Thursday, August 23, 2007

Me and EE, We're Tight

So, there I was, at a swinging party at the Children's Museum on Chicago's Navy Pier when, lo, there was Elizabeth Edwards, fresh from her onstage interview with my BlogHer bosslady, Lisa Stone. Whatever your politics, there was really no way not to be impressed with the wife of presidential candidate, John Edwards. Mind you, this was a tough crowd, cyber-snobs, every single last one of us.

I loved Lisa's first question after all the greetings, pleasantries and thanks-for-comings: "So, um, why are you here?" EE was taken aback and when she began to speak, it quickly became clear that - GASP! - she was one of us.

Evidently, EE knew her tech stuff and had been an early adapter in the mid-90s. She discussed how the online community helped her deal with her grief after the sudden death of her son, Wade. She developed online relationships that continue to this day, most with people she has never met. She blogs, when time permits, on her husband's campaign site and keeps her RSS feeds fully stocked. Oh yeah, then there's the whole raising-three-children-while-fighting-cancer thing.

During the Q&A, one woman got up and announced that she did not like EE's husband, would never vote for him and was a staunch Republican, however, she did have a question: "Are your blog posts reviewed by the campaign staff before they are posted?"

"No, not at all," said EE. "My assistant, Tracey, looks it over to fix any misspellings but changes not one word of content. That's it."

"Wow, that's great," said Conservative Girl and quickly sat down.

So, when I spotted the wee-but-mighty EE at the party, I spent quite some time angling for position, jockeying with her many admirers. Me, being the Photography CE of BlogHer, I was naturally prepared for a photo opp.

Except that I wasn't. Not at all. My battery was dead and my card was full. I whined about it aloud and a sweet angel named Melissa Masello heard my plea. "I can take a picture for you, if you want," she offered. She sent it today, full of apologies for the blurriness but I dig how it reflects the madness of the hour. I also especially like how it is better than no photo at all.

My first impression upon meeting EE was how 'open' her face is. She very much gives off a strong whiff of "Yup. This is me. I'm short, I could lose a few and I've got wrinkles so there ya go." In a word, she's BEAUTIFUL.

Because of this, I'm almost fine with how I appear in this photo. But Jeezus, could my tits be any bigger? Seriously, those moneymakers could feed the world. Oh, and I love the belly hanging out. That's in-your-face sexy, that's what that is. I'm not kidding. Look it up.

Post-photo, we talked briefly and I thanked her for coming to the BlogHer Conference, "Thanks for stopping in to our little world."

"Hey!" she said, defiantly. "It's my world too!" I stood corrected.

Then, an elbow shoved me aside. 'Undoubtedly the Next Admirer demanding her EE time,' I thought, then turned and caught the profile of Conservative Girl.

5 comments:

Kath said...

LOVE the pix (and story of course!)..it was def in the moment.

EE looks so tiny! And your boobs?? Works of art!

Great story, Hedder!

hotdrwife said...

Works of art, indeed!

What a great post ... and a cool insight into EE!

Fang Bastardson said...

I noticed the boobs too before I recognized Mrs. Edwards.

A brave lady, and one the oppo will have a hard time swift-boating.

Kudos to all three of you!

HotDrHusband said...

Cool post. I really think the politics of our country are a disservice. So, at face value I did not like EE because she is the wife of a liberal, ambulance chasing, womanizing, democrat. However, she was also a strong person who lost a child and ultimately her life but never her courage despite it all. And as Cliz pointed out she is real. Angelina Jolie is not. Real beats lip implants. And if she can win over a sexist cynical asshole like me, well that is quite an accomplishment.

Heather Clisby said...

Thanks for commenting here, HDH. It means a lot.