won't have to LOOK good to get ahead
were all these power women either lesbians or the equiv?
Ummmmmmmm ... I don't necessarily agree with the last two anonymous posts, but I do have to admit I like that asshead's writing style.
He certainly capture's a lot more emotion than the original post. The original was very well manicured, but it felt sterile, and these last two feel alive and dynamic and unrelenting.
Also, i DO think geena davis demeans us all. I've boycotted ABC since her president show (whatever it was.
Thank you
Anyone wanting to pony up the $250 could have gone to the Matrix Awards.....glad you liked it....my organization (New York Women in Communications) produced it. Maybe you and some of your fellow bloggers would like to join? www.nywici.org
Okay--this is insane. This is about an event that celebrated some NY women, so what the hell is everyone getting so bent out of shape about? This is 2006, not 1950! There are awards for every minority group out there, so we bash this one why? Just because some TV personalities were there that you don't like doesn't mean they aren't deserving. Besides, most of these women do lots of things besides make entertainment, and were awarded because of that. Some of these comments are just needlessly negative.
perhaps you'll be published when you learn to spell "loneliness"
i'm a bit confused ... i've been a fan of almost literary since the beginning ... and i've not only always loved the writing but i've loved the mini developing community of readers. it seems to be a group of individuals who appreciate good writing and someone actually making an effort to have a voice online. maybe we'll all just tired of acronyms and hollow sentences and bitch slaps and all the rest. i liken this site to a literary spa with each entry being a distinct treatment. which may seem out of reach. well it completely is - i'll admit it. but in the end ... i guess ... i don't know ... i appreciate reading something that tries to be clever and pretty and positive and its refreshing to read comments about people who get that. and there's enough trash talking muddied abrasiveness, well, everywhere, there should be no need to sling it here. it's just mean and spiteful. if i want to be demeaned i can go to work, walk down the street, or call my mom.
Hi readers,
Yesterday this post was linked by Gawker, and I'm both excited and thankful for the increased readership.
Since then, I've had more hits than ever before; some from people who really don't like it here. While I strive to always respect what you all have to say about my writing (good and bad, though of course I always prefer good), unfortunately, I had to delete two comments. It wasn't because they said things that I disagreed with (though they certainly did) or were demeaning to the honorees at the awards (though they certainly were), but because some "colorful" language and profanity was used to describe some very negative thoughts about women in general, and I'm sorry, but I just can't have that on my blog. I want readers to feel comfortable, not alienated.
I apologize to the writers of those comments, especially to the second one which was really tongue and cheek/snarky with some lines that were very well-written. But my blog will not serve as a platform of negativity towards any group, people, or minorities.
Also, I hope we can still make this a positive place, even when you have something negative to say, by keeping it PG rated. Because I would like to be literary someday, I don't use those types of words in my writing, and I would like to keep them out of my comments. Particularly if they are intended to hurt a group of people.
Thanks.
K!
I saw the link to this entry on gawker.com. Go you!! You're going to be one of the Queens of the Blog Scene in no time. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting people to the blog. The writing is what keeps them coming back for more, and your writing is better than the majority of what's out there (even amongst many of the "Blog Queens"). Sometimes people like to spread their negativity over your space, and that sucks. You most definitely are literary and comments like the one you described just dumb down what you're trying to do. Love the blog! Thanks for checking in on mine too from time to time.
Liz
P.S. Were you surprised to find yourself linked to gawker?
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