There could be a better name for this post, but I didn’t have one. So much for ‘creative writing’.
Let me just say that last night was awesome. Why? Well, because I went to my friend’ book release party. It’s pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience to sit on a stone porch in the James Gang’s old Tennessee Hideout Town eating cajun food and listening to homemade ghost stories.
I also got to see people I really love, many of whom I haven’t actually seen in person for more than a year. Or two.
And that’s what is so great about the internet. I read a lot of opinion pieces about how we’ve replaced real connection with others, substituting an ersatz “knowing” via Facebook, Twitter and blogs. After last night I’m more sure than ever that the people who say that haven’t been part of an actual community with an online component. Because there were people I haven’t seen in months, but about whom I know details of life both major and minor. I know whose pets are the cutest (but I’m not telling), how human kids are doing in school. It’s a real community. And it was the hugest treat in the world for me to actually see people once again.
Even huger a treat (is that a clause that has a place in English? Perhaps not.) was getting to meet people I’ve transacted with, argued with, joked with…in person. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I finally got to meet Andy Axel in person! ANDY AXEL. In PERSON!
In one month, from Yom Kippur to last night, I’ve gotten the rare treat of spending time with two groups of friends I love. Between Jill’s wedding and Betsy’s book party I’ve felt so honoured to be invited to share key moments in the lives of people I love. And as corny as it sounds, love is a balm to the common ailments of my life. I’m so lucky to have so many sources of love in my life–it’s an embarrassment of riches, a unique kind of wealth.
I’m babbling right now. I’m tired and sore and my silly dogs are pestering me. But I’m also smiling. Because I’m remembering friends, indulging in doggy kisses and enjoying the great gifts of the love of others.
I really wanted to tie it all together with some reference to last night’s book party* and the gathering place that Stonehenge probably was, tying it together with an image of the modern day equivalent of Stonehenge being the various circles of electronica that join us now. That’s where I was trying to go with it, but I’m too muddled to get there in a poetical sort of way. So let me just say that time changes some things, but it doesn’t change our basic humanity and need for connections.
*when the fog machine kicked on, several of us independently thought of Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge, lowered from the ceiling and in danger of being crushed by a dwarf
Just Another Pretty Farce 
I have to admit, one of the things that I love about the folks I know is that, as varied as they may be, when a smoke machine randomly goes off, many people immediately think “Tiny Stonehenge!”
Excellent to see you and your husband last night.
Kat it was so awesome to see you (and to meet your husband) last night!! And I was tickled to meet Andy, too, after reading his pithy comments on B’s blog for so long. 🙂
As you know, I met my husband on the ‘net, as well as you and B (to keep to the topic of your post) so I’m all in favor of internet acquaintance. But sometimes, being on the internets lets you hide things. Not that you’re a dog, necessarily, but that you’re a pig, maybe. I mean, I know IRL a guy who is on an e-mail list with a bunch of other people I know who do not know him. And he is a pig’s pig — he can’t talk about a woman without speculating about her body, he can’t maintain a friendly conversation with a woman, all that — but they don’t know him. And so they think he’s funny, and likeable, and keep inviting him to attend real life get-togethers, which fortunately he hasn’t ever done so far. I don’t see it as my place to tell them what I see as the truth about him, but one day he’s gonna show up in person and be himself. I hope I’m not there.
In some ways, this post makes me feel a little sad that I fell in with the Nashville blogosphere (never sure exactly how that happened), so alot of the bloggers and blog commenters I’ve come to know through their online musings, I’ll probably never get to actually meet in person. On the other hand, there seems to be no comparable blogging community around here (I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching in the past), and meeting a bench or really cool people via reading posts and comments is better than not having met those really cool people at all.
And I think your last post’s title is great enough to cover you for this one 😉
I always ALWAYS wish you and The Boyfriend could make it to one of our soirées here. I even said to someone last night (mr. me? nm? can’t exactly remember) “Itd be great if Dolphin could make one of these.”
You guys could always do a drive and stay vacation out here. Hint.
Now I need to go back into Safari and see what my last post title was.
Pardon the brevity and the typos. This was sent from my iPhone.
It’s true, one of TheBoyfriend™’s exs is actually down there trying to make a career as a country singer (so if you’re ever out and see that Jeremy Kent is going to be playing somewhere go give him a listen). But for now, all our free time and cash is probably going into our house. I’ll let you know if we’re ever down that way, hopefully there could be a big blogger bash so I could meet everybody.
Does your boyfriend only date men called Jeremy?
Pardon the brevity and the typos. This was sent from my iPhone.
haha, actually he claims to not repeat the same name twice, but I go by my middle name, so it doesn’t really count! 😉
Awww, this post makes me sad that I couldn’t make it.
I’d “known” Andy for a long time, not only from the Nashville-ish blogpool but we both have been hanging around the same Knoxville-based message board for years and years. I finally got to meet him and his lovely wife in person a few years ago when we all happened to be going to Chicago for a fave band’s show – the three of us, a local fan, and a couple of fellows from NYC that we’d known online all met up and had dinner before the show and went to the gig together and just had a great time. Andy and his wife are lovely, lovely people. Glad you finally met him too.