I met a fellow BDer!!

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

What is the appropriate manner with which to meet another Barrow-Downer? Running and squealing and knocking them over doesn't seem like the best way to do it...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Running and squealing and knocking them over doesn't seem like the best way to do it...

When there are airports involved, my preferred method is to size the person up, make sure they're the right person, hesitantly move in their direction, and say something stunningly witty, like, "Hi."

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

What is the appropriate manner with which to meet another Barrow-Downer? Running and squealing and knocking them over doesn't seem like the best way to do it...

That might work well with us Finns - and maybe Rune - but I wouldn't recommend you to try that on anyone else...

But Fea has something right in there indeed methinks. Like with anyone you meet the first time it is always an interesting situation and surely the first minute can be a bit confusing. But at least with those 'Downers I have met the first time as 'Downers (so not talking about those I knew outside the 'Downs already), namely Brinn, Legate, Rune and Spawn, they have been just great and hearty persons with whom the "odd-feeling" of meeting them the first time has vanished in a minute actually. So at least I have only positive experiences of meeting other 'Downers - and it has been very easy to get comfortable with them in no time.

You're such fine bunch of people!

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

When there are airports involved, my preferred method is to size the person up, make sure they're the right person, hesitantly move in their direction, and say something stunningly witty, like, "Hi."

Oh, that sounds like a great idea!

Originally Posted by Nogrod

That might work well with us Finns - and maybe Rune - but I wouldn't recommend you to try that on anyone else...

Probably not. I will greet any Downer that I meet with another reaction...

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

What is the appropriate manner with which to meet another Barrow-Downer? Running and squealing and knocking them over doesn't seem like the best way to do it...

Depends on how well you know said people that you are about to glomp. For example, Nienna, Fea, Lari, and I did not particularly feel the need to glomp Mac and Rikae (mainly because there was a were-duckling involved and that could have been all bad and the fact that Mac was in a different continent at the time and that would have been somewhat difficult).

I wish I knew what happened when Lari met Kath, seeing as how I was successfully lost in London at the time and my greeting to the two of them was slamming my head repeatedly against the wall of the tube station.

However, when you happen to live with fellow Downers (and have them to blame for joining in the first place) and you happen to go visit after not seeing them for WEEKS ON END and MISS THEM LIKE CRAZY, running and squealing and knocking them over is a perfectly reasonable reaction.

[Mirandir]

Oh, and Brinn got the awkward "Hi" that Fea was talking about when we picked her up at the airport (and proceeded to get horribly lost on the way home, but we won't talk about that).

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Mirandir

Depends on how well you know said people that you are about to glomp. For example, Nienna, Fea, Lari, and I did not particularly feel the need to glomp Mac and Rikae (mainly because there was a were-duckling involved and that could have been all bad and the fact that Mac was in a different continent at the time and that would have been somewhat difficult).

I wish I knew what happened when Lari met Kath, seeing as how I was successfully lost in London at the time and my greeting to the two of them was slamming my head repeatedly against the wall of the tube station.

However, when you happen to live with fellow Downers (and have them to blame for joining in the first place) and you happen to go visit after not seeing them for WEEKS ON END and MISS THEM LIKE CRAZY, running and squealing and knocking them over is a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Okay. So if I meet a Downer after a long time of not seeing them, then I can run and squeal all I want, then!

Originally Posted by Mirandir

Oh, and Brinn got the awkward "Hi" that Fea was talking about when we picked her up at the airport (and proceeded to get horribly lost on the way home, but we won't talk about that).

Hehehe! Okay, don't talk about it!

[Thinlómien]

I think the best way to greet a 'downer has mostly been "hi, how was your flight?" But it is indeed weird to meet people you know yet do not know, but the feeling tends to vanish quite quickly (the better you know the person, the longer it takes, I think).

But speaking of this summer, we - Agan, "Goldberry" and me - were InterRailing around Europe and met Legate, were supposed to meet Esty (but alas, our timetables didn't match) and met Skippy who was wonderful company - well you can probably see from the stories and the pics that we had a lot of fun. And Skip makes it sound like a total misadventure but to be honest the walk he calls long was very short for people who had been walking around different European cities for the past four weeks, the grill that failed was no disaster 'cos it was easy enough to light a new fire and the rain that interrupted us was a very mild and almost unnoticeable one. So it was not a misadventure but a very fine evening.

Originally Posted by Nog

I had two pints of beer in Helsinki last night with Legate to celebrate his moving in. It was nice to meet him again - and we will be meeting him pretty regularly in the future as he starts his year as an exchange-stipendiate in the University of Helsinki...
So in the future we might not report it every time we meet him...

I wasn't reporting everytime before either... so am I a criminal now? *shifty eyes*

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Are we supposed to act surprised that Legate is going to be at university in Helsinki for a year?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

And yes, I met a Barrow-Downer yesterday as well!

I had two pints of beer in Helsinki last night with Legate to celebrate his moving in. It was nice to meet him again - and we will be meeting him pretty regularly in the future as he starts his year as an exchange-stipendiate in the University of Helsinki...

So in the future we might not report it every time we meet him...

That would be quite exhausting, or then I might just avoid you for all the time to preserve our sanity (and keyboards) Though that would be a pity...
And for the sake of joining the report, I should probably add that it is quite pleasant to arrive to a foreign country and meet with a fellow Barrow-Downer on the same evening. Advice? If you are going to study abroad, pick a city with a fellow Barrow-Downer (or several of them).

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

What is the appropriate manner with which to meet another Barrow-Downer? Running and squealing and knocking them over doesn't seem like the best way to do it...

If I can bring in my piece of advice, I just remembered my meeting with Brinn, which could be used as a quite good example on how to avoid making hard decisions. And that is, managing it the way that you have really no time to think of how should you greet the person. With our meeting it went like this (as much as I can remember, perhaps Brinn could correct me if I am not completely true to the story): She was supposed to meet me in a hostel, I entered the building, turned right and she was sitting there about one meter in front of me, we looked at each other, I just said "You...?" and she said "Yes." (I believe I continued by saying "Shall we...?" and then we went outside. So you see, quite an easy way to avoid really awkward meetings... )

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

But speaking of this summer, we - Agan, "Goldberry" and me - were InterRailing around Europe and met Legate

...and managed to scare some of his friends, for that matter, but perhaps also made them develop a taste for Finnish salty liquorice. Perhaps. Maybe. A bit.

[skip spence]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

But speaking of this summer, we - Agan, "Goldberry" and me - were InterRailing around Europe and met Legate, were supposed to meet Esty (but alas, our timetables didn't match) and met Skippy who was wonderful company - well you can probably see from the stories and the pics that we had a lot of fun. And Skip makes it sound like a total misadventure but to be honest the walk he calls long was very short for people who had been walking around different European cities for the past four weeks, the grill that failed was no disaster 'cos it was easy enough to light a new fire and the rain that interrupted us was a very mild and almost unnoticeable one. So it was not a misadventure but a very fine evening.

That makes me feel a lot better. But hey, I was really just trying to spice up the story a little bit, make it a bit more TV-friendly if you wish, but it was truly fun.

I wasn't reporting everytime before either... so am I a criminal now? *shifty eyes*

Well now, that wholly depends on what it is that you have failed to report, doesn't it?

[Mirandir]

Just for the record, Fea, Nienna, Lari, and Mira are all back together playing Werewolf under one roof once again. And Fea got us lost. Again. Just to point that out.

[Lariren Shadow]

To answer Mira's question about meeting Kath: It was like, "oh I think that's her!" after she passed me and we sort of had this moment of "hi, I'm *insert here*" and then we started talking. It was pretty natural and such.

Meeting Brinn was an awkward hi then we had talking time about how Fea got her lost and it was all cool.

Meeting Rikae was about the same. We(Fea, Brinn, Nienna, Mira, and I) all showed up at her house and it was like "hi, we're from the Downs...*awkward kitchen time for a little then there was tea*". I think some sort of awkward slight moment is needed when I meet someone....Mac, however, we ambushed on Skype.

[Kath]

Haha yes Lari and I did the sizing each other up thing because I forgot to check the photo page before I left the house and so had no idea what she looked like! I walked past her, walked back, and then sidled towards her in I hope a non-threatening manner until she said, '... Kath?'. After that we got on famously til Mira arrived.

Who else? Brinn I recognised straight off because a) I'd told her exactly where to stand and b) she was wearing her infamous hat. That was a case of 'hi! And off we go.'

Rune and Hookbill I met at the same time ... I believe I met them with apologies because of a timing mix up, which is exactly the same way that I met Agan for the first time. Seriously, anyone not from England who meets me, make sure I'm paying attention when we plan.

Mith I also met with apologies because I'd accidentally sent her the wrong way round Oxford thanks to mishearing her on the phone.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The most awkward thing about meeting Brinn was that her flight arrived early, so I wasn't really paying attention to the people coming in. I was sitting chatting idly with Mira, expecting Brinn to arrive in fifteen minutes or so, so when I looked up and saw her standing there not entirely sure if we were in fact Fea and Mira, there was a brief mental disconnect before my mind processed that I knew what she looked like, the girl in front of me matched the mental image, I knew where she went to school, the girl in front of me was wearing a hoodie from that school... wait, surely it must be Brinn even though it's not quite the right time!

Once it was settled that the Elmira airport's a bit wonky and we sort of realized that one of the deans of our school was standing next to us, and we managed to escape the airport and get marvelously lost in the hills of the Finger Lakes region of NY... It went quite well.

There wasn't really awkwardness with Formy because he's quite identifiable, his flight was exactly on time, and we knew each other rather better than Brinn and I did already. He asked how we should greet, and I said, "Informally." And that set a lovely tone for the rest of his trip.

Meeting Rikae the first time was a little awkward because it was a group of five BDers descending upon her house, but once we all had tea and I'd proven that I'm totally capable of holding babies, everybody loosened up and we became downright mischievous. Meeting Mac for realsies was easy because we'd already met Erika and logged Skype-hours with him. And the wedding was just plain fun.

Really, though? Everybody on here (or at least most people... I hate to say 'everybody' when there's always a chance I'm wrong) is great, and when in doubt, we do all have Tolkien in common, so it's not hard to find something to talk about even if you're not sure about anything else.

But yes: unless you have a prearranged plan to fling yourself at people, you might want to hold back and start with a nice normal greeting. Save the flinging for once you've known each other in person for at least a few minutes.