FRFF Bullet Points

[g33kboi]

• FUN!!!!!
• Mud! Lots and lots of mud. I think the money I paid for the cheap mud boots I bought before the festival is the best $18 I've ever spent.
• FUN!!!!!
• Sun! A surprising amount of it considering all of the rain and mud. Note to self: sunblock only works when properly applied. I'm now sporting a rather spectacular farmer's tan.
• FUN!!!!!
• Only one mosquito bite all weekend! Wow! That is unheard of.
• FUN!!!!!
• Volunteering for the first time. Worked at Gate Ticket Sales putting wrist bands on festival attendees. Great crew. Awesome people.  Fantastic way to meet people and make new friends. Definitely volunteering again.
• FUN!!!!!
• Swing dancing for the first time at the Dance Stage. Awkward but fun! :-)  Going to look for local queer friendly/gender free dancing in the area.
• Big! Scary! Storm! OMG! The Ticket Gate Sales crew gathered at the front gate tent, even some people that weren't working at the time, watched the storm roll in, listened to incoming weather reports on the walkie talkies and drank red wine that Pam our fearless leader brought for the occasion.
• FUN!!!!!
• Missed a quintessential Falcon Ridge moment when some of the performers who got rained out of the Song Swap on the Main Stage decided to play in the Volunteer Tent instead. Heard it was an amazing night. Missing that wasn't so fun, but I was helping a frightened, lonely friend get back to her camp site in the rain. Some things are even more important than music.
• FUN!!!!!
• Holy crap! That cheap, crappy tent I borrowed didn't leak!
• FUN!!!!!
• Music!!!!!!!!  Lots and lots of fabulous music!!! Ahhh!! I feel completely rejuvenated and restored. Like my batteries have been recharged.  Ember Swift says that music is her religion. Amen, sister! I feel like I just came back from a spiritual retreat.
• FUN!!!!!
• The Paul Simon Workshop. Susan Werner dancing like a maniac and inciting Nerissa and Katrina Nields to join her while other performers played. She was definitely in her happy place and it was completely infectious! :-)
• FUN!!!!!
• Lots of children, big and small, running and playing in the mud and not caring how dirty they were.
• FUN!!!!!
• Pierce Brothers Fogbuster Coffee! Oh, how I'll miss you. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
• FUN!!!!!
• Janis Ian recounting the tale of proposing to her spouse over IM (while they were both at home but in different rooms of the house). Janis to her partner: "Let's go to Toronto to get married. I have to be there for a science fiction convention anyway." Janis's partner: "How fitting." Hotel clerk in Toronto: "Are you here for the convention?"  J: "No we're here to get married." Clerk: "Oh! Well then we'll give you the Bridal Suite."  Cafe barista: "Are you here for the convention?" J: "No, we're here to get married." Barista: "Oh! You're lattes are on us." And so on all week. She said that they had been together for 15 years before they got married and that neither one of them were the sort to get sappy and teary eyed but they both cried once they were actually married. In retrospect, she said that it was because for the first time ever an entire country treated them like they were normal. Really, truly, I just love Canada.  I really hope that the United States grows up to be just like it one day.
• FUN!!!!!
• Sunday Morning Gospel Wake Up Call. Girlyman singing the Girly Benediction followed by Son of a Preacher Man. Perfection! Spying Pam and Anne, fearless leaders of the Ticket Gate Sales crew dancing together behind Main Stage during the Gospel hour. Sweetness!
• FUN!!!!!
• Spent too much money on silly things like jewelry and a henna tattoo and I don't care.
• FUN!!!!!
• Hanging with Wendy on Sunday afternoon while Natalia played with the Nields on Main Stage.
• FUN!!!!!
• Post festival volunteer dinner at Four Brothers in Hillsdale. The traditional cutting of the bands. Pam wielding Ed's swiss army knife to cut everyone's volunteer bands off, thus releasing us from service until next year. Singing Happy Birthday to Dave Navarro's son Joseph who had just turned thirteen.
• FUN!!!!!
• Took a zillion photos. I'll post those as soon as I have to time to sift and sort.
• Did I mention that I had fun?

Comments

[misslynx.livejournal.com]

In retrospect, she said that it was because for the first time ever an entire country treated them like they were normal.

Well, Toronto isn't quite the whole country, much as most Torontonians often assume otherwise. :-) But yes, even in some smaller communities things are pretty cool. When my friends Maíre and Deb booked the country inn they got married at -- in a tiny little town a couple of hours east of Toronto -- they asked the proprietor if it was going to be a problem that they were two women getting married, and she assured them it wasn't, and seemed genuinely astonished that they would even ask.

Really, truly, I just love Canada. I really hope that the United States grows up to be just like it one day.

Hmmmm... Sounds like you might possibly not be averse to the idea of maybe moving here someday... :-)

[lgbtech.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm... Sounds like you might possibly not be averse to the idea of maybe moving here someday... :-)

Perhaps. If I have a sufficiently compelling reason to relocate. :-)