tarotgal

Wow. What an utterly exhausting conference! It was WONDERFUL, though. I didn't have to man the cash register much- I mostly worked the help desk and ran around crazy helping out and setting up the computers/network/printers. Registration opened at 8am each morning of the conference, which meant I had to get up at 5am and get down to start setting up at 5:45am every morning. We took everything down every evening at 5 and set it up again in the morning. We had complaints, naturally, but VERY few compared to what we'd anticipated given that the conference sold out before it began for the first time in AWP history. Even the board dinner and meeting went surprisingly well.

Bad moments:

*Our Express train (which goes 140 mph) hit a shopping cart on the tracks on the way to DC, just out of Baltimore. Bad smell of rubber burning, then the train stopped for nearly an hour. The speed regulator was busted so we could only go about 79 mph max and the slower (non express) train passed us along the way and made it to NYC first. LOL We got in much later than we should have... but I managed to read 'Fight Club' from start to finish during my travels that day, so not a total loss.

*Lack of sleep and having incredibly sore feet! Also, inability to watch Capitals games and Torchwood.

*Dinner at a Greek restaurant- that took 3 hours from start to finish!

*Maids changing out my towels even though I hung them on the "don't change" towel rack AND not giving me a bath mat towel twice for some reason

*Not being able to go to more events (I'm glad I got to go to two, though!)



Highlights of my week:

*Eating a special vegan dish made just for me at Bobby Flay's restaurant

*Listening to Kristin's music while stuffing 7,000 bags with coworkers (she played a Moulin Rouge song just for me!!)

*Talking to conference people for an hour while waiting in the LONG taxi line in front of the hotel- then splitting a cab with a Computer Science-teacher-poet who is close friends with one of our board members

*John Irving's keynote address KICKED ASS! He's very handsome and very funny and I loved his advice about writing as much as his personal stories- his reminder that LOST was on in case we wanted to skip his keynote to go see it was also wonderful

*Being able to order a lemonade through room service that cost $6.95 and not worry about it because I had $200 left in my per diem

*Meeting some famous writers at registration including: Francine Prose, Ha Jin (who was wearing a stylish AWP baseball cap!!), Russell Edson (I made nametags for all his personal guests), C.D. Wright, and Billy Collins (I made badges for all his guests, too, and then he asked my name and shook my hand and thanked me personally for all my help *so exciting*)

*Getting to see the Presidential Suite at the Hilton and eat a few items in the continental breakfast there because the VIP who was supposed to be there couldn't because of food poisoning. And, oh, the view from the penthouse!

*Going to the Strand bookstore and being overwhelmed by so many awesome books. The Hornblower books I had hoped to get were all the wrong covers *pout* but I did spend, like, 2 hours shopping/browsing and even climbed up a ladder to get some books off one shelf on the second floor. I ended up buying for myself: Captain Horatio Hornblower (hardcover, containing 3 of my favorite books in the series), Kyle's Bed & Breakfast (hardcover!!! I keep lending out my paperback copy and it's a bit bent and I didn't even know it *came* in hardcover! Sold in a real store! How could I resist?), Lord John & the Brotherhood of the Blade (unabridged on CD for a spectacular price- it's my new favorite book ever so, yeah, I couldn't resisit owning a copy on CD), Legends II (on cassette tapes for less than $4- has only the Lord John story and the Terry Brooks story which are the only two in the collection I care about anyway- I have it in hardcover but, yeah, audio Lord John goodness!), AND a kickass strand bag that is going to become my new fandom convention bag, I think. It's thick and gorgeous and I can't stop hugging it

*Being unable to flag down a cab in NYC so walking an extra block and stumbling upon Forbidden Planet, the coolest comic book/fandom store I've ever been in. Happy things there: Angel comic I just bought off eBay since it was sold out in my local store(doh!), thousands of dollars of fandom figures and displays including: a Duncan MacLeod one that I would have purchased had his kilt been plaid and if I'd had a good way to get him home without crushing him and Prison Break figures(Squee! for $130 each), issues of Fantastic Four comics I'd never seen before (including one I bought that has Johnny hunched over in the doctor's office, hugging his stomach, saying "I don't feel so good") with complimentary boards & bags, and several fandom patches I was planning to buy online for $7.99 each that were only $3.99!

*The Frank McCourt & Billy Collins reading (only other event I got to go to) that was fucking HILARIOUS! I got to sit up in the special "Reserved- VIP" section- which might be the only time in my life I ever get to sit in a VIP section- it's good to be staff *G* Frank told stories and read from Teacher Man (interjecting bits of humor here and there) and I laughed a lot but also loved what he had to say. Then Billy read his poetry and I was laughing SO hard I literally had tears running down my cheeks, down my neck, and onto my chest. Seriously, some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard in my life. Especially his 'suddenly' poem and the one about the writers' workshop. Oh gods, I REALLY hope we were recording that one to go on the podcast so it can be shared with the world because it's too funny for just a few thousand people to have heard it.

*Walking around Times Square- twice- without incident, just enjoying the scenery and not getting too pissed at the commercialism :-)

*Seeing RENT on Broadway- and crossing something off my "To Do Before I Die Life List". And because is was VERY good. The set was a little more elaborate than the other 3 (travelling) performances I've seen. The venue was SO much better- even though I was in the second-to-last row, it was almost like being right up on stage with them because of the way the theater was set up- very intimate. The sound quality sucked most of the time (a little too loud) and the performers were obviously not top-notch, but they were very good. Usually when I see RENT performed I make it to 'Life Support' without crying. This time, I teared up during 'Rent' and started crying during 'Glory' (and that's saying a LOT because Glory is one of my least fave songs and Roger isn't one of my favorite characters). Mimi- played by first season American Idol 3rd place chica- she could REALLY sing! Mark- his mic really didn't love him but he was very good in the role- I was more than satisfied. Roger- punk hair(?!) but played the character EXTRA angsty and was SOOOOOOOO good at that!!!! (*dies happily*) Angel- a tad too masculine for my liking, but his sick scenes were done very well and he/she was extremely loveable. Joanne- perfect, just perfect- I especially loved how she spoke some of her lines instead of singing them. Maureen- had bright blond, short lesbian hair that REALLY threw me but her voice/singing and acting were absolutely incredible so easily forgiven. Collins- not the best singer in the cast at all (sad) but one of the best actors (happy) and did a great job of some of my favorite Collins moments (namely the sarcastic ones and the hurt/injured scenes). Even though I didn't adore the Angel and Collins portrals, the two had the BEST chemistry. Even when the focus was on other characters, they were touching or holding each other and when they were in focus the love was so easy to see without being overdone/unrealistically fake- it was so beautiful. Also, my favorite number 'You'll See' was PERFECT!! The way Angel, Collins, and Mark grinned and rocked back and forth with Mark in-between them, hugging/smothering at the end of the song until he jumped up with his "Let it be, Boys" line was AMAZINGLY ADORABLE! Also wanted to note that during 'La Vie Bohem' at the "on this night when we celebrate the birth" moment, most productions I've seen have Maureen up on a chair/table pretending to give birth and then someone making a crying baby sound. This time, she started out like she was pretending to give birth but instead sneezed *G* She also mooned Mr. Gray(Grey?) which was rather nice- definitely didn't do that in the production I saw at my college! The mooing wasn't as loud as I would have liked, but that's okay. The intermission was also very short. Oh, the part Collins usually sings during '525,600 Minutes' was sung by one of the general cast members because, yeah, the actor wasn't the best- during his huge Cover You reprise in Act II he wasn't impressive either- clearly a very limited range. And the Roger actor wasn't the best singer either- had to work for some notes and fought to harmonize when singing with others. But his voice was so rough and he was so angsty/broken up that I still melted bigtime- I honestly think he played 'Your Eyes' at the beginning- solo/unaccompanied by the orchestra- which was beautiful. ANYWAY... the point of seeing it wasn't to criticize- no performance is going to be perfect and the beauty really is to see it live and as a one of a kind performance, which it definitely was. Certainly worth the $68 to see it live for a 4th time. Definitely a performance I'll never forget.

And the best part of the whole week...
*Seeing Doc!!!!!! (Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda) She was my Creative Writing teacher back in high school and, honestly, the first person who really encouraged and inspired me to write. I'd taken classes before, but hers were special and advanced and she was an amazing critiquer and so supportive and like a second mother to her students. She's the Poet Laureate of Virginia, too. I knew she was an AWP member a while ago since I archived 30 years of our magazine issues and had seen her picture in one, but I didn't know she'd be at the conference and I hadn't seen her in 9.5 years. I was working registration and she walked past and we saw each other and then did a double-take and then I rushed around the booth and we hugged and caught up and OMG Doc!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, the most wonderful part, for certain. We exchanged cards so we can stay in touch, too. *happy sigh*


So, yeah. A great week, all in all. Had a lot of wonderful moments on my own and also went out with coworkers a few times and actually had a great time during those occasions, too. Definitely the best AWP conference experience for me so far (out of just the two). It's nice to be back, naturally, and I have 500+ e-mails to wade through, but it was a wonderful trip.