An A-mazing Friday Night

Friday night, I had the unexpected pleasure of catching up with my good friend, actor A Martinez. A was in town for his second recurring stint on ABC’s “One Life to Live.”

A Martinez as villainous Ray Montez in a scene from ABC-TV's "One Life to Live"

As I mentioned in August, A and I became friends when we met at the Daytime Emmy Awards back in 1988, during his heyday as the heroic lead character on another soap opera, NBC’s “Santa Barbara.” Over the course of the last two decades, we’ve shared many memorable meals together and Friday was no exception.

A and I had dinner at Coppola’s on the Upper West Side. A cozy, moderately-priced bistro, Coppola’s has been serving up brick oven pizza and homestyle Italian fare for nearly 20 years.

Coppola's West: A cozy slice of Italian charm on NYC's Upper West Side

While I savored roasted tilapia over paglia e fieno pasta complemented by a glass of Chardonnay, A enjoyed chicken Milanese and we shared a sinfully rich chocolate cake for dessert.

Our conversation covered everything from this year’s historic presidential election and Obama’s brilliant use of the Internet in engaging Americans of all ages, to coping with the departure of a beloved co-worker. I told A about my PR colleague and dear friend, Morty, whose upcoming exit will leave an enormous void in my workday. A empathized, having gone through the same experience when his “Santa Barbara” leading lady of seven years left the show several months before he did.

After we hugged each other goodbye, I was surprised to check the time and discover that four and a half hours had gone by. That’s the wonderful thing about good friends -- you can always pick up right where you left off.

Be sure to catch A when he turns up on OLTL again as villainous Ray Montez. His scenes are slated to air at the end of December.

Election Night At Southern Hospitality

Last night, my good friend Tiffany and I headed over to Justin Timberlake’s BBQ joint Southern Hospitality, to join other revelers for an election results viewing party.

All Smiles on Election Night: Tiffany and I at Southern Hospitality’s soiree

Taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather, we grabbed a table outside, enjoying a perfect view of the standing room-only crowd and TV sets tuned to CNN. We skipped the $2 Donkey and Elephant shots, splurging calorically instead on warm apple fritters with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

As we watched Obama’s historic win unfold, Tiffany and I talked about how the current economic downturn compares to the Great Depression, clogging up cell phone memory with communications from old flames and shifting global perceptions of the U.S. And then, we watched a seismic shift in the electoral vote tally, joining in the cheers and applause that elicited Obama’s decisive landslide victory.

Earlier, when I was hesitating to go out for the Decision ‘08 festivities because of my recovering foot, Tiffany said we’d probably regret it 20 years from now if we spent this historic night as couch potatoes. She was right. Such a watershed moment deserves the fanfare of celebrating en masse -- and it's even more meaningful when it’s shared with a wonderful friend.

Casting A Historic Ballot

I just got back from voting and, unlike many Americans heading to the polls today, I managed to cast my ballot and be on my way within ten minutes. I was somewhat disappointed by the absence of a wait, and relieved to hear from a Board of Elections volunteer that voter turnout was much heavier during the day.

As I exited the voting booth, I couldn’t help thinking about what a privilege it is to have the right to vote, and how this historic election has provoked a lot more people to exercise it.

Hobbling To Vote: Having just come off crutches and still wearing a foot brace myself, I can appreciate the effort it took for this Charlotte, NC resident to vote (photo courtesy: AP)

My dear friend Morty waited 45 minutes this morning to try and vote, and will be heading back to the polls tonight. Another 20-something colleague of mine spent the last five days campaigning for Obama in Florida. My best friend Lisa followed media coverage and analysis of the presidential campaign religiously, moving at last from undecided to McCain supporter.

Despite all of the negative campaigning and puffed up rhetoric of Decision ‘08, something great happened along the way -- the American electorate has become re-engaged in the democratic process.

Regardless of who ends up in the White House, this active participation is key to getting America through the challenging crossroads at which we find ourselves. And, as Tina Fey and the cast of “Saturday Night Live” have brilliantly proven, so is having a good sense of humor.