Because it’s 6:30 in the morning, 
I have to “get up” in 10 minutes, and I still have a slight ‘people hangover’ from last night, this will be short.
The flight was pretty good – I had a bulkhead seat, and although it wasn’t my usual preferred position (right side of the plane window seat so I can knit with equanimity) I was still able to knit.
As I was checking in, a guy with a Taiwanese passport was having a hard time figuring out the NW self check-in kiosk. So I helped him. He was grateful. I thought, “a good deed done.”
Then when I got onto the plane guess who was sitting next to me? The Taiwanese guy! And guess who was so great that he didn’t care if I knitted and the ends of my new, long needles invaded his space? The Taiwanese guy!
Life was good. Hours and hours of knitting – I didn’t care that he took over the armrest so he could use the computer, he didn’t care that the ends of my needles were waving in his general direction. The holy grail of air travel!
Since the twin cities are the mecca of fiber arts, the plane was crammed with folks going to TNNA (well, not crammed – I saw about 7) I hooked up with some fiberistas I knew from my previous excursions in the TC and, since I’d arranged a rental car for $8 a day (yes, that’s the right price) and since the entire rental is less than a cab to Long Beach (and even less than a round trip Super Shuttle to LB)
I gave my friends a ride to the Convention Center. Whether they loved my driving is another story, but a good deed done!
Back to the hotel to rest a bit – shower – the whole thing. Then back to the Convention Center where I ran in to some friends, most especially Beth from Lorna’s Laces (who is happily married and is the straightest woman I know, hairstyle notwithstanding). We sat on various benches, drinking martinis and G&T’s, gabbing, comparing notes on our individual, continuing chest-headcold/bronchitis – good times! The whole TNNA galaxy passed by, we moved to a new bench.
In between we ran into folks, laughed like folks at a convention, and found that we’d missed the fashion show. Dang. I remember vaguely insulting two very nice men from Texas, but it was all in fun and one of them let me wear his hat. I have to visit their booth today…
I ran into Drew – we walked over to the AKD meeting where I ran into other folks I was REALLY happy to see! If I start going into names I’ll regret my bad memory, so let’s not do anything either of us will regret.
Eventually Edie Eckman – who I have decided is TNNA’s own Sally Field – and I wandered off for a 7-mile walk to the nearest food establishment, where we were met by the Ravelry folks (Jess & C), Keri (who gave me a ride home – yay!) and some sexy babe masquerading as Lorna Meisner. Mama!
And we ate, then I went home. Hotel home.
More later. I have an 8:00 meeting at it’s 7:30.