SEX AND TIM TAMS
7 October 2002
"What do we want?"
"Peace!"
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
A ragtaggle band of protesters made their way up Sutter St. as I sat at a sidewalk cafe
with Terry and Jenna.
"I was in Berkeley in the 60s," I said to Jenna. "This is pathetic."
More chanting came from down the street and a naked woman, sneared with what appeared to
be mud, and wearing some sort of flimsy drape on her head was carrying a large effigy of
Saddam Hussein. Cameras at the next table started clicking and a woman stared,
slack-jawed, at the nudity. (I suspect the actual message got lost in the imagery!)
Kymm kisses young Vic
--
(just before Spitting Guy
hurled one at Haggie)
|
It was Sunday morning in San Francisco and Journalcon
2002 was winding down. We had attended morning sessions, one on "life after
journaling," presented by Diane, Eleanor and Jane, 3 women who had given up
journaling and discovered salsa dancing, motherhood, weight loss, and a life beyond the
computer monitor. |
I was torn between the panel about
"writing about sex in your journal" and one on "on- line personas in the
post-Kaycee era." In the end I went with on-line personas (and kinda wondered what
all the guffawing from the next room was about).
| I skipped the Pamie Panel, since I've never read Pamie
and it wasn't clear what the session was to be about. Instead several of us hung out in
the Palm room, checking out the new swag, finishing off the cookies, talking about--what
else?--journals and journaling, and taking Amanda's guided tour through the edible treats
of Australia (the TimTams were wonderful, but I probably won't be lining up to get the
next shipment of Musk. The jury is still out on the Vomit Crumble.). |
2 Boobs missing Terri
|
At lunch, people went off in several
different directions; I wandered around by myself, checking out the sidewalk vendors and a
shoe sale. From the direction of Market St., I could hear the sound of an open air
operatic concert.
Haggie having crab at Fisherman's Wharf
(photo from Day #1)
The whole experience was the best San Francisco had to
offer on a September day. JournalCon participants who have never been to San Francisco
have no idea how fortunate they were. The weather both days was absolutely perfect. More
beautiful than I have seen the city in a long time. Not a cloud in the sky. So warm we
didn't even need a jacket on the boat to Alcatraz yesterday (unheard of!). Air clear and
clean. The chance of hitting those conditions a second time are astronomical!
Which brings us back to the sidewalk cafe, the protesters, Jenna and Terry. We finished
our lunch/cig/Pepsi/ or whatever each of us was having and returned to the conference,
where the second day of readings were to take place.
Jake eats McDonald's
|
Kymm reviews Vincent
D'Onofrio
|
Mo and Wendy (Weetabix) --
dialog with Wendy's uterus
|
Most of the conference attendees were gone--whether still lost in San Francisco (perhaps
caught in the traffic of the Castro Street Faire), or already on their way home. But we
had a couple of readings, Carli announced "the end" of the con and everyone
gathered up their schedules, their swag, and their luggage and moved the party down into
the lobby.
Haggie and I had planned to give a mini tour of the city to Amanda, Renee and Terry, but
Amanda, Renee and Haggie hadn't made it back from lunch yet. We sat and waited until it
began to get late, then, since Terry had a plane to catch, she and I took off for a
whirlwind trip around San Francisco and out to the airport.
Amanda and the GG bridge
(picture from Day #1)
So I've now attended my first JournalCon. I've come
home with burning lungs, a raw throat, a horrible cough, and a congested head. I
guess that must mean I had a wonderful time.
It was definitely an experience, and so nice to meet so
many fellow journalers. The organizers -- Beth, Carli, Jane, Jen, Lucy and Monique
(Mo? Boobs? Remember?) just did a fantastic job of organizing the whole event,
setting up interesting panels, adding fun events, and making sure we all stayed well fed
and hydrated throughout the two days. Thanks, guys! |
