July 30, 2007

Obligatory (but not burdensome) recap

I don't get to nearly as many of them as I should, but I did make it out to the Happy Hour on Friday. The short version: loads of fun, great people, many laughs. Good times, as I have come to expect with this group.

This is my third-ish HH since I started this blog, and I'm still learning a few things (besides names and faces, of which there are many to keep track). For example, I'm still kind of getting used to referring to myself as "a blogger" in the first place. I know I'm going on two years here, but still. I don't talk about it often among my friends (the ones I know in 3-D), so it's something I rarely refer to outside of the HH's. Plus, I don't post all that often; I'm generally lucky to get something up weekly, what with my schedule. So it's still a little strange when someone asks me if I blog. It's getting better, in that I don't pause for nearly as long now, but it's still a little odd.

More than that, I am still apparently unprepared for when someone tells me that they a) read, or b) like this blog. Especially the latter. So it was pretty surprising when I had, on more than one occasion, not just recognition but enthusiastic responses to my blog. I have never taken compliments particularly well, my reflex generally being deflection and self-deprecation. It's always just kind of been my way. It was no different on Friday, I don't think. This may have resulted in something that looks like clumsy embarrasment rather than actual gratitude, so if you said something nice about me or my blog, and I tripped all over myself in response, please let me just say here: thank you, I appreciate it. While I may look like an idiot (and it would by no means be the first or last time), I am a very appreciative idiot.

Fortunately, the weather wasn't as much of an issue as it could have been. I got rained on in VA (heading to and from the metro) but not in DC, which was a very good thing. I was a little worried that it would keep people away, but this was not so. These folks are like the Postal Service: not rain nor sleet nor snow shall keep them from their appointed rounds. Of shots (the drinking kind, not the kind of shots you might expect from other kinds of postal workers). There was a very good turnout, and I was pleased that so many faces are becoming more familiar to me now, which is great, and I'm still meeting some people that I read often, which is also very cool.

- Kathryn and KassyK, two of the first blog-acquaintences I ever made, sort of bookended my HH experience: got to catch up with KK first thing, and Kathryn on my way out.
- Managed to greet gn, H, and Gen without falling victim to the awkwardness of the hugshake. I have only really met these girls together; they're like the Musketeers, just much hotter. And no swords (Ahem). Delightful, all of them, but I did have to give gn a hard time for not bringing treats to share...
- I dare you to spend five minutes with Jo and keep from smiling our laughing out loud. It's pretty much impossible. You'll lose before you get the watch started.
- Arjewtino is at least as funny in person as he is online, even if his short-term memory is a little spotty. And the former coworkers were great fun as well.
- INPY can work a room. And a patio.

And I got to see other familiar faces, and a few new ones. All in all, a good beginning to an excellent weekend, and a great way to end a long week. Hopefully it will be less than four months before I get to another one. Thanks to the hosts, and best wishes to Roosh on his travels.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have we met?

Great to see you, WiB, I'm glad you reminded me that we had, in fact, spoken.

Jo said...

Oh thank you so much! It was a pleasure actually talking to you instead of the hello who are you what do you write 5 seconds!

And Arjew, you did meet him. WiB you have a witness now.

inowpronounceyou said...

It was great to see you there, WiB. But next time someone says "I dig your blog" you need to say "Of course you do."

;)

See ya at the next one.

Brian said...

Arj: I may poke fun at the memory, but I'm the one who had to track you down 20 minutes after the fact to deliver a witty (if a bit stale) retort. So, glass houses I guess.

Jo: The pleasure was mine. The hardest thing about HHs is having longer than 5-second conversations; getting a table certainly helps, though.

INPY: Thanks. I sort of got used to telling people not to feel bad for not having heard of it, so now I have to come up with a whole new schtick. I think I'll just start with "thanks," and work up to something funny from there.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you came. And you relaxed me as per usual. :) Thank you for that...it was great to see you.

Carrie M said...

sorry to have missed you. we could have talked shirt design!! yeah, I sound cool.

Brian said...

Kassy: I try to help where I can. :) And catching up with you is always a highlight.

Carrie M: Sorry you couldn't make it as well. If you had seen how many t-shirts I actually designed in college, you would know how much fun I think that sounds. Next time, for sure.

Anonymous said...

we shoulda done the hugshake, just for fun ... so that we could pretend to be really awkward and uncomfortable. NEXT TIME! great to see you btw!

Brian said...

H: I'm just glad gn didn't slap me in the face. I'll take the hugshake over that anytime. Great to see you as well; we'll make sure to awkward it up next time.

Anonymous said...

hey! i'm commenting on this sooo late but it was nice to see you! i love the 3 musketeers reference. i'm totally down with that. :D

 
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