As you all know, yesterday was November 11 aka The Nerdfighter Gathering. I'm sure you've been on pins and needles all day just waiting to hear every single detail from me, right? Well, you are in luck my friends. I am hear to tell you all of the juicy details. I'll skip the beginning of the day (for the most part) and jump right into the nitty gritty. (The cuts are all pictures).
At around 430pm, we pulled into the high school parking lot and then waited for about an hour before being able to actually go into the high school. We followed a nice girl named Katie and her (from what I could tell) nonnerdfighting friend into the school and waited with them until I saw Hank, John, Katherine and...*drumroll* Lauren Fairweather! I flipped out when I saw her! So did Katie, but, Ruth isn't as aware of Wrock as I am, so, yeah. I was so excited when I saw her!! I was the first to see them walk in (I think, maybe) and seeing John irl is one of the best things to ever happen to me.
We stood in line for a while and when they let us go in, I got seats in the second row, next to Katie and Emma (another awesome Nerdfighter I met who made an awesome DFTBA shirt).
We waited until 630 before the Super Librarian of Awesome came on the stage and introduced the gathering and then John and Hank and Lauren and they all came out on the stage. It was so cool to see them come out. I felt like I was living someone else's life. Someone much luckier and happier than I usually am. It was like I was breathing in sunshine and breathing out pure awesome and..OMFG it was the most amazing thing ever. John thanked Barnes & Noble for selling his books in the lobby and the library for helping make the event happen and then told everyone in the last 8 rows that he wouldn't start the show until they moved up. Rules are rules, after all and it is a very interactive event.
Lauren sang and Hank sang and John read and then they took questions and mine got answered! I asked why none of the narrators of John's books have any siblings. Everyone laughed and it was another made of awesome moment in my made of awesome night. John's answer was that he hates Hank (cue laugh track).
John talked about misimagining people and a lot of people asked a lot of really great questions (that I might get into in another post, when I am going to continue ranting about how it was the best night of my life). A lot of laughter and intellectual discussion and awesome. I had a really great time and we all sang along with Lauren and Hank and Katie and I mouthed along with John's reading. Also, when Hank sang Accio Deathly Hallows, I had my copy of the book with me and I held it up and people laughed. IT was pretty cool.
When the questions/reading/singing was over, there was a give away and I won a shirt but they gave it away before I could get it. :/ That was insignificant, though, so I am not bummed about it at all. The line was super long waiting for getting stuff signed.
But, I ended up right in front of Lauren so I got my Deathly Hallows signed by her and got to talk to her and take a picture with her and then, when we were bored and singing, I actually sang Laundry Day from Dr Horrible with her. That was more amazing then I could possibly begin to describe.
Many a book and CD were signed:
Many a hero were hugged/met:
And I had a lot of fun. Lifechanging, definitely. I will never ever forget last night. I got to tell John how much I admire him and how he restored my faith in humanity and he told me I did the same by being a Nerdfighter and there are just too many stories about to fit here. There will be more, though. Whether you like it or not. ;)