Afterparty V: Where Were You?

At first, yesterday's party seemed to be a dud. When I began this site last October, I didn't really expect it to last. I had three, maybe four, readers at most, the majority of whom were coworkers and fellow bloggers. I was completely floored when my first attempt at this thing I called a “Blog Party” resulted in over 100 visitors, and more than 15 participants. Even more stunning was the fact that many of my “neighbors” stuck around and became regular readers. Suddenly, there was a reason to keep writing.

As people slowly straggled in here yesterday, there was none of the excitement of that first party, those spiking figures. As the day went on and I read your entries, I began realizing some important things. Quantity didn't matter; QUALITY did, and I was receiving links to some quality posts from some unquestionably quality writers. The success of earlier parties had gone to my head, and I had gotten greedy. Maybe this wasn't a topic that appealed to everyone. And timing, too, is everything. Perhaps announcing this party too soon on the heels of FawnDoo's party was a mistake; the best writers need a breather between posts. The other very strong possibility is that a number of my regulars were on ACTUAL vacations since it IS August. My initial feelings, I realized, had no basis in common sense.

I'd like to thank everyone who came to the party. I learned some things, had some great laughs at times, and overall realized that the world is at once bigger and smaller than I perceive it to be. And that's the greatest result of all.

The ever-lively Lorna was first to arrive, sharing tales of travel that crossed time, oceans, countries, and reality:
1) Disneyworld, 1983.
2) a house in Maidstone Kent during the War.
3) an apple tree in Shediac, New Brunswick.
4) the first time she visited her children at their respective jobs.
5) the future Los Angeles depicted in the film Bladerunner.

Crafty Kev Bayer slipped in a side door, bagged some chips and dip to take home to his wife and kids, and, after admitting that he didn't like travel, proceeded to list MORE LOCATIONS than anyone else:
1)Holiday World/Santa Claus Land
2) Disney World
3) Cocoa Beach, Florida
4) Universal Studios Orlando
5) Indianapolis
6) St. Louis
7) Chicago
8) Nashville, TN
9) Memphis, TN
10) Nashville, Indiana
11) Rock Island, Illinois
12) Davenport, Iowa
13) Troy, Michigan
14) Detroit, Michigan
15) Warren, Michigan
16) New Harmony, Indiana
17) Evansville, Indiana
18) Madisonville, Kentucky
19) Louisville, Kentucky
20) Cincinnati, Ohio

Though not initially a contribution to the party, the always-interesting Janet graciously agreed to let me include the tale of her first time traveling to:
1) IKEA

I shouldn't let my friend Jerry drink at these shindigs; he always gets sad and focuses on the depressing:
1) His (former) in-law's home during his first marriage.
2) The hospital
3) Our company's overpriced and unhealthy cafeteria, a.k.a. “Flik”.

The winning Wendy arrived as the party was kicking in to full gear, with her five favorites:
1) Border's Books and Music
2) Sunken Forest
3) Peekskill, NY
4) Easthampton, NY
5) The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As the clock ticked past midnight, Wendy's husband Darrell threw a lampshade over his head and gave the party a shot of adrenaline with easily the funniest entry:
5) Their Bathroom.
4) Their Basement.
3) Their Rec Room.
2) Their Back Yard.
1) Their Living Room.

I was putting up chairs and wondering where I would find sawdust at 5 in the morning when Kelly redefined the term “fashionably late” with her stylish list:
1) Kennywood Park
2) Monterey Bay
3) Disneyland
4) The Civic Arena
5) Ligonier in the Fall

EDIT/EPILOGUE:
I awoke from my slumber to hear a pounding at the door, flipped on the porch light, and found that the party isn't over before Curt The Happy Husband shows up:
1) The University of Texas at Austin
2) Twin Oaks Ranch
3) Paradox, New York
4) Colorado Bend State Park
5) New York

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Thanks again, everyone! As I sat in a gray cubicle these past two days, your words took me to magical and exciting places and times. Every Blog Party raises the bar for the next one, and this will be a hard one to top. Now if you'll all excuse me, I need to figure out which country and which time period my luggage is in...