An Oasis in the DesertJun 24 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line In which meeters and greeters eat too much, drink too much, and cause Norm McDonald to postpone the start of his comedy routine. Dear Everybody, Oops, I did it again. I finagled my way to yet another official Epinions Meet & Greet. It's quite odd to realize that I'm one of the old hats at this meeting and greeting business by now. At my first meet (Nov. 2004, Chicago) I was literally terrified. I had no idea what to expect, whether I would fit in with those people, or if I would get drunk in my nervousness and have to run to the bathroom to puke. Now a year and a half later I've been to 5 Meets and feel that I take them pretty much in stride. Don't get me wrong. I still get the butterflies in the stomach before heading out. I still worry that I'll say or do something genuinely stupid and become a laughing stock. I still wonder if I'll really fit in. Honestly, I do. But you wouldn't know it. The main reason? I have real honest-to-goodness friends that I've made on this site. For me, Epinions is no longer just a place to come share my opinions with anonymous people who happen to be looking for something that I already have. Epinions isn't just a place I'll go looking for a new coffee pot or cell phone. It's still that - but it's become so much more. It's a place that I come when I want to bounce ideas off people I trust. It's a place where I know I can have a good discussion with folks who are just as obsessed as I am. It's a place that feels a lot like going home to a cozy little community. So anytime I hear about a live, face-to-face meeting of Epinions members, I start calculating whether there's any possibility I might be one of the faces. I hope that doesn't sound pathetic or desperate because it's not. It's just that this site seems to be populated by interesting intelligent people - a commodity that's all too rare these days. Enough of that. On to the M&G!! This time the epi-locusts swooped into Las Vegas! Sin City, USA. The event itself was held at the House of Blues - a chain of very cool restaurants spawned by the immortal Blues Brothers movie. Vegas itself was very... Vegas; which is to say it was blistering hot and boiling with tourists. That's OK though - I wouldn't want Vegas any other way. (OK - a few degrees cooler would have been nice. But the heat was not devastating, just really hot.) I actually arrived in town the Monday prior to the M&G because I doubled up my trip and went to the eBay Live! convention also. But by Friday eBay was over, my conventioneering friend returned home to Texas, and I hooked up with Caroline, Gene (Caroline's signifigant other), Mike, Tom, Garrett, and Kristen for some poolside chit-chat and general 'hanging out' time. It was good to spend time with this far-flung group of people again. Oh how I wish someone would invent a transporter so I could visit California, New York, Washington, D. C., Ontario, Boston and any other place I wished at the push of a button. By the time the actual Meet rolled around on Saturday afternoon, I was burnt to a crisp (but only on my shoulders and upper chest) and slightly exhausted from the preceding week. Still, Caroline, Gene and I headed towards the Mandalay Bay Hotel and the House of Blues and arrived just in time to break the ribbon on the 4:00 party. There was an incredible spread of food which included things like roast beef and apple pie a la mode, but at this point I feel I must confess. The bartender assigned to our group created a concoction which immediately dubbed the Epitini which consisted of Captain Morgan's spiced rum, triple sec, and pineapple juice shaken with ice and strained into a martini glass and finished with a splash of grenadine for color. The effect of said Epitinis was such that much of the M&G event seems not entirely clear in my mind. Sadly, I can't even recall the name of the (very attractive) bartender to give him his just kudos in this writeup. While I don't remember all the details of the very tasty buffet, I do remember talking to several people I have known by reputation, but had yet to actually meet in person. I had an extended conversation with Casey, Pam and Adrienne. I also chatted a bit with Steve as he gave us all the paparazzi treatment with his expensive-looking digital camera. I know I got to meet Lynus (whose real name isn't Lynus, but again the epitinis cloud my memory) and Richard (who I think was attatched to Casey - do I remember right?) and YakkoWarner (again, not his real name). And I remember chatting and shaking hands with several other members (even a couple of newbies on our site who originated at eBay). Alas, my addled memory isn't dredging up any more names. If I think of them later, or if someone reminds me, I'll edit to get them added. The only really 'official' part of the event was the drawing for the 30gb iPod that was donated to the cause by uBid. I had my fingers crossed, but was disappointed once again when Kristen took the prize. I think it was probably rigged by the previously mentioned hunky bartender that drew the ticket. But I know the pod went to a good home and will be well loved a Kristen temporarily relocates to London later this year (*sniff* we'll miss you!!). This particular M&G was a bit smaller than most I've attended - I think it was closest in size to the Dallas Meet. But unlike Dallas which I think was hindered a bit by the boxed-in feel of the room we were in, this meet felt very intimate and cozy. There were no startling announcements from our Brisbane friends. I don't think many people were "talking shop" at all actually. It just felt like a group of old familiar friends getting together to share a few laughs and spend time together. In all I think this Meet was good, friendly, familiar. It wasn't the blow-out party we had in New York, but it was fun nonetheless. As always, the staff of the restaurant was shooing the last of us stragglers out the door about 15 minutes after the scheduled end of the event. They needed to hurry up and clear the space because comedian Norm McDonald was scheduled to take the stage but couldn't go on 'til we were done. Sorry Norm!! Anyway, you missed out on a good party. I wish you coulda been there - I think you would have liked it. Ever yours, Amy  |
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