The Big Time

Regional bloggers have gotten over the thrill of making it into the Strib's "Blog House" [1].

But having one of our little mob of bloggers get into CJ's column (the Strib's gossip column)? That's a new one.

CJ covers Peg Kaplan (of the excellent local blog "what if?") in Sundayh's column, noting that Peg is sort of the Johan Santana of local bridge:

A couple of years ago, Kaplan was at a bridge tourney in Anaheim, Calif., where she landed a lovely hotel room. "Private, quiet, elegantly appointed. I was going to be there 10 days. Well, I'm there only five days," Kaplan recalled last week, "when I get the bill under the door. Thanks for staying. Sorry you have to go, blah, blah, blah. I call the front desk and say, 'I'm not leaving yet.' They said, 'Oh, yeah, you are. You told us you were leaving early.' "

Kaplan quickly figured out what was going on. " 'I like my room; I don't want to leave. Why do you need this room?' They said, 'Somebody's coming in.' I said, 'Put them in another room.' They said, 'We want your room.' "

A businesswoman to the core, Kaplan said that if they wanted to put her in a comparable room and comp the rest of her stay, she'd move. Done! "I had another lovely room. Guess who moved into my room? Bill. It was attached to a suite; he wanted the suite for entertaining.

"I always tell people, 'Bill Gates stayed in my bed. I wasn't there at the time but ...' "

And what do the elite of the bridge world do?

Kaplan just got back from a bridge tourney in Omaha with Gates and Buffet that was particularly fun "because a bunch of kids that are in Bill and Warren's program to learn bridge in schools were there, too. Bill and Warren donated $1 million for the school program. The students came from Georgia, Iowa and Nebraska to compete -- and then have burgers and fries with Bill and Warren. Warms my heart, as I love the game and want to see more and more kids pick it up."

Note to Bill and Warren; could I interest you in a program to promote inner-city blogging?

Yours from the inner city of Saint Paul...

[1] Does the Strib still publish "Blog House?" I haven't checked in months...

Posted by Mitch at August 21, 2006 05:11 AM | TrackBack