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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Post Palooza
2007-08-06
A confession: I love planning, posting, and hosting Paloozas, but I get tongue-tied when trying to write about them afterwards.

Having said that, this party was a total blast.

Rantapalooza IV was hatched a couple months ago, when trailing wife wrote to me with her family's travel plans that included a stop in DC the first weekend of August. Would we consider having a RB get-together? [You're kidding, right?]

So first to check with Fred. Are Hizzoner and Ethel up for it? [Yes! Yay!]

Can we have it in DC? [No, too far]

How 'bout somewhere roughly halfway between DC and Bawlmer [Sure]

Good. Howzabout Rams Head in Savage? A fine watering hole in a historic setting [Yup]

Awesome! Parameters worked out, now time to publicize. First post up, I flush out one surprising lurker and get the usual chorus of "My cousin's nephew's best friend is getting married in Auckland that day", "The contractor's coming to grout the rabbit hutch", "I'm gonna be playing nickel slots and hitting on showgirls in Tahoe", and other less than compelling explanations. There was also some muttering about packing to move, but I found that highly implausible.

The emails roll in, replies roll out, post a few more reminders, rsvp everyone, and finally it's P-Day.

I stop downtown to pick up the impossibly radiant trailing wife. Mr. wife and their lovely daughters, er, trail behind us in their rental car as we make our way up the ever-scenic US 1 all the way to Savage.

Then on to Rams Head, arrange the tables, inform the restaurant staff to send anyone babbling about "Fred" to our private back room. The guests arrive: Fred and Ethel, Rambler, Bobby, Mrs. Bobby, Nimble Spemble, Eric Jablow, Barbara Skolaut, mhw, and one lurker who later told me he was quite apprehensive about attending, but reported he had a very good time indeed and that the Rantburg community (and perhaps the bottomless gin and tonics) made him feel right at home.

And then ... and then I was too busy hostessing to actually remember what happened. Surely any or all of the luminaries listed above would like to jog my memory and fill us all in...
Posted by:Seafarious

#12  "though" = "thought"

Wratts. Looooong day. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-08-06 20:44  

#11  Speaking of the "surprising lurker," I was thrilled to meet h** too. I though my eyes were deceiving me at first. Too cool. Really nice, down-to-earth person, engaging to talk to.

Better than meeting a rock star. (But then again, what isn't? ;-p)

It was great to see old friends and put faces to names I'd read and "spoken" with but never met before.

I swear I've seen Mr. Wife's face somewhere before; he swears there's no truth to the rumor it was on the Post Office wall. :-D

Start planning next year's, Sea!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-08-06 20:43  

#10  No, no! Certainly not!
Posted by: Fred   2007-08-06 20:41  

#9  #5 tw: "there is no truth to the rumour that the table collapsed at his end first"

Nope, none at all. Not a bit.

Nope.

Hee hee.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-08-06 20:36  

#8  Double front on those shields if I remember correctly. Is that right Sea?

Boy am I a NERD...
Posted by: Free Radical   2007-08-06 13:46  

#7  Drop me a line, Billy, and remember to adjust your shields.
Posted by: Seafarious   2007-08-06 13:24  

#6  Leaving Bangers in few week for job in the Death Star (DC). Never too early to start planning Palooza '08. Would love to attend.
Posted by: Bankok Billy   2007-08-06 13:21  

#5  The hotel in Virginia Beach has a computer!! (We needed something restful after the excitements of Washington.) It was beyond words amazing to meet a few of my favourite Rantburgers and a Rantburg lurker, too. (If he's any example, more lurkers need to start posting -- he was fascinating! Although I've noticed all sorts of new nyms and names lately, so as usual nobody needs good advice from me. Welcome to the conversation, y'all!) I felt like a kid in a candy store, not knowing who to talk to first. I met the adorable Ethel Pruitt, and the sweet Mrs. Bobby, and I can assure you their husbands are very lucky men. And I got to show off Mr. Wife and the trailing daughters, which I don't get to do nearly enough for my taste. :-D Oh, and Nimble Spemble forgot to mention he was partnering me in the tarantella on the table... there is no truth to the rumour that the table collapsed at his end first, dumping us ignomineously on the floor, legs akimbo, nor that he got a mild concussion, nor that mhw paid for the damage with one of the million dollar bills he prints up on his computer. (Don't worry about any of our lurkers in dark suits -- it seems our mhw has Friends In Government.)

More later. We're supposed to be polite and limit computer usage to 20 minutes, according to the little red notice I just noticed. But it was wonderful, and I'm so grateful to dear Seafarious for organizing the whole event. Oh, and as far as I can tell at least a third of Americans have lived in Cincinnati at some point in their childhoods. It's a funny old world, isn't it? :-D
Posted by: trailing wife on vacation   2007-08-06 07:46  

#4  A confession: I love planning, posting, and hosting Paloozas, but I get tongue-tied when trying to write about them love telling a very titilating romp about them afterwards, Yes Sir Indeedy I doooo.

;-)
Posted by: Red Dawg   2007-08-06 02:23  

#3  Jammy bastids!!! [/Life of Brian]
Posted by: Zenster   2007-08-06 01:54  

#2  And who got to clean up all that terrible mess? That kind of stains won't just go, you know.
Posted by: anonymous5089   2007-08-06 01:52  

#1  Not being able to remember is usually the sign of a *very* successful party!
Posted by: SteveS   2007-08-06 00:23  

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