Inside Voices

or, "if my hand ends up in your crotch, I apologize in advance."

Wow.

Got home about an hour and a half ago from the first Dragoncon in nine years where I played instead of working my ass off. This? Is a convention you need to train for. I walked endless miles, got seriously dehydrated, ran the emotional gamut from bliss to devastation, and in retrospect wouldn't trade a bit of it for anything.

Okay, strike that. If I could do it *without* the stupid drunks at the Pirate Party (not the two captains that might be reading this you understand...the *stupid* drunks), I would happily make that trade.

And actually getting to *sing* karaoke. Next year I think I want to check out Klingon Karaoke. There might not be sake', but getting to sing would be less complicated. (And this is not a slam on your organization skills, happygoth, so *shh*! Shit happens, particularly when you're trying to herd cats.)

The most overwhelming part of the weekend was undoubtedly the freedom. laughingimp and I went to a concert Thursday night featuring the Rum Runners and Emerald Rose, and sitting there listening to Queen of Argyll I started to cry. Emerald Rose's music is so powerfully beautiful under ordinary circumstances - but sitting there with laughingimp and bard_wench I couldn't think of anything I'd rather be doing or anyone I'd rather be doing it with.

I was blissfully happy. And based on how the rest of the weekend spun out, this is apparently an emotion I'm still somewhat leery of trusting. A point which was driven home on Monday - *again* by Emerald Rose - during their last concourse show. "Freya Shakti" set me off on another round of tears...culminating in a rather profound (for me) spiritual experience.

Now I just need to figure out if the lesson will stick this time, or if I'm still riding the Goddess' short bus.

(More later...I promise. Things are just getting a little distracting around here right now.)

- Summer Glau cannot be real. No way. She's a tiny porcelain doll Joss picked up off a music box assembly line and took to a necromancer or some such thing to make her live.

- I am *very* grateful that with my penchant for forgetting lyrics and singing off-key when singing a capella that I didn't do *either* when singing a snippet of "Gonzo's Song" for Andrew. Most embarrassing to sound like a frog with laryngitis when singing for a musician.

- Jessica handing me the end of her leash on Saturday and the subsequent reactions of the guys around us was *priceless*.

- Shandy hugs are a good, good thing.

- Best costumes seen: Mayor McCheese, the Thriller Zombies (complete with soundtrack), Darth Brooks (think about it!), the Cardboard Stormtrooper squadron, and the Atlanta police officer working crowd control with a sign on his uniform reading: "Yes, I know. It's a really cool costume. Ha. Ha. Ha."

- The Bards sharing a platform with a YOOOGE Jabba the Hutt to sing "The Jedi Drinking Song" and all the subsequent jokes that resulted.

- Realizing that ennui_boy actually does respect me and my abilities as a co-worker was sort of surreal and really nice. I mean, we've always had a friendly relationship...I guess I just never noticed that respect had also crept into the equation.

- Conversation with loganstone on the sub-level Saturday night. Nothing in particular -- just knowing each other long enough to be able to converse comfortably is really, really cool.

- The Yule Ball. Danced my ASS off. Loved how Emerald Rose played up the Harry Potter angle, from kingofthewho's wizard's hat (still a startlingly good look for him) to loganstone's school announcements and rock star finish ("Thank you Hogwarts!").

- Getting to talk with Kate Vernon, and reassuring her that the cold shoulder she was getting from some fans (not all, mind you, but enough that she commented on it) was *so* not the whole picture.

- Acquiring a Network 23 patch for my Geek Coat! w00t! This pleases me most mightily.

I'm also wondering which Emerald Rose (it *was* Emerald Rose, right chloegoth?) member ran afoul of the strategically placed leaf blower on Sunday night. :)

Anyone care to enlighten me? *evil grin*

So much more later...

Robin and I just got back from seeing "Freaky Friday". *sigh* Good movie.

What is it with Disney and their remakes lately? They don't suck! They should!

Ah well -- going to count my blessings and be done with it.
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In all my post Dragoncon meanderings, I don't think I mentioned that Robin has contacts! It's so weird.

It's not like we haven't seen her without her glasses before, but I think grindar nailed it when he noted that it makes a huge difference to see her eyes focusing without the glasses. She really does have pretty eyes. *parental gleam*

And just in time for the big National Choi Kwang Do seminar. That was seriously going to suck to get the chance to train with the grand master of the order and not be able to see what he was doing!

The demo team got to perform at the seminar, and hoo boy did they rock! They also made a huge impression because the team from the Michigan school that performed is mostly adults and all first degree black belts or higher.

Our team is *all* 14 and under, and Robin is the *only* black belt.

In other demo team news, I think I may have gotten their coach interested in the idea of a routine set to the Cruxshadows' "Resist/r". I think it would be *fabulous* -- will record developments as they happen.
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Probably the most outstanding part of Dragoncon was the people I got to meet. I had already met anniesj, wisteria_, and elfgirl previously, but it's always great to see them. Next time, though, I want to do something more substantial to help elfgirl have a good time. You about broke my heart with how tired you looked, girlfriend!

New meets including the ever-exciting and fabulously snarky ginmar. I swear Gin is a reincarnation of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, or one of the classic 1940's "ballsy dames". She is a lady who takes no shit from *anyone*, and gives wonderful, wonderful snark -- even *without* alcohol.

hazel75 won my love the second she mentioned Weeza Boudrow from "Steel Magnolias". Everything after that was just gravy. Waylon Jennings, *real* Country music, karaoke -- I swear I'm going to be hiding out at her house next time I'm in Atlanta for a family get-together. *g*

And then there was chloegoth. If there was a cooler, classier lady at Dragoncon, *I* certainly never met her. Gracious, friendly, and with a talent for subtle snark that I thoroughly envy. My snark tends to be more sledgehammer level.

And she's a Laurel Hamilton fan! Who swings towards the lycanthropes! I think by the look on the guys' faces Sunday night, we were probably quite the silly looking fangirls, but that's okay. It's so rare to find an Anita Blake fan that isn't totally Jean Claude's bitch! It *must* be acknowledged and celebrated!

Of course I also have to get her hooked on the Princess Meredith books now. *g*