I met a fellow BDer!!

[Encaitare]

Originally Posted by Shasta

So did Encai.

I'm glad you made this connection before I had to. XD

Originally Posted by Boro

Enca just sat there knitting a hat and asking random questions.

I was crocheting, goshdarnit, I thought we had established this!

I don't think I'm going to make an epically long post about everyone, but I just want to say that each and every person there was fabulous.

Nienna and Brinniel were excellent hostesses and plan-makers!

I was not expecting to encounter musical theatre enthusiasts like Shasta and Glirdan, but hey, that's just how my life seems to roll no matter where I go, and I love them both dearly!

My air-bed sharers Kath and Wilwarin were the best roomies ever! Such sweet girls, both of them.

phantom was a pretty chill guy with a scary good memory for WW games, and it turned out we had similar musical tastes, which was cool.

Formendacil kept blowing my mind with his somewhat suggestive sense of humor, which I had not been expecting at all. One of the more hilarious surprises of the trip.

Rune was a darling as always, and tolerated my teasing of him with great patience (or maybe it was just because he was stuck under other people for most of it.

Mirandir was a sassy lady and a lot of fun! <3

Boromir was so charming and a great cook -- while I didn't get a chance to try the turkey, his cheesy eggs were dee-lish!

Mac and Rikae were just lovely people all around, and little Annika was a joy to have there. Someday she will dominate us all with the power of cell phones!

Diamond and Celuien were both pretty quiet but very sweet.

Fea was awesome and gorgeous, I wish you had been feeling a little better, girl! Next time, right?

Lairen and Alona were two lovely girls who I sadly did not get to spend a lot of time with, but it was a pleasure to meet them, and I'm hoping to get to know them better next time.

I love my Boston family and wanted to stay in Apartment 23 forever and ever.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Encaitare

Fea was awesome and gorgeous, I wish you had been feeling a little better, girl! Next time, right?

I'm glad I managed to pull off a bit of awesome and gorgeous while sick. For those who don't know, I was diagnosed with strep throat the day after Christmas and had to delay my travel plans until I was no longer contagious. Finally starting to feel better, I made my way to Bean Town and caught the worst cold of my life and spent the rest of the Moot laryngitic and barely conscious. When I say barely conscious, I mean that this is a perfect synecdoche of my Moot experience: surrounded by incredible people who were having fun... and not quite getting the full experience due to being metaphorically and literally asleep.



Next moot? I will NOT be sick. And hopefully I'll also not be required to be gone from before dawn 'til long after dark each day.

You guys were so wonderful for humoring sick-and-pathetic Fea.

Can you imagine? A group of Barrowdowners together for days, and Fea is conspicuously silent.

[wilwarin538]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Next moot? I will NOT be sick. And hopefully I'll also not be required to be gone from before dawn 'til long after dark each day.

You guys were so wonderful for humoring sick-and-pathetic Fea.

Can you imagine? A group of Barrowdowners together for days, and Fea is conspicuously silent.

It was really aweful, and terribly depressing. Though you did still manage to look lovely despite your sickly state.

I won't let you be sick next time, you were one of the ones I did not get enough time with, and I won't allow that a second time.

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by wilwarin538

It was really aweful, and terribly depressing. Though you did still manage to look lovely despite your sickly state.

I won't let you be sick next time, you were one of the ones I did not get enough time with, and I won't allow that a second time.

And if her being nice doesn't do it, I WILL BEAT YOU INTO HEALTH. <3

Err...I mean...I'm not violent...

[Glirdan]

Originally Posted by Mirandir

And if her being nice doesn't do it, I WILL BEAT YOU INTO HEALTH. <3

Err...I mean...I'm not violent...

Haha!! And if THAT doesn't work, we'll take another trip to the seven eleven!!!

[Kath]

Originally Posted by Mirandir

Err...I mean...I'm not violent...

Whatever you say wifey!

[Diamond18]

I'm impressed to see the posts recapping everything, but I don't dare try to attempt it. I think I prefer to communicate in knowing winks with the Downers who were there and lord it over everyone else. I mean, what?

No really, it was an amazing week, very intense for me because I was so out of my element, but I don't think I could adequately put the whole experience into words. This was the first time I met everyone (with the exception of Rune, who visited me two years ago). Some people I felt I knew rather well, whether from interacting on the 'Downs in my active days, or from LiveJournal, Facebook, or Instant Messaging. There were a few who I didn't know well, and some I didn't know at all.

I felt as if I "knew" Kath, Brinn, Fea, phantom, Form, Celuien, Encai, Mac and Rikae from various interactions. I <3 you all already, and am so glad I got to meet you in the real live physical world.

I recalled Glirdan, Shasta, and Boro from 'Downs interaction, but knew absolutely nothing about who they are in real life. Boro in particular was nothing like I imagined him from the 'Downs! I imagined someone older and far more serious. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he is, in fact, awesome. Glirdan and Shasta were amazing as well. I <3 you guys.

That leaves Nienna, Wilwa, alona, Lari, and Mira as people who were essentially Brand New to me upon meeting them in real life. They were awesome. I must admit that I was terrified of Mira in the beginning, probably because the first day I walked in on a conversation/argument about her having punched John and then Rune. But Rune should be punched whenever possible, so it's all good.

Originally Posted by J. Michael Formendacil

Diamond18 was not exactly what I was expecting. I'm not sure what I was expecting, because she looked like Diamond's pictures, could well have written Diamond's LiveJournal, and definitely seemed to recognize Boro and I when we picked her up. Unfortunately for getting to know her, she's a bit of a quiet Downer in a party that had a few loudmouths *looks guilty* Diamond definitely belongs on the list of "people I didn't get to spend much time with."

Correction: I recognized YOU. Even after Boro introduced himself I didn't know who he was, due to my being deaf from the plane's descent. So there was an awkward few moments of "Yay Michael! Aaaaaand... other dude..." before it registered. Anyway, yes, the great not-secret of Diamond18 is that she is really a shy, quiet, socially awkward person in RL. I can do well in a smallish group, but not so much in a group of 20.... That may be the one thing I really regret about the trip. Many people left before I felt like I'd gotten a chance to have a proper conversation with them. Some people I barely talked to at all, and others I talked to only in the big group setting. While I did a lot of quietly observing I would have loved to have interacted more. But then, it did not help that I was still very sick the first few days and had painful sinus headaches much of the time, so was more or less out of it. Still, I very glad that I dragged myself to the airport and toughed it out. It was so worth it.

PS It was really difficult to convert everyone into Downer screen names for this post!

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by Diamond18

I must admit that I was terrified of Mira in the beginning, probably because the first day I walked in on a conversation/argument about her having punched John and then Rune. But Rune should be punched whenever possible, so it's all good.

Erm...have I apologized for that yet? Not that I actually remember it happening, but I apologize for terrifying you straight off. While I'm making apologizes, sorry Glirdan and wilwa for putting you through that rather...erm...intense rant five minutes after you got off the train.

Rune totally deserved it though.