Bagelfather
TMF Master
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2001
- Messages
- 855
- Points
- 18
After many attempts to make it to NEST (2008 being an annoyingly epic failure) I arrived at the heart of western democracy and entered the world of my people.
I consider myself fortunate in that I have been attending gatherings since 1998 in the bay area hosted by DVNC and QB Weaver. I have been to munches and gatherings with a handful of people to a little over 2 dozen. It was my experiences and friendship with DVNC plus my own nature that made me a conscientious player and host. DVNC helped me navigate the grey areas that can lead to being someone who is disliked and avoided like the unhallowed unwashed masses of geekdom of whom you keep a 10' pole distance away from and avoid eye contact. Danimal, QB Weaver, and DVNC always reminded me that anyone can make a mistake at a gathering. It is how you handle that mistake and learn from it that makes you who you are in the community. It is from these formative first few years and the friendships that I forged which made going to NEST an easy leap for me. For the hosts of other gatherings local and abroad which I have since met, played with, and learned from, I also thank you.
With all that being said NEST is an amazing experience. It is similar in spirit to Comic-Con, Panthea Con, and Burning Man for me in that attending you feel that you are returning home. What I will not go into elaborate detail on is the tickling experiences (except when really interesting, funny, or thanking specific people), everyone I played with, where they are ticklish, where their spots are, how awesome it was, etc. To do so would cheapen th eexperience for you cannot put such sensations into words. It would also undercut the experience of NEST which supercedes play. In my opinion the real purpose of NEST isn't about play, it is to meet and hang out with like minded people who understand what you are about, see old friends, and to make new ones. That is the lesson DVNC taught me years ago and when you go by that philosophy you will find you will have more fun, get a lot more quality play, and make friendships that will last until Niagra Falls. You are dealing with people not dolls. It is easy to forget that sometimes and even the best of us forget on occasion.
There are many words I can use to thank the people who organized this event behind the scenes or not. It would be a shame to neglect to mention someone because I didn't know they were involved, forgot their name, etc. I will not name you individually, but instead give a thank you to all your hard work, great effort, time, love, and caring for all those attending to ensure all had a good time. I have hosted gatherings of 2 dozen+ people before and it is a lot of work at that level. One cannot truly appreciate how much is involved when you multiply that work by five. Thus let it be said that you all did an amazing job and for that I thank you.
To the critics who whine incessantly, grumble, flame-war, bitch, and are otherwise a pain in the ass I would like to say "you don't know jack, so shut the frak up!"
The hotel was great and came across as fairly understanding of our community considering that we are a fetish/kink group. It wasn't the perfect location for a kink convention, but I challenge anyone to find such a place and one that is affordable. Having everything under one roof made things run smoothly. The cost of the hotel is very reasonable when you factor in the convenience of everything in one location, free airport shuttle, free breakfast buffet, open bar, and spacious suites. In addition you have adorable ducks to admire. Any location will have its little quirks that are not just right, but they are not important in the grand scheme of things.
The most quirky thing about this hotel was the shower where you had to reach in face first and get blasted with cold water as you first turn it on and then face either still cold or scalding hot to adjust it to your liking before stepping in.
The lobby area near the bar is where most of us gathered socially during downtime if we weren't hanging out at someone's room party. The sounds of laughter amusing the other guests including the dead heads there for a concert. "Oh yeah those are the tickle people!" Then again the fans can be entertained by curly colorful straws when you get right down to it.
I arrived on Thursday night and drove in from the airport with DVNC and Pennylane. I hung out with people socially and had dinner at the hotel next door. There was one cook on duty and over a dozen of us. Poor Rhino had to wait 30 minutes for his chef's salad. The death toll was unimaginable.
Friday DVNC, Pennylane and myself went to play tourist. We failed to get others to join us so we were on our own. DVNC used his x-men Wolverine powers to find a free 2-hr parking spot less than a block away from the liberty bell. We walked by Independence hall, saw the liberty bell and then decided to make the 20 block hike to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to climb the steps from Rocky. It was drizzling, my back was hurting, but it was worth it. We saw the JFK memorial LOVE, many fountains and sculptures, the Rodin museum, several thousand square feet decorated as various board games, and finally the steps. Adrian! After the long walk, climbing stairs, and being hungry we decided to take a cab back to the car. We picked up some souvenirs and headed out again.
On the way back we stopped at Big K to get some room snacks/drinks. It was in the store that I truly saw I wasn't in California anymore. There were two large displays of fireworks. This wasn't just sparklers there were rockets and smoke bombs etc. Rhino was salivating at the thought of blowing stuff up.
Friday night was games and pizza. I taught people to play Twister (yes some have never played) and Apples to Apples. I spun the spinner because I am not in shape let alone my back to be playing twister. A large Bagelfather falling on a tiny Canadian would be a horrific experience.
At night I joined several people in the overly chlorinated pool to play with a beach ball. The objective was "us vs. the water." Needless to say we lost, but the final battle was awesome!
Saturday was spent being welcomed for us newbies with Impaler coming in wearing a little red cape and a borrowed Superman shirt demanding that Lex Luthor (Libertine) stop his evil ways. When he departed Libertine said "If he's so smart why does he wear his underwear on the outside?"
The rest of Saturday was spent with classes available to people, socialization, play, and the dinner and Talent show. If you have the money for the dinner and talent show I highly recommend it! The food was good and the mood was great. Many people dressed to the 9's while others came in t-shirt and jeans. More of you should join us next year. Oh Libertine, Shylock never spoke so eloquently as when wearing a beard once on a woman's crotch and spanking Kitten's bum! We had wonderful musical talent (despite microphone failures) and good humor from some of our members. Snailshell you are so getting a crown next year.
Saturday night we helped a lost soul find his way. A new member has joined us (I forget his screen name), but he met us at the hotel and had the "I am not alone" moment. He found that we were a fun, loving, and caring group and felt amazingly welcome. You cannot put a price on moments like that.
Sunday was the play party. The ballroom was transformed into a carpeted dungeon. Oh what the mattress conference people next door must have thought of us as the sounds of laughter leaked from the room and down the hall a short ways. The game of "Distraction" had its highlight moment when Rhino was asked to name the cycles of the washing machine. Apparently rhinos do not do laundry... "um... soap?" To my friend Impaler on the same game I believe Singular is a valid answer. Good game to those in the brotherhood who played and those who survived Rob Ace's serenade of Lee Allure to distract her. Tortuga was kidnapped to find the metal that could defeat Superman. Lex Luthor with the help of his henchpersons tickled the information out of her including Alchemy, dressed up as #24 from the Venture brothers (words fail to describe how awesome that was).
There was a demo of tickling by the best dressed couple from England and a raffle with cool prizes. Sunday evening was fairly mellow. We went to Nifty Fifties for dinner. I said my goodbyes as I was leaving early in the morning. I stumbled to bed and got 4.5 hrs of sleep before getting up for my flight in the morning.
I left thinking I would miss everyone, but glad I was going home. I miss my gf, I miss my roommates, I miss my rats (Leroy Jenkins and Rincewind), and I miss San Jose. I won't stop thinking about these past few days and will always have memories. I am going to try my best to get more of us from the west coast out there. My girlfriend is looking forward to coming out next year and thanks to all of you who took a few minutes to say hi to some seemingly random person on the phone. If you saw me playing with my phone at various times I was usually calling or sending her a text message.
There were some unhappy moments at NEST, I won't deny that, but I will not dwell on those when there are so many good memories.
I consider myself fortunate in that I have been attending gatherings since 1998 in the bay area hosted by DVNC and QB Weaver. I have been to munches and gatherings with a handful of people to a little over 2 dozen. It was my experiences and friendship with DVNC plus my own nature that made me a conscientious player and host. DVNC helped me navigate the grey areas that can lead to being someone who is disliked and avoided like the unhallowed unwashed masses of geekdom of whom you keep a 10' pole distance away from and avoid eye contact. Danimal, QB Weaver, and DVNC always reminded me that anyone can make a mistake at a gathering. It is how you handle that mistake and learn from it that makes you who you are in the community. It is from these formative first few years and the friendships that I forged which made going to NEST an easy leap for me. For the hosts of other gatherings local and abroad which I have since met, played with, and learned from, I also thank you.
With all that being said NEST is an amazing experience. It is similar in spirit to Comic-Con, Panthea Con, and Burning Man for me in that attending you feel that you are returning home. What I will not go into elaborate detail on is the tickling experiences (except when really interesting, funny, or thanking specific people), everyone I played with, where they are ticklish, where their spots are, how awesome it was, etc. To do so would cheapen th eexperience for you cannot put such sensations into words. It would also undercut the experience of NEST which supercedes play. In my opinion the real purpose of NEST isn't about play, it is to meet and hang out with like minded people who understand what you are about, see old friends, and to make new ones. That is the lesson DVNC taught me years ago and when you go by that philosophy you will find you will have more fun, get a lot more quality play, and make friendships that will last until Niagra Falls. You are dealing with people not dolls. It is easy to forget that sometimes and even the best of us forget on occasion.
There are many words I can use to thank the people who organized this event behind the scenes or not. It would be a shame to neglect to mention someone because I didn't know they were involved, forgot their name, etc. I will not name you individually, but instead give a thank you to all your hard work, great effort, time, love, and caring for all those attending to ensure all had a good time. I have hosted gatherings of 2 dozen+ people before and it is a lot of work at that level. One cannot truly appreciate how much is involved when you multiply that work by five. Thus let it be said that you all did an amazing job and for that I thank you.
To the critics who whine incessantly, grumble, flame-war, bitch, and are otherwise a pain in the ass I would like to say "you don't know jack, so shut the frak up!"
The hotel was great and came across as fairly understanding of our community considering that we are a fetish/kink group. It wasn't the perfect location for a kink convention, but I challenge anyone to find such a place and one that is affordable. Having everything under one roof made things run smoothly. The cost of the hotel is very reasonable when you factor in the convenience of everything in one location, free airport shuttle, free breakfast buffet, open bar, and spacious suites. In addition you have adorable ducks to admire. Any location will have its little quirks that are not just right, but they are not important in the grand scheme of things.
The most quirky thing about this hotel was the shower where you had to reach in face first and get blasted with cold water as you first turn it on and then face either still cold or scalding hot to adjust it to your liking before stepping in.
The lobby area near the bar is where most of us gathered socially during downtime if we weren't hanging out at someone's room party. The sounds of laughter amusing the other guests including the dead heads there for a concert. "Oh yeah those are the tickle people!" Then again the fans can be entertained by curly colorful straws when you get right down to it.
I arrived on Thursday night and drove in from the airport with DVNC and Pennylane. I hung out with people socially and had dinner at the hotel next door. There was one cook on duty and over a dozen of us. Poor Rhino had to wait 30 minutes for his chef's salad. The death toll was unimaginable.
Friday DVNC, Pennylane and myself went to play tourist. We failed to get others to join us so we were on our own. DVNC used his x-men Wolverine powers to find a free 2-hr parking spot less than a block away from the liberty bell. We walked by Independence hall, saw the liberty bell and then decided to make the 20 block hike to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to climb the steps from Rocky. It was drizzling, my back was hurting, but it was worth it. We saw the JFK memorial LOVE, many fountains and sculptures, the Rodin museum, several thousand square feet decorated as various board games, and finally the steps. Adrian! After the long walk, climbing stairs, and being hungry we decided to take a cab back to the car. We picked up some souvenirs and headed out again.
On the way back we stopped at Big K to get some room snacks/drinks. It was in the store that I truly saw I wasn't in California anymore. There were two large displays of fireworks. This wasn't just sparklers there were rockets and smoke bombs etc. Rhino was salivating at the thought of blowing stuff up.
Friday night was games and pizza. I taught people to play Twister (yes some have never played) and Apples to Apples. I spun the spinner because I am not in shape let alone my back to be playing twister. A large Bagelfather falling on a tiny Canadian would be a horrific experience.
At night I joined several people in the overly chlorinated pool to play with a beach ball. The objective was "us vs. the water." Needless to say we lost, but the final battle was awesome!
Saturday was spent being welcomed for us newbies with Impaler coming in wearing a little red cape and a borrowed Superman shirt demanding that Lex Luthor (Libertine) stop his evil ways. When he departed Libertine said "If he's so smart why does he wear his underwear on the outside?"
The rest of Saturday was spent with classes available to people, socialization, play, and the dinner and Talent show. If you have the money for the dinner and talent show I highly recommend it! The food was good and the mood was great. Many people dressed to the 9's while others came in t-shirt and jeans. More of you should join us next year. Oh Libertine, Shylock never spoke so eloquently as when wearing a beard once on a woman's crotch and spanking Kitten's bum! We had wonderful musical talent (despite microphone failures) and good humor from some of our members. Snailshell you are so getting a crown next year.
Saturday night we helped a lost soul find his way. A new member has joined us (I forget his screen name), but he met us at the hotel and had the "I am not alone" moment. He found that we were a fun, loving, and caring group and felt amazingly welcome. You cannot put a price on moments like that.
Sunday was the play party. The ballroom was transformed into a carpeted dungeon. Oh what the mattress conference people next door must have thought of us as the sounds of laughter leaked from the room and down the hall a short ways. The game of "Distraction" had its highlight moment when Rhino was asked to name the cycles of the washing machine. Apparently rhinos do not do laundry... "um... soap?" To my friend Impaler on the same game I believe Singular is a valid answer. Good game to those in the brotherhood who played and those who survived Rob Ace's serenade of Lee Allure to distract her. Tortuga was kidnapped to find the metal that could defeat Superman. Lex Luthor with the help of his henchpersons tickled the information out of her including Alchemy, dressed up as #24 from the Venture brothers (words fail to describe how awesome that was).
There was a demo of tickling by the best dressed couple from England and a raffle with cool prizes. Sunday evening was fairly mellow. We went to Nifty Fifties for dinner. I said my goodbyes as I was leaving early in the morning. I stumbled to bed and got 4.5 hrs of sleep before getting up for my flight in the morning.
I left thinking I would miss everyone, but glad I was going home. I miss my gf, I miss my roommates, I miss my rats (Leroy Jenkins and Rincewind), and I miss San Jose. I won't stop thinking about these past few days and will always have memories. I am going to try my best to get more of us from the west coast out there. My girlfriend is looking forward to coming out next year and thanks to all of you who took a few minutes to say hi to some seemingly random person on the phone. If you saw me playing with my phone at various times I was usually calling or sending her a text message.
There were some unhappy moments at NEST, I won't deny that, but I will not dwell on those when there are so many good memories.
