I picked up
Ken and
Birch at the airport the night before we left for Atlanta. By the time I came back from the second run, both
Carson and Ken were asleep. We woke Ken up and chatted a bit, then
hit the sack. I was supposed to be off the next day but had to come in to get my paycheck and run some errands. The guys wanted to get out as early as possible because we had 8 hours of driving ahead of us and wanted to avoid as much night driving as possible. We swung by a grocery store to pick up a few six packs of the
local brew and they let me out to buy several packs of cigarettes. In the back of my mind I was thinking that right at this moment, another noder,
Brian, was making the 8 hour trip from
Orlando. I had met Ken and Brian before, and shit, Carson lives with me, so Birch was the only one in our car that I had never met. At one stop at a gas station I asked him why he was so quiet, what was on his mind at those times. He replied, "What, you want me to give away all my secrets that easily?" with a
slim grin on his face.
When we got to JP's, Brian was already there. Looked like her brother Noah was sleeping over, possibly looking out for his sister who let 6 strangers sleep in her living room in bags on the floor. All over the walls were taped up drawings, sketches, and scans of art. JP's part-time job is playing with kids at an after school program, so there were industrial sized containers of Legos, tubs of pencils, pens and crayons. She had a suspicious collection of makeup for someone who, in my mind, didn't need to wear it, and a kitchen much too small for her needs. I felt instantly at ease. She was busy making baked goods for the gang and letting us all shower and change up for the pre-gathering gathering at the hotel. It was good to see Brian again; he'd gotten his hair cut since last I saw him and apparently struck a bit of bad luck on the road by blowing out one of his tires. He said he threw away a pair of flip flops after visiting a restroom so gross that there were human droppings on the floor. Ick.
Onto the Econolodge. I had spoken online with only 2 of the noders there, WonkoDSane and Accipiter, when we trying to plan for this thing a month ago. I forgot that I told Wonko I had quit smoking, so he reminded me that I had fallen back into it. I didn't know if they were messing with me, but they all seemed to have a hard time placing me as a noder. I checked out the good store of beer they had and settled in a chair to watch it all unfold. I felt like everyone knew everyone but myself and the people who came with me. For lack of knowing what to talk about, I belched a lot. That seemed to get recognition. We listened to CD's on the tinny speakers of someone's laptop and waited with anticipation for JP to arrive. What on earth was taking her so long? I found out later that her friend Pete, who confesses to being a fan of mine, dropped by after we left for the hotel and brought her some blank CD's. By the time we were all gathered, the gang wanted to go out. By that time, after the road trip (I can't seem to sleep on them because I'm paranoid the driver will doze off), we in the Taurus were a bit zonked, so we bailed for JP's. I felt bad that I wasn't more sociable, but for as crazy a life as I have lived, I'm more of a homebody these days.
The following morning Carson and I woke up and snuck out for Waffle House. Brian joined us almost through ESP and he finished the morning paper we bought after we left. He went out in search of a new tire and was gone for quite some time. We drove back to JP's and I was getting ready to meet Bob, a guy I'd been talking to for more than a year but had never been able to meet. Being both English majors, we had lots to talk about. He was in all ways what I expected. I can't deny that I'm hoping I can get him and JP to at least hang out once since they live in the same area. If I can't have him, someone should; he's such a cool guy. I'm, uh, I'm spoken for. Happily so.
While Ken was on his GPS sprint, I was locked out of the apartment, so Bob took me on a micro-mini tour of downtown Atlanta from the view out of his Ford Expedition (he knows how I feel about that). And, oh God I can't believe it, I went inside a STARBUCK'S and actually consumed something made there. I couldn't believe my eyes; this cool, amazing guy drinks his morning cup of joe at that awful place. Egads. Well, he gave me two books, so he's forgiven. I only wish we could have hung out more. That guy is full of good conversation.
So we head over to Accipiter's to find that everyone there is running late. We make a beer run then we make a pizza run and by the time we get back the Wonkolition is replete in thrift store odds and ends from their afternoon shopping spree. Out on the patio. Back inside. Checking our E2 accounts one by one like the geeks we all are at heart, and all the while, flashbulbs are the staccato of instant memorabilia. We play video games. We talk about video games. We eat muffins. Some of us sit in a car in the parking lot and….uh never mind. Skip that. After a while, the natives get restless for night life. A bowling alley over a karaoke bar is decided, but once we get there it's an hour wait for an open lane. That was a shame, because the lanes were all done up in blacklights with disco ball reflections dancing all over the polished wood of the alleys. Luckily for those who dig singing, there was a karaoke machine set up. Again the gang staying at JP's pooped out early. I guess we're just lame. Sorry guys. They did get Ken to come back out I think, but most of us crashed out again.
Morning. IHOP. Birch stole a tumbler for me. I stole a stone from JP's apartment complex. We headed over to the hotel to suffer chagrin at our early departure the night before, dispense hugs and more photos, dropped piq (that's pronounced Pee Eye Que, not pique by the way) nearby his campus and made our way back to New Orleans, whereupon arrival we went straight to Juan's to scarf some dinner before passing out.
That's the down low. Here's the details. It was awesome to meet everyone. I was especially sorry that I didn't get to hang out with Mitzi once she got there, since I had spoken to her on the phone once before the trip. I felt bad that I wasn't up for late nights or karaoke, that I brought a crew with me that was not as jazzy as the gang at the hotel. But I do hope I didn't annoy anyone or really let them down. This was my 4th gathering, so seeing new faces and not knowing many people is common for me, while the people I was with were doing this for the first time, and I WAS playing den mother, I admit, making sure everyone was comfortable. Most of the fun I have in groups is usually involving long, groggy conversations that don't have to end because everyone's sleeping over, and when I know I have to get in a car and drive somewhere else to crash, I'm more anxious than usual. I'm a ninny, but I do get better through repetition, I swear. Come to New Orleans and you'll see.
I was very happy to meet piq especially, as we had talked at length on IM about various social issues, one of my favorite conversation topics. It was also good to meet JP. She was one of the first noders I ever talked to besides Birch and getting to meet both of them in two days was awesome. I loved CrispyCrisco's singing voice (especially when she sang Crazy by Patsy Cline, my goddess of country) and her rendition of Cartman's voice. I thought Aphexious was beautiful, but her quiet manner made me shy to talk to her. Medieval was sweet as pie, even with the Purple Haze stains on his shirt. Wonko, well, he was Wonko. He was the MAN. Chad's pants ROCKED! And all of you were kind enough to put up with my belching ass for two whole days. That counts for something, I think.
While I won't be able to afford another road trip of this size for many months, I do hope some of you will come to New Orleans. My floor is your floor. Node on.