RoR: Forum

J. J. Tuan: Were there really early morning jogs?

Barbara

Post 21

Friday, April 29, 2005 - 7:44pm

I started to write this as an email to Linz, but I decided to expand it a little post it here, as I wanted to share my thoughts with all my fellow Soloistas. Linz, a Martini circulating warmth throughout his system, is probably now snoring in the back seat as he is being hurtled toward LAX airport. I limped to my bed, nursing a cold I picked up during the last week trying to keep up with the likes of Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian, who, if you added up their ages and added a score more years to them, the result could still be my younger brother. But this was a week of friends ranging from 18 to 86 with no detectable divide.
A few minutes ago, my Sergio called me from his recovery house, where he is staying to get help with his addiction problem. He gets a short pass on some days, and during the last week he joined us on Sunday for our steak dinner in Beverly Hills (orchestrated perfectly by Alec). He was also able to spend a few hours the last two nights at our house, where we entertained Lindsay, Barbara, John Hospers, Julia, Alec and Garin. He told me that he was filled with the memories just made with good friends as he took the subway back last night. He went to his bedroom and put on a CD of Lanza love songs I had just given him. He opened the window, and lay on his bed and felt the wind on his face, which he was sure were my kisses sent to him through the dark. That is exactly what I asked the wind to do last night.
I wish Sergio could be here tonight. I love to be fussed over when I am not feeling quite right, and have learned from my cocker spaniel, Sabrina, exactly how to be sure you are taken care of like royalty. Not tonight. But he has 8 hours to spend with me tomorrow, and I have a whole night to practice looking pathetic.
It is wonderful when you meet a group of people who actually live up to your expectations. Barbara and I and our friend John, whom you will all get to know, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Many budding friendships came to full bloom for us this week. Linz, I already miss our music sessions, where not a word of explanation was necessary to revel together in the music's glory. I will always keep with me your great passion and good humor. When you stood up to make the opening address of SOLOC4 and looked around the room with your eyes filled with tears, I knew I had a great new friend.
Life to its fullest. Life, as if it matters. Never settle for less.

Post 22

Friday, April 29, 2005 - 9:48pm

It's not often that one's extremely high expectations are actually met. I had such expectations for SOLOC 4. Not only were they met; they were left coughing in the dust.

Great company and friendships are much more important to the essential loner than they are to the socialite. To that end, SOLOC provided a whole week of the greatest company I can remember. It allowed me to solidify my friendship with some very special local persons (James, Barbara, John, Sergio); to further consummate my friendship with Linz; and, with consequences both bittersweet and comforting, to create new friendships with people scattered about the world, who know who they are, and whom I have every intention of mooching off of (I'm looking in your direction, Tim).

There was not a single disappointment. Everyone's real life personality surpassed their online personality. As Barbara said, that's saying a lot. If a documentary of the conference had been filmed, it would have surely been the "feel-yourself" movie of the year.

Delightful surprises included:

* Marcus's irresistable hair. They should make bathroom rugs out of that stuff. If they made seat-paddings out of it, I'd drive naked every time, and Linz'd drop his television career to become a traffic cop.

* SOLO women. Julia, Tenya, Liz, J.J., Angela, et al...what a bunch! They were the light-bulbs of the conference: some bright white, some dimmed by wisdom, all very luminous.

* Witnessing a triple-play even rarer than the one in baseball.

I did barely escape a few near-molestations. And although only one romance was consummated, my voyeuristic needs were not left unsatisfied.

All in all, major thanks are due to those who were responsible for this: Joe, JJ, Liz, Linz.

Alec

(Edited by Alec Mouhibian on 4/29, 10:02pm)

Post 23

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 12:07am

Hi Barbara,

There were indeed jogs by the beach every morning. Julia and Andrew Bates were quite the inspiration. Though I wasn't able to join them, their discipline motivated me to hit the gym as soon as I got back.

-JJ

Post 24

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 3:52am

Great fun and more, thanks for asking me to come and give my talk. The mad dash to dine in BH was wild.

Post 25

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 4:09am

Luther,

Wiccan or Wicken? What do I know? Before SOLOC 4 I was a Wiccan virgin :-)

Alec,

I thought that two SOLO romances were consummated? I am not spilling the beans though :-)

Post 26

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 5:32am

I am gutted to have missed all this.

I do have a flight booked to Newport Beach for exactly one month later than I had intended on going. Think anyone will still be around rocking the party?

Post 27

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 8:56am

Barbara, not sharing your macaroons is the kind of selfishness that gives Objectivism a bad name. Remember that in case we ever meet and you have two of them.

--Brant

Post 28

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 1:01pm

Brant, Objectivism will just have to look after itself. I have my priorities straight.

Barbara

Post 29

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 2:22pm

Barbara, ROFL! I'm glad my food creation could inspire such selfishness. :)

Post 30

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 5:29pm

I have posted some extended, but by no means exhaustive, thoughts on SOLOC 4 as an article, "Life's Too Short." I deal with the issue of the macaroons there, along with some other matters of lesser importance.

Linz

Post 31

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 5:57pm

BTW, thanks everyone for the raves so far. Alec, I especially enjoyed your observations flowing from Marcus' hair. But I would expect nothing less from the PJ of Objectivism!

Linz

Post 32

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 6:25pm

Can I request a recipe for the macaroons Jennifer? They seem to be highly sought after. Well, I am a baker!

Post 33

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 6:42pm

Yes, Linz, that's what I was addressing. :)

David, I've sent you a PM.

Post 34

Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 11:59pm

James, so sorry to have worked you into a chill. I heard that macaroons make for great cold-relief, but it seems a certain person has deprived you of that remedy. :(

And something just occurred to me. Where else but a SOLO conference would a bonfire be the *least* flaming experience of the week?

Alec

Post 35

Sunday, May 1, 2005 - 10:58am

I would like to add that I found Alec's friend Garin (spelling?) to a be a very charming and intelligent young man. I hope he will start posting on SOLO in the future.

I would also like to thank Elizabeth Kanabe for being so tolerant regarding my method of payment for the conference and Joe and JJ for being such delightful hosts for us.

JJ is a real sweetie and not at all as fierce as her posts on marriage and children would lead you to believe :-)

Tenya Campbell was also delightful and is a parent with a great sense of life hastily recruited by Joe.

There were many other charming people from the conference that I have not got around to naming and shaming yet, but you know who you are :-)

(Edited by Marcus Bachler on 5/01, 11:19am)

Post 36

Sunday, May 1, 2005 - 3:39pm

As a newcomer to SOLO, I found the conference to be exciting and inspiring.

Gossips with Linz and blues with Tibor, culture with Marcus and memories with Barbara, philosophy with John Hospers and dubious English with Andrew, straight-talk with Tim and and gay-talk with Jason -- and with each participant, a fond and unique memory.

Thanks to the organizers, the participants, and those who sent their best wishes.

See you on the threads.

Garin

Post 37

Monday, May 2, 2005 - 7:39am

Welcome aboard Garin.

I look forward to reading your posts in the future.

Post 38

Monday, May 2, 2005 - 8:08am

On arriving at SOLOC4 it was quickly apparent that this was going to be no ordinary gathering. I awoke each day with a sense of excitement and adventure that I haven�t felt in too long. Rarely has such anticipation been rewarded so richly. I can only describe it as the eagerness of childhood, when every moment could be experienced fully in that very moment, with no longing for the past and only hope (but not yearning) for the future.

In short, the days were cast with a glow that didn�t come from the bright sunshine. The location was perfect but the company was even more so. It was more than I ever expected even from SOLO. I reveled in meeting so many in the flesh whom I�d gotten to know online, and delighted in meeting several who shamefully spent too little time on SOLO for me to remember who they were (though I do hope they�ll rectify that now). A few became in that one week � and I hope will continue to be � strong friends. Thanks to everyone involved in making it happen and to everyone who attended. You made it an unforgettable experience.

To craft the memories in sentences and paragraphs would cause this post to be entirely too long for its purpose. So, indulge me in listing a few of the moments that follow:

California sun, a hooker bar with an �Orthodox� waiter, wine and even more rum, trying to pry Linz (and myself) from the front porch (which afforded full view of disrobing surfers), seeing Linz make up with Mario (who turned out not be such a bad guy despite his penchant for obeying liquor laws � eh, Mr. Sturm?), conversations about free will at Arche�s, charming Chart House conversation with the dapper counterpart of the Inseparable Twins (ok, they�re both dapper � but how many times can you go shopping, guys?), yelling with Alec (or is that Alexxx?), tearful conversations with Barbara, moonlit walks along the beach, more rum, hearing so many beautiful Kiwi accents (and one almost unintelligible one), finding out Linz is even more witty in public than on screen, learning about Rugby maneuvers from Andrew at Ruth�s Chris, catching sight of the Objectivist trichotomy with my own two eyes, needing even more rum because of it, feeling sympathy for those who were there only in spirit, gaining a tan that made my friends jealous, feeling wonderfully emotionally raw, seeing more smiling, happy people in one place than I thought possible, insisting in a loud voice that my voice is not nasal (in an unintentionally nasal manner that made everyone laugh)...and even more rum.

To all who missed it, shame on you! To those who were there, thank you � for just being the fabulous people you are.

Jason

Post 39

Monday, May 2, 2005 - 1:41pm