I would very happily read it to Jilli & Clovis & anyone else as a bedtime story in Seattle, rather than make people set aside time to indulge me.

Nooooooooo! Want to hear Fay read!

I've volunteered to read backup characters for Pooh, but I want to hear Fay read Wolves in the Walls!

I would also appreciate hearing Wolves in the Walls ... or anything else someone chooses to read.

Perkins, I had been interested in going to the aquarium ... until I found out how far it is. It sounds lovely, but maybe some other time. And I'm realizing that by Monday I'll probably be a little overstimulated and not up to long car trips. Y'all have fun, though!

No worries, of course, Toddson. I was actually surprised so many peoiple wanted to go when it first came up, because it is such a long trip.

I want to go to the Aquarium but I don't think I can. Stupid house is not cleaning itself and my MiL gets here that Thursday. Eep!

Want to hear Pooh, want to hear Wolves in the Walls, want to see Scooby Road. Yeah.

Perkins, as much as I want to see the Aquarium, I think the long car trip will undo me, so I'm probably going to opt out, as well. If there's a spare seat and I feel better, I may change my mind, but if there's not, I'll take my lumps as a too-late neener.

I'm still game for the aquarium, if others are up for the drive. If not, I can save it for a non-F2F trip. It's not like that aquarium is going anywhere soon. Plus, I really want to meet as many new Buffistae as possible. Hying off on a daylong trip with only 3-4 people seems...selfish or something.

Beverly reading too? FanTAStic. I love hearing people read.

I'd love to go to the Aquarium, because when I went 15 years ago or so it was FANTASTIC. But there's no way I'm willing to give up a whole day to get there.

(To be honest, having realised that the baseball game and the barbecue clash, I'm having a big crisis of WhyGoToTheGame....any Baseballphiliacs want to sell it to me again? My biggest reason was GoingToQuintessentiallyAmericanThingWithBuffistas, which is a good reason, but then there's the tasty foodstuffs and the sheesha-making and the maybe live music at Deb's...)

head explodes

So, I think we need to set a time for reading. Would it be a good idea to do it as a breakfast thing on Saturday? Friday morn is too soon as many may miss it, Sunday morn people will be too tired or busy saying their goodbyes to the first wave of departing Buffistas.

I just think tasty breakfast treats and tails might be good.

So, so far I know I have Fay, Juliana and Beverly to read parts for Pooh. What roles do you want, ladies? I've got Eeyore, everything else is up for grabs (ooh-er).

To be honest, having realised that the baseball game and the barbecue clash, I'm having a big crisis of WhyGoToTheGame....any Baseballphiliacs want to sell it to me again?

Let's see. I'll be going, so will Emmett, JZ, Nutty, DXM, Teppy(?), Suzi and K-Bug. Tom Scola too (I think). So it will be a fun and baseball knowledgeable bunch. We can explain the game, plus you'll see some folks like Emmett and Suzi flip out with either joy or sorrow as the A's win or lose. Tasty foods are to be had at the game. Grilled weinies of various sorts and plenty of good beer (or wine if you prefer. Or mixed drinks. Or whiskey. Very civlilized.) We'll have a suite usually reserved for Fancy People, which is a nice luxury. Seeing a game at a stadium is always pretty fun. Sort of like the bowling excursion, an excuse to hang out with people and drink and kibbitz with visual stimulation in front of you. Lots of good looking young men in very tight fighting pants running around after a little white ball.

The game itself? It's leisurely compared to other professional sports. Lots of space for talking while things slowly build to a dramatic pitch. Baseball is very dramatic. Unlike other professional sports something dramatic has to happen for one team to win. It's not based on the clock, so either the hitter or the pitcher must prevail at some point. We'll key you into when such moments are occurring.

Guaranteed: You'll have fun.

I've seen baseball. It wasn't fun.

Just, you know, to give you a balanced opinion. I'm sure truth falls somewhere between the folks who love it and the folks who consider it anathema. Boring anathema.