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While we had a wonderful time with msquared today, I thought that the actual OSC signing event deserved its own thread.
I left a little later than intended from the Chicago area, but timed the traffic right so that I didn't hit any major snafus. I managed to call Celia's cell phone exactly when she was giving her presentation, but she had the [evil?]foresight to turn it off so no harm was done. I was on an adrenaline high and Celia and I jabbered the entire way to Cinci while Hobbes smiled and nodded, and making a comment when he could get a word in edgewise. We discussed Le Tour de France and Lance's Armstrong's divorce. I couldn't help wondering how soon he would be in the market for another woman and if I should consider moving to Texas. <grin>
We found the motel uneventfully due mostly to Celia's excellent navigating. Meltingsnowman, blacwolve and blackwolve's brother all joined us there about an hour later. We all piled in my van to head to the bookstore. I warned them that my driving was not normal mommy mini-van driving and told them to avail themselves of the appropriate "Oh sh=t" handles provided if necessary.
We went to the bookstore first to get the tickets for the signing and then went downstairs to Johnny Rocket's (a burger place) for dinner. Unfortunately we should have gone to Johnny Rocket's first because OSC was eating there.
We then wandered back to the bookstore and found some seats. OSC kindly signed books for parents with screaming babies first before the official event started. We canvassed the crowd for hatrackers. Cyruseh found us at some point as did Happy Camper but I can't remember exactly when, because I was on a massive adrenaline high and bouncing off the ceilings and being spacy in general. There were a lot of engineers, including ourselves in the audience.
OSC was on a roll giving some diatribes that we are all familiar with and others that were quite fresh. Unfortunately (but predictably) there was the one person who came in late and asked about the Ender's Game movie after OSC had talked about it for the first 10 minutes. One of the random bits of info I remember is that he is changing his movie company's name from Fresco Pictures, to Taleswapper.
We hung out to the bitter end of the signing to have pictures taken with OSC. Cyruseh has a collection of OSC short stories originally published in Analog magazines to make the rest of us present turn green. (Though Calvin Maker shouldn't feel overly threatened by his collection.)
However, there was an older gentlemen at the end that we invited to come to Hatrack. He said that if he signed on, he would use a screen name like "Book collector" so we knew who he was. He had ALL of us totally jealous. He came from Detroit and brought in two suitcases full of hardback first editions in mint condition for OSC to sign. (Calvin Maker should probably feel threatened by this collection, unless he sold his to this collector and has the $$ to show for it.) OSC signed all of them cheerfully and thanked the collector for keeping meals on his family's table.
HappyCamper and cyruseh's father get medals of distinction for saving the day from Celia's unconscious evil sabotage attempt. They remembered cameras while Celia's remained mysteriously in the motel room. Celia said she would give Happy Camper, Annie's soul, for saving the day. However Annie's soul was acquired through shady business deal so whether the transaction actualy takes place is another thing. Celia never shook hands on it, and whether said soul is actually in Celia's possesion remains questionable.
Happy Camper decided it was too late to head back to West Virginia from whence he came. (He got half the day off to drive to the signing by donating blood and taking the 4 hour leave allowed.) So he came and crashed at the motel 6 with us. Celia, he and I (the over-21 Jatraquero contingent) decided to make a liquor run to the nearby Krogers. I think they were both scandalized that along with the Southern Comfort I insisted on buying a quart of milk.
When back at the motel, I chugged my quart of milk while meltingsnowman informed me of a contest where if you could down a gallon of milk in an hour and make it another hour without puking, you could get a free snowboard. Unfortunately he didn't remember the address of the store. It is probably just as well, because a snowboard and I would likely meet a bad end together.
We all watched TV together, and HappyCamper Celia and I partook of a bit of booze. The young minds that Celia was attempting to corrupt did not prove terribly pliable to her evil wiles. Meltingsnoman and Celia shared from their extensive stores of knowledge on failed and sucessful pyrotechnic experiements, resulting in much all around hilarity. After my complaint that my mother didn't let me play with fireworks, they all ganged up on me and agreed that it was for the best considering I was still alive today. Celia and I also had a discussion on whether anyone can look sexy in flannel pajamas. We decided that it is impossible even if the flannel pajamas come from Victoria's secret. We also found out about Celia's fuzzy handcuffs.
We headed to our respective motel rooms for the night. I fell sound asleep and as far as I know Celia did not avail herself of her evilness to kick me (at least I don't have any bruises yet).
The most vivid memory I have of the next morning is walking out of the motel room and seeing all the boys sitting sprawled in various poses of concentration up against the motel wall reading OSC books. As far as I know there wasn't a picture taken but it would have made OSC proud. We bid adeiu to HappyCamper and then set off (after my requisite tour of the parking lot in my pregnant sea cow) to visit msquared.
A mall security dude yelled at me for doing that once at Union Station in Indianapolis. That was fun.
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Sounds like a blast. Great recap, AJ. (And for what it's worth, I'd gladly get back into the minivan with you.)
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I guess it's a good thing I didn't realize what you had been planning with that escalator before you ran inside to go to it, because I would have felt obliged to tell you about the time I managed to get myself rather bloody doing exactly the same thing at Disney World when I was about 12. That's all I'll say about that.
I just really wanted to thank you guys for letting me crash with you, as my distinct lack of ability to firm up any plans would otherwise probably have had me sleeping in my car somewhere on US-52 (or maybe it's OH-52) in Southern Ohio.
Moving backward in time from this point, I've got to say this. Cincinatti has a serious overabundance of parking lots with only one very poorly placed exit, and I think AJ managed to all of them (hence the requisite tour of the B&N parking lot after the signing, that I managed to avoid).
So I'm glad I finally got a chance to meet some Jatraqueros, and put some faces with the names (does this make me a true Hatracker too?). And the highlight of my day happened as I was sitting in the bookstore an hour or so before the signing was to happen and having OSC walk over to me for the specific purpose of signing my books, as I guess he had shown up at the store at roughly the same time I had arrived the first time and seen me and was under the impression that I was the first person there. I don't really think it's true, but who am I to argue with OSC ?
So, once again, thanks everyone, I had a great time, and I'm so glad I got to meet all of you. I'll get those pictures to Celia as soon as I can get them uploaded to my computer.
-Mike
Oh, yes and KACard really is AWESOME!!!
Posts: 609 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I think the high point for me was having KACard call me evil.
blacwolve is, if possible, nicer in person. Her brother is also disgustingly nice. meltingsnowman is very cool and I hope I managed to talk him into Purdue.
I found Happy Camper, or, he found me, when I sat down next to another guy who loosly fit cyruseh's description and asked if he knew me. He was some poor innocent bystander named Eric, but Happy Camper overheard us and introduced himself. He's a terrrific guy.
I'm glad the real cyruseh turned up as, not only does he have a fabulous collection of Analogs he let me flip through, he's also an interesting and nice guy to chat with.
Sure, mention the fuzzy hand cuffs and leave out the part about the vacuum cleaners that made me squirt soda and soco through my nose. And I can't believe I'm getting the blame for attempted corruption from you! Poor innocent blacwolve is surely scarred for life after having to share a room with us two filthy-minded, lecherous, cackling hags.
Everything I had personalized was for other people, and, unfortunatly, one of the two things for my mother ended up "Carol" instead of "Coral". Oh well. She'll be so happy that I passed along her thank you's from the signing she went to last tour, she probably won't even notice.
I had a great time. OSC and KACard were both awsome in person and AJ's planning made the whole trip smooth, even if I did leave the camera charging in the hotel room.
Oh, and then left my denim jacket in AJ's car. That was really my brilliant plan for having an excuse to visit you some time. Yup, that's it. I'm not an idiot at all!
Posts: 3956 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Celia, do you need me to mail it to you? We could drop the jacket off next Thursday or Friday on our way to Steve's dads in Ohio, if you aren't visiting relatives.
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Sounds like you guys had a blast!! I can't help but wonder if your "Bookcollector" friend is the same guy I met in Portland. Was he older and named Dave?? I remember him saying that he had a wicked collection and that he'd been to a gazillion signings and that he definitely wasn't from Portland.
Anyway, I'm glad you guys had fun!!! Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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he might have been. I'm bad at remembering names especially between mike, matt, mike and mark, it got interesting. I resorted to "hey you" mostly.
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I believe I have also graduated to the categories of hatrackers known as real.
I had an amazing time, I was worried before that it would be awkward, and no one would know what to say. That definately wasn't a problem. AJ is incredibly nice and managed to make everyone comfortable immediantly. Celia is also very nice, in an evil sort of way. AS is really everyone else. Hmmm, now that I think of it, everyone's very nice. I must say hatrackers are a superior breed of humans.
Kristine Card is every bit as nice as everyone has said she is and even more so. OSC was almost exactly like I thought he'd be from his writing.
Thanks so much AJ for arranging everything, and everyone else for making it a great time. Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Everybody else was really cool, and it was really nice to put some faces to some of the people that actually post on this crazy site. Running up the down escalator with OJ was priceless, as was watching celia cough her drink through her nose from laughing so hard, and countless other amusements.
Thanks much to BannaOJ for arranging such a trip ,to msquared for feeding all of us, and especially to OSC for giving us a reason for this crazy get together and making it completely worth it. -snow
Posts: 12 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote: Celia and I also had a discussion on whether anyone can look sexy in flannel pajamas. We decided that it is impossible even if the flannel pajamas come from Victoria's secret.
It has always been my contention that womens is sexy despite their clothes, not because of them.
Unbutton the first two buttons on your jammies, let your hair down, and eetsa game time, baby!
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Im working on getting those pictures sent out, but I have been kind of stalled. I will try to have them ready by tomorrow night sometime though.
I had a great time meeting everyone too, though I am not always a big conversationalist, I completely enjoyed hearing everyone else discuss OSC's works among other topics. Posts: 879 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Yeah, to jibe in with Stormy, while I don't think I've ever seen a real live woman in my bedroom wearing flannel PJs, nothing is a greater turn-on than women wearing my clothing. I'm sure the whole women-in-flannel thing would be great, too, if it were done with a man who regularly wears flannel.
But, yeah, it's a bit of a moot point. I mean, do people actually wear pajamas? Frisco's bunny slippers aside?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Well Celia and I both have nudist tendencies, but for the sake of young corruptible minds we decided to remain clothed.
We were actually discussing the particular variety of sorority girl (using it as a sterotype, so don't get your panties in a bunch) that goes to their collegiate classess with perfect makeup and hair that they clearly spent hours on but wearing a sweatshirt and flannel pants. I never understood the logic. I mean the amount of time required to pull on real clothing is negligible compared to the makeup and hair time.
I don't think I really have anything that would be described as a nudist tendency. Bill keeps the house too cold!
Posts: 3956 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Hey Celia, I've been searching desperatly for a link you posted a bit ago with those two charecters talking, both of whom look really werid. And then one who keeps saying "How cute" suddnely gets abducted into a freaky Japanese cartoon. Do you remember this link?
[EDIT: And while we're at it, does anyone remember the link to the claymation YMCA thing with the soldiers coming up out of the dirt?]
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Have the snow flurries hit Lafayette yet? It was such a lovely day on Saturday at msquared's. I can't truly believe there were snow flurries as I drove to work this morning!
quote:But, yeah, it's a bit of a moot point. I mean, do people actually wear pajamas? Frisco's bunny slippers aside?
hatrack.ca wears pajamas!
(And, for the record, I am a fan of pajama pants, both on myself and other people. They are far more comfortable than other pants.)
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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<-- ran up the down escalator of a subway station once. (Vienna on the DC Metro Orange line, for you enquiring* minds. Not the National Zoo or anything totally crazy like that.)
In reference to you Jatraquinos under 18, that's what I was blowing my brain cells on back then.
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But it is the person that is sexy to begin with. Can pajama pants actually enhance the sexiness?
(Now I'm having visions of wrinkly old people with varicose veins wearing pajama pants dancing in front of my eyes. But, in a case like that I suspect "Chef's pleasure sack" would be the better alternative.)
quote:Can pajama pants actually enhance the sexiness?
Yes.
They can also make me notice someone I wouldn't have otherwise (me being wrapped up in my own little daydreams and all).
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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for the specific purpose of signing my books, as I guess he had shown up at the store at roughly the same time I had arrived the first time and seen me and was under the impression that I was the first person there. I don't really think it's true, but who am I to argue with ![[Hail]](graemlins/hail.gif)
OSC ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
? ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Yup, that's it. I'm not an idiot at all!
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*fails* Oh well, hopefully next time I can come too!!!
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Thanks AJ. You guys are a handsome bunch.
