The saga of the meetup

[taerowyn]

Well, did the whole LJ meet-up thing last night. Went fairly well, especially after after we figured out there were actually TWO versions of the restaurant within the Prudential Center. Only took about 45 minutes to accomplish that. Yeah, we smart.

Anyway, I was a wee bit early. Looking around there was a table of two young priests and a table of a young man sitting by himself talking on a cell phone. I figured (correctly as it turns out) that I was the first to arrive. darkartscat showed a few minutes later. We eyed each other off and on for several minutes and between the mutual watch checking and unreadable sign creation I finally just walked over and asked if she was with the meetup.

We chatted for a bit, or as she kept pointing out, she chatted whilst I listened, before being joined by a third whose name I could not catch. Anyway, discussed movies and religion a bit amid tales of darkartscat's life. She definitely fits the description of loquacious more than anybody I've ever met. But it was good because it takes me so long to open up to people and our third was almost painfully quiet.

Anyway, we decided to move to the nearby B&N 'cause, you know...books, when we noticed that hey, there's a second restaurant of the same name here. We checked it and, lo and behold, there were bram and being_homeless.

Five was definitely a much better number and it opened up the conversation a bit more. Briefly discussed the end of Hubble with bram and heard all about being_homeless's great news about her new apartment.

bram seemed rather quiet, though that number of girls almost talking over each other could be a bit intimidating. Or, perhaps he was like me and just wanted to sit back and listen to everybody else spin their tales. Nice to have a science geek around, even if this was an attempt to escape the world of science journalism. It's just such good common ground.

being_homeless was very well spoken and most definitely deserves the fame and popularity she's received both on and off LJ. I enjoyed reading her tales on her journal and it was wonderful to meet the self-possessed, charismatic woman behind the writing. She's about to start school for writing and I'm sure she'll do well.

So far the LJers that met me last night have described me as thus:

the cute-cute taerowyn from darkartscat

Awwwww, to blush.

And taerowyn I had selected as a LJ friend among those signing up for Meetup because she 's studying to be a science journalist and because she lists astronomy and astrophysics as interests. Definitely a smartie. One imagines such people analyzing you when you meet them, but that's ok. Analyzed in pieces is better than being summed up as a whole--if they get one piece wrong they can still get the others right. She got a point in my erudition book for recognizing the name Phineous Gage (as in being_homeless had a head injury but not as bad as P.G.'s...) - from bram

Once upon a time I had bram on my friends list and I believe the reverse is true, but for the life of me I can't remember where I found him and why he was no longer on my list. Perhaps one of my friends list pruning episodes. Anyway, he's back, and very welcome since there's now a person I've met in real life on the other end.

Don't know about the "analyzing" thing, but I suppose it fits. I tend to sit back and let people talk when I first meet them. Especially in that sort of scenario where I'm completely in uncharted territory and haven't a clue where I fit in. Or, maybe it's the journalist in me. The story is supposed to be about somebody else so I'm being trained to just shut up and listen.

As for Phineas Gage, after you've seen the image of the skull and realized somebody lived through that, it kind of sticks in your head. Get it? Sticks in your head? Yeah, I'll leave now, sorry about that, but I did warn you.

Anyway, overall it was definitely an experience I'd be willing to repeat, but without the venue mix-up next time.

Comments

Loquacious.

[darkartscat.livejournal.com]

I like that word. Loquacious.
XD

[bram.livejournal.com]

Ah, not only do you have the erudition to know who he was, but you know how to spell his name, and you know how to correct my spelling of his name very inconspicuously!

I remember having an LJ friend who could have been you. Were you living in another state a couple of years ago? How long have you had your LJ? Those questions I can answer...

AND: where was the warning about that "sticks in your head" joke? Um, I think it needed one!

I couldn't see directly that you were analytical but there were times when you seemed to withdraw and regard things around you in a knowing way.

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

I was living in CO for the past two years until this September and before that I was in Long Island. I'll have had an LJ for three years this April.

The warning was in the cut tag.

The missing Third

[lafleuve.livejournal.com]

Sorry I was such a lump the other night. The name's Alexandra, by the way. I'm not good in groups initially, but I hope if more of these things occur and are better organized, I can become a regular and thus show that I actually am the person who writes my journal.

[shelbinator.livejournal.com]

He's that railroad guy who had a spontaneous lobotomy at work and became a real prick, right?

And like you, I know I've come across bram before, but can't remember why. Ah well.

Sounds like a decent meetup. Ours here in Atlanta are bigger but, um...kinda freaky. I think I'm not so much going to them.

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

He's that railroad guy who had a spontaneous lobotomy at work and became a real prick, right?


Yes indeedy.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers him from somewhere random. At least if I'm hallucinating, I'm not alone.

There was some random strangeness, but nothing out and out freaky. Perhaps because it was a smaller group.