*contented smile*

you guys are funny, it says in the comments that i'm going to seattle. that said, i had EVERY intention of writing an airport post but those pirates wanted 21 dollars an hour for the internet. and somehow? after that? i just never found a terminal.

and you know? i love y'all but this was a shoestring vacation for me.

somehow with the exception of seven bucks for a book, airport food, two public transit trips, one cab (FORTY FIVE BUCKS!!!), four nights in hotels at under sixty bucks per (plus tax) and one round trip airfare to seattle i managed not to spend any money this weekend. [the cab went on the credit card but the rest? LEFTOVER money from when i went to visit lsd! i know!]

i know!

these people are so incredibly generous, they gave me a shirt and a magic circle and fed me all weekend (the conference includes breakfast and lunch which is awesome) at lovely restaurants with great company and any kind of booze that we wanted and it was all just so random.

take saturday for example, i wander down the stairs behind a couple of them and into the bar (because as they head into it i think to myself 'self, have a drink, it's been a looong day') and of course i say something like 'is this a private party or can anyone crash' and they welcome me with their usual open arms.

well, two led to four led to ten and now we're on the patio having food fights with nuts and having a few drinks apiece. eventually my lil ol' bladder gives up the ghost so i head to the ladies. i get back from there and the entire group has disbanded and a couple are in the lobby and that's all i know. so i grab my bag and head out and get 'come on' as k walks by me.

and that's how i end up across the street on like the forty millionth floor looking out at mount rainier at sunset with nine really happy people and delicious food. and none of us got sloshed, i mean we weren't sober but we were just happy and high on life you know [i think i had five drinks in six hours and i was one of the heavies]? anyhoo we head back and split up and i ended up at some bar called 'rock bottom' shaking my ass with a bunch of the staff.

god it was great.

but you know? none of that was planned, you just end up working all day with people you really like and you end up continuing to hang out. it was so weird y'all, these people i have SO much respect for are so happy to see me that they hug me hello and tell me how delighted they are that i'm there and they've met me only a handful of times.

i'm sort of stunned.

it never occured to me that they might respect me back. one of the organizers told me her pilates story and she said something i really liked. "i knew that i had found my people" and that's just it. i found my people.

this community is amazing. sure it has it's issues just like anyone else's does but under that is genuine respect for each other. sure teacher a has a different method than teacher c but they really seem willing to respect each other anyway.

that's pretty cool.

i mean i was sort of feeling like i was taking advantage of them and then she's all 'oh you were awesome, do this anytime you want to thanks so much and...' which i guess means it was a fair trade huh? *laughs*

i know, y'all are dying to hear what happened when i met bubbles aren't you? well let me tell you the most important thing right up front. there are no pictures.

hah i bet i know what half of you just assumed.

we didn't get sloshed either; we were giddy and silly and we did torture a couple of lovely young things but you know, all in all it was two girls being girls and that's all y'all need to know.

oh that and that emma rocks. she's even more scatterbrained than i am but she rocks.

*hugs babe, no worries*

i think it's possible that i got 24 hours sleep since wednesday so i confess that i don't believe that this will be one of my better posts.

there's only one problem with these conferences y'all. they make me want to move to california about fifty times more every time i do one of them. i met MORE amazing teachers from california.

again.

not that i didn't meet awesome teachers from other places as well, there's just so many of them there and also, seemingly some fairly open job opportunitities for people interested in rehabilitation.

this is good stuff.

it's funny how random it was, the workshop i most enjoyed was the one i least wanted to attend. in fact? my abs are still sore if i laugh more than thirty hours later.

yeah, it was nasty and SO GOOD!

i haven't been working my clients hard enough, too much old lady and not enough vigour. i mean obviously i'm not going to throw them into advanced matwork routines when their backs are screwy but i think i may need to up the challenge level just a little.

i mean my ass seized up at dinner! and you know what else? my understanding of the reformer exercises just got changed forever. not to mention some great new ideas for mat classes!

life is good and i am refreshed. apparently there's camping labour day and a cottage the weekend after that and i MAY be ready to face the winter.

thanks for worrying y'all, and i'm sorry you were worried. but do you like my birthday gift to myself via my parents or what? (in other words... 'can i have some money to go to seattle for my birthday in lieu of a gift on my birthday please?')

[and then i got home and the book i wanted the MOST was waiting for me! AND there's another package to come! lividviv? i fucking love my present by the way.]

god i have to sleep.