Vanity

Today I attended a fancy luncheon, awards thing. I wasn't getting an award . . . I invited more out of obligation. No real celebrities attended this lunch . . . and the chicken was not entirely rubbery. But, the people who were in attendance did their share of posing for the camera, shaking hands, and generally spreading around their germs. (Nice people, don't you know the flu is sweeping through 49 states?)

I was seated at a table with several people I know . . . a few I see from time to time in passing . . . and a few I've never seen before and am not likely to see again. I started out in a bad mood, so the snarky, not-quite-under-my-breath comments were flowing. Then, I happened to notice our local elected congressman. He's your sort of typical, "golden boy" type politician. Good looking, but not too good looking. Young, but not too young. Nice dresser without being a clothes horse. You know, average. I was surprised to see him at the function . . . he's not up for re-election. No humans of tremendous importance were in attendance. And, the journalists were strictly local.

I pointed him out, and launched into my story about how he never acknowledges my correspondence anymore . . . not since I schooled him about "french fries" being a named for a culinary technique, not country of origin and how disappointed I was that he got caught up in that whole "freedom fry" nonsense. When I noticed one of the ladies at my table furiously fumbling in her purse . . . and muttering "I need my lipstick, the congressman can't see me with out my lipstick."

As if he could pick her out of a crowd anyway. She was really flustered . . . and obviously crestfallen when he passed right by our table without even glad-handing any of us. And, she never did find her lipstick.