My first Buffista F2F, in DC, the Bicyclopses drove up and picked me up along the way. Ginger was their other passenger, so we had great conversation in the car. The first time I flew from NC to SF, for Nillyfest, Ginger helped book the flight and my connection was through Atlanta. She was my seatmate across the country, and I can't even begin to remember all the things we talked about.
I think we flew together three times in total, and it was always fun. For the Atlanta F2F, she put me up in her house. I had the privilege of sleeping on an antique daybed...in Ginger's library. The walls were lined with books, too many for the eye to take them all in. I'd lie there late at night, catching up online, and my eye would wander the bookshelves, and I'd smile.
I sent her a warm, pretty shawl one Christmas, with some ginger candy and an ugly yellow pair of gloves. I told her I'd paid a dollar for them, so if she lost one, or both, it was okay. But they were bright yellow, so they'd be pretty hard to lose. And nobody would steal them, because they were ugly, and if she wanted to cut the fingers off, again, no great loss, because cheap! It made her laugh.
I have some things she sent me, with her unerring knowledge of who I am, and what I might have needed at that time. They're a part of my surroundings, but occasionally I'll focus on one of them or another. They always make me smile, first.
I was cleaning my office yesterday, and ran across the bicycle headlight that Ginger sent me a few years back. I had mentioned on LJ that I needed to buy one, and she had one she didn't need. Such a good person.
On this week's Another Round podcast, the guest how had a little shoutout to curried goat. I still have not tried it, so I may have to seek it out.
The lantern-lighting ceremony is a week from today, so if anyone has any good quotes from Ginger (other than "Pull up your socks," which I'm already planning on), let me know. I was planning to have 2 quotes, maybe 3 at most.
Some Ginger phrases gleaned from Quotable:
Thinking about murder seemed like a really unfortunate side effect.
I got a newer style plunger to deal with a clog that the traditional style failed at. I started to throw out the old one, but then I thought, "Suppose I want to make a Dalek?"
I'm beginning to think I should start a blog called "Fukushima Won't Kill You (But I'm Thinking About It)."
Teppy, I don't have a Ginger quote for you, but I do have an anecdote.
Back when I was first acknowledging my anxiety disorder (probably 11 years ago), I was having a really hard time. I said stuff here, but not everything, but Ginger got it.
One day while having a bad day, the mail came. In it was a VHS tape of David Boreanaz on a talk show. I disremember which one. Ginger just caught it, recorded it, and then sent it to me, becaus she thought maybe his gooberism would help me.
And? It do did.
I never got to pay her back for that, but I'll never forget her for it, either. She was a dear person.
If you can finagle my fondness for her into your lantern, please have at it.
If you could put all our love in the lantern, that would work.
