Suffice to say, late nights of the party hopping – not nursing/night terrors/accident/illness/etc. – variety happen pretty much never these days. But it’s not the only reason Monday night was remarkable to me.
In stark contrast to the Monday prior, where I was doubled over with splintering abdominal pain (which, by the way, remains a mystery…my labs recently came back normal), on Monday I hit the HP/Staples party co-hosted by the ladies over at Aiming Low. As always, it was fantastic to see my local peeps Sandy, Christina, Tania, Angela, Christy, Jodi, and Jill, as well as connect with new BFFs Barbara, Anissa, Janet, Katie, and Angie. We laughed, we drank pomegranate martinis, we slapped asses (well, that was only me, Barbara, and Tania), we played with gadgets and office supplies, we learned about the altruistic bridge between Boston and Halifax (thanks for the history lesson Katie! I love you Canadians!), we (or rather, I) forgot to take pictures of our awesome friends. It was, in a nutshell, one of those super happy events because after spending so many intimate hours with my laptop, it’s just awesome to not only be out with friends, but to be out with friends who understand the online space. At one point I looked up at our table and all of us were tweeting away TO EACH OTHER, giggling maniacally when our sordid tweets made it up on the #aiminglow thread projected on a giant screen. Where else in life is behavior such as this so fun and not totally weird?
Admittedly, I regret a bit having to duck out early, but thanks to a kind and generous invitation from the lovely Barbara Jones, she, Jodi, and I hopped in a cab and headed up to the Paradise to see Five for Fighting (a way easier to spell name for singer/songwriter John Ondrasik). It was the first live (grownup music) show I have seen since I was pregnant with Laurel (aka. a ridiculously long time ago) and I was, for lack of better words, overwhelmed. And not just by the heady smell of beer, sweat, and talent.
Thing is, I spent 20 some odd years as a performer, initially as a scratchy sounding elementary school violinist, eventually evolving into a semi-professional performer who played solo recitals and got paid to play in symphony orchestras. Live music was a big part of my life - largely as a performer, but I also went to a fair number of concerts. And not just classical. Through middle and high school I saw some pretty cool major shows, such as Billy Joel (where I first saw electric violin live and nearly peed my pants), Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, and Sinead O’Connor.
I’m always utterly moved by live music and the same went for John Ondrasik’s performance, with the notable exception that the emotions seemed further amplified given that: a) it had been so long since I had seen a live show; and b) in an intimate setting like the Paradise, it really feels as if the artist is playing in your living room (albeit a rather large, sticky floored living room).
Anyway, my point is this. In recent months I have been wrestling with Jon over blog trips and becoming increasingly picky about events that I will attend. Obviously a party and a live show are a lot different than a blogger junket, but even with social events, I find that I have to be selective because there are a lot of them and I often really need evening hours to catch up on work. But clearly, in real life interactions make a huge impact on me. When I meet the people behind blogs, I become more committed to reading them. When I hear live artists, I’m more inclined to buy their work. (Note to self: ask Jon to buy the latest Five for Fighting album on iTunes because I have no idea how to do that. And yes, I had already mentally committed to buying his album before I met Ondrasik backstage.)
I spend a lot of time dealing with Boston Mamas business that is sort of tedious and annoying, such as deleting bad pitches and interacting over poor event coordination. But there’s so much awesomeness - all centering around in real life interactions such as those at BlogHer, the Brand About Town retreat, and Monday night’s events that makes me so grateful to be in this space and to have these friends who are even more awesome in real life than they are online.
Me, John Ondrasik, Jodi Grundig, and Barbara Jones backstage.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Do you know I was seriously considering hopping a train to attend the Aiming Low party? I was like..it’s free, tons of great people will be there, plus it will be lots of fun, AND I get to mingle with bloggers (my fave)! I should have listened to my senses.
So glad you had an awesome time!!
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October 28th, 2009 at 11:54 am
That butt slap was the highlight of my month. No, my YEAR.
So when are we going out again?
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October 28th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I’m SO glad you came and had a good time. Being around people you “know” online and off can be cathartic. Plus, you get your butt smacked.
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October 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
It’s so amazing to see people IRL. I tweeted this week how sad I was that these kinds of events never make it to the boonies where I am–and now Kirtsy might do an online HOSB to make up for it. Still not the same, but what a nice gesture.
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October 28th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
It was a great night, wasn’t it? I agree, it’s so important to get out and really hang out in real life.
So, when’s our next get together?
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October 29th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I think we need to commit to each other to get together regularly. It’s so refreshing to be with people who get it, but who are also cool and funny and laid back.
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October 29th, 2009 at 11:54 am
So that’s where you went afterward. Sounds like it was an amazing time. I’m so glad you had the opportunity to see a live performance again. And what an exceptional band to see! I always feel inspired and re-energized after watching a live music performance.
As for heading out for blog trips and events, I can certainly relate. Although, I have no idea how you manage to balance it all! It really is tough when family time slims down and responsibilities pile up. But like you said, real life interactions can make such a difference.
We’ll have to catch up again soon!
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October 31st, 2009 at 1:06 am
It was AWESOME to see you and I sure hope we have the chance to do it again soon. Even if you did skip out to hang with the hotness. RAWWWWR!
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November 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
How fun! We should all be so lucky.
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November 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
[...] Pop Discourse [...]
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I wasn’t able to comment from my phone—it sometimes doesn’t like forms. I just wanted to thank you for supporting us before and after our Boston Aiming Low party and, of course, for coming out to see us. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you in person!
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November 2nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Man oh man, I wish it was last Monday again because that was so much fun. It was wonderful meeting you and I love that I didn’t bore you to tears with my history lessons. I just love Boston sooooo much (and now New York). Here’s hoping we can do it again soon.
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November 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am
I wished that party had come to Chicago. I totally would have went. There’s lots of blog events given by lots of people but then there are some that are given by YOUR people and you have to go to those!
I am very blessed to have a few best friends (who all happen to blog, too) that live close to me and we get together on a weekly basis- whether during the day for lunch or a night out. In real life is so important.
Steph
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November 18th, 2009 at 8:43 am
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February 26th, 2010 at 11:14 am
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