We met, she lived and in Canada I’m considered a bad ass
Once upon a time I met a blogging chick named Les who was really cool. I’m certain it was more than a year and a half ago and when we met we just clicked. I added her to my Google Reader and we kept tabs on each other via comments.
Then we emailed a bit back and forth. And eventually we chatted on the phone. I know I was nervous the first time I talked with her because what if she was lame?
No, it didn’t really occur to me that she might think I was lame because I have cool low tops and a bitchin’ ponytail. And let me tell you friend, a cool pair of low tops will get you pretty far in life.
So talk we did and it wasn’t as weird as I thought it might be. She was witty, she made me laugh and she’s an optimist. She would casually say, “When I see you…”
And I thought ‘There’s no way we’ll ever see each other in person.’ Note to Les: I’m a pessimist and I truly was positive we would never meet. Especially since you live in Canada and I live in Michigan. But I was wrong.
So when I was standing in front of her on Saturday I felt like I was in another world. It was surreal, it was bizarre and it was so much fun!
And because I was so excited my brain started to spew out incorrect information. I told her we were staying at a hotel that does not exist in the city I mentioned. I never gave her my cell phone number and I never brought a camera.
I was totally scatterbrained. Apparently a
cool
pair of
low tops will
get you
pretty far and
then they will wash
their hands of you.
But we made it!
And that chick is one thin betch. She mentioned a long time ago that she has a super metabolism and again I thought, ‘Since we’re never going to meet I’ll just have to take your word for that.’
You know humble pie isn’t so bad once you add some extra garlic powder. Her waist is tiny. T-I-N-Y. It’s amazing to me that she carried a child 15 years ago.
I would truly consider killing and spending the rest of my life on Death Row to look like she does. But then I’d have to wear that baggy orange jump suit all the time and no one would see how good I looked, so it would defeat the purpose wouldn’t it?
Scratch that plan.
And in addition to being cool, thin and a lot of fun, Les is also a bitchin’ photographer. In fact she took a portrait of me entitled “Ax Murderers Don’t Wear Plaid.” It’s awesome and I love it!
And by the way plaid is quite slimming, isn’t it?
So Les is super cool, her daughter is extremely creative and outgoing and they both have really fun Canadian accents. Most of the time there’s no trace of an accent and then it jumps out and says, “Hey, you didn’t forget about me did you?” And then, like a groundhog peeking its nose out of the ground, it’s gone.
Speaking of sniffers, I forgot that Ky pierced her own nose. You’d never know since there’s no trace of it. She must have let it close up with fabulous results.
But that girl has chutzpah, no question, and she’s really good at entertaining small children — thanks for taking on the role of babysitter, Ky! Clearly the apple did not fall far from the creative, fun-loving tree.
So we had a whirlwind weekend that actually lasted less than 24 hours. I still can’t believe
1. the visit happened on the fly,
2. it went so quickly,
3. I seriously felt like I was in another country while we were there, and
4. my youngest kid took her first road trip since potty training with no accidents — in the van. Booyah!
But most of all I found it extremely amusing that majority of Les’ friends back in Canada worried that she might be decapitated by the bad ass blogger from Detroit.
Since I don’t have any decapitating low tops, you’re safe with me Les. However, I will try to work on honing my bad ass reputation.
I love the thought of shoes having hands. And them being self aware enough to get the concept of washing their hands to signify a lack of interest.
Hearing that phrase bought back a memory of a situation I was in a few years ago. It was my mom, shrieking “I wash my hands of you!” (complete with hand washing motions) at me because I hadn’t done my homework for school. Fun times…
Funny, I know I’ve declared “I wash my hands of this” but my hand gesture is hands up, fingers splayed to defend my head and shoulders.
As if to say, “No more, please.”
awwwwh, this is super cool cg that you got to meet your blogging buddy, turned friend. it’s always nice when you can do that and the other person doesn’t decapitate you and throw your head out of the window of their moving van.
glad you made it back in one piece or i would be mad that you couldn’t blog anymore. say would you mind writing a life time of posts and just schedule them to appear. :) please.
sounds like a super time and why no camera. aye?
les is thin too. growl. you should have fed her cookies and alcohol.
I’ll have to work on that lifetime of posts. How much life do you think is left in me, 30 or 35 years?
Yes, no camera. Ugh. We did ply her with alcohol but I think she has that super metabolism that can jump tall buildings in a single chew. Or something.
i was hoping you would out live me at the age of 205. i might give up my last breath at 204 and a half. depends on how i’m feeling. i can be stubborn.
Hmm, I can only go to 75 Natural. I’m going to admit defeat on this one and write only up til the year 2043.
And then this betch is out.
Cookies?! You had COOKIES, Betch?! The only cookies I heard about were the ones the Hotel Desk-Lady baked, and I didn’t get any of those, either.
Snarl!
You didn’t get the cookies? Then I guess you didn’t have any of the hash brownies, either.
Bummer. They had chocolate chunks in them.
i’m laughing over the whole ax murdered thingy. every time i meet my “internet friends” as my mom calls them, everyone freaks out. i have met a couple of people that annoyed the hell out of me “irl” but 98% of the time it’s been the best thing i’ve ever done. i’m so glad you met your “internet friend” and had a great time!
Isn’t that funny? I know I definitely felt that way back when AOL was all the rage and chat rooms were big. It totally seemed like a meeting would end in a bloody mess.
Have you met many bloggers in real life?
Aww…I’m so glad you got to meet! And that you got to go to Canada. Its my favorite part of driving to MI when I’m able. :)
We actually met in Grayling, but for some reason I felt like we were out of the country. It’s a strange place inside my head.
Grayling?? That’s soooo not Canada, hehe. Hicktown tourist place? Yes! And that’s from someone who went there at least once a year for the first 12 years of her life!
An hour northeast of Grayling is a very very small town called Atlanta, and my great-grandparents had a cabin there. It was two rooms, a pump faucet and an outhouse. Great-grandpa built the first room primarily for hunting, and then it became the place to get away during the year. Its gone now, but I still miss that place.
I had no clue that there was an Atlanta in Michigan. I’m not even sure if there’s *anything* to do in Grayling but I’ll tell you the inside of that Ramada was extremely kid friendly. The pool, sauna and hot tub get five stars, baby. Five gold stars from Cardiogirl.
“I’m not even sure if there’s *anything* to do in Grayling”…. except for that “Girl’s Night Out” thing that was mentioned- special guests: a clairvoyant and a bartender. I almost wish we had attended that one until I remember that it wouldn’t have taken a clairvoyant to tell me how the evening would have turned out considering there was a bartender present.
I’ll bet THEY got cookies, though.
That is so cool! I have never met any of my internet friends, but I do fantasize about it. My mom and husband think it is weird that I have friends I have never met. Anyway, so happy for the 2 of you!
Isn’t it?! We had so much fun.
And it is very bizarre to me, as well, to have friends I’ve never met but who I really enjoy. I suppose that’s why I like blogging so much.
Sounds like fun was had by all!! Glad there was no decapitation involved :D
It was much fun and much too quick.
YAY that you got to meet Les IRL!! I’ve met many of my internet friends, even one who drove up from Oregon on a total whim just to see me. I even flew out to San Jose a year ago to meet twelve ladies I had never met before, and it just cemented the friendship that we had cultivated online. Next month I am meeting yet another internet friend for the first time IRL; she’s coming to stay with me for the weekend. And I am trying my darnedest to get down to Louisiana to meet Elle.
So when should Elle and I come to Michigan to see you???
PS — Facebook has a million quizzes online, the same ones you see floating around the blogosphere, and I took a quiz that said I should live in Michigan. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Wow, someone drove from Oregon to meet you on a whim?! Damn woman.
I do remember your chica’s weekend out in California. That sounded like so much fun. P’rhaps you two can get here in July or August when I’m reasonably sure there will be no snow.
I’m quite certain that quiz would say I do NOT belong in Michigan.
Yes, I’ve pouted most of the day in a jealous snit because you and Les got together IRL. I need you Northern/Northeastern folks to find your way down to the South! BEFORE July, preferably, or after October. I’ll have cookies, prominently displayed so no one misses them.
Oh man. Cookies? I’m there. Can I request chocolate chip minus nuts?
Well, I was living near Seattle at the time, so it was only a three hour drive for her. But she started driving at midnight and didn’t get to my house till well after 3am. I wish she could have stayed longer; we had way too much fun together!
Wow, that’s a late night, dedicated drive blue! Glad you two had fun. Do you still read her?
I do, actually, but she doesn’t blog very much any more. She’s subsequently moved to Canada to marry her love, and they live with their two dogs in a nice place. She is my Facebook friend, which allows me to keep up with her a lot more easily. I hope to head up to Canada to see her again; she’s really a great and funny person. She introduced me to the movie of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! She’s GOT to be awesome.
You should have left a disclaimer like the weight loss commercials, “Results Not Typical.” Someone will think, Cardio Girl did it and… end up on Without a Trace, (My favorite detective show). Glad you had fun.
(laughs) Now why didn’t I think of that, LaTonya?
Accent? What accent? I have no idea what all this “accent” stuff is aboot. Really. We don’t have any accents to speak of, eh.
STEVE!!! I have spent literally MONTHS convincing Cardiogirl that Canadians do NOT say “aboot”! We say “aBOAT!” Didn’t you get the memo?!
And, btw, she cracks right up every single time a Canadian says “eh”.
Heh…no, missed that memo. :)
I crack up everytime I see an American reach into her purse. I always think “Oh crap, she’s going for her gun!” Lol
Les has truly spent months and months telling me it’s aBOAT and I swear to Neptune when I saw her in person I thought ‘I cannot wait to hear her say aBOOT.’
And then she said aBOAT and I had to laugh to myself. It takes over a year, apparently for me to remember that.
And the eh is awesome! It has to be delivered by a Canadian to have the full nuance and it was so much fun hearing it!
Steve I can just hear you saying ahhhk-sent.
p.s. Is that what you Canucks think of us Americans? Because I swear to Pluto my sister and my father have concealed guns that they routinely carry.
Yeah…pretty much :) I was at a comedy club once, in Ottawa, and the comedian was having fun teasing a woman at a table in front of the stage. At one point she went into her purse to get something, and he dove to the floor yelling “Omigod, look out! She’s going for her gun!”. I just about pissed myself.
What a hoot that you two got to spend a little (very little!) time together, in person! I am part of a group of friends who met on an AOL message board, and when we met in person for the first time 12 years ago, everybody I knew was mortified that I would get on a plane and deliver myself into the hands of people who were certain to turn out to be masturbating trolls. We get together once or twice a year now, and so far, nobody has disappeared.
I would have been one of your friends 12 years ago Suzi begging you to stay home. I’m glad you didn’t get killed back then :)
The only nasty part ab(oa)t the whole wonderful adventure was the arse that kept passing the Prissy-Van on the freeway home, at 90 mph in a 70 zone, and then immediately slowing down to 55 when he got back in front of us.
Him, and his pug-faced, tongue-sticking-out little boy.
That we originally mistook for an ugly dog on the first two passes.
That, and I DIDN’T GET ANY COOKIES, SHETBAG?!
I hate those people who have to hurry up to slow down. If you’re going to fly by on the freeway, continue to fly by and then take flight into the great blue yonder.
It sounds like that guy deserved to have a yucky, pug-faced boy. Bleh.
Oh, the cookies weren’t that good. It’s the brownies you should be crying over.
Yeah……no. I don’t think I’d be up to actually meeting some peeps from the net, although Patricia (Subjective Soup) is organizing one nearby for next month. I’m sort of considering it, but the thought scares me. Maybe it’s the whole ax murderer thing, I don’t know. I’m not sure you can ax murder a whole group of people at the Panera Bread and get away with it.
So, maybe I’ll hug a friend as a greeting, but drive wayyyy to another country to meet a fellow blogger? Uh, no.
Really Lin? I thought for shizzle you were down with that and had met your 25th blogger in person months ago.
So is this your way of telling me I’ll never stand in front of you while trying to avoid your hug? What if I brought Natural with me?
p.s. I guess I wasn’t very clear. I did not leave US soil but Les did leave the Great White North to venture here in the mitten state. And when I was with her I *felt* like I was in Canada but I was still in the US. And I didn’t have any alcohol to drink, if you can believe it.
Do you remember that whole CB phase that went on in the 70’s? My brother and I were sorta wanna be truckers and had one, chattin’ with the pallies over the airwaves. This was “in” back then, and we belonged to a CB club and all where you could go and have an “eyeball” with your fellow CB-ers. I’m telling you that was the SCARIEST thing ever! These people were freaks!!! I think I’m scarred for life from that whole experience and that’s why I’m not really wanting to meet my fellow bloggers in person. Unless they promise to have like only one eye on their face and a full set of teeth. You gotta read Lola’s bit about meeting bloggers in person—SCARY!!! And I’m NOT hugging any of them!! Ewwww!
I do remember the CB phase. “Breaker, Breaker 19…” I never knew there were clubs back then where you could see the other person.
I do remember my sisters talking on the CB and then getting freaked out by the conversation and quickly turning the thing off.
And that would totally freak me out — your experience with the CBers.
So cool! Glad you had a good time. Meeting bloggers can be a bit nerve wracking, but it always seems to work out well for me in the end.
It is a tad nervous in the beginning, isn’t it? I totally feel like I am not nearly as witty or fun in person.
But it was a good time and if I was boring, she faked it pretty well.
It IS awkward speaking to someone you only know from online the first time, isn’t it?
I always think that they will realize that I’m much funnier on the internet than IRL. Me on the Internet = Jim Carrey talking out of his butt. Me IRL = Jim Carrey trying to be serious or scary.
Not good, LOL.
I’m glad it went well for you! :-)
That’s so funny Angelika because that’s exactly how I feel! I have time to come up with a semi-witty comeback here at home. But in real life there’s no tape delay so I’m, uh, not as engaging in the here and now.
But it was a good time.
Hey, miss–e-mail me when you get a chance. I have a new locale.
XO
I thought you had new digs. Off to email you…
“I would truly consider killing and spending the rest of my life on Death Row to look like she does. But then I’d have to wear that baggy orange jump suit all the time and no one would see how good I looked, so it would defeat the purpose wouldn’t it?”
That paragraph made me laugh a lot :D I’ve heard so many people say jokingly that they would kill to be thin…why have I never thought of answering with that? Lol.
Because like most other people Glade, your mind works in a normal fashion. Mine on the other hand, sort of defies definition and skews southeast of normal.
I’m not sure that’s a good thing. But it does make things interesting.
Lol, you’re probably the first person ever to say that my mind works in a normal way. :P
Of course being different is a good thing…usually :D
I suppose the difficulty is finding that line between eccentric and cuckoo, isn’t it? Welcome aboard the crazy train, Glade :)
That is so cool. I’m jealous and I want to meet you!
I would be so jacked if we met, Cate. And I promise I would never touch your belly.
Glad you got to meet Les. Good for you guys.
It was a lot of fun. In fact she just sent me a portrait she took of me entitled Ax Murderers Don’t Wear Plaid.
How awesome is that?
cool pic! Of course the first thing that came to mind was that all the pictures I’ve seen of Ed Gein show him wearing a plaid hat. Maybe he wasn’t technically an axe murderer though.
(chuckles) Oh yeah, him.
I wonder if Lizzie Borden was partial to plaid.
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