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The Betty Blog

Ladies Night @ Orson

January 9, 2009

Sometimes I Have to Pinch Myself and Ask Is This for Real . . . or
Could It Be that Orson Really Is a Girl?

I suppose we don't really know what's going to happen until it happens. Last night the love, support, good cheer and good-times-had-by-all by the 300+ who joined us at Orson for the first Ladies Night there in the new location . . . well, it blew my socks off . . . and I liked it. Yeah.

A huge room full of women and their friends, well, you all never cease to amaze me when I'm there looking at it happening and feeling gratitude and somehow wanting to say to someone, anyone, pinch me, is this for real?

Yeah, we sort of knew ahead of time that the vibe was right and the evening would be fun, but who knew? How could anyone really know that it would be huge and once again I would wish to jump over and help a cute bartender move the drinks along . . .

. . . She was saying how she had several orders "in my head" that she was working on, and how she would get to us just as soon as possible, and it was true how you knew in your heart of hearts that she meant that just as sure as she was there in front of you moving stuff around, working hard. And everybody was saying how no one knew the turnout would be more than twice what could have been anticipated.

The energy was high with a special vibe and everyone was understanding and gracious and excited and happy and congratulating Chef Elizabeth and Sabrina and me, too, and wow, there were women who came that I haven't seen in years. And several of my closest dear, dear friends were there in case I needed hot tea for my laryngitis or to be carried down the road for any or all of the reasons that might have been. And there were women there asking "Are you really Betty of 'Betty's List' . . .?" and that, you know, always evokes a chuckle. And on the way home, Cheryl and I were laughing so hard and so happy and making wrong turns in the streets like we'd come from somewhere we'd never been before or just liked the idea of riding around for a while.

Well, something inside me says now it is a "New Day"! and it's off to a new start and it's great to be in women's space where indeed, indeed "All are welcome!". . . all who are friends and friends of friends and . . . must always know the welcome part. Where, indeed, there's a wish to make sure that you are heard and being female, being a lesbian, being woman-centered, is a good thing after all. And, I was soooooooooo glad Michael came - in his Everyman kind of way - bringing those Michael kind of well wishes he has.

Yes, y'all do come . . . Orson . . . check it out. Enjoy the feast of the five senses. Stay tuned for more and yes, I'll make an effort - however inadequate it may be or impossible the task to grasp and explain - to record or capture the feel, the energy and my own deep sense of gratitude and smiles and smiles and smiles!

My own sense of how media - in all its manifestations - can be good and powerful and makes it possible to be in control of choices . . . and that high blown philosophical abstract stuff is lurking there at Orson somewhere in the subtle background of analysis and it's there in the architecture and demolition menu and in the end, the young bartender wins . . . wins hearts and minds . . . and in the end we are all so happy to have a place called Ladies Night, whatever that means, to gather and well, just be!

When it was all said and done as the evening waxed and waned, she paused shaking up some fancy drink, she smiled and said with no prompting from anyone anywhere, "Thank you for this . . . and see you next week . . . " or something like that.

And, I was reminded once more of talking with Kate Kendell earlier about how rewarding it is to see these fabulous young women emerging in our community as strong professionals and leaders and carriers of our culture. Why, they were there for sure . . . all over, and some of us more like me, we were basking in the glory of watching them and I, appreciative that while they are not our students, they always will be even as they are our friends and colleagues . . . there, in that great big beautiful space that has many parts to it where all are welcome that has much to look at and enjoy and feel and taste! That new space with a name straight out of cinematic lore . . .Orson . . . Why, well, why couldn't it be that Orson is a girl's name after all?

Okay, what about the Sexy's Back part? She was there too, Sexy, for real, all over the place with it's many, many sexy sections. Sexy's at Orson and is in all of us and she's gorgeous in her own right whomever and where ever she shows up and wants to be. It's good to be Sexy at Ladies Night, or not, just be who you are and well, quite frankly . . . be!

Photo by Cathy Blackstone, Special to "Betty's List"

MORE PHOTOS - Link to additional photos from Jan. 8th, 2009 Ladies Night