It was a great party, and I hung out with Lisa Lampanelli.

I met Lisa Lampanelli at a party last night. I spent an evening with one of my favorite comics in an intimate setting. She was real and down to Earth. She was funny and sweet and inspirational. But so was everyone else. I met some great folks. Meeting Lisa in such a setting was a treat.

And of course, we share the weight thing. She has lost 107 pounds, she’s thin and looks great. She is writing a play about the weight struggle called “Fat Girls Interrupted” and so of course I talked to her about my one-woman show. We had an “Amen-moment” about a specific part of my Fat piece. She told me to trust my instincts and just tell my truth. It was awesome. We were just an intimate group of folks laughing and hanging out in a gorgeous graystone in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. There was a wonderful buffet of food and wine was flowing. Ten of us stayed late and played “Cards Against Humanity.” That was a riot! I was the only Black guest at the party, a point I didn’t give a thought about until we started playing that game. You can just imagine the jokes Lisa and I shared over that! Brilliant.

The party was fabulous on so many levels. Hanging with Lisa Lampanelli was a bonus. I liked her a lot.

I also told everyone about my show on Friday, January 1 at City Winery Chicago. I gave Lisa my Christmas CD: “Holiday Shivers.” I think I owe the hostess (author Stacey Ballis) a fruit basket or something. It was one of the best nights of my life.