I was invited to a small group bloggers meeting with Elizabeth Edwards. I had been asked last week, and was even given the honorable assignment of doing the introduction! Knowing from attending so many events that everyone just wants to get to the featured guest, I wrote up a blurb that was probably less than a minute long. But, I never said a word. Elizabeth walked in, said hello, sat down & started talking. So much for my 15 mintues of fame (phew!). But, I did better than getting a Front Row Seat. I was more like a mute co-host on stage.Let me back up...the venue was the Reading Room of NHIOP at Saint Anselm College at 9:30am on a Sunday. (I was once scolded by a priest of high ranking that it's a SAINT not a STREET, so please do not abbreviate!). Finally, I get to peek inside the legendary building. However, I was right on time so not much time to snoop.
The meeting was for bloggers, vloggers, social networkers, and other on-line activists(professional and amatuer), of which I am now an official member. Loads of people from Blue Hampshire, though I didn't realize it at the time. Read the offical post here: http://bluehampshire.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2414Of course, my rundown of has to include the non-newsy stuff so you can get a real feeling for what it was like to be there. First thing: someone plopped a can of Diet Coke in front of Elizabeth just as we were getting underway, and it was 9:30am! Gotta love that, says the fellow addict!! Elizabeth wore a pink quilted jacket with brown slacks, and a pair of brown, comfy, stretchy shoes (I think she has the same shoes in black). Jewelry this time--just the wedding/engagement ensemble. She wore a yellow LifeStrong bracelet that she turned inside out & rightside in almost constantly. And she had a little poof to her hair that was new. She's still thoroughly approachable, engaging, easy to just chat with, and funny. It's easy to see her as the mom next door or colleague you love to run into outside of work. 
She talked for a while then took questions, but not too many because she gave such long answers. The main topic of course was on-line communities and blogs, but a few people threw in policy questions as well. My favorite quote of the day was when she said, in reference to No Child Left Behind, "There is not a woman in the room who believes in One Size Fits All." One adorable elderly woman recited a poem she wrote on the spot, called Ode To Bloggers. It seemed like everyone there knew each other, so I just kept my mouth shut. After the event (and requisite pictures), a few of us stayed behind to share and strategize, sans EE.
The most interesting comment I heard was from Jon B. of Blue Hampshire, as he sped out the door, "You must be pdinardo. You look like you write." How am I supposed to take THAT??
Other place you can read about the real content of the meeting:
(thanks to all for cropping me out of your pictures!)
Photos can be seen on Flickr, and a video of the poetry reading is out there on YouTube at
