I met a fellow BDer!!

[Rikae]

It was, indeed, tons of fun meeting Brinn, Fea, Lari, Mira & Nienna! Something about Skype seems to bring out people's goofy sides; that plus six downers and a snake-toy, and you can imagine. Or see - I think Fea has a video...

They even brought me birthday presents - Brinn made a tasty pie (and I don't mean that in a wolfish, cannibal sort of way) and Fea some amazing handmade (downer made!) bowls. They taught me some - er, sign language, and I in turn taught them a little German... *evil snicker*

Lari left out my favorite two photos, so here they are:

Mac realizes he is the only guy among half a dozen women...

- and -

Annika overpowers Glaurung with her hypnotic gaze.

[Thinlómien]

Rikae, those photos are priceless.

[Rikae]

Fea's photography, if I remember right.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Yes ma'am. It took all of my will power not to post the Mac one. I thought we teased the poor man mercilessly enough without subjecting his prolonged glee to public scrutiny.

I truly only wish we had awkward penguin on video... The odds of getting him to do it again...

Next time, my camera will be prepared.

[Mirandir]

I absolutely adore that picture of Annika staring down Glaurung, Rikae! Half of Mac's Genetic Material certainly has a future in dragon slaying.

A couple other notable points from this past week:

Nienna doesn't know how to pronounce Minas Tirith. Well, after spending some time playing LotR Trivial Pursuit, she just started mispronouncing it just to annoy the rest of us.

There was something else, but alas, it is time to close the library and Mean Nasty Boss Lady Tor has distracted my poor feeble brain by forcing Fea and me to shelve DVDs against our will.

[Brinniel]

Finally I have time to post, though I am very exhausted...

Fea pretty much summarized the events of last week, though I suppose I can add on in my own perspective.

After an easy couple plane rides, I arrived at the tiniest airport ever to be greeted by Fea and Mira. After our first initial contact, we headed to the car and took the "scenic route" to Elmira. And by scenic I mean we drove through scenery that resembled something of a horror film; we were waiting for the axe murderer to jump out of the trees any time. Though Mira was having a panic attack in the backseat, I was more amused than anything. Meanwhile, Fea insisted that we were not lost and that if we kept turning left we'd eventually find a bigger road, though I think for awhile they kept getting smaller. We did make it back to Elmira...an hour later.

Later on after meeting Lari and Nienna and dropping off Mira (who had somewhere else to be), we ate dinner at a school restaurant (yes, their school has restaurants). Throughout the evening it became more and more hectic with someone new always arriving, but the craziness was fun and during it all, we made cocktails.

Next day we went shopping and did the typical girl stuff. And in the evening we went to the bar and had plenty of fun with drinks and fries. Fea was kind enough to get me a mint chocolate martini, which basically tasted like mint ice cream...it was like heaven!

Sunday I got to learning how to make pottery. I started off completely clueless, but enjoyed it as I learned and covered my clothes in clay. It'd take much practise for me to actually make anything decent, but I was a bit proud of what I did manage to make...though I'm not sure what happened to it...

Once the other guests left, things did begin to quiet down and the girls went off to do homework and attend classes. With their busy schedules, I was left in the apartment most of the day, which I didn't mind since it gave me a chance to sleep in and relax. Plus, I got really good at Wii. In the evening, the girls would take turns cooking dinner, all of which tasted wonderful and of course we'd take some time to chat. Thursday I did my part to help out by doing a lot of dishes, then making a frozen peanut butter pie (something my family loves to eat though I've never made it by myself before).

On Friday, Fea took me to the Corning Glass Museum where we spent plenty of time talking about and admiring glass. Then I got to shape glass myself which was strange, but fun. Though I quickly realised I'd never do well with making glass since the glass cools too quickly for a perfectionist like me. But now I have a pretty purple flower sitting on my dresser, which makes me happy. We were originally planning to see Coraline for Friday night, but those plans were quickly dashed when we discovered that the film had left the theatre. So I suggested we play LotR Trivial Pursuit and drink daiquiris and tequila instead, which was a much better plan I must say. Trivial Pursuit was complete insanity, though we never actually finished the game since Nienna hit the wrong button on the dvd player. But it was an excuse to bring out the alcohol, which we did. Mmm...daiquiris...

We made our road trip to Rikae's on Saturday, where we spent an hour and a half in the car singing to songs. This time we did not get lost (since Fea wasn't driving) and we safely arrived in Geneva, where Rikae and the baby greeted us. After spending a couple hours chatting and gooing over Annika, we relocated to the computer to greet Mac. Those last few hours were rather nutty and I can only imagine what it was like for poor Mac on the other end.

Visiting Rikae pretty much marked the end of my visit since after we returned to the apartment, I packed and then left in the morning. It was so much fun and I was sad to have to return to my isolated hotel dorm in Boston...

So my impressions...

Fea was shorter than I expected. Somehow I imagined her to be tall, but she's more like my height. She really is just as crazy as she is on the Downs, though perhaps less scary. ; ) I can see why Fea loves having Nienna as a roommate, as she is a great girl that you want to be around and very helpful too. Lari is very much like what she is on the Downs...she's very sweet and also a bit quirky in a cute way. She is a romantic and loves Tudor England. Ask her about it, and I'm sure she'll have plenty to say. Mira surprised me a bit. I think I expected her to be a bit like Lari, but she's much louder and perhaps crazier. She's also a big Star Wars and sports fan. I'm sure that in the next game tp and Boro are in, she'll be the first to join in on their discussions of football. : D While I had imagined Fea as tall, I also imagined Rikae to be short...though I don't know why since I think she indicated in memes on LJ that she is tall. She was quiet at first, probably from the initial shock of having five BDers walk through her front door. Though it didn't take long for her to open up and I found her very easy to talk to. And little Annika is so adorable. We all teased that by five years old, she'll be playing werewolf and trying to get her parents lynched for not giving her dessert. : P Though we didn't meet Mac in person, we had a lot of fun chatting with him through Skype. He can be quite the silly one, especially when sleep deprived. Hopefully I will get to actually meet him in person someday soon.

Coming to Elmira for Spring Break was definitely the best choice I made, as it was a great experience. And interesting to stay at a different college for an extended period of time...though also a bit weird since my school has the same colours and initials; the memorabilia seemed strangely familiar. Though Elmira is much more obsessed with purple; doors are painted purple, even the tractors and construction equipment are purple! And I heard plenty of complaining from the girls about purple graduation robes (poor things).

I have more to say, but I shall put it in another post since this one's long enough...

[Brinniel]

Some pictures:

Fea holds up a miniature Galadriel on Trivial Pursuit night.

Mira and Glaurung.

Yet another photo of Annika and Glaurung.

Yes, we all can look at the camera.

Originally Posted by Fea

Next time, my camera will be prepared.

Oh, surely you must take a video when you meet him in person.

For all those who are jealous, all Fea had to do was follow Lommy's guidebook:

Originally Posted by Lommy

Lommy's handy list of attracting Barrow-Downers to your home city/country

1) Convert all your friends and family to Barrow-Downers. This way, the ones you seek to lure to your lair are attracted by not only the thought of meeting just one lovely person, but many lovely people.

2) Invite people personally and tell them you'd love them to come. Also, give them good reasons why they'd want to come.

3) Once you manage to lure one person, it becomes easier to lure others to come too. Downers get jealous easily...

Though instead of luring more Downers to Elmira, I say we lure them to Boston as that's where some of them will relocate to soon. Finally I will have BDers living in the same city. Yes, all BDers should visit Boston sometime before May 2010...

[Rikae]

It's too bad you guys didn't get to see Coraline. Mac and I watched it a couple days before he left, it was excellent - best horror flick of the century. (Seriously, I don't think my almost-nine-year-old could have handled it - it's good we went alone!)

It occurred to me - you all escaped the purple campus only to end up in a purple kitchen. My plan all along - mwahahaha!

Originally Posted by Brinn

Yes, we all can look at the camera.

All but the Sagittarians.

I, for one, would love to visit Boston before it's drownded (drownded?!!)- long road trips rule. There'll also be a downer wedding in this region... sometime... somehow... and I expect you all to attend and, with Mac, perhaps reach critical 'downer mass and drag the Finns to NY as well.

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by Brinniel

Yes, we all can look at the camera.

Except Annika. But she's just so darn cute it would blind the picture taker. Sort of like the basilisk in Harry Potter. Except cute. Oh man I need sleep.

[Oddwen]

...I convinced someone to join, but as she hasn't posted yet I don't suppose she counts yet...


Montana u bagronk sha pushdug Mordor-glob bubosh skai...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

After meeting Rikae and so distinctly enjoying her company - and that of the Were-duckling - it was only expected that Skype-Mac should manifest himself into Live-Mac for our amusement once circumstances allowed such a thing to occur.

I think I shall, however, leave the story of the epic adventure that followed parking our respective cars at the base of Rivendell to the others.

Yet, preceding their accounts, I must [like last time] suggest that if any of them say a word about my choice of route, they shall find themselves as permanent occupants of the cemetery we accidentally stumbled upon at the top of a very, very steep hill.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Yet, preceding their accounts, I must [like last time] suggest that if any of them say a word about my choice of route, they shall find themselves as permanent occupants of the cemetery we accidentally stumbled upon at the top of a very, very steep hill.

Ah, but my dear Fea, knowing full well the awesomeness of cemeteries, there can hardly have been any accident, save from the frailty of human perspective, if you ended up there. Clearly the kind hand of the Valar must have guided you thither.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Clearly the kind hand of the Valar must have guided you thither.

Try telling that to one of my companions, who likes clusters of dead people not even a little.

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

Yet, preceding their accounts, I must [like last time] suggest that if any of them say a word about my choice of route, they shall find themselves as permanent occupants of the cemetery we accidentally stumbled upon at the top of a very, very steep hill.

And how, pray tell, did we end up at the top of said very, very steep hill, dear?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Mirandir

And how, pray tell, did we end up at the top of said very, very steep hill, dear?

I was surrounded, you well remember, by a group of indecisive non-athletes.

I consequently picked the steep path to spite you.

[Nienna]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I consequently picked the steep path to spite you.

This is what Fea would like you all to believe.

But the trip was awesome and seeing Rikae and were-duckling again was awesome and meeting real-Mac was great. We packed a wonderful lunch and epically forgot the iced-tea... sad... but we remembered everything else. We only got a little sunburned and the gorge was beautiful. We won't go into Fea's epic fail on path choices but pretty much everyone faced one of their fears that day. And there are lots of pictures

[Lariren Shadow]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I was surrounded, you well remember, by a group of indecisive non-athletes.

I consequently picked the steep path to spite you.

I will have you know I used to be a good swimmer! And if this stupid school had a swim team then I would have been on it. But no it does not and I was never good enough at softball or soccer for college playing.

Of course you picked it to spite us...or so you keep saying.

[Mirandir]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

I was surrounded, you well remember, by a group of indecisive non-athletes.

I consequently picked the steep path to spite you.

I'm with Lari on this one. I played lacrosse for three years in high school and various other sports from the time I was a wee lass! Just because the only exercise I currently get is walking up one flight of stairs in the campus center does not mean...I have no idea where I was going with that.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Originally Posted by Rikae

...I in turn taught them a little German... *evil snicker*

Now wouldn't I like to know just *what* you taught them!

Annika is absolutely adorable - but then how could she not be, with those genes! What's to be seen of her parents looks pretty good, doesn't it?!

As a matter of fact, the rest of the Downers look very good as well...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Now wouldn't I like to know just *what* you taught them!

I would also like to make mention of the fact that I am a bit like Gandalf and Galadriel in the height department- I seem much taller when the mood strikes.