Well, if there's anything I can state about my experience at the
MASS RETAHDATION that was last weekend, it is this:
Regret.
Regret I hadn't met so many of you before. Regret I hadn't had any sleep for 2 days and am apparently too fucking old to party for three days straight on three days of no sleep (must investigate dexedrine) and regret that the INCREDIBLE HONKING FUN of the Scavengah Hunt prevented me from meeting, greeting, hugging and phreaking more of y'all that particular day i was actually conscious.
Of course, that's not the last word.
The last word, as others have said much more eloquently, is this:
Love.
I love y'all. I love this place-that's-not-a-place-because-there's no THERE, there. I loved the gathering. I can't friggin' wait to meet and hang with more of y'all, and to be less lame at the next gathering I can make it to.
Ob. Random Bits:
- panamaus and I jointly admiring the physical and talent-based attributes of our bartender at Whiskey's (who could, no doubt, kick my ass) and then (better!) being joined in said appreciation by Moxie.
- Watching the 'non-noder friend' (yeah, right, for how long?) scramble fearlessly up a tall, stone, smooth, police-protected statue so some crazed nodahs could take his pic up there with the herbed woman.
- Turning to Chiisuta's shout of throaty triumph almost primal, to see her brandishing the mighty Detex Watchclock Key, a blonde victorious Amazon.
- Having QXZ and Walter show up at my place at around 5am, courtesy of Cow of Doom, without either making me feel (more) guilty for not being out OR waking my roommate.
- Being told by the incredibly formidable CzarKhan "Man, I wish I'd brought my cloak."
- Bouncing off of clampe after cornering too fast at cahla's. Given that I'm 5'11 330lbs, this isn't a normal experience. His must be muscle.
- JethroBodine's silver toenail polish.
- Cahla's roommate Kes hissing and spitting at me, before allowing that if I restricted myself to scritching her kitty head I coul dbe one of her favorites.
- thefez aggressively...lurking around the dinner table, his unmistakable visage popping up next to various other seated noders across the room at odd moments wearing that particularly fezzy grin
- metacognizant for being herself and providing Team Yellow with a critical photo of Lesbians! Monkeys! Soy!
- Illumina and I playing post office at dinner since we were closest to the next table.
- Hearing the manager at Vinny Testa's explaining to his five servers which nodah was cahla, since she'd arranged the dinner and was, in his sotto voce opinion, "fucking awesome."
- The genial insanity of hemos, and the insane geniality of CowboyNeal.
- WonkoDSane folding his huge self into my teensy Toyota MR2 at Logan Airport and laughing enough to shake the car at the sign in the passenger window I'd placed there reading "WONKODSANE/everything2.com/Lesbians! Monkeys! Soy!" ...and then taping it to cahla's front door when we arrived.
...and so, so much more.
Thank you all, and see ya real fuckin' soon.