in which i use far too many exclamation points!

Fun week this week... I keep thinking, I've gotta blog about this, and creating clever and witty posts on the bus and such, but they haven't quite made the leap to the computer.  Last week I went to the West Hollywood Stitch and Bitch meeting for the first time in ages, and my, how it has grown!  I was present at the first meetings, way back when, and the group has probably tripled in size.  It was really nice to see everyone, and meet new people to boot.  Now, when I meet new people, I tend to be a little... enthusiastic.  And at the meeting, I had the experience of meeting someone I felt like I knew from blogland for the first time.  And, true to form, I completely spazzed out.  Have you met (in the blog sense, I mean) Laurie, from Crazy Aunt Purl?  Hilarious blog, I totally freaking love her trials and tribulations and enthusiastic, sometimes inebriated ramblings.  Love Them, feel like I Understand Them... you know the drill.  So last week, since I am a fan of her blog, I knew that it was her birthday.  And I debated all day- do I bring her a present, or what?  And I finally decided that I would be more comfortable mailing a surprise secret present to a total stranger than handing it over to her the first time we met.  Cut to: the SnB meeting.  Ellen (new blog alert!  new blog alert!) introduced me to Laurie, who in person gives of a vibe much more sweet than crazy.  I tell her that I'm a big fan of her blog.  She reads my blog and recognizes my glasses.  So far, so good.  But then, for some reason, I don't shut up!  "I really love your blog, I really do!  I've read the crackhouse post out loud to people!  I almost brought you a birthday present today!  Happy birthday!  I just didn't bring you a present because I've never met you before and I didn't want you to think I was a stalker!" 

Ok.  I ask you- who does that?  Who introduces themselves as a stalker the very first time they meet someone?  Well, I do, I guess.  Later on in the meeting, I was taking pictures (they won't upload.  I don't know why.  Sorry) and when I pointed my camera at the part of the table where Laurie was sitting, she started waving her hands and said "no photos!  No photos!"  In her polite Southern way, she said, "I'm really tired."  Being a fellow Southern Backgrounder, though, I was able to read the subtext, and it read: I saw One Hour Photo, and if you think I'm letting someone who calls themselves my stalker take my picture, you must be kidding!

Someday I'll learn to act right.  I swear.

Today, however, I'm leaving, in a few short hours, to go and camp in Santa Paula, home of citrus orchards, many a rattlesnake, and- rumor has it- wild peacocks.  I. Can't. Wait.  The car is being loaded while I work (Thanks Jacob!  Love you lots!).  We bought a tent!  And two coolers!  And a propane lantern!  And Deet!  I'm getting the hell out of dodge.

Have happy 4th, everyone!

Comments

[laurie]

Silly you! And all this time I kept thinking, "Mary-Heather thinks I am a weirdo because I mentioned something about a yarn store and some rain and water on the floor that made NO DAMN SENSE." Yup!

I am coming to your store one day soon for the following:
Hi!
Stalking! See! I stalk you!
Cotton yarn
the pattern to that amazing t-shirt you made
talking!

Have a great weekend :)
--L

[Julia]

You are too funny. Have a great time camping. I'll see you in THREE WEEKS! xox

[Sock Pal]

Hey! I'm making socks for you for Sockapal-2-za, I've been busy, so I haven't had time to let you know I'm here or that I have plans for your socks, I just haven't had time to start them! I hope you like neon green and orange fun fur...

[L.A. Ell]

M-H!! You are sooo funny. Crazy Aunt Purl talks about talking too much when she meets someone new. You two are kindred spirits!!!

It was great seeing you at the WeHo SnB! Please visit us again! We miss you! Also, thanks for recommending squarespace for my new blog. It's "kinda' easy" for a novice....I'm limping along, trying to make the blog look as professional as possible.

See you soon!

[Mom]

I got an email from Friendster ... which I don't actively participate in and rarely get emails from, but they seem to have upgraded the site ... anyway... which led me to your page, with the url to your blog. WELL, I was just talking about your blog this week at work because now it's all the rage to do corporate blogs for marketing purposes (replacement for News Groups back-in-the-day) and execs have been asking me about blogs and the only thing I could say was "My daughter has one." So, naturally when I got pinged by Friendster and found your blog url I decided to catch up. Haven't read this in ages. I'm so touched that people who read your blog actually sent well-wishes about my accident! I would LOVE to come down sometime and attend an LA SnB (I read your acronym as "snob" the first time, which is sort of fittin' -- I'm sure there are all types at an SnB: hand-painted yarn snobs? homemade sweater snobs? etc. But, what I am going to do right now is go to Southwest.com and purchase tix for a trip to Socal in August. And I'm bringing my coat design so you can help me pick out yarn ... it'll be my first entry in the beautiful notebook you (& Suzan) gave me. btw, I have no idea where Mary-Heather got her chattiness!!!