(no subject)

[katallison]

So, once more unto the Baltimore Travel Plaza Best Western, dear friends. I hadn't originally planned on going to Connexions--it was sort of a last-minute "oh what the HELL, fuck the budget, I need to see my PEOPLE!" kind of thing--and I hadn't really comprehended until I got there how blitzed, banjaxed, and generally *wiped out* I am these days, because my never-robust social skills turned out to be even more in abeyance than usual, and I spent a lot of time lurking on the fringes of social groups, looking on with a woozy and yet genial smile. (At least I hope it came across as genial, or at least not dangerously deranged.)

I came away from the con with, more than anything else, a glowing sense of gratitude to all my friends in fandom, who treated me throughout the weekend with amazing kindness and generosity. The list of thank-yous starts with _aerye_, arallara, and trixiesfic, who took me into their room on very short notice, listened patiently to my whining about work hassles, and sent me into deranged fits of giggling as we lay awake in the dark Friday night, confabulating bizarre crossovers.

People kept giving me things all weekend, to my great surprise and abashed pleasure. the_star_fish had made little pins for everyone of their default LJ icons--what a cool idea!--and so I got to have Patti Smith on my con badge all weekend, to my delight. reginagiraffe greeted me almost as soon as I arrived with a bag containing (from her) a perfectly beautiful little leaf-decorated ornamental box, containing an assortment of Folies-Bergere refrigerator magnets (which are even now holding up my recycling schedule and pizza coupons) -- and (from twistedchick) a gorgeous black and silver scarf, of loose and cobwebby knit, in which my throat feels amazingly elegant, and which I shall definitely wear at the Vividcon dance party this summer.

Then lynnmonster passed along to me a La Femme Nikita t-shirt that she won in the auction and which I admired. And beledibabe, who had (with her usual braininess and dispatch) found the *only* magnet in the dealer's room that featured a perfectly gorgeous picture of Cylon-Callum from BSG, looking dangerous and sexy, made me a gift of it while I was sighing with envy. And then I was given CDs of music by several other kind and generous people, whose identities I am truly, deeply ashamed to say I don't clearly recall (being blitzed with fatigue is no excuse--please drop me a comment so I can thank you properly, lovely people!).

And I was welcomed into room parties, and hugged by many people, and got to share a fine Afghani dinner with aerye and the completely wonderful popfantastic and geekturnedvamp, and two other delightful women whose names I am completely blanking on (reprise the "blitzed with fatigue" theme) -- and all in all I am filled with both a great sense of not-worthiness, and a deep, sniffling gratitude to all the people in fandom who are so good to me.

Now I'm home, after the manifold annoyances of air travel (*damn* you, US Airways), and though work is befucked beyond belief, I am buoyed by the kind thoughtfulness of many people. And in another minute I'm going to break into a chorus of "Wind Beneath My Wings," and so I shall simply say "Thank you" again, most sincerely, and then subside.