Windy City Here We Come

At 3:30 today, Conny and I will get on a plane headed to Chicago, to participate in the second annual Red Quill gathering. It's my second, and Conny's first. The last one was held in some unforsaken place Kansas City.

As a tip of the hat to the handful of readers who don't play the silly game Clan Lord I foam at the mouth about all the time, I'll explain briefly. Clan Lord is a game where you make a lot of friends with people you never actually see or talk to. You chat with them online, and might exchange emails, but other than that, you have no way of knowing for sure that you're not just taking part in an elaborate Turing test. So, periodically, various groups of players decide to actually do a reality check, and converge in meat-space. The reason for this is clear. As much fun as it is to bitch and moan about a stupid game on the Internet, it's more satisfying to do it face to face. That way you can hit someone with a chair when you disagree with them.

And, for the curious or the idle, "Red Quill" is a "clan." See, the game is called "Clan Lord" because groups of people can make "clans." A clan is basically a club of friends, typically. Ironically, I'm not actually a member of the Red Quill. For those who don't know the game, but know me, you won't be surprised to know that my clan is the "Rat Bastards." Even less of a surprise is I helped found the Rat Bastards. The Rat Bastards had a meeting in New York City once, and it was a lot of fun. We also did it long before those pansy role players in the Red Quill did theirs, so nyaaaaahhhh!

I got to know a lot of people in the Red Quill because of Nori/Lilit, who was in that clan for awhile, before her controversial ways became too much of a headache for all involved. She and I were supposed to go the Kansas City gathering, but I ended up going stag because she got chicken pox, of all things. I definitely got the better end of the deal, but I was smart and had chicken pox when I was a kid, so I can chalk that up to better planning on my part. Even without her, I had nothing but a blast, and met a lot of great people, most of whom are going to be in Chicago. There will also be a few fresh faces too. Unfortunately, Nori can't make this one either, but she's all work and little Clan Lord this past months, though she's finding a bit more time to play lately, which is nice. Ironically, she's in Chicago the following week on business. It would have been great if there had been an overlap, but as it stands I avoid the first-hand consequences of not having the Nox Sorora site totally redone, which isn't a bad thing. But, the site will be done soon, really, Nori, I swear!

Conny was hugely late getting into New York from Munich, mostly due to the fine workings of Air France. There's one word to sum up this airline: avoid. Instead of getting on the ground around 6PM, she got in after 10:30PM. I still hadn't packed yet, so when we got home, close to midnight, Conny got to watch me go through my elaborate packing ritual. In the end, the PVC pants and knee high Doc Marten boots had to be left behind, which breaks my heart. Still, such fashion sacrifices notwithstanding, I managed to jam enough crap into my tiny bag so I'll always have something fab to wear. And ever the picture of travel efficiency, I will be getting by on just 5 pairs of shoes. I'm quite pleased with my restraint.

Just remember that nosuch.org is the source to go to for regular news and updates on the Crisis in Chicago Second Annual Red Quill Clan Gathering. Stay tuned! Next stop, Amerisuites Chicago!
posted 11:31 AM | link |