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Joyce Purnick's avatar

Ah yes, the glasses gambit. Years ago, a powerful pol pulled it on me when I was a newbie reporter in Albany (New York’s state capital.) I was in a bar with a colleague, networking, or trying to. It was the thing to do in those days (maybe still is) for reporters to spend time in various post-dinner hangouts, hoping to pry information out of the many politicians who gravitated to bars after hours. We did not drink. The politicians did.

So this guy, infamous for playing around (as did many married men in Albany) came on to me complete with the hackneyed glasses line. "Hey," he says, "Let's see what you look like without your glasses. Come on. Take them off." I stared at him (through my glasses) and said quite loudly — and with the full knowledge that I was burning a potential source — "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

Activity in the bar stopped cold. My colleague, nominally my boss, looked as though he wanted to disappear into the floor, since the anti-glasses guy was a major power in Albany and therefore valuable to journalists. The miscreant and his buddy (who subsequently did time on corruption charges), got very busy talking to each other, studiously avoiding me.

I never got an apology, and a few weeks later I was lucky enough to leave Albany behind for another assignment. I still wear glasses -- very large ones.

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

I love this story, Joyce! Thank you for putting it up.

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Joyce Purnick's avatar

And thank you for jogging my memory with your hilarious column, Joyce.

More more more!

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Sharon Daly's avatar

Went back & read this column again and couldn’t stop giggling. So happy to find you.

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

Sharon,

Thank you, I'm delighted you're here.

I have a feeling I was not the only woman in totalitarian underwear at that wedding. Many women were looking suspiciously smooth. And we were definitely hitting the bar.

-- Joyce

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Robert Kalfus's avatar

I am thrilled to learn so much and be amused by subjects of which I knew so little.

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

I suspect you know more than you're letting on.

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Roz Warren's avatar

a slinky on meth!!

Love it.

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Lucian K. Truscott IV's avatar

More, more, more!

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Robert Kalfus's avatar

Wow...this cross-pollination of newsletters is terrific!

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Jan 16, 2023
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Joyce Wadler's avatar

Rob,

A spit take (SOB!). The highest compliment a humorist can receive. Though money is also good.

-- Joyce

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