Blown Star State Meet

I'm sitting here shaking... not sure if it's from being tired, near death experiences, or just a bad case of blogmeet DTs. Well, I guess that line is a bit redundant. I mean, if you've ever been to a blogmeet, you know that being tired and close to death are just part of the package. It gives one something to blog about at a later date... right? Anyway, this meet was one for the books.

Tammi and I managed to arrive in the Austin area around 9:30 Friday morning. And this was after a few lengthy stops, once it was realized that we would arrive long before check in time. We made pretty good time, leaving Thursday, at around 1:30 pm. Not too shabby...

The first two folks that got there, shortly after we arrived, were Brother Redneck and Shoe. The four of us headed out to lunch, and met Dash at a little Tex-Mex place. Though the food may have affected me later, I've got to say that it was kick ass. An excellent choice.

Now, I've met Redneck before. That's a good guy, right there, and it was great seeing him again. But this was my first time meeting Shoe or Dash. Both were very cool, and I was glad to spend some time with them without having to share them with others. Shoe's a kick ass woman, and Dash is just a hell of a guy... if I were anywhere close to them, they'd probably get sick of me wanting to hang out with them...

Shoe took off to pick up another load of bloggers (Shoe's Shortbus Shuttle Service), and Dash had to head back to work to finish up a few things before the weekend got to rolling, so Tammi, 'Neck, and I ran back to the hotel, only to discover that the tavern was closed. They wouldn't open until two. Hmmmm.... while were were in deliberation on our options, Marcus and his shirt came walking up. Marcus isn't quite local, but he does know his way around Austin, so we figured we'd run downtown to hit some of the bars there.

Let me say this about the man; he is a living, breathing, human GPS. His navigation techniques are different (very), but effective... eventually. Finding your way around Austin by referring to the location of your exes... brilliant.

Anyway, once things finally looked right, we found downtown, only to discover that the bars there, or at least the one's we were interested in, didn't open until three!!! By now, it was almost two, so we headed back to the hotel, and the tavern there. Thankfully, it was finally open.

We got ourselves some drinks, and started visiting, and giving each other shit about things said or done during the Great Sixth Street search. I walked out into the hallway, where I ran into Acidman, the Confabulator, Jimbo and his loverly daughter, TJ, and ... I'm thinking there was someone else. (By this point, I was fried... I'm totally sorry if I've forgotten someone.) Shortly after, Denny arrived, followed by the Straight White Brotha, Oddybobo, Omnibus Driver, Bashar... er... Zonker, Nancy and Pup, El Capitan, Walrilla, and Elisson... things were off to a fine start. Unfortunately, that was where my day ended...

There was a large group of bloggers that got together at The Salt Lick, a local BBQ joint. Me? Not with them. I planned on meeting up with them later, but that never came about. Nerves, no sleep, bad food... what ever it was, I ended up sick. I'm talking "er than a dog" type sick. I missed meeting up with some folks that I had been looking forward to hooking up with, and some folks that I really thought might be interesting to visit with. I have really been looking forward to meeting up with Christina, and while I did get to meet her later, I missed her mother. I hear she was a riot... everyone loved her.

Come Saturday morning, I was feeling somewhat better, and after watching some of the races on the river, I headed down for breakfast with Bou, Tammi, and Oddy. When we got back to the hotel, we headed on up to the sixth floor deck, where we met with everyone else.

It was a good day, spent doing what bloggers do best... bullshitting with each other, and drinking to keep themselves "hydrated." Yeah. That's it. Jimbo, Acidman, and Denny, with Eric and myself occasionally joining in, played guitars and sang. TJ and Omnibus Driver singing along. (TJ even did a duet with her dad... I remember hearing someone say that they bet that family get togethers were a blast in the Jimbo family.) And I couldn't help but crack up when Acidman came out with kazoos, jew's harps, and some percussion instruments that looked like eggs, and sounded like maraccas. 'Twas a blast.

Come suppertime, we dissipated into the river's breeze, only to return to our rooftop haven after a visit to the SRV memorial along the river. There, we finished the night, and, for some of us, the meet.

I got to hang with some cool kids, and I'll try to acquaint you with them a bit. (Hey, I know everyone else is doing it, but it's my blog... I can do it, too.) I'm not exactly a social giant, but it was cool to be able to meet, and visit, with most of those there. Those I did not spend time with, please forgive me, and I'll try to fix that at another meet. I may be friendly, but I ain't exactly outgoing...

First, I'd like to thank Shoe, El Capitan, Christina, and Beth (of whom I did not have the pleasure of meeting) for your time and efforts that you put into this. You don't know how much it was appreciated.

Anyways, on to the meet and greet with the degenerates...

Acidman: One of the first bloggers that I read, Rob's come along distance, personally, in the past few months. This was the first time I've got a chance to meet Rob, and unfortunately, that's about all I did aside from playing guitar with the trio of Denny, Jimbo, and him. I had been looking forward to meeting him for awhile, and I kept thinking that I'd get a chance to visit with him "later," which never came... totally my fault. I will rectify that soon...

Bou: My blogsis. I've been lucky enough to visit with her a few times now. A beautiful woman who has been a hit at any meet she's been at, she claims that she's introverted. Oooookaaaay... ;)

Christina: Finally. I've met her. A great woman, who is just incredible... looks and personality are both covered by that description. I've been wanting to meet her for a long while now, and I wasn't disappointed, in the least. Thank you for coming back on Saturday night, Chrissy. I'm damn glad to have met you, and am looking forward to seeing you guys again... hopefully, soon.

Confabulator: While I sat in on a couple of his conversations, I didn't really get to visit with him. I listened as others spoke with him. The guy is a talker, and he had no problem keeping an audience. Definitely, one of those I want to see again.

Dash: My first time meeting him, but I already felt like I knew Dash. I was glad to have gotten a chance to visit with him, but I wish I could have visited a bit more. Again, he's just a cool dude...

Denny: The only time I've seen Denny grouchy, is when his infamous trolls beg for a tongue lashing. At both meets I've been to with him, his laughter has rang throughout. The guy also plays a great guitar, and sings some pretty damn funny songs. It's a privilege to know him.

El Capitan: The guy likes flame jobs on his vehicles, but not the classic flames of the fifties. No. This guy doesn't mess around with that fake shit... I got to visit with him a bit on Saturday evening. A hell of a nice guy, who I look forward to visiting with again.

Elisson: Kinda funny guy. Except for that "Bob Saget" shit (I may explain later)... that just wasn't funny at all. Okay, I'M LYING. One of the suprises of the meet, I knew that he had a great sense of humour, but, DAMN! He had me laughing my ass off! It was an honour and privilege to have met him...

Eric: What can I say, other than that this guy is like a brother. He and I have hooked up a few times now... each time an adventure. He and Knine had a story rolling, on the last night, that I thought was going to kill the bloggers listening. (Elisson looked like he was fighting with bladder control, he was laughing so hard...)

Jimbo: This was my second meet with Jimbo, and they've both been a blast. Joisey Jim... if you don't love him, there's something wrong with you. He's good peeps. I'm glad that I brought my guitar to play along with him.

Kelley: On Saturday, I got to meet and visit with "the mouth of the got-damn south." Not for long, unfortunately, but at least I got to meet her. Something tells me that it's hard to keep up with this woman, but it'd be a blast trying. She's a looker, too... If she weren't married, she'd have a drunken Yankee chasing after her.

Knine: I've got to be honest and say that I hadn't read him before meeting him, but he quickly made his presence known, and seemed to fit right in. I got to visit with him for a bit, but I missed he and Eric's collaboration. He took some ribbing, but it's obvious that he's a hell of a good sport. We'll meet again.

Livey: I met her on Saturday, and was greeted with a big hug. The woman is a ball of energy, bouncing all over the place. Jimbo said it best, "a human fire cracker." She had me simultaneously grinning and cringing... (I ain't used to having someone grab my ass! ) She's up der in da nort woods, and I've got a standing invitation to get some venison or bear.

Marcus: On the patio, there be "Cool." That's Marcus. In addition to being a GPS, he's a laid back guy. Kinda quiet, but he seems to be in the middle of all the shit going on. Methinks "instigator" is a title he likes. That, and loud shirts... heheheheh.

Nancy: Another new one to me, I only met Nancy. She seemed like a hell of a nice woman, and was able to fit right in. I feel bad about not getting to know her a little better. My apologies, Nancy.

Oddybobo: Only the second time meeting her, it was again one of those "I've known her forever" deals. I ended up stomping the hell out of her foot, but she still loves me. She's a sweetie. To repeat what I've said about her before, she's one of those people you always want to be around.

Omnibus Driver: I first met her at the local meet in January, and I enjoyed visiting with her very much. This time around, I didn't visit with her as much I'd have liked, but we will be getting together at Fritz's sometime soon. A hell of a person, you'll know exactly where you stand with her. I'm really looking forward to our Fritz's get together... Oh, and she harmonized rather well when singing with Jimbo.

Redneck: Again, only the second meeting, but it feels like you're hooking up with an old friend. (Not that 'Neck's old...) A good dude, with a quick wit, he'll have you laughing your ass off if you talk to him too long. Beware.

Shoe: A first time meeting, I loved this woman right from the start. I mean, you've gotta love someone who quotes Spongebob cartoons. (There were a couple of us doing that...) She put a lot of time and effort into this... Thanks, Shoe, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you even better. You really do rock.

Tammi: She's getting to be a regular sight at these blogmeet things. This one, she was again a hit, what with her attempted murder stories and all. Originally not going, things worked out that she was able to make it. I think that everyone there was glad it worked out that way.

T1G: I'm not talking to him, nor he to me. What a bastard.

Twisty: Also known as "TJ, Daughter of Jim." This girl is a frickin' riot. Beautiful describes it all... voice, looks, and personality. Jimbo's got a right to be proud as hell. She had most of the ladies in stitches, at one point or another. Hell, she had us ALL in stitches... I'll be looking forward to seeing her at other meets.

Walrilla: A fellow member of the "Quiet Observer's Club," I did not visit one on one with him. Again, that's something I regret. I do know that everyone likes him... seems like a really good guy. He doesn't seem to be affected by sunlight, even when placed directly in it's devastating glow.

Zonker: Pure and simple... Z-man rules. He truly do.

The folks listed above will be going on my "We've Shared A Flask" roll, probably sometime tomorrow. Make sure you check them all out... I guarantee that you will like most, if not ALL, of them. Some damn good peeps, and I'm looking forward to meeting with them again. The sooner, the better.

Damn, that was fun...

Posted by That 1 Guy at May 2, 2006 09:33 PM