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This is the ICON account by Hawk
Thursday April 18th 2001 9:00 a.m
I nearly missed the friggin' Greyhound. I was completely freaking out when my eyes flew open at 7:00 a.m. ( My bus was scheduled to depart at 7:20 a.m.) Thankfully I shower at nights, had my outfit picked out, and my bags packed. I awoke my poor husband telling him I didn't care what state he made it to the car in, just to get up and go directly to the passenger seat.) So he does, and he's the height of fashion, black cut off jeans, and black work boots. We are taking off at 7:06 a.m. ...Should be ok, the bus station is only a five minute drive. Well it should have been. Except that I got behind every minivan, school bus, and semi no matter which lane I drove in. I arrive at the bus station at 7:16 a.m. Still freaking out, trying to grab the baggage, and I realize that John isn't going to be able to help me carry the stuff in. So I'm dragging my baggage through the terminal, and I finally get up to the lady at the desk who is no help at all. I get to my bus and get aboard, but I had been so frazzled that I couldn't calm down till 9:00 a.m. At which time I finally wrote in my journal. So, I should be getting some sleep, but I am too anxious. I finally get to meet everyone and go to New York. New York a place I have always wanted to see. Also very nervous. Can't even think about seeing Viggo or Billy.
It is a good thing that I took the greyhound. I saw a great amount of beautiful country, the photographer in me was screaming to get out and take photographs. I never would have made it to Michigan on time.
1:15 p.m.
Originally, I was not happy about the three hour layover. But I decided that it was the best thing that happened considering that I left this morning in such a rush, I really wanted a chance to do my hair and make up before I met these people. Soap dispensors in the bus station are either a tease or a decoration. Because their function has long baffled the employees. So glad to have antibacterial wet wipes. ( Note to self, take trial size package of wet wipes out of the bag with your nutri bars before you put the nutri bars in the freezer.)
I should try to take a nap but am afraid of sleeping by myself in a bus station. Tried to stay awake, kept nodding off.
Finally back on the bus to last stop, getting more and more nervous. Lava and Siofra meet me at the bus station. Some hugs and very quiety/ shy hellos. We get my bags out to Lava's SUV. Driving off. Still quiet. Can't stand quiet. Must fill void. So I begin to tell them about this guy that I was sitting across on the bus. You see, I have this thing about hands. I like to draw them. This man had the best hands and he was snoozing peacefully. I wanted to draw them...... they were begging me to draw them... Only one problem. He had them resting right above his crotch, I could just imagine that we hit a bump, he'd look up and I'm staring at his crotch drawing like a mad person..... just let it go.... So I let the hands go... This little obsession applies to hands, feet, pregnant women, trees and graveyards. More the inkling to take pictures of them than the inkling to draw them.
So we get to Legend's house, Except that Lava, Siofra and I can't get the door to let us in. The buzzer won't release the door. When someone finally let's us in, the elevator nearly eats one of us, as the door does not have a sensor. So we finally stumble down to Legend's place and I meet the sailor boy... the sailor boy who has no reason for his name ;)... so I give him a hug too and we all just sit around waiting for Legend to come in after renting the minivan, and it's really quiet and watching the Outsiders. Finally Legend comes in and I give her a hug and we all say our little hellos. Not much else happening. Now we have to wait for Liz to arrive at the greyhound. Except we all forget when she is supposed to arrive. So we figure that out and pack up the van and talk and giggle outside. Something is starting to happen. We are starting to all gel a bit, and laugh. But the odd thing is that we will all start laughing and talking and then it will be completely quiet for five minutes and then we all break out laughing and talking again.
Finally we get to the bus station. After I circled it three times, took us down the wrong way on a one way street and busted a couple U turns. Little did we know that this also was going to become the norm. Finally we pick up Liz and she gets to sit in the passenger side and keep me company while I drive first shift. The plan is to drive as much and as far as possible, get to New York as early as possible. Then sleep.


Friday April 19th 2002

Sometime early in the morning. We are driving. Liz is entertaining everyone with her compilation of Weezer, 80's music, and strange music.

Liz: Does anyone not want to hear the song "All for One" by Rod Stewart, Sting, and Bryan Adams?
::silence::
Hawk: I like it, go ahead.
Liz: I'll be Rod, You ( points to Lava ) be Brian Adams, Who'll be Sting?
::silence::
Liz: Hawk, you can be Sting.
Hawk: If I was Sting, I'd never leave the house. I'd just play with myself all the time.
Liz: You could leave the house to do your part in the song... right?
(ok, this was written after the fact, as closely as I remember the wording.)
Driving, and more driving. Liz and I again digress in conversation. This time about Orlando Bloom and the fact that I thought Deed Poll was supposed to come out in the states, but apparently not. And I really wanted to see it because it had an interesting three way scene in it. Then what happens? It was like the words "three way" summoned the quiet Sailor boy to the front seat from the rest of the dark van. ha ha. Liz has taken over and I use this oppurtunity to get the camcorder going. I have practiced great self control in not taking a million pictures already. What happens to be playing while Liz is bopping along "... you and me baby aint nothin but mammals so lets do it like the do it on the discovery channel" I am now in possession of our lovely opening footage. It begins with Liz singing: "Love... the kind you clean up with a mop and a bucket, Like the lost catcombs of Egypt only God knows where we stuck it..." Very fitting. Became our "theme song".
Liz reads our horoscopes from the "Onion". Mine was good enough that it deserved mentioning.
Aries: Give yourself a well-deserved treat by mixing incompatible drugs and having an ill-advised sexaual encounter. You owe it to yourself for the week you're about to have.

We all are still having problems talking "normally" to each other... for example we want to call each other by screen names, we want to say O-M-G instead of saying oh my god. We still are going through the phases of being quiet for about five minutes then we are giggling again. No one is really getting any sleep. We are all too anxious.

We stop the van and play musical chairs. Lava drives, Legend navigates. At least I think so, because somewhere in here I fell asleep. At least for an hour or two and then the next thing I know were driving in New York, and its pretty scary. We almost became a tractor trailer/ mini van sandwich as the two tractor trailers on either side of us decided at the same time they both wanted our lane, better yet, our spot in our lane. Yikes. Poor Lava driving in this mess.

We finally get to Long Island to the palacial Econolodge ::snickers:: It's not bad really. We just had to wait till noon (three hours) for the hotel to let us in a room. Check in time wasn't till 2:00pm. So we weren't going to complain. We pulled the van around the back of the econolodge in the semi shade and tried to snooze, relax, unwind, or write in our journals. It is a beautiful sunny day and I have scoped out a place to go lay in the grass. Dern. The grass is still wet. Attempt to sleep in the soft grass in the shade has been foiled. I know what I can do.... I can take more video of everyone. So I break out the camera and get everyone on tape in their various stages of sprawling. Liz snagged a sheet off the cleaning cart and is laying next to the van. The van is awesome. Both sides have sliding doors. It drives really nice, had a great deal of room. However. I suspect it has an anti sleeping effect, as it is nearly impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position in. Must remember to bring many pillows and blankets next time. Also suspect van does not like Sailor boy because it keeps attacking him.

Finally we check into the room. Now the rooms are quite interesting. As the ceiling is slanted and it isn't finished. Its just wooden beams and slats painted a nice even shade of white. What really draws our attention is the many hooks in our ceiling. Everything you need for fun on a Saturday night! ;P

We decide that we are going to all get some showers and try to nap. Try is the key word. Pluisje finally meets up with us wearing her rather snazzy hobbit fancier shirt. We are all just laying in our hotel beds.... and again, quiet for five minutes then giggling. We are afraid we are going to scare Pluisje off, as we are developing into a strange lot. Then Sailor boy falls out of the bed and its fits of laughter and none of us can sleep so we just get up.

O.k. Now is the part where I start getting really antsy. I am so nervous about meeting Viggo. I have such an admiration for his work both acting and photography, and for all the stories that I have heard about him. This is probably going to sound strange. But I feel like the artist in me identifies with him a lot. Because I can't pick one art medium and I am often very driven to do many things at once. The idea of meeting him is making my little brain scramble. I do not know if he will sign my movie guide, I really don't care if he does as long as I can stand in front of him, possibly shake his hand, and tell him how much I appreciate his work..... seems simple enough, except for the fact that I get really tongue tied in front of people that I admire. Lets add to this the fact that he is going to be in the International Center for Photography, and the fact that they are encouraging taking pictures. I think I am starting to float.

Floating temporarily sidetracked by driving in NYC. Why did I not comprehend that getting to ICP would mean driving in NYC? My vocabulary was quickly reduced to four letter words or a series of them. I am getting pretty creative with them too. "MOVE!!! for you are between Me and the Viggo..." Became somewhat of a battlecry for me. I used it liberally when cars in front of me did not move fast enough. I was being thoroughly traumatized by this driving experience. Then there were these lights that said "Parking Garage".... I was drawn to them... Finally out of the van, the van was being parked and I was squatting down in the fetal position against a building. After a group hug, and me collecting my nerves, we went and stood in line.

It was really an odd experience to be standing in line minding your own business and someone walk up to you and say "are you the michiganders?" And it happened more than once. But this is where we started to meet the other Loons. Was a lot of fun.
It started to get dark and rain, Liz is camping out in a phone booth. Me, I don't mind the rain.. and I am kinda diggin' the lightening show in Manhatton. But I was still greatful for the umbrellas that Liz bought.

The line was moving. Yay. Ok. Calm down. I can do this. No I can't. ( a little bit of the inner monologue at the time.) Thank goodness Liz found the free wine. Oh. Thank god. I must confess at this point we finally see Viggo and all of us are repressing the urge of saying "He is Aragorn... Son of Arathorn... you owe him your allegience." And I am thankful for the security blanket of my camera. Whenever I have my camera and I am taking pictures. I don't really care what else is going on. So I am taking pictures and everything is just kinda floating around. To use one of our Michigander terms "sureal". I get up there. I say two sentences, I don't trip over my tongue even if my heart is racing and I even get a picture with him. Wow.

Now is the part where I wish I could not be affected. Remember that I was in the ICP, get a souvenir. Have someone take a picture of me in it... anything normal... But I fear I just floated right on out and did not even remember to look at the art. Very dissappointed with self.

We get the van. We got ripped off at the parking garage. 45 .00 for just a little over two hours parking. Jeez. So we get back in the van, drive out of NYC. Now to find John Harvards. Can someone get the directions? What we don't have directions.. But I swear I printed them off. So we spend two hours looking for the place and finally get there. We meet up with other Loons.

By this time the Michiganders have not slept for over 24 hours and are probably viewed as anti social. I don't do well with crowds. So I'm tired, hungry, and bugging out about the whole day. We leave early. We are just too tired.
Sleep? Food? I tell you we don't know what it is... It's neccesary? Ha. So you think!