I've Got Friends in High Places

My friends are always fantastic, but lately, they've been even cooler than usual. How? Because they've been FAMOUS. And while that may be a bit of an exaggeration, I would like to take this opportunity to brag on them because I can.

• My good friend Ben, who was fellow RAC legislative assistant in 2007, is now a jack-of-all-trades reporter for Congressional Quarterly. If you've never heard of it, fear not - it's only because you're not a political wonk like Ben is. CQ is well-known on the Hill, read by all the most powerful folks in the game, which is probably how Ben ended up on Greta Van Susteren last week talking about Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. Do I understand the conversation? No. That's why Ben is being interviewed, not me.
  
  
  

• I like to imagine that everyone who lives in Los Angeles is best friends with a celebrity. That's true, right? My friend Danit really does get to meet celebs, maybe because she has a sweet gig as a marketing person in West Hollywood - but it was her Halloween costume, not her swanky job, that landed her in last week's tabloids! US Weekly dubbed her & "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford "pals," even if the truth was that she just grabbed him for a photo opp because they were both dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She didn't even know he was famous!
  
  
  
• I was excited & confused to receive an email last week with the subject line "A pair of new shoes with matching laces," which I hope you all recognize as a line from the song "King of New York" from the best movie in the world, Newsies. The subject line was a reference to my friend & former roommate Jason's big moment: He was published in the Washington Post! His letter to the editor on juvenile justice appeared in the Post's Oct. 31st print & online editions.
  
  

I'm kvelling! (That's Yiddish for "bursting with pride.") I look forward to many more opportunities to brag about the people I love, as I'm sure a great many of them will go on to do a great many awesome things. What about you? Got any pseudo-famous friends?