Rock Stars

I had no intention of writing anything tonight....it's been one of those "it was the best of times ...." kind of days and I wasn't going to "put myself out there" anymore.

But then at the suggestion of my friend Michael Wilcox I looked at Fred Clarkson's and Aldon Hynes' comments on the MA State Democratic Convention, a subject near and dear to my heart.

That was about 9:45 this evening. Ninety minutes later I'm close personal friends with both of them and "talking" to someone in Seattle. The world is an amazing place, truly flat, and cyberspace is that to the power of ten.

We've been talking about Deval Patrick having "rock star" qualities but now I FEEL LIKE A ROCK STAR. Someone actually paid attention to something I said.

You think this is weird, right? Try being an "outspoken" (this is NOT a compliment) woman in a small New England town. "But" you say "you live in an ACADEMIC COMMUNITY!" Hold on to your hats folks, but academics on either end of the spectrum can be narrow-minded, stuck in a tower, afraid of change and living in the 19th century. I learned more about the world at UMass in grad school that I did in 20 years living in Williamstown. And that's the truth, as Edith Ann would say.

A sad aspect of this is that I realized this today as I thought about my nascent political action committee (MargePAC). I started it to change the world, one small office at a time. But today I realized that MONEY TALKS and that there will be some people who will only shake my hand because I may be capable of donating $500 to their campaigns.

The good part is....I remember who was willing to talk to me BEFORE I started doling out money....and perhaps there won't be anything to dole, because all the people I solicit will think I'm a whacko. Some close personal friends will probably indulge me. The test will come next year when we see if there are repeat donors and donors that I don't even know or barely know.

Every new idea starts with a single step. My blog and my PAC, they comfort me. And maybe they WILL change the world, if only by one iota.

Peace.