Um, about that resolution...
So I totally broke it. Perhaps I just finally worked through all my annoyances from last year, and perhaps I finally got a grip that each year is going to be totally different and I can only hold myself responsible for my own happiness and when other's act up or bring drama to the situation, that's their problem, not mine.
Odd thing is, I just ended up in such a zen like place over the whole thing. There were no real plans for the weekend other than getting down there, going to the Gearblast party Friday night and then to the code party on Saturday night. There was also the side plan to go see the DC Roller Girls double header bout on Saturday afternoon. Suffice it to say, we got down there and then chaos swooped in and made sure that the only plan we stuck to was roller derby.
We were supposed to leave by 1pm. Around 3-something we were finally rolling out of town...no big deal. Mercury retrograde having it's last laugh left the EZ Pass in a bad state and we discovered this AFTER getting on the Jersey Turnpike...no big deal, just call them address the issue and then continue on. Every damn toll point from then on screamed to call them except the tunnel in Maryland which just screamed about the card ID being screwy. Whatever, we made it, checked into the hotel and were ready to rock at 8:30pm. Gearblast was ending at 10. We headed over to the hotel to make the first swing through the mart and I thought perhaps drop in and say hello at Gearblast but Ryan was starving and fast food was going to be a no go. Not wanting a repeat of last year we just went to Thai Tanic and had a fantastic dinner and were back at the hotel around 10:15.
The drink situation was a total mess. We weren't staying in the host hotel but the usual suspects were staying there so we slipped up to their room with a bottle, made a drink and then getting into the lobby this year from upstairs with a drink was a no go since they decided to station nazis down there to make sure they could maximize their profit off of us at the bar. We bumped into friends from Philly headed upstairs to another party and they grabbed us and took us along for the ride. I didn't realize it was one of the Centaur's rooms and we ended up hanging out there with them finishing our drinks and socializing. Then, called it a fairly early night and headed back to our room.
Saturday rolls around and we wandered out late-ish to grab brunch, hit the mart for a little bit and said hello to many people who I forget were there and then headed over to derby. We spotted DayGlo Divine and MotorPsycho had decided to go to DC for the weekend and having found out we would be there, decided to tag along for the horror show of MAL and also to hit derby. Double header over with, we headed over to the hotel so DayGlo could drop her bag in our room and we could all get dinner together. After dinner, headed back to the room and after spending not enough time with DayGlo, suited up to hit the code party. We got almost all the way there and ran into friends heading from the party letting us know that the line for it was down the block, it was over capacity and if you didn't have an advance ticket, you weren't getting in. So, we followed them over to the DC Eagle to have drinks, hang out, and regrouped with MotorPsycho who was going there too. Afterward, dragged our tired asses back to the room and crashed out for the night.
Sunday we met up with MotorPsycho for brunch, then hit the mart for a while and wandered about chatting with friends. Plans were made to meet up with other friends for dinner and after a quick trip back to the hotel, we sat down to dinner and then hit the lobby again. Around 9-something I decided we should call it a night and head back to the room, figuring we'd not have the energy to come back...*censored details*. Around 11-something we were bored but still wide awake and after MotorPsycho hit the Green Lantern only to find it was scaryoke night and headed back to the lobby of the hotel, we decided to head back up there and hang out for a bit socializing. Then, the evening got really interesting: Ryan ended up in a bondage box, lots of funny goings on in the lobby and then around 2am they booted us out the door.
Back to the room we crashed out, got up this morning and then came home. All in all, not a bad weekend at all and I'm happy for the time I got to talk to the people I wanted to see, didn't see too much of the people I didn't want to see and didn't let a single ounce of drama invade the weekend. Well, other than the drama involving a metal ring and my way too tight (now) leather pants that just weren't being compatible with each other. Even the weather was lovely compared to last year so the little bumps in the road were nothing compared to the horror show that was last year.
Now the IML guilt committee is starting to work on us to get out to Chicago. I may very well have legitimate work plans this year that nixes that idea...but given the curve ball 2010 has been so far, have decided to keep an open mind about it. *chuckle* But seriously, I doubt I'll be making it to Folsom Street Fair this year and Folsom East/LPN is going to be iffy since I may be planning to skip town around then since I'm boycotting my birthday this year and have decided if I'm not around anyone who knows about it, it doesn't happen and therefore I don't step up in age for another year. Denial is a strength sometimes...