Andare, Partire, Tornare
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TARcon5
I meant to post a long, rambling tale about my flying trip up to NYC and back for TARCON5, but I've been so excited to talk about it with everybody that I'm almost storied out. Plus, it's hard to quantify such a good time!
I took the Washington Flyer bus up with a fellow TWOPper, and we were delivered right to Madison Square Garden, where we both had hotels. I was bunking with another TWOPper and her friend - they kindly agreed to let me bunk on the sofa bed for a quarter of the room cost, which worked out to forty bucks. Score! I really needed this trip to be as cheap as possible, and her kindness helped me out immensely.
She was also the hostess of JewelryCon, and we ended up happily making earrings and bracelets with ten other girls. Some of the stuff just turned out beautifully. Plus, it was a great way to get to know a few people before we all plunged into the chaos of the party.
We got to Play by Play fairly early, but we were still down a ways in the line. But immediately after we got there, the line tripled in length! People wandering by for the Gloria Estefan concert were all eying us curiously, because so many people had Tubey bags and TWOP pins and custom "My Ox is Broken!" shirts. The welcoming sign on MSG's marquee must also have mystified them. We cheerfully swarmed into the bar, got our Tubey passport nametags, and goodie bags filled with snarkety goodness (And chocolate. Snarky chocolate). This venue rocked so much harder than last year's - we all had tables and there were tvs everywhere.
Watching a show with four hundred people is hysterical. People were cheering and laughing and moaning in tense agony. It was like your own reactions, quadrupled. Sars stood in front of us for the last twenty minutes of the show and clutched her own head in agony as we watched a taxi pull up and saw Chip and Kim amble to the finish line. My pick, Christie and Colin, finished second, making my TAR hopes mirror last season's. I apparently pick second placers.
Kevin and Drew arrived to film their Cold Pizza segment, and after that, the racers (past and present) started making their way in. At this point, the party turns into an orgy of flashbulbs, more booze, groping, and wild congratulations. I got to talk with Colin, Christie, Colin's mom, the Bowling Moms, and Brenda and Pat. But, as with last TARcon, I ended up only snapping a few pictures because I didn't want to fight the crowd. I was also surprised that so few of the season's current crop were there - it was final four plus Mirna (Charla had an emergency and was unable to attend). Last con, all the racers showed, and I thought that was likely for this party, especially after the Emmy win. Ah, well. I would have liked to meet Jim and Bob and Joyce.
We laughed, we cried, I got a hug from Colin. All was good in the world. And then, SephoraCon (I had a great facial and ended up buying cleanser and toner from Bliss - pricy, but fantastic) and home again, home again. Talk about your whirlwind trips!
10:06 p.m. - 2004-09-23
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