A Madison gathering!

Aaaah, the translator. I thought maybe it was a spouse to a member who didn't want her pic up.

First of all, I absolutely adore Madison. I had a great time. The weather was beautiful. I sat on the grass in front of the capitol, ate my cheese curds and fresh apples, looked at the sozlet next to me, looked down State Street, and started blubbering. Just really emotional for me, being back in Madison. From that vantage point there were literally 10 locations where something significant had happened. That bench over there is where I sat as a brand-new frosh on my first foray to the farmer's market, and looking at the bench I remembered just how I felt, flushed with independence, etc., etc. Eight pretty eventful years of my life happened there.

Anyway.

I like what ehBeth said about huggable. Just so. I was especially smitten with Swimpy, though that predated meeting her, but she is just such a NICE person in the non-pejorative, everything-I-like-about-the-Midwest sense. She's got these great piercing blue eyes, and gives you her whole attention.

ehBeth was also a delight, and I really regretted not having more time to talk to those two one-on-one, or at least in a smaller group. Groups are just way tough for me, even with an interpreter. But the sozlet's skewed sleep schedule (and long-suffering husband dealing with the fallout) plus shuffling of my scheduled visits with Madisonians made that impossible. I ended up spending just the gathering plus a short little meet-up with ehBeth, timber, Swimpy and Setanta the next morning.

While I didn't really have a chance to talk to patiodog and Setanta, it was very satisfying just to see/ meet them. They both have those kinds of eyes that indicate what they are thinking, and they were both just instantly recognizable as themselves. Was really great to make that connection, if brief -- hi there, I know you.

timber is larger than life! He was kinda marooned between Swimpy, who I wanted to talk to and who I could understand/ lipread easily, and the interpreter, who he was NOT supposed to talk to. (While I was talking to Swimpy at that moment, it's the terp's job to literally keep an ear on things so if I miss something I can turn to her and she'll instantly interpret it for me.) The temptation to talk to her was great, though (she's a cool person), and he evidently found it hard to resist. So I yelled at him a bit, which he took in stride... he's used to it.

The rest of the weekend was just fabulous, too. I saw one good friend who I met when she had just started dating this one guy, and I had just started dating this other guy, and we talked about our men a lot and the fact that we thought we maybe found the one we'd be sticking with for a while, and we did... 11 years on, we're both married with kids. Had never met each other's kids, so fun to see them playing together. (The kids LOVED each other, and elicited a promise from sozlet to come visit again soon, so hopefully this will be the first of many Madison visits. It's far, but it's not THAT far.)

More, of course, but I'll stop for now.

That sounds like a wonderful home-coming, soz!

It was!!

Oh and I have to mention the fabulous (I think ehBeth said fabulous a lot -- I keep thinking "fabulous" which I don't usually) presents that ehBeth brought. Some really gorgeous little ceramic and cloissonne and knotwork (which has a name I believe) bibelots, three for us. sozlet LOVED them, decided they were some sort of jewelry, (they had loops of string for hanging them), tried them as bracelets (I think that's what she's doing in the picture), then lit on the fact that she could drape them over her ears and make them into earrings. Much parading in front of hotel mirror.

Hahahaha!

Larger than life ... hmppphhh! I've actually been contolin' my weight pretty well. :wink:

And yeah, I did sorta distract The Twerp, but she was a really fascinating person. Once I got roundly scolded about leaving her alone so she could do her job, I pretty much desisted I think she had a good time too. I'd love to know what she had to say to Soz about our little group.

Really wish we coulda all had more time together, but it was []fabulous[/b] (to continue overusing that word) as it was.

Glad you liked the "Witness Protection Program" rectangles, Soz ... I first thought about pasting something artsy over them, but I got lazy.

Oh and can't forget the doggies. The doggies were very, very sweet. I made them a little nervous, but then ehBeth came over and gave them some biscuits and they were obviously totally in thrall. Very good, sweet dogs.

I haven't talked to her about it yet... when we chatted afterwards it was just about what we have each been up to in the 6 years since we saw each other last. I know she was whupped. It was a really tough assignment, and I wanted to just let her go home.

She is a really cool person, though.

Oh and the t-shirt from Swimpy! Swimpy made me (made me) a Rosie t-shirt. How cool is that?

Sounds like you all had a great visit. Glad you all had such a good time, but I'm glad you're back -- it's been so quiet around here.

I'm loving this.

Great pics, Timber. I think you're larger than life too--in the nicest sense of the word. Each time I read of a gathering, there is an element of breathless excitement. I guess everyone is so pleased that their friends from the internet are true to their online personas and even better in person.

Bethie, I love your hair. Had to laugh at the picture of you looking more tired than you'd ever been in your life. Setanta can talk, can't he?

Swimpy and Soz are lovely and look so animated at being with other a2kers.

I'll bet all of you were wishing it could have gone on for a few more days.

(the gf raided my canajun candy. schniff.)

DIdja git any of it, PD?

poor peppermint!



ok - i looked at the ppdog pic i have. I'm voting for a henry rollins look vs. george clooney.


(i got the pix off the camera this a.m. and will post them somewhere tonight)

Great pix! MORE GOSSIP!

Well, yeah, but I can't come to grips with having eaten so much of it myself. It must have been she.

Naw, Boss, blame the dogs . . . they'll just continue to give you the goofy grin, an' they'll still love ya . . .

Couldnae cope with the liver failure.

i want to know if it's ppdog or his gf who are wearing the earbobs.

They are hung from our ceiling at strategic locations, where we feel our house may be most unlucky. Is this an improper application of their power? Will I return home this afternoon to find it's been pillaged by visigoths? Or just plain old goths, with their black clothes and their pointy nails?