Tag: Rosa DeLauro

At The Irish Festival

There were Irish bands and step dancers and more pale people with Irish accents than I’ve ever seen. More than once I commented it was probably a good thing there wasn’t as much sunshine as forecast.

I was at the Irish Festival in North Haven yesterday. I had a nice time and met lots of people… lots. At some events I’ll stay in one place, not at this festival. I went from booth-to-booth venue-to-venue like I was a politician trolling for votes.

There were Irish bands and step dancers and more pale people with Irish accents than I’ve ever seen. More than once I commented it was probably a good thing there wasn’t as much sunshine as forecast.

I saw something new (to me) in “fair food.” There was a truck where grilled cheese sandwiches were being made. I didn’t sample any, but they looked really good. Really good!

Rosa DeLauro was there yesterday too. She is my congressman (congresswoman… congressperson?) here in the Third District. Like me she understands you can win friends and influence people one at-a-time. In that regard she and I are both in retail!

She was at the ceremony last year where I was honored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I thanked her again for being so nice to my parents that night and she asked how they were doing. Then I got a little political.

Maybe in retrospect I should have kept my mouth shut, but I asked her to ask the president to “grow a set” in his dealings with Congress. I have been disappointed he has not governed as the progressive he seemed to be while running. It was that promise of a strong progressive that got my support in the primaries.

Of course I don’t expect Rosa to rush into the Oval Office and say, “Geoff Fox said…” but she was receptive because she and I are aligned here.

She said she would tell the president to stand up for these principles (my interpretation of her words) as she has in the past. “And don’t think I won’t,” she added flashing a sly smile and showing the lack of fear that comes with being in the safest of safe districts.

I hope my conversation with her meant something. I hope her conversation with the president means something.

Honored At The JDRF Gala

I wanted to include my parents and used them as examples of how medicine has advanced. They didn’t know I’d ask them to stand.

I want to write about last night. Indulge me. There’s no graceful way to do this.

Last night was the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s annual gala. It was held at the carousel at New Haven’s Lighthouse Park. The gala is one of the ways JDRF raises money for research. As altruistic as I’d like to be under our system money buys research.

Because of my eighteen plus years of working for JDRF they decided to present me with their “Dream Award.”

It was an incredible honor. My parents came up from Florida. My friend Peter took the train up from New Jersey. Our neighbors came. They all joined Helaine and me.

JDRF invited Dr. Mel to present me with my award which was a nice surprise. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro came to our table to said hello to my folks.

For the past few years I’ve been the emcee at this event. I was again last night. This is like the Hair Club for Men president being president and a client, right?

I’ve spoken on behalf of JDRF before so I knew what I was going to say and worked without a script. I wanted to include my parents and used them as examples of how medicine has advanced. They didn’t know I’d ask them to stand.

My mom is a cancer survivor. My dad has had bypass surgery and a corotid endarterectomy (I had to look up that term). When their parents were the same age those procedures didn’t exist. My parents are survivors by virtue of a single generation!

My point is though there is no cure for diabetes yet it’s not time to give up. Breakthroughs happen. Science advances. Lives are saved.

Right now there are too many beautiful children and happy families whose lives are turned upside down when their diabetes is discovered.

Like I said, money buys research. The current research is very hopeful. Work is being done to perfect an artificial pancreas. More research is being done to perfect a stem cell therapy. Research finds cures.

So, was it a good night? It certainly was. Finding a cure would be even better.

Make Politics Less Like The Prom

New rule: If a politician is speaking from a podium he/she may thank no more than two people.

obama-queen.jpgI just watched President and Mrs. Obama walk into Buckingham Palace for an audience with the Queen. With all due respect your highness, waste of time.

The older I get and the more I see of our complex world the more I realize we spend much-too-much time on pomp and circumstance. Too much effort is spent by governmental leaders doing meaningless crap.

New rule: If a politician is speaking from a podium he/she may thank no more than two people. Even the Oscars have figured out we don’t need to/want to all those damn names. The person running the PA should have some ‘play-off’ music cued up. We all know it’s just butt kissing anyway.

Unless someone convinces me otherwise we can do without military bands too. As a trade-off U-2 and Bruce Springsteen will be disarmed. Let’s throw in Ted Nugent for good measure.

I feel this way about inaugural balls and political conventions too. I feel this way about most meetings out of politics. Many people feel process equals progress–it does not. My experience with meetings has not made me a believer.

In the past I have daydreamed of being a congressman (for some reason it’s Representative Fox, not Senator Fox). My district’s seat is safely held by the well loved Rosa DeLauro, so this is just a daydream–no more. Every time I think about it I also think about all the traditions which are kept that a pol must endure. Waste of time. My blood boils.

Who are these dozens on minions standing behind Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi when they speak (or John Boehner and his posse). Don’t they have something better to do?

Political life needs to be less like the prom.

Our Busy Weekend

We found out his Mac notebook doesn’t have a VGA out port. He couldn’t plug in to the projector. Seriously–no VGA plug? I am surprised even though my friends with Mac always tell me how much they like their machines and how frustrated they are by some tasks they can’t perform or programs they can’t run.

For the Foxes this was a busy weekend. We had events Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday evening was spent with Harvey and Sandy in Woodbridge. They have an annual Chanukah party. We’ve been going most years for as long as I can remember. Ages ranged from 11 weeks to too old to gracefully ask.

We get to Wodbridge totally on smaller secondary roads. At one point we take a narrow 2-lane road twisting along the shore of a reservoir. There’s water on one side and a fence on the other. Saturday evening was extremely foogy. No fun driving in that.

menorahs-w250-h250.jpgDuring Chanukah Jewish families light the menorah each night at sundown. The tradition at Harvey and Sandy’s party is all the families bring their own menorahs and light them at once–which was great because the party used to be early in Chanukah.

Saturday each family lit seven candles plus an additional ‘helper’ candle. Helaine and I discussed standing by with 9-1 dialed on the cellphone. The dining room was noticably warmed by all those candles.

We look forward to the “pigs in blankets” served each year. As we walked in someone was carrying them to the basement. That’s where the kids usually hang out. Did we go downstairs just for the pigs? I’ll never tell.

Harvey always has fun toys to play with. This time he had X-Plane installed. Running on his Mac with a flight yoke and pedals it was amazingly fun to fly. It was impossible for me to easily control.

One of their three grown, daughters&#185 was home. She works in New York as a production assistant on some Bravo productions. Both Helaine and Stef were impressed she was working on Top Chef, which they enjoy and I’ve never seen.

Sunday the occasion was totally different. It was my friend Farrell’s mother’s 90th birthday. Being 90 is a difficult job. Ruth is equal to the task.

I wrote about Ruth in August 2005. She was about to get caught up in one of the biggest news stories of the decade.

I just got off the phone with my friend’s mom in New Orleans.

We’ve never met in person, but she knows me. I’ve fixed her computer by remote control. She’s seen me on TV while visiting her daughter in Connecticut. I’ve known her son for over 25 years and he’s a trusted friend.

She understands I’m looking out for her.

“Leave,” I said. “Leave now.”

ruth_meisel.jpgRuth lives in Connecticut now, near her daughter. Her home was flooded and destroyed in Katrina’s aftermath.

A few days ago Farrell sent me an email, looking for a way to make a slideshow of family photographs. I suggested Animoto. Farrell came with the slideshow in his laptop…his Mac laptop.

That’s when we found out his Mac notebook doesn’t have a VGA out port. He couldn’t plug in to the projector. Seriously–no VGA plug? I am surprised even though my friends with Mac always tell me how much they like their machines and how frustrated they are by some tasks they can’t perform or programs they can’t run.

I found a way to convert the slideshow video to an m4v file (never heard of it before) which was somehow compatible with another laptop–a Dell. We used ‘sneaker net’ in the form of a USB stick to move it. The slideshow did go on.

At age 90 you get a note from your congressman (Rep. Rosa DeLauro) and a proclamation from the governor declaring your birthday as Ruth Meisel Day in Connecticut.

Ruth wore a crown. It’s good to be Queen.

&#185 – Sandy went to the hospital to give birth to their second child. It was only after the delivery they discovered there was one more child in there. Really.

I Voted–No Lines

As we approached the driveway Helaine said it didn’t look crowded. It didn’t. There were more people than usual on the steps leading to the building–the gauntlet of pols you have to pass before entering the state mandated ‘demilitarized zone’. There was no line–none.

Helaine and I drove to the neighborhood school where we’ve cast our ballot for the last 19 years. It’s the same elementary school Steffie attended.

As we approached the driveway Helaine said it didn’t look crowded. It didn’t. There were more people than usual on the steps leading to the building–the gauntlet of pols you have to pass before entering the state mandated ‘demilitarized zone’. There was no line–none.

We vote with paper ballots which are filled out in little portable booths. Since other voters walk behind you, they provide no real privacy. Once the ballot is filled and placed in a folder you walk it to the scanner (which Helaine is convinced is really a shredder).

I took a photo of my ballot, but after I’d filled it out. I guess I’d better not post it.

I asked one of the poll workers about the turnout. She didn’t wait a second before telling me the line when they opened early this morning. It looks big.

Connecticut is in the bag for Obama. My congresswman, Rosa DeLauro will easily win by 30 points. State Senator Martin Looney ran unopposed. The only really contested race in my area is for state rep. There, a political newcomer, Democrat Elizabeth Esty has spent lots of time, money and effort trying to defeat Al Adinolfi.

How long a night will it be? Or, will the election be over before our late news airs?