I spent Tuesday and Wednesday down in Long Beach for the California Women's Conference... a whirlwind of politico and celebrity chit chat by the likes of Maria Shriver, Rachael Ray, Chris Matthews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Warren Buffet, Heidi Klum, Condoleeza Rice and Bono.
Thanks to my friends, Jill Asher at Los Angeles Moms Blog and Glennia Campbell of MOMocrats, I was given an all-access press pass that allowed me to attend this inspiring event (which SOLD OUT just THREE HOURS after tickets went on sale in July).
The conference was a kind of mixed bag, beginning with a Tuesday evening event that California First Lady Shriver described as a kind of "girls night out" and "shopping mall." There was music, dancing, cocktails... and yeah, shopping - as the exhibit hall was a mixed bag of public agencies and charities, vendors who were selling t-shirts and fashion, as well as those who were giving away all kinds of swag (lots of free food, courtesy of Safeway/Vons, Lean Cuisine and the like).
A lot of the booths disseminated information on women's and family health, including a couple of big name pharmacy chains. The most unusual swag item was offered by the folks at CVS: a free flu shot.
As I said in the video, I have put off getting the vaccination every flu season, and so far, I haven't suffered too much for it. But as I'm getting older, I do worry about my body's ability to fight the virus. I was thinking of trying out the new FluMist nasal vaccine - but now that I've experienced receiving the shot from the skilled nurse practitioner at CVS, I don't think I need to spend the extra money on the mist. I truly didn't feel a thing!
Donna, I loved the video (after I stopped wondering why you were unintelligible and realized I was running 2 versions), but I think the important thing to say is that you should get it even if it hurts.
Sanctimoniously yours, Lorna
Posted by: Lorna | October 25, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Looks like a lot of fun - even getting flu shots.
Posted by: phhhst | October 26, 2008 at 08:31 AM