Vancouver Dopefest Wrap-Up

Hey all!

This is the official Vancouver Dopefest Wrap-Up thread. (unless someone gets one in while I am composing this one) Yes, I could leave this for Scotticher to do (since she's the one that organized it all), but she's probably busy and tired, too. Hey, I'm also tired (we did a LOT of walking today), but I'm up for it! Besides, I probably should get down the events while they're still fresh in my mind.

Why am I starting a new thread? Well, the Vancouver Dopefest one probably shouldn't be bumped any more than it has to be, and I like the idea of wrap-up threads being separate from the original "Let's have a Dopefest around here sometime!" threads.

That said, I would like to say now that any rumors you may hear in this thread about my being totally smashed are definitely NOT true. However, I can't say the same for the rumors that have me as being on the quiet side. (about which more later)

We met at the Granville Island Coffee House. (thanks for the directions and description, Barbarian and Larry Mudd) I was actually the first person there: I thought that in case I got lost or something, I should leave time to actually find the place. Nope, I actually managed to find it in enough time that I was the first person there by a good 40 minutes or so. (no, I'm not particularly obsessive about being on time, why do you ask? :D)

I was sitting inside the coffee shop and reading the paper when this guy that totally reminded me of my friend Mark (same general build, same red hair, etc.) walked up to me and asked if I was there for the Dopefest. Yes, I was indeed. He introduced himself as Barbarian, and we sat and made small talk for a little while.

Since GingeroftheNorth and her hostess had been described as two redheads, and we saw two redheads in the back of the coffee shop, we thought that maybe it would be them. Barbarian decided to go up to them and say something like. "Um, this is going to sound really strange, but are you here for the Straight Dope Dopefest?" They weren't, but Larry Mudd happened to be sitting just behind them.

The three of us made small talk until Ginger and her hostess came in. Her hostess is a new Doper (Sinshine); I believe she said she registered this morning. Everyone else (Scotticher, rjk, and silent_rob) was late, but there was some sort of hour-and-a-half tie-up. Afterwards, we just sat around and slowly got to know each other. (and discussed Ginger's upcoming wedding, among other things)

Later, we went around Granville Island. Ginger seemed quite taken with the toy store we went to, and almost everyone else was too. Larry and I weren't quite so taken with it, so we just stood around and talked while waiting for everyone else.

Ginger remarked that I seemed quiet. Big surprise there, I'm sure. :P So everyone said that they'd be teasing me endlessly, or was that just you, Larry? I believe Larry said he thought he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise. Ha ha ha. I don't talk peoples' ears off in real life, I told him. "So you get it all out online!" he concluded. That could very well be the case. Besides, I'm not one to totally dominate a conversation, especially if it's around people I really don't know very well.

After that, we took a water taxi to the West End and walked around a bit on the seawall (which Larry asked if I was cool with.. hey, who am I to hold everyone back?), where Ginger decided she literally had to get her feet wet. I actually ran into a couple of my friends (Irene and Joe) while we were walking on the seawall. That will certainly be interesting if my friend asks me where I know those people from. Then we smelled WEED! HAHAHAHA!

Later, we ate dinner at the Bayside Lounge (after saying goodbye to Barbarian), where I actually ordered a Guinness for the first time in my life. When I asked Larry if he was expecting me to turn hyper at any moment, he asked if he'd missed it. Nope! I didn't turn hyper at any point in time during (or after) the fest. (at least, in my opinion)

After saying goodbye to Larry, we decided to take the bus home. On the bus, we discussed stuff about the boards in general (and I learned more than I thought I would) ... Scotticher also announced that she was saving herself for Ed Zotti. For some reason, rjk thought that since we were on public transit at the time, this qualified as an Official Announcement, and even asked these two girls sitting nearby if they'd heard what she'd said. Needless to say, they were very confused.

They all bid adieu to me at the Skytrain station, after taking me down the escalator. (no elevators for me) For the record, I freeze at escalators. Maybe it's because I just don't like the feeling of the moving steps or I feel I'm not safe, or something, but that's how it is.

I didn't really talk to silent_rob much at all, but it was great meeting everyone. Through everyone else's conversations, I got to learn more about the boards from their perspectives, and got a bit of an insight into Weirddave.

Ginger, I hope you get everything in order here for your wedding, and may it all go smoothly. Larry, I still have no idea what the mushroom is called for mushroom tea.. all I can tell you is that it looks like a big round white fungus thing. (hey, Scotticher backed me on this!) I'll ask my mom when I see her, though I'm probably not going to get much more out of her than, "It's a different kind of mushroom." Um, yes... I knew that already, Mom. Of course, there's always Google, which I will use later.

So ends the long mundane, pointless story of the Vancouver Dopefest. It was a good time, with lots of stories exchanged. July 20, 2002 will be one of those memorable days for me. :)