1 post tagged “blogher”
Didn't attend any of the day panels today, but as soon as the kids were gone, I started scheming my nighttime plans. Jumped the number 3 bus after hesitating for too long to get going. Long enough to where I wasn't going to be on time to get my badge tonight no way nohow...so looked on the capmetro site to find the best way to get to Freddie's for the BlogHer meetup, and although the site advised that I take the #3 for the fewest transfers, it neglected to mention that it's a nearly 2 hour bus ride that loops around on Lamar and back up South First after making the entire route.
No matter, though. Before I saw Oltorf whiz by, confirming that I had, in fact, gone way too far, I was busy marveling at the bus experience in general. I know it's dumb to say I'm not privileged enough to take the bus, but I do wish I had enough time in my day to allow me to utilize public transportation more frequently. There is just something to being on a bus with other people. It's kind of intimate in a way. And as I sat in my sit listening to music, I watched as a woman who resembled a greek goddess boarded, flowing wavy hair and aquiline nose and a face that seriously looked like it had been chiseled from marble. She sat down on the bench across from a man who seemed way too happy to be on the bus. As she sat down, I noticed a 20-something year old boy stealing shy glances at her, and I really didn't blame him. And the man (who was sitting next to him) kept smiling. And then, suddenly, he threw his hand up and gestured out the window at some invisible message-receiver. It was a thumbs up or a hook-em-horns thing. And the goddess pulled out her notebook and started scribbling something, flipping back and forth between pages, and the man randomly gestured in a benign way out the window. Thumbs up, power to the people, victory fist...stuff like that. With no apparent pattern or rhythm. And the goddess pushed her hair behind her ear and scribbled more in her notebook. And I observed, thinking "Man, I need to write this DOWN." because it was seriously like some sort of choreographed and coordinated performance that made absolutely no, yet somehow all kinds of, sense. But I didn't have any paper or pen and I thought about texting it to someone, but it seemed too long to text out...so I figured I should create a voice recording, and chuckled to myself that would be the height of audacity, wouldn't it? To be sitting there describing out loud what was happening in front of me. I think it means something that the idea of talking to myself into a recording device is somehow only crazy if the people I was talking about were right in front of me. But that's what my logic determined to be true. And as I was chortling to myself about this, Oltorf whizzed past and Oh Fuck....hahaha...I was way past my stop.
So, I'm getting texts from friends and twitter and I am headed for way south austin while everyone else is arriving at Freddies, but it doesn't really matter because I am honestly really enjoying the ride. So when we stop at the end of the line before we turn to go back up, I whip out my voice recorder and in fact do make a voice recording recounting the dance of the disconnected strangers, beginning with "I am now that crazy lady who talks to herself on the bus."
And finally I made it to Freddie's where I was greeted warmly by friends. Saw Tracy, got all loud and laughingy and totally rudely interrupted the conversation he was having with Erica, gave Jason and George hugs, said hey to a silent Baratunde (I forgot how to spell his name and hope I did not butcher it too much) talked to some random dude who was wondering where all of the people with nametags had come from, punched Lynne in the face (later, I nearly assaulted her with my yo-yo. SORRY LYNNE!) spoke with Adina and, oh, what IS her name...purple mohawk woman whose name escapes me...oh, yeah...Liz. Ate a portabello mushroom sandwich and some fries, had some conversations, stuck around until they were clearing tables, when we discovered the tab had been covered by lord knows who, so we got into Tracy's rental and drove to Opal Divine's for karaoke, decided it was not our scene, walked on over to Ruta Maya for coffee and met up again with George and Jason and Lynne (who I think I managed to not injure or even come close to injuring for the rest of the evening). Drank iced coffee, talked shit, told a scraggly hippy dude that we were not, in fact, in possession of any weed (is that what he called it? I think he called it something fancier than weed...but it's not coming to mind what term he used). We started yawningish, and george had left so Tracy drove Lynne and Jason home and headed back up to my place where I did dishes while he read and now he sleeps while I write and listen to music on my headphones, and even though I really want to stay up all night cleaning my messy house, I think I'm going to head to bed right after this.
It was nice to see everyone...and I think I did see just about everyone just tonight alone. I am looking forward to more!
