Reply #11: If you don't sign up for the gala dinner [View All]

We'll have our own gala dinner that you won't have to dress up for. We've never gone to it. I'm sure it would be fun but it just seemed like a lot of money. Last year, we (me and evlbstrd) walked to a liquor store and then a Chinese restaurant and brought food back to the hotel for us, the Admiral and proud2Blib. We watched tv, ate and talked about who we saw and talked to throughout our day at the conference. I think we had a better time than if we had gone to the dinner. At the same time, I personally wouldn't mind going to one of them but we're not going to be able to afford it this year.

fwiw, if you don't go, we can gawk at the dinner attendees. In the past, the dinner guests would line up on their way to the banquet hall and you could see who was going in. You could sit on the patio and check out the people as they get there. As time for the dinner draws nearer you can sit on the patio, sip a beer and watch as the dinner line goes by and play "name that politico".

A couple of years ago Joe Wilson was in line to get into the dinner when I screwed up my courage and went to chat him up a bit. Last year I saw him the hallway (talking to Digby) and he waved at me. It was almost like he remembered me. He was probably thinking "there's that nut from last year" and thought waving at me would placate me. Who know? Of course, they may be doing the dinner thing differently this year since they are using a different hotel.