Gee, I wrote this on the train coming back and thought there'd be at least twelve amazingly humorous descriptions of the events that occurred (and didn't occur) at the gathering. Oh well, you'll have to wait for someone else to chime in with that [and the URL for the pictures of WonkoDSane (with Bart; and with ccunning; and with Amy, the waitress at the Court of Two Sisters; and, perhaps with others I didn't witness :))].
I have nothing witty to contribute. I just wanted to say it was great to put faces and real people with some of the names I've grown familiar with on E2.
And I want to thank for their hospitality those that performed hostly services to me at some point during my visit: aphexious, BAR, Templeton, and discofever.
And, without implying any deficiency in the others, I want to tell everyone that aphexious struck me as a very kind and thoughtful person, and my short experience with her convinced me that she is full of compassion and bon homie and joie de vivre. If you have the opportunity to share in her aura, definitely take it!
And, if you find yourself at Nola for dinner, definitely have the arugula/pear/cheddar/cranberry/toasted-pumpkin-seed salad. Probably the best salad I've ever had -- and it cost a dollar less than the menu said!
People have said what a good host I was and blah blah denmother blah blah, but really it was the gang that made it work, because they were all willing to put up with my denmotherly requests. They were the ones who came to me, from many hours driving, flying, and waiting on the train to come here. Without them it would have been just me in my apartment, watching movies and drinking beer.
Apatrix
Decided to come at the last minute and was going to bring me a monitor. Challenged us to get his last name right, and Byzantine was very close, you said. You were quiet and attentive, sitting quiet like a vapor at times. I often wondered what you were thinking.
bozon
As usual, you were the pleasant surprise for all, the only god among us, older and wiser but very, very cool. You brought me a fossil that you found yourself and a pendant of lapis lazuli and turquoise. You hung out through the most random day of the gathering, through all the stops and waiting for others to catch up. People say you are ideath in the future tense, and you were always trying to get me to relax. I tried, I really did. It was really good to see you again and for you to be seen.
brassmule
Helped me so much with the reservations for the brunch and fronted the deposit when I couldn't afford to. Brought me a monitor, keyboard and scroll mouse. You were so kind and helpful in your silence, and you slept like a dove. You have such a good smile. We dressed you up like a hillbilly, and you even puffed on a cigarette for us, trussed up in my backwoods wares. You told me about working for Good Time Ice, and what it's like to work in blue collar land. You made me miss my old job.
briiiiian
The eternal bad influence. The man in golden light. Disappeared on us a few times, once for a chick (I'd heard), once to tune up disofever's bike (so I was told). This is the third time I'd seen you in person, yet you are as real to me as my own hands. You were lucky I didn't scam that sweater.
C-Dawg
Clearly the quietest one who arrived second to latest on that awful train ride. I hope you got to see some sights with Jurph and Jason, that you had something good to bring home. You left behind a baseball hat and yes, you are welcome for my hospitality. I hope it brought you safely (and quickly) home.
cahla
I had no idea what to expect, really. You have the cutest scrunched-nose face when you laugh, all open in the mouth and weetle cheeks. You and some others framed the circumference of the round little rug that Byzantine had lent me, drawing us in with your smile and your poofy stuffed elephant with the dirty paws. You were the one that asked jaubertmoniker, when he pulled a JayBonci on us and called, a question your team was stumbling over in Trivial Pursuit where the teams were basically two halves of a full room of people on the floor. You brought me a monitor and have enabled me to write from home again. You brought me a magnet from mkb. You brought me more than you know.
ccunning
I was glad I got to goof on you this go around. I hope you like those glasses amd that you managed to keep them after you left. Always the willing butt of jokes, always laughing unless you were sleeping. You convinced me to steal that Lambic glass from DBA, you bastard. Hope you enjoy that too and that we see you again. How many times did we say you could, um, you know? I think it was 3.
dann
You have a great smile and wild hair. And what cool corduroy. You were quiet a lot, as I am usually, and I wondered what it was you thought of the whole mess. Since you stayed with discofever, I didn't have to worry over you, and I'm sure you were glad, because you seem to take care of yourself just fine.
Dataknife
Quiet, and not able to stay at my place after all because of all the smoke at my place. Tall dude. Told me how he has to dangle his legs outside the tub when he takes a bath. Made a mix CD, a copy of which got left at my place. Instigated the umbilical connections of laptops on the floor, swapping photos from the weekend. I hope it was worth the trip, all this silliness.
Indra363
When you first arrived, I worried that you would have a good time, because you were quiet and we didn't know each other really at all. I was so glad to have a space in time to talk to you one on one, because I got to see what you were like and how you saw things. You brought me a cute cow magnet from Iowa and we talked about hating our jobs. I am also glad that we all went to DBA and found space in the back to see each other. You did mind erasers and a shot of flaming Vodka. Jesse Jackson once called you darlin' and you got see Rocky Horror at the 735 Club. I do hope you get to visit again.
Jurph
I was so looking forward to meeting you. The magnets of Ocean City and Bethany Beach made me so happy, you have no idea. And you simply must know what a hottie you are. Some of us girls were giggling about you. To talk about home with someone is such a gift. You made your visit here totally your own, and bless you for bringing me duck from NOLA. It will be a long time before I see Delaware plates again.
your friend Jason
Yes, you indeed did raise the bar for non-noder friends, and you made me appreciate the cool addition they can bring. Your friendship was refreshing to hear about, the closeness and unity of it, make me smile. While I'm sure we didn't make you feel left out, you fit yourself right in, like you were always there. Since neither of you had been here, I am glad to know it was such an awesome first time. I remember you saying something like, "there's all the drinking and drugs and shit and then, there's college." I admire your focus. I remember passing you two in your L-shape fortress by the window and how peacefully you slept. You brought a pair of horns you bought at a ren fest. You fell asleep waiting for some things, and I tickled your node once, but you likely didn't know it was me.
jethro bodine
You were the one that woke the gang Saturday morning. At first I worried that you would miss out on things because you slept all that day, and most of that night. When I returned the next morning, you were in the kitchen dormer, your head facing the window. You said you could see Orion in the sky. You and that mane and steely eyes. I liked standing on the steps with you outside, and I loved the $3.50 suit you wore to the brunch with black Chucks. With the pinstriped vest, you looked like such a skewed gangsta, when we photographed you with the cash wad from the brunch tab. Knowing you like to walk barefoot, see some road rash from your bike, all of this made sense on you.
karmaflux
My one image of you is you and your girlfriend facing each other, sitting on the floor in the kitchen dormer, sharing touches and coffee. At first you weren't going to attend the brunch, but I'm glad you did. I remember how puzzled you were trying to find Suzy's apartment, and how little time you got to sleep. I hope next time I can actually talk to you more, or that you and Carson can talk shop, or whatever it is you boys do.
your girlfriend, duffski
You have such a cool smile. I remember seeing you passed out in the back of Medieval's car, and how sleepy you must have been. I remember you leaned against your boyfriend in the living room because you were tired and there was nowhere else to sit. Again I wished I could have talked with you more. Maybe you can come visit again and take part in the longest distance double-date in the history of noder-dom, or something like that.
Li_Kao
You have an evil grin. You told me of siouxsie's recent losses, and how hard things must be right now for her. I wondered what you thought of all this madness erupting, and hoped you had a good time.
Medieval
Your party headcount changed so many times, I'm surprised anything worked out. Grr. What on earth did you do while you were here? You disappeared so many times. You were the lucky one who got to read the cards for your team in the Trivial Pursuit game. Your preowned police car got C!ed, and luckily nothing bad happened to it.
your friend servious
I told some people you looked cherubic with your long lashes and pale skin. You were the one who got the other geeks to doing something with Linux with cuss words. That was too funny. Like Medieval, you were not around much, but I hope you enjoyed what time got spent here.
Mitzi
First thing you did, silly bird, was step in an ashtray and then on the carpet with your big feet. You have such a big smile. There you were, always frettin' that we would never really get to talk. The thing is that for gatherings, people seldom want to have heart-to-heart conversations. If you were able to get any out any of the gang, you were lucky. I remember you telling me about your friend who is paralyzed (gosh I hope I got the right chick) and how it happened, how sad and fortunate life it when it teaches you something. You fretted about money and almost losing your wallet, but we got you drunk anyway.
m_turner
One of the first ones to arrive. I had no clue you were coming from California until you got here. You taught me about infared film and what it does to pictures. You're also the reason, I think, that I have an entire cheescake in my fridge. I was glad to got to go touring with Jurph and Jason. You got an antique map of your home state. You have hair down to your butt and a goofy smile. Someone once told you, that with your beard, you looked like Brad Pitt from Snatch. You are a sweet geek.
NightShadow
Despite your tummy, the fact that Suzy never did get around to shaving your head, and the fact that Carson almost killed you twice getting in and out of his car, I hope you had a good time. While I was on round one of cleaning up the aftermath, you went on what sounded like a Beat rant about Café Coco to the audience leftover from the primary evacuation, afterwards discofever snapped his fingers in what I believe is Beat applause. You told me two things: that I am a kick ass denmother and that this isn't all there is. I hope you are right, on both counts.
oenone
You told me about your struggle in solitude. You fell asleep on zot-fot-pig and played with WonkoDSane's hair. You were 8th in the shower line once and likely got mostly cold water. I think you still have my sweatshirt I lent you so you wouldn't get cold from the Tool show, but you can have it if you want, just mind the safety pins holding one pocket on. I loved hearing you talk, your accent. You were so cute when you were sleeping. You brought me an armadillo magnet from Texas and gave me your butterfly ring, which I now lovingly wear. You need to come back here, soon.
panamaus
I was so glad you came! It's like meeting some long lost friend. Like bozon, you worried that I was worrying too much. You brought me a Florida magnet you'd been holding on to for a few years. You bought all these postcards and then left them here, silly. I hope I got a picture of you smiling, cause you gots a purdy one. We didn't mention Adam; maybe it wasn't on our minds, but he did (kinda) bring us together, because we both loved him. I am seeking to learn more about you.
your friend Lee
You introduced panamaus as a doctor, a gynecologist, even. You are a trip, dude. I did roll my eyes at your from time to time, but you were a bona fide hoot, all the way to your flamey dragon shirt. We talked about growing up on the beach; you read the letter to the editor I sent in. You made the dirtiest martini that I could barely stand it. You told me about your family, your children. You said you lost your soul on Bourbon Street. Well, I still think you got some soul, brother.
Pyrogenic
You have the most intriguing eyes, though they are hard to see under your brow. You were hoping to get your hair hit with Suzy's clippers. You wore my redneck clothes too. You stretched out over the girls for a photo shoot at DBA. I loved the green shirt you wore to brunch. Now that I've met you, I'm reading all your nodes. I read your last daylog, and I don't get it. Every guy not with a girl is always the one I would have gone for, but it will never be me.
sauth
The token newbie that managed to fit in so well it was scary. I went to pick you up near Loyola and you're wearing an "I Am an Opera Singer." You were pale and bald headed and maybe a little nervous, but it didn't last long. You brought over video games and stayed just to be around all the noders coming and going in my apartment. You learned what we already knew: noders rock!. Since you're local and all, I am sure we will see one another again.
Toastido
The first thing you said to me when we woke you up from a nap in Bryan and Suzy's bedroom was, "I thought you were a guy." I didn't know if that was in the Matrix sense or if I was looking particularly guy-like that day, but I forgave you. You have a cute smile. Like me, you feel old at too young an age. You brought me a bottle of wine as a thank you.
WonkoDSane
At the last gathering, I guess I got the wrong impression you were evil and awful and scary, but whether that is accurate or not, you were a teddy bear while you were, helping me not worry about the noise level at 3am. Still, you did coerce Jurph into stealing that pitcher from that bar on Bourbon, you smoking jacket wearing minx. So you're evil, but it's a good kind of evil. I hope I belched enough this time to make your trip worthwhile. You, I believe, were the one that brought me a magnet made of a small framed picture of a street sign with my username, Templeton. Handpainted all around it says "Home of the Wonkoalition, Nashville, TN." That is way fucking too cool.
zot-fot-pig
2001.10.30@16:48 zot-fot-piq says I am also missing a tape I made of the trip for tandex and the remote for my fighting robot. I probably have them both, but if you stumble on them...
Yes, I think you were the one who bought the battle robots. We swore one of them was actually saying the word "pussy" in a sentence. And Lego kits, one of which had a wee Chewbacca. You made an audio tape for tandex, who sadly and at the last minute, couldn't come. I remember being lucky enough to be awake for the creation of Our Lady of Nocturnal Emissions as a patron saint for God knows what. And yay for flamey shoes!
Note: If I didn't mention you, tell me, dammit! We had 32 people total. I'd like to see you not leave anyone out. Also, I only wanted to put a snippet in about each person. You want me to plug you more, you gots to come visit like, 2 or 3 at a time or something.
Processed Cheese ˇ Exit 15 ˇ Bring me some pie, bitch! ˇ The Patron Saint of Immaculate Emissions ˇ How many times can Chad suck Carsons cock? ˇ The Human Keychain ˇ one way signs ˇ bless your heart ˇ glowsticks ˇ chicken rings ˇ chad's fragile ass ˇ 735 ˇ peter meters ˇ mapquest ˇ Route 75 ˇ Naked Gun ˇ papasan ˇ beads ˇ Bart's Moral Dilemma ˇ Victor ˇ Noder Crushes ˇ boobs ˇ tape recorders ˇ crawfish ˇ battle bots ˇ the gigantic hole in my muffler ˇ refrigerator magnets ˇ kerosene ˇ barrel of monkies ˇ stripey gloves ˇ cock smoking ˇ legos ˇ E ˇ fuzzy dice ˇ cloves ˇ UPS ˇ briiiiian ˇ Mitzi ˇ Indra363 ˇ pyrogenic ˇ Café du Monde ˇ beignets ˇ praline cookies ˇ $74.99 ˇ cavemen in three piece suits ˇ nipples ˇ navigators ˇ plungers ˇ cigar ash ˇ m_turner in the catbox ˇ Bob Ross and his fro ˇ tightie whities ˇ car bombs ˇmind erasers ˇ flaming dr. peppers ˇ blisters ˇ fuck me boots ˇ fuck me pants ˇ traffic ˇ roadkill ˇ Centerville, PA ˇ elephant pilliow ˇ jay who? ˇ I've been tampered with! ˇ gonads 8 ˇ smarmy hitchhikers ˇ blee-ach ˇ brassmule ˇ sequin boleros ˇ Desire Oyster Bar ˇ Fuckin New York ˇ ccunning's mix cd ˇ hot lesbo action ˇ boones farm ˇ sweet dreams ˇ nipple lamp ˇ Stan's Beverage ˇ You put your weed in it. ˇ sunrises ˇ the Doves ˇ Radiohead ˇ nice dream ˇ sea song roger that ha ha ha to you jaybonci... you missed one hell of a time!
Thursday, October 25, 2001
the more I wrote this node, the harder it was to finish, PLEASE msg me with corrections, additions, anything...
A Public Apology
___________________________________
Please extend my thanks to the friendly noders for their generosity and hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet (most of) them. Special thanks to Templeton for the accommodations (the best I've seen — hardly any rats!). Also, thanks to Brass Monkey for the cover CD. We've been bluegrassin' to Gin and Juice for a week now, beotch. Also, let Green Eggs and Hair (I couldn't remember her handle. Is it Asphyxia?) know I certainly enjoyed the tour of the Bataan Peninsula and French Quarter. Hope to do it again sometime. Then I'll be prepared and bring my leather pants with the ass cut out so I'll fit in down in the Fruit Loop. Yee-haw, sailor!
A Debt of Gratitude
Noders ROCK. And I'm not talking "Oh, you're pretty cool," or "That's a nice writeup you did about so-and-so." I mean NODERS FUCKING RULE. I have travelled by car and by plane to various far-flung places in my home country now just to meet with some of you for a few days at a time, and every experience I've had has been so amazing and magical and wonderful and memorable that I can hardly express it in words. There are not enough words. THERE ARE NO WORDS.
It all started for me with that flight to Boston. Huddled in the back seat of Adam's car between Will and Tedd as we rocketed through the night towards the Denny's in Nashua; sitting in the back yard with Ellen as wharfinger played guitar (he wouldn't want me to mention his real name, I'm sure); hanging out in Harvard Square with Narbey and Miller after my flight home had been cancelled. Or harmonizing (such as it was) with Andy and Bart and Chad and so many others underneath that overpass on the Appalachian Trail late one summer evening; sitting on the lawn with JP as the dew fell lightly on our shoulders. Or playing laser tag with Rosie and Kendall and Carla on a rainy Saturday night in Grand Rapids; shopping at Meijer and cooking all afternoon in that wonderful kitchen with Jared; pissing off Tom at 4AM as we tried to save the last of the fondue. Or lying on Scott's bed with Dann chatting in the channel on his laptop, goofing at the web cam with Kurt; riding in Conrad's police-issue Crown Vic to the Walgreen's for rubbing alcohol and tennis balls at midnight. Or standing on the balcony of 735 Bourbon with Suzie and Mike and Josh, soaking it all in that we were all together in this place, and that was really, really, really the only thing that mattered; browsing through the map store with Michael and Clarence, or sitting in Laura's living room with Ashley, engrossed in conversation, while Brian lit another bowl and we all just hung on to the passing moments like they were the precious fleeting quintessence of our lives. They were.
I could go down the list of attendees, mentioning all of you individually, but our watchful protecting denmother took care of that already. Some of you (bozon, Indra363, oenone, etc.) whom I barely got the chance to speak with, I want you to know that each of you made a very dear impression upon me that I will carry with me in my heart. For those of you who I have neglected to mention by name, trust me when I say that the time I was able to spend with you was most treasured, whether it was our first meeting or our nth. (You know who you are.)
I do feel that a certain amount of individual thanks is in order, however.
Carson, Suzy, Bryan, Ken: Thank you for hosting us in your homes and in your fair city, showing us around, and making the whole experience so comfortable. Since I've been there many times, I know that The Big Easy can be a strange and dangerous place, yet you made us all feel like we were welcome and safe. We all owe you a great debt of thanks for your hospitality and trouble. I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say we love you very much.
And especially to Laura: Thank you so much for planning and organizing the gathering. All of the above applies to you ten-fold. It was so wonderful to finally meet you, to hug you and see you and be in your presence. I know we didn't get the chance to talk about Adam, but he was in my thoughts as I know he was in yours. And I feel that the day will come when we will both sit down over coffee and cry together as we share the common bond we have with him. Thanks for putting up with Lee. And thanks for being so special. I love you most of all.
A Minor Footnote
However, I did get to see Better Than Ezra, Tool, Bush and The Black Crowes perform live in the bitter cold on Saturday night. That was pretty cool. But to tell you to truth, I would much rather have spent that time at D.B.A. with the other noders. Because I can go see a concert any old time, but my time spent with other folks from E2 is rare and special, and I shouldn't have squandered it. Every moment counts. And this is something that I knew already. I won't make that mistake again.
Laura, honey... I know you thought that the Voodoo Festival would be a good draw to get folks to come down to Nawlins for the gathering, and that was a good idea. But in my humble analysis, we don't need any other reason to come to a gathering. We gather together so that we can all be together. That's all that really matters.
toastido and I left Nashville, in his little red bitch of a car, at around 6 AM on Friday morning. I had worked the night before and I was bushed. I don't recall all of the trip because I drifted in and out of sleep the entire way. Birmingham, Huntsville and a few other places jumped out at me, a few pit stops for gas along the way... it's all a hazy blur in my adled memory. I've slept since then. I know we were making damn good time. toastido likes to drive with his window cracked a bit, letting the cold air envigorate him. I'm from California (originally, not recently... I haven't lived in Cali since I was 7 years old)- Cali's lasting legacy on me is that cold weather hurts in ways I cannot endure. If it gets below sixty degrees my toes turn blue. I spent most of the trip down to New Orleans tucked away under my trench coat and not caring if a Mack truck ran us off the road or not as long as it was a warm truck.
We arrived in New Orleans in one piece by 2 PM Friday. toastido was getting navigational directions from his cell phone, which led us astray at odd angles. We learned quickly that to drive in New Orleans is to invite death. Inside of 20 minutes we managed to avoid 3 auto accidents. Our first impression of N.O.'s road and ways system was less than favorable. I think the words "New Orleans" "drivers" "shot" "roads" "should be turned into a parking lot" and "Oh, shit!" were screamed a few times- by me. If I didn't actually say them, I was definitely thinking them... and I was just the passenger.
We finally found our way to aphexious and BAR's charming loft apartment (hardwood floors, one-bedroom, cable modem, love seat- that about covers it). I've known both of them for a good while now and I have to say that they've done well for themselves, considering their circumstances. I'm right proud of all they've accomplished in such a short period of time- both independently and together, as a couple. I consider them to be damn fine friends and couldn't think of better hosts.
I wondered how the logistics of me sleeping with them would work out.
It seemed that toastido and I were the first to arrive. BAR greeted us, aphexious was still at work. Details get sketchy here, but I believe that m_turner was next, then c-dawg and finally Indra363. The rest were due to arrive later. m_turner, Indra363 and myself elected to take a stroll down St. Charles Street in search of consumables. Little did I know at the time, but this was to be the beginning of my misery in New Orleans: I ate cheese fries and paid dearly for it for 2 days straight.
Damn my stomach. I wish I had a new one. Can you order replacement organs through the mail? I ain't got much money, but my current stomach has got to go. It's on its last legs (mine).
Gastritis is an ugly, ugly thing for a person to endure. It's especially unpleasant when the patient is far away from home and is already stressed out.
We made a trip over to Templeton's place and met a few of the other noders (the cast was still pretty small at that point). Templeton's new digs are fab-u. From what I've seen of New Orleans, her place is better than decent. Very new and very clean (I suspected that by the time everyone went home, the place wouldn't look so new and clean anymore, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it held up under the strain- as did Templeton). Upon meeting Templeton I got the impression that she is 1) highly intelligent; 2) easily stressed; 3) very compassionate; 4) nervous as a housecat about large gatherings of people; 5) alone in ways that she doesn't or won't articulate and doesn't like it one bit. I never told her, but I feel a sort of kinship with her. I wish I'd had more of an opportunity to get to know her better and develop a friendship. She is a kick-ass denmother and the man she's with is lucky as hell to have her on his arm. I hope all goes well for them.
I won't go into many more details as I am extremely tired (just got back from work) and I need my rest, but here are some things of note:
Sleeping with aphexious and BAR, who extended the wonderous gift of trust to allow me into their bed. I pray that I honored that trust suitably. I minded my manners and got out of that bed when I felt it appropriate to do so. It was all very innocent.
Bourbon Street is chaos incarnate. I'm not a party-type person by nature, preferring to stay home or be in relatively stable environments. Bourbon Street was totally outside of my routine. It was fun and interesting to step out of my normal world and into a world of the unexpected. I never expected to actually hear the words "Show us yer tits!" outside of a strip club, but on Bourbon Street it's almost as common a greeting as hello and a handshake.
Bayou Bagelry: This place is about the best bagel shop I've ever been to. I went there every morning while everyone else was still sound asleep. I'm not much of a morning person because my schedule rarely permits it, but this was a nice change of pace for me. It was my personal quiet time to think about... well, everything. I enjoyed passing the dog that always barks at everyone else but was somehow aware of my ruined stomach and kind enough to silently watch me as I passed by each morning- to and from.
Voodoo Music Festival: I had to bow out on this early because the bass speakers in every corner of the park area were playing hell with my stomach. I was so unhappy that I missed Better Than Ezra, Bush and Tool that, had my stomach been fine and had I needed to leave for a different reason, I would have likely been sick to my stomach over missing them. I hope the other noders present at that event had a blast. It looked like it would have been more that just "fun."
The Tree of Life: There's this huge monstrosity of a tree in New Orleans called the Tree of Life. When I say "huge" I don't mean it to be taken lightly. I wonder if the tree itself is actually older than the city it resides in. If ever there was a climbing tree, this is it- and then some. I saw this wonderful testament to Nature's bounty with Jurph, toastido, Jason and discofever. Pictures were taken, branches were climbed and mother nature was appreciated. No one apparently knew why it was called "The Tree of Life", but upon reflection I think that the answer is self-evident. That tree is life. Gnarled, knotted, aged, old, thick, mossy, tough, massive and powerful, the Tree of Life is like a 3D/4D picture of life itself. It is experience in a hard world made beautiful. And I'm a guy- I don't say such things needlessly.
My first glass of wine. I've never had wine before because I simply don't drink alcohol. toastido bought some nice stuff (I guess) for aphexious, BAR and Templeton as a thank-you gift before we left. Just before leaving aphexious and BAR's place, we all four (sans Templeton) sat down to sample this wine. It was bitter and dry and wet and sweet and somewhat intoxicating. We drank it out of styrofoam cups and didn't give a damn. Hugs were given and received. Smiles were had all around. It was a good way to say goodbye to good friends. It was a singular experience, but not the start of a trend. I probably won't drink liquor again, but this time it was more than just the exception to the rule. It was practically necessary. I mean, c'mon. New Orleans, friends and wine... they're like a part of the whole package!
Indra363 is a good person to just sit and chat with (so is everyone who made it, for that matter). She, in particular, is exceptionally good at thoughtful silence, which is something I admire and respect in today's youth. I'm only 28, half way past my own youth, but seeing someone in their late teens thinking about something before actually saying it and even showing vast amounts of intelligence, wit and consideration is always impressive. Smart girl and a half. I have just been informed that Indra363 is actually in her early 20's. Mea cupla. Even so, that does not diminish her sense of maturity one tiny bit.
Indra363, toastido, aphexious and Li_Kao: Guess what?(read the above paragraph carefully). >=D
The 735 Club: Two forms of culture shock were had for me in this place. First, I had my ass grabbed three times by any three out of some 1,000 shirtless, muscled, sweaty gay men- despite the fact that I was wearing a trench coat, cargo pants, sweater and looked patently straight. I've been hit on by men before, but ass-grabbing was something of a shock and not at all appreciated. My heart goes out to women who get their asses grabbed on any kind of frequent basis. Yuck. Firemen and police were called on the scene when someone was felled by some bad drugs (apparently). toastido and I watched the emergency services at work from the outside of the club because we realized that we were way out of our element inside the place. I also went to my first Rocky Horror Picture Show performance here (some thirty minutes after the ass-grabbing incident). I liked the show (especially the girl who played the role of "Magenta"- I know what I want for Christmas now! Her, wrapped in red and green Saran Wrap!), but I probably will never go to another one. It was fun, but it's just not my thing. BAR definitely has his hands full with that place. aphexious did the interior design and she did a kick-ass job. Hats off to her!
The Behind the 8-Ball Club: toastido, discofever and I played pool here for three hours and enjoyed ourselves immensely (I know I had fun, but then again, I won most of the games. >=D ). toastido and I brought our own pool cues from Nashville with us. I already know toastido's playing ability and he's no slouch at billiards, but discofever is a surprisingly good opponent! If you get the chance to play against him sometime, I wholeheartedly recommend that you give him plenty of bank shots- he has a hard time with those.
New Orleans, the city: Bring cash. Credit cards and check cards are accepted in most places, but cash is the preferred method of payment there. I'm not kidding, folks. Without cash in New Orleans, you're screwed. The ATM's slap you with processing fees ranging from $2.50 to $10.00! If your bank doesn't have a branch there, bring cash ahead of time (but don't keep it all on you when you go out- I watched three pickpockets at work while walking down Bourbon Street). The roads, as chaotic as they are, are all level. No hills or valleys to be found in this town. A person could walk all the way across it without really breaking a sweat, it's so flat. The concrete, however, is all built on top of swamp land, so its got pot holes from hell and cracks all over the place. That old myth about "step on a crack and break your mamma's back" thing should be forgotten about when walking in this town. If it were true, millions upon millions of mothers would be in traction for life. It is impossible to not step on a crack in New Orleans. The way they set the roads up is maddening. One-way streets all over the place and maps are totally useless. Driving in New Orleans is daredevil work. I suggest mass transit or taxis or even walking before I would suggest driving on your own... unless I have a particular dislike for you, in which case I would hand you the keys to your car with my blessing.
bozon is the most unassuming person I have met in years. She is quiet and thoughtful and I could see the gears in her head spinning a mile away. She didn't seem all that talkative to me, but she has the look of wisdom and experience. Maternal is definitely a quality I would attribute to her. However brief my time was in her presence, I felt totally comfortable around her. I had always nursed this mental image of E2 gods being impossibly young, overbearing, reactionary and imperical... bozon shattered that for me in about 6 minutes and I thank her for it.
All of the New Orleans noders were fantastic hosts. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful time and their gracious patience. They were attentive, resourceful, considerate, kind, generous, friendly and fun to hang out with. They're small in number, but good things come in small packages- so let it be with the NOLA crowd.
As vacations go, I really can't complain about NOLA, stomach issues aside. I had a great time when I could and would
