FROM:  Patti

My partner & I just got back last night from a pretty great weekend in Washington DC, where we attended a full weekend of HRC events (Erin serves on the Board of Governors & had meetings most of the weekend) including the National Dinner.  Where to begin...

First, as some context, I'm wrapping up my third year of co-chairing the DFW Nat'l Coming Out Project, and on Friday (Oct 11) we were savoring the publication that day of a special 8-page pull-out section in the Dallas Morning News around our 9th annual National Coming Out Day signature ad calling for the end of discrimination against the GLBT community.  

(read more about this [non Melissa related BUT!]... you WILL NOT be disappointed!) 

On Saturday evening we went on a Potomac river cruise and were on the bow when Elizabeth walked up and congratulated us on the special section.  At some point in the conversation she asked us if we were going to the dinner, and I shared that it would be my first National Dinner.  She knows we're both big Melissa fans (we've asked her a few times if she could help us bring MLE to Dallas for an NCOP event) so we both chuckled when she very casually asked "Would you like to meet her?"  Well...DUH!!!  She laughed and said, "I'll try to arrange something."

On Sunday afternoon four big buses o'folks went over to see the new Human Rights Campaign building on Rhode Island.  There were two *enormous* banners hanging from both towers with the HRC logo and name...stunning and breathtaking to see, particularly along with the huge "Future Home of" sign they unveiled later before the tour.  We got a tour in March when it was still the B'nai B'rith building (what a great legacy HRC can continue in that building), but it is now under major renovation (to be completed next spring), so everyone was given a hard hat to wear.  Before the ceremonies got started, there were hundreds of us all milling around outside for a long time, and I turned around at one point to find Bill Leopold and his wife Karla standing right next to us.  We all smiled and exchanged introductions.

I don't think anybody around us knew who he was, and we chatted very casually just standing around waiting.  He asked if we'd been to a show...I laughed and said, "Oh yes, at least 9 times just in the last year" ;)  He smiled and we chatted about the building and HRC.  He then saw from our name tags that we're from Dallas, and he asked if we'd been at the Ft. Worth show last year.  It was quickly a given that we were talking about 9/11, and we said, "Oh yea...we were there" and then talked about how sad and bizarre the whole day was.  He said that Tuesday morning Melissa called him and asked "What do we do?" and he told us, shrugging "All I could say was 'I don't know...I've never had to deal with anything like this before'."  He said in addition to all of the many logistic arrangements that had to be handled (the pending concert that night, no planes allowed to fly, etc.), they were all moving about in a state of shock, the whole day was really strange.

Later in the day we headed over to the Washington Hilton for the dinner, and went into the silent auction preview.  One of the first things we saw was a *great* chrome toaster...started to bid on it but Erin said "If we want it, we should just go buy one - we'll pay a fortune for this one" ;)  They had a table with lots of MLE-autographed stuff up for auction...a copy of each of her CDs plus a guitar (which, though not her traditional Ovation, later went for $10,000).  We bid on some art and wandered over to table where some of the artists on the HRC "Being Out Rocks" CD released on Nat'l Coming Out Day were signing copies...I talked to Suede for a bit (she's got a great sound...is anyone here familiar with her music?) and Erin delighted in chatting with Bill Mould.  A bit later Elizabeth Birch came in with Steve Girmant, Melissa, and Tammy Lynn Michaels, and a few others.  Elizabeth left them to go talk with some event staff, and the little group started walking around the room checking out the auction items.  Erin & I chuckled when they did a double-take on the same toaster that had caught our eye, and Tammy entered a bid.  We went by later to see what she wrote, only to find her name scribbled out and a new entry below it listing Steve Girmant with a bid for $500 (a huge jump from the previous bidder's offer of $80 on a $100 toaster <g>).

Everyone milled around for awhile and when they stopped at one end of the room, we thought maybe someone would be speaking or something.  We headed that way...they were posing for photos, so Erin & I watched as the professional photographers snapped endless shots of MLE & Tammy, then shots of them with Elizabeth.  (I think we were probably in some of the shots, given where we were standing.)  Then...Elizabeth turned around and saw Erin & I standing in the group that had gathered to watch and she waved us over. Couldn't have asked for a finer moment!! :)  Elizabeth put her arm around us and told Melissa, "I want you to meet two of my favorite women, they're from Dallas and are very involved in our grassroots efforts there."  We all shook hands and they were both just so down-to-earth!  I was standing next to Melissa and someone in her group came over and offered her a cinnamon Altoid and she took one and nudged Tammy who said "Thanks but I've got my Nicorette gum" which she showed us in her teeth ;)  We all laughed and Melissa asked how we were doing and commented that it was great to be at the dinner.  We did some more small talk, chatted about HRC, & told her we were big fans.

She said, "So you're both from Dallas?  Did you by chance go to the Ft. Worth show?"  I smiled "Well of course we did!"  I told her briefly how we had made a little vacation of it, staying at a hotel in downtown FW with tickets to both shows and that Erin's birthday is Sept 12th so we were celebrating.  We talked about the Monday night show...she said "Wow, that was a fun night!....and that guy came up on stage and we did the tequila shot..."  "yea, Gary..."  "Gary! that's it...it was a great crowd that night, very fun show!"  We commented on how much fun we'd had too and we'd been looking forward to the second show the next night.  She said "So you were both in Ft. Worth the next morning too? Wasn't that surreal?!"  I told her how the room service woman came in early that morning with our coffee yelping "Turn on TV! Turn on TV!"  She nodded big and said they were in their hotel in complete shock, just watching the whole thing as it unfolded. 

Erin told her "This may seem a little odd but later that day we took a moment and thought 'Wow, Melissa's here right now too, hope she's ok.' "  She smiled and said - "Thanks, yea we were downtown too - didn't you think it was so quiet for a big downtown?...and the whole day was just so weird...and we had to figure out what to do -- ya know, there were no planes, we couldn't fly anywhere....so we had to scramble and get a bus to drive cross-country, all of our stuff, the crew...Tammy & I were crammed into this tiny bunk berth the whole way...but it was great to stop at all of these truckstops along the way and talk to people."  They were both so gracious...we talked a bit more about HRC and I thanked her for being so involved and supporting so many HRC events.  She said "Thanks for what you do too" and we all smiled and did a little "Great to meet you" exchange, and Erin & I took our leave.

Wow...I was just BEAMING after we walked away!  Wayyyyy more adrenaline after the entire encounter than before or during it!! :)  Wasn't the least bit nervous WHILE talking to her....but definitely had to get some air afterward!  As we were walking away, Erin turned to me with an equally big smile and said, "Hey, we just met Melissa Etheridge!" :)

During the dinner Melissa and Tammy were sitting just two tables away.  Initially Tammy sat down next to Steven Spielberg but they soon switched and Melissa chatted with him throughout the dinner.  Of course they all got up and down a lot, having to go to the stage at various times ;)

(more non-Melissa related content moved to the second page!) 

Being a wee short person myself, I was struck by how small Melissa is in person...and I must say that she & Tammy are really really cute together! They were both so down-to-earth and easy to talk to.  We had a great time meeting them, and the whole weekend was just spectacular :)

For anyone interested, most of her signed CDs went for $300+ each...and, not surprisingly, they were the top bid for the toaster ;)  I had bid early on for the signed Red Album and did one counterbid but was quickly far outbid, so I gave up on it.  By that point in the evening, I was quite content just enjoying the chance to meet her :)  Erin & I didn't have a camera with us but the whole evening will remain quite vivid in our memories :)

Patti, back in Dallas and STILL beaming about the fine FINE weekend in DC :)  

(I had to leave the same signature on both pages... she had SO MUCH to be beaming about! *Smile*)