Monday, September 2

The "Internet MSTies" sign, signed by RATMM luminaries. Yeah, it's a composite scan. Bite me!

Awake around 8:30 am. Ellwanger takes off. I pack up and go down to the RATMM room. Since all the other online room signs are gone, I call dibs on the Internet MSTies sign. I'm not sure when my plane leaves, and I try to call USAir, to no avail. I know my return time, and try to calculate. 3:30ish, maybe?

9:20 Mikey, Kelly, and I arrive at Key's Diner for breakfast. David Anderson is already waiting. The Scientology building is next door, and I read about attaining "clear" as we await the others.

10:15 Everyone finally sits down to breakfast: Myself, Kelly, Jess, Barbara Heiles, Nicklby, Christine Malcolm, Mikey, David Anderson, and a couple others (Q?, Beloved?..). Great, greasy food. We're all surprised by the size of an order of hash browns. Kelly has to take off early, but I make sure she signs the the sign first. I would find out some weeks later, via RATMM, that on my way out, I bumped my chair into a lady whose rather very large companion almost swung at me. But I was blissfully oblivious at the time.

We troop over to the Convention Center for one last shop at Gypsy's Basement. Juliewa is there! We (all 10 of us) spend some quality time with Julie. She's going to LA, and we wish her well. She tells us some fun con stories. We get some pictures, and Julie signs the sign. She even gets me a replacement for the program I lost not one hour after I arrived.

Front: nicklby, me, juliewa, Christine Malcom, "Q" Lupton. Back row: David Anderson, Mikey Sphar, Jess Nevins. Photo by Barbara Heiles

We head back towards the Hilton. We see Trace in the skyway, carrying walkie-talkies: we all say "Hi" and wave. Jess tells him we're all going to become his post-its. He smiles.

We see a bunch of RATMMers gathering around the third floor piano as Chad Gould plays. He does a beautiful job. He even plays the Gamera song! When Laserblast lets out, I say "quick! play Auld Lang Syne!" Chad does, and he does it perfectly. Everyone applauds. Everyone is signs the sign, even Sid, after serious conSIDeration. Ha. Ha-ha.

12:20 Since I frankly have no idea when my plane leaves, I decide to play it safe and head for the airport. I say a quick goodbye to everyone still around, and head for the bus stop.

Jess signs the signs the sign. Meanwhile, nicklby watches Chad play the piano as Christine Pena begs for money. Photo by Sheryl Gere.

1:30 I check in at the airport, and the plane doesn't leave until 3:57. I spend the next couple of hours writing and mailing my brother a Servo postcard, eating lunch, reading P.J. O'Rourke, remembering a wonderful weekend, and wishing I were able to spend more time with more of the RATMMers. Everyone was great fun, infinitely more interesting than most people we deal with in our everyday lives. Here's to 1998!

That's it. Back to the Con Page.