Upward

Suited up today. Gotta big date. My partner is the chairman for a nonprofit called Career Gear. They help adults who have made a bad choice work their way back into society. They give criminals a second chance; a way to dig themselves outta the hole they dug. Career Gear gives them a suit and job interview skills so they can present themselves respectably, and earn an honest buck. It’s a great idea.

Lange is the big shot of the org. And it’s a great gig for him. Perfect, actually. He’s always been a natty man. Always dressed to the nines (whatever that means)—exemplifying the successful, the made man. If you wanna win the role, you gotta play the part.

Since Lange is the heavy, the ML partners get to sit at the “important” table. I’ll be breaking bread with some biggies (Lange rattled off a few names, most I hadn’t heard of). One name piqued my interest: former mayor of NYC, David Dinkins is supposed to slurp a little soup with us. This is the guy Rudy G, America’s Mayor, succeeded. I hope he shows.

I know nothing about this cat, beyond what I’ve heard about him through the media, which isn’t always a fair way to get your information. I’m not sure what we’ll talk about. But it’s fun just knowing that I’ll be able to have a conversation with a guy that ran the dirtiest, nastiest, most beautiful, most hideous, most racist, most evolved, most diverse, most tolerant, richest and poorest city on the planet.

A city of great polarity. Big and small. A snarled mess of asphalt and concrete. In the middle of it, a massive granite island sprouts the world’s tallest buildings. They point heavenward, defying the pull of the planet reaching, stretching, fingering the sky. An inspiration for the world. A beacon of freedom and democracy.

And this guy ran it. He lead the charge. He rallied the troops, organized the fronts, divvied the cash, assigned the jobs. He was the grand poohbah of the grand poohbahbiest of cities. Respect.

Update:
He didn't show. Bummer.