GABIT attendees thread

[PengYn]

I find it hard to believe that anyone could be annoyed by you and your curling obsession, Sharon. It was all in good fun and I'm glad I learned a few new things (read: all the things) about the sport.

Somewhat miraculously, I avoided any post-con illness. I thought I'd be a prime candidate to come down with something given that my core group of shenanigarians (totally a word) were all starting to wilt by the end. But I think it must have been down to the fact that I started working in Nursery this year, struggled through the most wicked cold I've had in my life back in January due to the 60 odd 3-4 year olds I'm exposed to each week and seem to have built up some immunity for not dropping like a fly since then. Go me. Of course, this also means I could have been a carrier for 60 odd strains of infection. Not so go me.

[donamac]

I too was lucky to avoid any illness considering how little sleep I had. Hard to sleep in the lumpy hotel bed. UGHHH! But then again I am seldom ill for some reason. I used to get sick after flying--not so this time. Not even that jet lagged this time either.
I had a wonderful time and as usual don't remember who was who so I've been looking at pictures in Facebook and have identified a few folks. Seems I did meet a lot of new people this time. I so enjoyed the auction, too, as I decided before I came that I would spend a bit more than usual and so that was fun!! Came home with some cool things and nice memories. Looking forward to AT8, too.
Love and virtual hugs to you all,
Donamac (Mumsey, I hope you are feeling well by now.XoXOxO)

[llp]

Hey Dona - glad to hear you are going to AT8. I plan to go as well!

Wondering if the concrud is actually that flu that is going around. Hitting mainly the 25 year olds and younger. Anyone over about 45 or so went through it once and has some imunity. And anyone taking the flu shot - that helped as well.

[SWMBOTGSG]

Hey Dona - glad to hear you are going to AT8. I plan to go as well!

Wondering if the concrud is actually that flu that is going around. Hitting mainly the 25 year olds and younger. Anyone over about 45 or so went through it once and has some imunity. And anyone taking the flu shot - that helped as well.

Exception that proves the rule here. Near as dammit 70 yrs old and had both flu and pneumonia jabs. This is the first cold-like episode I have had in a few years. I still feel somewhat poleaxed.

Mumsey

[EH-T]

I find it hard to believe that anyone could be annoyed by you and your curling obsession, Sharon. It was all in good fun and I'm glad I learned a few new things (read: all the things) about the sport.

Somewhat miraculously, I avoided any post-con illness. I thought I'd be a prime candidate to come down with something given that my core group of shenanigarians (totally a word) were all starting to wilt by the end. But I think it must have been down to the fact that I started working in Nursery this year, struggled through the most wicked cold I've had in my life back in January due to the 60 odd 3-4 year olds I'm exposed to each week and seem to have built up some immunity for not dropping like a fly since then. Go me. Of course, this also means I could have been a carrier for 60 odd strains of infection. Not so go me.

Had fun last night at curling telling my friends about watching the curling with this wonderful international crowd and explaining the game to them.

Will recount events of AT7 as they pop into my jetlagged fron.

Amanda started by discussing something she has been trying lately. She didn't want to call it the smile project because she thought that name was being used for something else. However, she talked about how people, especially in large cities, tend to walk around with blinders on not noticing or acknowledging the people around them. She has taken to looking people in the eye and smiling at them or saying hello. She said she has received a few blank stares or quizzical looks but mostly has received a good reaction with people smiling back or saying hello. She encouraged everyone to also make this small gesture, just a very simple way to spread a little love. On a personal note, I have done this all my life and love talking to strangers, it is part of who we are where I live and why our province's motto is "Friendly Manitoba".

[llp]

Had fun last night at curling telling my friends about watching the curling with this wonderful international crowd and explaining the game to them.

Will recount events of AT7 as they pop into my jetlagged fron.

Amanda started by discussing something she has been trying lately. She didn't want to call it the smile project because she thought that name was being used for something else. However, she talked about how people, especially in large cities, tend to walk around with blinders on not noticing or acknowledging the people around them. She has taken to looking people in the eye and smiling at them or saying hello. She said she has received a few blank stares or quizzical looks but mostly has received a good reaction with people smiling back or saying hello. She encouraged everyone to also make this small gesture, just a very simple way to spread a little love. On a personal note, I have done this all my life and love talking to strangers, it is part of who we are where I live and why our province's motto is "Friendly Manitoba".

As far as I can see - they couldn't ask for a better ambassador!

[llp]

Exception that proves the rule here. Near as dammit 70 yrs old and had both flu and pneumonia jabs. This is the first cold-like episode I have had in a few years. I still feel somewhat poleaxed.

Mumsey

Ah Mumsey - seems like you got the short end of the stick.....where is Claire - we need that hazmat suit for next time! We can't have you giving up on hugs!

[xgfan]

One of the most emotional moments during the panels and one of my favourite ones was when Amanda read from Julia's book 'You Is For Unique' and talked about raising Olivia:

It is known that Amanda enjoys Julia [Hague]’s book ‘You Is For Unique.’ The fan asked whether she’d be willing to read a monologue.
Amanda agreed.

She chose ‘So Lovely’, which is about a pregnant mother talking to her unborn daughter about how she’s perfect and that the mother wants to protect her.

Amanda chose that poem since it spoke to her because of Olivia. When she knew she was pregnant, it was on one hand like “Amazing, I’m going to have a daughter!” and then she started to panic about all the things Olivia would have to go against. Not that boys don’t face difficulties, they do, but for women... all the wrong body image promoted by media etc...

(She read the monologue and her voice started trembling several times. It was very touching to listen to the words and to see how much it affected her.)

“It’s hard raising kids and it’s hard sometimes being in this world.” She experiences it with Olivia who’s not conscious about body image yet but still is already confronted with things. Like one day, she came back from school and asked her mother whether she thought that she [Olivia] was weird. Amanda asked why and Olivia said, her schoolmates had told her that (“They think I’m weird.”) to which Amanda replied “That’s fantastic!” Amanda tried to explain to her daughter that there is nothing bad about being weird, that it’s actually a compliment and that maybe she is just different than her schoolmates, special, and Olivia thought, ‘Well, yes’. “None of them want to be a travelling knight and none of them want to be an explorer ninja.” Amanda went on to explain to her daughter how she’s met some beautiful weird people.
“It’s really hard.” She struggles and also fears the sexism-related obstacles that Olivia will have to go up against as she’s growing.
“I tell her that she’s beautiful not because of what she looks like but because of who she is.” She thinks Olivia is actually beautiful [on the outside], but she doesn’t want her focus to be on that.

[EH-T]

As far as I can see - they couldn't ask for a better ambassador!

Awwww.....thanks.

One of the most emotional moments during the panels and one of my favourite ones was when Amanda read from Julia's book 'You Is For Unique' and talked about raising Olivia:

It is known that Amanda enjoys Julia [Hague]’s book ‘You Is For Unique.’ The fan asked whether she’d be willing to read a monologue.
Amanda agreed.

She chose ‘So Lovely’, which is about a pregnant mother talking to her unborn daughter about how she’s perfect and that the mother wants to protect her.

Amanda chose that poem since it spoke to her because of Olivia. When she knew she was pregnant, it was on one hand like “Amazing, I’m going to have a daughter!” and then she started to panic about all the things Olivia would have to go against. Not that boys don’t face difficulties, they do, but for women... all the wrong body image promoted by media etc...

(She read the monologue and her voice started trembling several times. It was very touching to listen to the words and to see how much it affected her.)

“It’s hard raising kids and it’s hard sometimes being in this world.” She experiences it with Olivia who’s not conscious about body image yet but still is already confronted with things. Like one day, she came back from school and asked her mother whether she thought that she [Olivia] was weird. Amanda asked why and Olivia said, her schoolmates had told her that (“They think I’m weird.”) to which Amanda replied “That’s fantastic!” Amanda tried to explain to her daughter that there is nothing bad about being weird, that it’s actually a compliment and that maybe she is just different than her schoolmates, special, and Olivia thought, ‘Well, yes’. “None of them want to be a travelling knight and none of them want to be an explorer ninja.” Amanda went on to explain to her daughter how she’s met some beautiful weird people.
“It’s really hard.” She struggles and also fears the sexism-related obstacles that Olivia will have to go up against as she’s growing.
“I tell her that she’s beautiful not because of what she looks like but because of who she is.” She thinks Olivia is actually beautiful [on the outside], but she doesn’t want her focus to be on that.

Agreed, this was a beautiful moment and made us all teary eyed I think. Kudos for llp for prompting this.

[EH-T]

And I need new glasses, what I responded to was clearly not what you had written

Blame the jetlag, I do!

Just so people know, the day after AT7, I was by the Tower of London with family and who should I run into but Annette and another fellow AT7 attendee.

A bit more regarding AT7:

As some of you know, I won a director's script at the auction. It is the script and technical stuff (I think that's the official terminology) belonging to Amanda from her directing Veritas. Some quite funny little comments she has written in it. Will get the exact wording and post it for you. As a little tidbit in the meantime....a number of fans were reading it over and asked me to ask AT about a couple of the terms in the script. One was the "sexy album cover raking shot" which refers to a shot with four individuals where you focus at one end and then the other. The other term was a special effects term "bugs bunny blood pool". They have a fake plastic pool of blood and can lift and place it anywhere. For those who know the old Bugs Bunny cartoons they had a hole in the cartoon that could be moved from place to place, hence the name.

[PengYn]

Amanda started by discussing something she has been trying lately. She didn't want to call it the smile project because she thought that name was being used for something else. However, she talked about how people, especially in large cities, tend to walk around with blinders on not noticing or acknowledging the people around them. She has taken to looking people in the eye and smiling at them or saying hello. She said she has received a few blank stares or quizzical looks but mostly has received a good reaction with people smiling back or saying hello. She encouraged everyone to also make this small gesture, just a very simple way to spread a little love. On a personal note, I have done this all my life and love talking to strangers, it is part of who we are where I live and why our province's motto is "Friendly Manitoba".

After AT7 I decided that this was something I was going to actively try doing. Having been largely poor and unemployed last year I realised how much my social skills had suffered. I remember meeting up with Hannah and Emma for lunch at one point and thinking "my word I must sound really silly" because I'd not really had the money to go anywhere or do anything with anyone that wasn't my mum. But now that I'm working and spending my day talking with children and mums and other teachers I feel more confident in myself so I thought wouldn't it be cool to challenge myself to do something I am completely uncomfortable doing - smiling at a stranger.

I'm calling my project "smilingATaliens".

It took me some time to build up the courage. I kept going "now. no wait... now. how 'bout now? now? how 'bout now?" And then, there was this -somewhat disheveled old man waiting at my bus stop one day last week. He doesn't look well off and we do have a number of homes in my area that house those with mental difficulties but are still able to get out and about on their own and you can often see some of them waiting by bus stops to get a lift back. I was approaching the bus stop and so I smiled at him.

I feel I should mention that all his friends from the home now know my name and wave to me on the streets since he keeps introducing them to me. They're all pretty chatty and just want to let you know that "life is very hard but at least there are sweets."

[Samantha-Carter-is-my-muse]

I absolutely love your name for the project, PengYn!

[EH-T]

After AT7 I decided that this was something I was going to actively try doing. Having been largely poor and unemployed last year I realised how much my social skills had suffered. I remember meeting up with Hannah and Emma for lunch at one point and thinking "my word I must sound really silly" because I'd not really had the money to go anywhere or do anything with anyone that wasn't my mum. But now that I'm working and spending my day talking with children and mums and other teachers I feel more confident in myself so I thought wouldn't it be cool to challenge myself to do something I am completely uncomfortable doing - smiling at a stranger.

I'm calling my project "smilingATaliens".

It took me some time to build up the courage. I kept going "now. no wait... now. how 'bout now? now? how 'bout now?" And then, there was this -somewhat disheveled old man waiting at my bus stop one day last week. He doesn't look well off and we do have a number of homes in my area that house those with mental difficulties but are still able to get out and about on their own and you can often see some of them waiting by bus stops to get a lift back. I was approaching the bus stop and so I smiled at him.

I feel I should mention that all his friends from the home now know my name and wave to me on the streets since he keeps introducing them to me. They're all pretty chatty and just want to let you know that "life is very hard but at least there are sweets."

That is so sweet. Keep it up. I also love the name (although, "pretending to be from Manitoba" works too )

[xgfan]

I love it too, PengYn! And that's a lovely story!

I already tried to do it for a while after TrekGate (where she also mentioned that project) and then kind of forgot but now I'm really trying to do it again. I find it quite hard, though, not because I have a huge problem smiling at strangers (although it does feel weird and I sometimes feel a bit nervous about getting "bad" reactions) but because... well, people don't look at each other. Like... hardly anyone looks at another person in the face and even less in the eyes. So for me the bigger problem is to find a person who's actually looking at me...

[shining light]

About 10 years ago I worked in a shop where they had one of the staff work as a door greeter. All this person had to do was smile and say Hello as people walked into the store.
At this time in my life I was quite shy and didn't like doing this so avoided it as much as possible…….. that and the fact that most people would either give you this strange look or say 'I'm just looking and don't need any help!'
Whenever it was my turn I decided to change the greeting from a simple 'Hello' to a 'morning' or 'I like your shirt' or 'shame your team lost at the weekend' (If it was a sporting team outfit/shirt they were wearing).
As much as I hated doing it, it built my confidence to the point where I don't mind talking to people I've just met and also, as Amanda said, I received some nice smiles and comments back.