tonight i met the first asian american mayor of cranston, rhode island. he's the first asian american mayor in rhode island, and he was just elected this past november, by a landslide. he ran and lost in 2006, by 69 votes. he ran on a platform of fiscal restraint in 2009 and won 70-30, against an Irish Catholic incumbent in a city that's eighty percent Irish Catholic. The mayor, whose name i never got, is Chinese and Protestant. His family owned a Chinese restaurant in Providence for many years. His deputy for constituent affairs is a broad and stout latino who likes steak and avoids the doctor, and who got his start in politics working for The Most Notorious Mayor in America, a rhode island mayor in the 90s who was so corrupt that a documentary by that name was made about him. But the deputy has emerged unscathed, it seems.

you can tell who are politicians in a room, because they have good posture, and they touch each other, almost hug, when introducing people.

a room full of journalists is pretty dull indeed. but that's ok, i'm happy to get more dull in my life.