Category: Blog

They gathered, and there was much posting!

Cathy felt I needed an opportunity to socialize with other bloggers without chasing Evan around.

He chatted with strangers trying to enjoy their meal with the exception of the older gentleman and his daughter co-worker date escort hooker which is regretful because that could have been a fun conversation, “pardon my son for interrupting your, uh, uh, thang. So, do you measure those heals with a yard stick?” [Source]

Tommy decided to join me on the promise that he would get to play some pool. The downside of letting me go by myself was that Cathy was not around to keep me in line..ahem!..Sorry about the shiny head jokes guys. It just came to me in a flash. This blogfest promised to be interesting as I really could put name to face and I would be able to talk without that "where’s the toddler" twitch. Rich assures me that Evan is great at the events and that I need to worry about him less. The first Blogfest we attended has a sense of apprehension to it. I mean, we all knew other and simultaneously knew nothing of each other.

we all read each other so…is there really anything to talk about? "Um..Post #1345." "Ha! That was great. I responded in comment #12768." "Read it! Excellent retort! Did you catch the Youtube video on that?" "Covered it in post #4491." Silence. "Check please." [Source]

The second Blogfest was more natural but faces and names were still coming together.

When people from the online world meet for the first time, the experience is unnerving, fascinating, and enlightening for these online people have shared stories and know of each other intimately but are always surprised to find that often the person they "know" online is not the same as the person in real life. [Source]

The attendees at this third Blogfest were Mushy’s Moochings (who’s review has much clearer pictures than my cell phone pictures above), Shots Across the Bow, LissaKay (she impressed me with her semantics), The Kat House (also great pictures in her review), Blogitude (another great picture..beginning to think the camera phone isn’t sufficient!), No Silence Here with Knoxville’s youngest blogger – Mckinley, Les Jones, and Tommy (picture above at the pool table).

The turnout was a little smaller than previous events. I hope that is because of the summer and not partisan politics, or a mistaken thought that we like each other better in print than in person. The event really was fun! Several of the bloggers even tracked down one missing blogger (Barry of Inn of the Last Home) to hear him play at the Eagle’s Lodge. Unfortunately, I had kept Tommy from World of Warcraft too long and had to skip the Eagle’s Lodge to treat his withdrawal symptoms. See you guys next time!

Side note, we did have a couple of baseball players try to join our conversation ala Jon Stewart’s giant head of Brian Williams but we mostly ignored them.

Due to some recent developments, like being politically active in regard to the Knox County school rezoning and our daughter showing our online publishings to a variety of people who otherwise probably would have never seen these writings, our visibility is up a bit.

Sarah doesn’t like her parents reading her blog so she snipes to her mother, "How’s it feel to have people reading what you write?" If the work was not meant to be read, it would not be publically published…As a friend of ours said, "You put it out there!"

If Instapundit and BusyMom are A-list bloggers, we are probably still somewhere down in the Ts. Some of our friends and family might ask, "Why do they do this?" My answer is published here. The long and short of it is that blogging is fun! It is also a playground for experimenting with thoughts and actions you may not explore in the real world much like an actor might explore a character on the stage. Online is an arena that may allow for exaggeration or outright fiction although Cathy and I tend to call it like we see it. That separation between real world and online world is important. When people from the online world meet for the first time, the experience is unnerving, fascinating, and enlightening for these online people have shared stories and know of each other intimately but are always surprised to find that often the person they "know" online is not the same as the person in real life. Online publishing shows but a glimpse of the person’s real life (unless you are Justin then you get it all) and in real life the person may have much more depth, be less revealing, and more politically correct.

Welcome! Read. Enjoy. Judge or not. Comment and participate or lurk in the shadows. And next we meet, smile and laugh with me!

The best Blogfest write-up goes to Barry with his perfect recap of a wonderful evening! East TN bloggers met in person to put name to url. Glenn Reynolds has the list of attendees. These events are a little strange to enter. For one, the children (except Noah) were with us and I have continued to fool myself into thinking that blogging is something we do unawares to them despite knowing full well they understand our blogs completely. I am sure that both Tommy and Sarah have visited each blog and declared them "boring and weird" since our blogs don’t use the word "cuz," don’t change the font size nearly frequently enough, and have no picture from Naruto. Also, we all read each other so…is there really anything to talk about? "Um..Post #1345." "Ha! That was great. I responded in comment #12768." "Read it! Excellent retort! Did you catch the Youtube video on that?" "Covered it in post #4491." Silence. "Check please."

In reality, we walked in 30 minutes later than intended and confused the hostess since we had no reservation, no call ahead seating and, apparently, had no intent to sit down. We made various attempts at figuring out if anyone was here: "Blogfest?" Blank stare from the waitress. "Inn of the Last Home?" A waitress goes to get a manager and whispers something about police. I didn’t know they already had a run-in with Mike Faulk. Sarah exits the restaurant in embarrassment and I stare blankly at a crowd of people that looks something akin to the prisoners on the train in The Wall.

So Rich Hailey approaches asking, "Looking for Blogfest? Someone identified you." For a brief moment I experience what celebrities must feel and I reply, "Good to read you!" After locating Sarah we fill the final seats at the blogger’s table. Lucky for Sarah, a girl near her own age was sitting right beside her. They ignored each other the entire evening. Tommy had the pleasure of sitting beside Mike Faulk who graciously tried to engage the nervous, bored teens until being drawn into adult conversation with Dr. Helen, Glenn Reynolds, Perry Nelson, and Lissa Kay. Amy sat on Sarah’s other side. Evan took the head of the table with Cathy and I on either side of him until Katie Allison Granju, Jon Hickman, Randy Neal and Mrs. Neal showed up adding yet another table. The early bird side of the table included Thoughts of an Average Woman, Barry, Michael Silence and his wonderful daughter, Rich Hailey, and Say Uncle. As some seats emptied, Les Jones and his wife, Melissa, filled in (I hugged his wife and he was probably packing!). Pulling up the rear was Mark Steel who enjoyed Tuckaleechee Porter until closing. [Hopefully I covered everyone. This paragraph should have links to ALL attendee’s blogs and their Blogfest review.]

In the realm of overt cuteness, Michael‘s daughter with a huge grin unabashedly bee-lined it to Evan, grabbed his hand, and led him through the restaurant to the vacant upstairs banquet area so they could run and play. Ah! My boy’s first date! Of course, little Casanova is in big trouble if he let’s the ladies lead him so easily.. ahem! They were adorable and thrilled beyond belief to have a playmate.

In the small world realm, Melissa and I go back a decade give or take. We met at a friend’s party eons ago. She recounted how I encouraged her to get into computers. The teenage girls who ignored each other in lieu of text messaging went to the same beach at the same time for a vacation this past summer. Perry Nelson worked with Lissa Kay.

In the realm of social ineptitude, I flashed our camera enough to make restaurant patrons think they were at a Hollywood movie debut, asked Mr. R Neil, "So, what do you do?" only to see everyone look at me like I was from Mars, and I got to blathering such a technical description of something that I myself became lost in my words! Guess I need to get out of the basement more often.

Overall it was fantastic event. Rarely do you attend something where no introductions are needed and the person sitting beside you possibly understands you better than your psychologist. It was definitely interesting meeting people face to face with whom you already have somewhat of a connection. I only wish we had more time for deeper conversation. The time flew by and partings had to come almost in conjunction with hellos. I look forward to the next Blogfest!

Update: As I re-read my post with Cathy I realized I left something from the "In the realm of overt cuteness" paragraph. I had intended to tell about Evan and Jon. Ironically, before I could return to update the post, Jon had commented about being left from Barry’s recap. Evan doesn’t always warm up to people. He even shys away from the grandparents from time to time. There was a moment at the Blogfest where Evan stopped running around. Planted his feet. Extended his left arm straight as an arrow and pointed his index finger at Jon. Then he reached his right arm out straight as an arrow and pointed his index finger at Jon. Jon was the chosen! Evan declared him, "The fun guy!" Then Jon, father to be, reached down and picked up the insistent Evan who proceeded to drool and snot all over him. Evan really liked Jon!

Update: Mark Steel came in as we left.