What a weekend. I mean, whew... it was wonderful to the point of overwhelming in so many ways.

The City:
I didn't know what to expect but I was surprised at how much I loved it (what little I saw) and how much it exceeded any high expectations I had. Ray and I had time to walk around Times Square on Thursday night and I just loved the open nature of it. It wasn't too busy on Thur. night so it was the right mix of enough people to feel comfortable and with others... but not so many that it was crowded. I just had to sit down on the lovely chairs they give you to linger and just take it all in. On Friday, as I walked back from the Mingle with Radhuin, he shared similar feelings about the city. 7th Avenue was MUCH busier that night. Crowded to the point of having to be assertive to make your way to where you were going.

On Friday, Ray and I went to Central Park. Now, a park is a park, right? And Minneapolis has parks up the whazoo. That is, we have dedicated green space everywhere. So, even in the center of a large urban environment, I can follow most of my daily routine and errand running by driving through green space past creeks and rivers and lots of trees.

But Central Park is more than green space. I really wanted to find a fountain I had seen in a photograph I found while looking for images to match with haiku. The resulting wallpaper I created in that instance is here. I was pretty sure it was in Central Park (I know my label in the wallpaper says that but I didn't go look at that before leaving for NYC). I did find it but I found more than a fountain. Bethesda Terrace is wonderful. And the trees on The Mall in Central Park were so full of character. They don't do stuff like this anymore do they? Build things for beauty rather than out of thrift or for a sense of beauty or esoteric edginess? I saw signs everywhere showing the before and after of the CP renovation and the effort was worth it.

Whether it was Time Square or Central Park or street vendors or shop owners... I just loved it all. I never once felt uncomfortable, ill at ease, or in danger in any way. Those of you from NYC, if you could pass it along to whomever wants to know: Good Job!

The Concert:
Well, this was the whole point of the weekend (pretty much) for me. I don't mean to slight it but I wrote a review on Doug's blog and I've got other things to cover here so I'll just link you to that review: Magpie's thoughts on the concert

I will say that I looked up at the screens to the left and right of the stage (before the concert) that had been showing ads for video games moments before. I saw the name Suvi and it kind of tickled my brain... making it think... think... think... All of a sudden I realized the picture with the name was Ainu Laire's winning drawing for that contest and yelled out "Yay Suvi". (I have no shame sometimes) Then I kept watching and sure enough... I was able to yell out "Yay Earl", too. I hadn't realized that Earl also placed in photography contest as well. I didn't have my camera as I was worried they wouldn't be allowed (I checked the website and it was ambiguous. Sil had emailed me that they'd be okay after he checked it out but I was already out of the house and away from my computer). But Rosie-with-the-Ribbons did take some pictures. She's in NY till Wed although it looks like she is posting some here. I hope she'll post the ones she took.

Mooting:
Well, this was a mixed bag. First, I am - as am wont to say - an introvert. Some people think that means shy but it doesn't. It just means social interaction - no matter how desired or pleasant - is depleting rather than energizing. So, unless I'm in a group of 5 or fewer, my brain starts to whirl and I'm having a good time but I forget social niceties and lose track of thoughts and tend to get rooted in place and not mingle like I should. So, I'll add a lot of thoughts to this section. Some will just be reporting on what happened and some will be commenting so as to inform how future experiences might look.

Friday Night Mingle:
I am not a big group person. I don't hear well. So I wasn't sure what to expect. It was great. I have to say that I hadn't eaten since much earlier in the day (my stomach and eating patterns get all screwed up when I travel). I arrived at the event hungry and my husband grabbed me an ale. But then I got caught up in so many conversations I could never make my way deep enough into the room to get to the food table. So I sipped my beer for an hour getting progressively more hungry (and hypoglycemic) and - between the beer and slight hypoxia from shouting over the bar noise - considerably more light headed. I finally had to get serious about breaking away from conversations to get some food in me.

I couldn't read anyone's badge (didn't have my reading glasses on) so I would just walk up to people and ask, 'Do I know you? I can't read your tag.' lol. I found a lot of people I knew that way: Squire, Milady (lovely young lady!), Silneldor, Ms Silneldor and Master Silneldor, gramma, Deej, Entmaiden, CAHobbit, Sunflower, Greendragon (looking very Mod, I might say. I was delighted when Hobbit Love knew what I meant and said, 'hey baby... Mersey is back), L. Ron, Glaurung, _V_, Ainu Laire ... who else? I had already met Smeagirl/Girllum, her mister and Thorongil and his traveling companion. And of course, Altaira and Big Guy. I met some people I didn't know: Corey Olsen who a site called The Tolkien Professor. I was excited to talk teaching and Tolkien with him. I'm going to try to check his site out some and I hope he checks our boards out. I think he would like it here and I think you all would like him. I also met a woman and her daughter (?) who I think found the Mingle by reading about it on the front page. We talked briefly at the Mingle and they found me after the concert. I think they might be posting here now so if you're that person let me know. I'm so bad at retaining names. Especially when the brain is all whirly with excitement or hunger.

I had buttons I handed out. I was hoping to find more people and give them out personally. In the end, I sent bags with Ordinary Hobbit, Silneldor and Loresilme asking them to throw them into the panel crowd if they had to to make sure they got distributed. The looked like this:

Although... that's a jpg from my design files. The end result came out a bit darker and, although I was mildly disappointed it's all part of the try and learn method of designing for print so I got over the disappointment.


I missed some people completely. Dernwyn. I never found you! I am seriously regretful we didn't meet. I didn't, IMO, get half enough time with people I way more than half admire. Some of this was because I hadn't really found out where people were or what they were doing (see more on this below). But Ray and I did some walking together (as I said earlier) and we needed that time with just the two of. I know this weekend was one big gift to me and I don't think I've ever felt any gift to be as generous as this one. Not only was it massively more expensive than anything we've ever done, that man spent many hours alone in a sea of people he didn't know. He's not a chatty, social guy and he just hung in there and found a spot to stand or sit while I tried to talk to 4 or 5 people at once. But I was also spreading my time between TORnsibs and the followers of Doug's blog. I didn't do any of the Saturday sightseeing with TORnsibs because I was planning on going to a function for Doug later and I didn't want to get too far from the hotel. So, I just, in the end, didn't have enough time to find enough moments to talk with people.

I thought TORnsibs might just stumble across each other. I don't know how this would have happened... especially if I didn't know what people looked like. But I'm either way over planning and angsting or I'm relaxed and ready to go with the flow. For this I was mostly relaxed and ready to go with the flow. But, I didn't just stumble across TORnsibs. In fact, I barely saw them unless I made plans to see them. Even at RCMH, I only saw a few people and - although I was cued in on what was happening after the concert - without those few cues I wouldn't have known. I mean, there wasn't this large group of people with TORn written on their forehead that I thought - HEY, there they are!.

This is all just to say that, if you want to meet people... it's probably best to sign up for organized events and activities or to contact someone you'd like to meet and make it happen. I was thinking about how diverse we are as a group, anyway. Some of us are active on the boards right now. Some were active but aren't much anymore even though they keep in touch with others from their 'era'. Some are more connected with the site management and haven't been active in years (if they ever were in a public forum/chat way). And Some are Barli people. It's great to mingle with us all together but if we have limited time, most of us would probably pick a handful of people to hook up and chat with. So, in the future I'll be more proactive about making stuff happen and not worrying about making or waiting for things to happen on larger scales.

As it happens, gkgyver and Loresilme did contact me and arranged for meet ups.

Rosie with the Ribbons came with gk for breakfast on Saturday morning (as they were traveling together to some extent) and my husband slept in. That was great fun. GK and I were talking soundtrack stuff way before either of us were that active on TORn. So I consider him one of my oldest soundtrack 'buddies' (that I'm still in contact with). It was great to meet him. (Very charming, I will say) and I loved Rosie. She's just a fun person and was glad to get some more time with her after the Sat night concert.

And Loresilme arranged to have breakfast with me on Sunday. It was the perfect ending to my weekend as I had to leave (running madly towards the end) after she left to attend the panels. The big meet up events were great but I am, in my heart, a small group girl who loves a quiet space to get into some good heartfelt discussion.

Other:
I'm not sure how much to talk about this for lots of reasons. I vaguely dreamed I would have some 'moment' with Howard Shore. And I certainly wanted (and expected I could have) a moment with Doug Adams. Whether I got my moment or not, I knew I wanted to give them small gifties. I offered to let people contribute a comment to a book I designed for Howard Shore. And I made something for Doug on my own. I did have an opportunity to meet with them briefly and give them each their gifts. It was a kind of mad, frantic setting so I didn't get more than what I'm sure was a heartfelt thanks and a warm hand clasp from Howard. It was enough, along with a few other simple things I've 'gotten' in the last few weeks. And I got to meet Doug in the flesh which we were both hoping would happen. Mostly, I feel a bit shy or reserved about the experiences for a variety of reasons and won't say much more than that.

Earl in NYC. This idea started as a joke. When we are started talking about attending this concert, Earl wrote:

I am SO jealous of you guys... missing this feels like a stab in the belly by Grishnakh :|

Oh well, I just hope you all have a good time... and think of me while you do :o) Is it too much to ask someone to stand up during the concert and shout "I wish Earl was here"? ;)

That led to this exchange:

Magpie: lol... no that's not too much to ask. Is your preference for some happy music like during the Long Expected Party? Or maybe during an emotive moment like when Frodo stands at the river. I know... what about when he says to Sam, "I'm glad you're here". We could shout, "We wish Earl was here!" Notice I said 'we'. You don't think I'm going to do this myself, do you. ;^)

I told Sabsi I was going to have one of those paper masks on a stick made of my face so they could hold up it up and include me in all those European concerts the gang was attending.

oooh.. oooh... maybe we could set up a web cam for pre/post concert events?

Doug: [DAD MODE ENGAGE]

No yelling during the concert, kids!

[DAD MODE DISENGAGE]

Magpie: That only works is you sit within swatting distance.

But it gave me the idea of making a mask...or in it's final incarnation, a sign... to hold up so Earl could be there in spirit. Earl gave me a photo to use and said not to angst over it. So, go here to see where Earl showed up.

Laerasea in NYC. Many of you know L couldn't be there even though she was hoping she could make it. So I decided to do the same for her. She chose a picture of her with Menelwyn and I photoshopped them into RCMH. Here are their pictures. L's friend Laura (who was using her ticket) made it to the Mingle and graciously carried around L's picture to get autographs and comments on the back. But she didn't take photos (I'm not sure I explained that adequately). Earl has fewer comments (bad me) but more photos at the mingle.

Friday Night Mingle. My husband took all these. Having a drink in my hand for every picture (and the foolish look on my face in most of them... I take terrible pictures) makes it look like I was drunk. I had that same drink for a few hours and drank one half of the next one. The look on my face is mostly always there but heightened by extreme hunger and introvert overload! I hate pictures of me.

NYC. These are ones we snapped while out and about. It was rainy and cloudy in CP. Not great for taking photos but I thought Laerasea would like the statues of the literary figures and of Beethoven. I don't, as a rule, take lots of pictures. Radhuin took the one of the mister and me.

Howard and Doug Gifts - I asked that people tell me if I could publish their contributions in a public manner like this. A few said yes. One said no. Most didn't address the issue. I published all but the 'no'. If you want me to remove yours, let me know.

"...and back again."