Here come ol' flat top
I have been meaning to commemorate the Renegade Blythe Meet so I suppose I should do it now while there's workmen in my bathroom making a huge mess and a lot of noise rebuilding the wall that keeps the mole people out of my apartment.
The thread about the renegade meet had been up since February but I hadn't gone near the forum since, well, months. Since before the move, certainly.
Right, I was getting emails about some meet in mid-May and this person also asked if I'd seen the meet thread, har de har. The phrases "so lame" and "eye roll" were included so I gathered no one was really going. I didn't bother looking.
Last Thursday, an out of towner mentioned she was coming here for "the meet." Whuh? says I. What meet? And someone else directs me to the forum which I now have to look at. Okay, truth-telling, I got a headache from my eyes rolling in my head while I read that thread, it was painful. It had everything going for it: poor attendance, super-newbs, people no one's heard of, overenthusiasm, ignorance of what a meet was, rigid scheduling, an ever-shifting location that would be hard to find, poor directions and an early morning call time. It screamed "disaster" in flashing neon. I was immediately drawn to it.
I asked around and no one but no one had even heard about it and after hearing about it, declared it lame and hell no, they weren't going. Yahtzee! I hemmed and hawed a little, mostly because it was at 10 in the morning but I figured: it would entertain me and I was going to the bjd meet later that day anyway and it was in the area. If the schedule was too rigid, well, I'd just do what I wanted anyway. I was passingly-acquainted with two people who said they were going and I had a back up plan in place, so why not? I even grabbed some things last minute so I could participate in the "gift exchange" and the "swap" because I was just that devoted to the experience.
I got there at 11 (shut up) after first heading down the wrong freeway, etc. The organizer seemed a little defensive and made me repeat my name and the spelling several times before she gave up on making me a name tag. The scheduled programming went out the window a little later and the organizer loosened up.
We did the gift exchange. I got the shaft but since it was expected, I wasn't terribly disappointed. Everyone spread out their pic-a-nic blankets and had lunch while trying to work out how to conduct the swap (Me: "I've already started.") It was all very civil. Some people who hadn't brought anything to swap bought items (after forcing the owners to take money, the kind people) and others didn't offer money at all but made cow eyes and sighed a lot. That seemed to work too. The dresses I'd brought went to new people so I was glad.
Everyone had been instructed to bring one doll dressed in a solid color so all the dolls could be arranged in a rainbow for a group photo. Awwwwww. There was a minor debate as to where the picture should be taken. Even though we were outside at a lush green park filled with flowers and trees on a beautiful day, they opted to take a photo of the dolls on a concrete wall against bare dirt. Yeah.
People had such a lovely time chatting that we never got around to the crafts station so everyone was welcomed to take the materials home to make something there. Plans were discussed for the next meet ("How about in June?" It would be really hot outside then. "Then let's meet at 8." In the morning? "Yes, so it wouldn't be so hot!" ... "Everyone okay with 8 a.m.?" I'm sorry, but I am morally opposed to anything happening that early in the morning that isn't a result of the night before. "Oh. Um, okay. I'll make a new thread later then.") So there will be a new thread in the summer sometime for another meet.
I liked those people. They seemed very nice and friendly. If the next one is a regular meet, they will be driven from the hobby and I will be sad to see them go.
I'll illustrate with pics later.
The thread about the renegade meet had been up since February but I hadn't gone near the forum since, well, months. Since before the move, certainly.
Right, I was getting emails about some meet in mid-May and this person also asked if I'd seen the meet thread, har de har. The phrases "so lame" and "eye roll" were included so I gathered no one was really going. I didn't bother looking.
Last Thursday, an out of towner mentioned she was coming here for "the meet." Whuh? says I. What meet? And someone else directs me to the forum which I now have to look at. Okay, truth-telling, I got a headache from my eyes rolling in my head while I read that thread, it was painful. It had everything going for it: poor attendance, super-newbs, people no one's heard of, overenthusiasm, ignorance of what a meet was, rigid scheduling, an ever-shifting location that would be hard to find, poor directions and an early morning call time. It screamed "disaster" in flashing neon. I was immediately drawn to it.
I asked around and no one but no one had even heard about it and after hearing about it, declared it lame and hell no, they weren't going. Yahtzee! I hemmed and hawed a little, mostly because it was at 10 in the morning but I figured: it would entertain me and I was going to the bjd meet later that day anyway and it was in the area. If the schedule was too rigid, well, I'd just do what I wanted anyway. I was passingly-acquainted with two people who said they were going and I had a back up plan in place, so why not? I even grabbed some things last minute so I could participate in the "gift exchange" and the "swap" because I was just that devoted to the experience.
I got there at 11 (shut up) after first heading down the wrong freeway, etc. The organizer seemed a little defensive and made me repeat my name and the spelling several times before she gave up on making me a name tag. The scheduled programming went out the window a little later and the organizer loosened up.
We did the gift exchange. I got the shaft but since it was expected, I wasn't terribly disappointed. Everyone spread out their pic-a-nic blankets and had lunch while trying to work out how to conduct the swap (Me: "I've already started.") It was all very civil. Some people who hadn't brought anything to swap bought items (after forcing the owners to take money, the kind people) and others didn't offer money at all but made cow eyes and sighed a lot. That seemed to work too. The dresses I'd brought went to new people so I was glad.
Everyone had been instructed to bring one doll dressed in a solid color so all the dolls could be arranged in a rainbow for a group photo. Awwwwww. There was a minor debate as to where the picture should be taken. Even though we were outside at a lush green park filled with flowers and trees on a beautiful day, they opted to take a photo of the dolls on a concrete wall against bare dirt. Yeah.
People had such a lovely time chatting that we never got around to the crafts station so everyone was welcomed to take the materials home to make something there. Plans were discussed for the next meet ("How about in June?" It would be really hot outside then. "Then let's meet at 8." In the morning? "Yes, so it wouldn't be so hot!" ... "Everyone okay with 8 a.m.?" I'm sorry, but I am morally opposed to anything happening that early in the morning that isn't a result of the night before. "Oh. Um, okay. I'll make a new thread later then.") So there will be a new thread in the summer sometime for another meet.
I liked those people. They seemed very nice and friendly. If the next one is a regular meet, they will be driven from the hobby and I will be sad to see them go.
I'll illustrate with pics later.
Labels: Blythe, Gatherings, Happiness
posted by CMURB at 4:19 PM
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