I'm still thanking Breyers for the look on her face when I prised open the lid on the vanilla bean and handed her a plastic spoon and cup and told her to rock out.

She was blissed. No other word for it.

I don't think I'll ever forget the look on her face, deb. It was the perfect combination of surprise and awe. "This is what vanilla is supposed to taste like!"

Jesus, what a great website.

Best part of the site is this line. Of course, I have no clue.

"This is what vanilla is supposed to taste like!"

Yes, exactly! Perfect moment. I wasn't there when she got her first shot of Ben and Jerry's Fudge Central, because it was Friday and I was off with Nicole and Bev feeding the southcats, so this was a genuinely happy moment for me.

Have I mentioned that I've mostly lost my voice? Need to get it back, muy pronto.

ND, I wanted to reiterate that the Fall issue of BUST magazine has a 2-page spread on Kansas City merriment and attractions that really seem Buffista made-to-order, if you have time to check it out.

And a special invitation extended to Steph since she was mentioned during the Thursday re-cap post.

I'm a dork who couldn't remember your LJ name, since it bears no resemblance to the name I know you by. But now I have it!

Right. Thank you Steph, I'll pick up a copy of Bust.

If we can avoid delaying our decision/discussions on the F2F it would be best. Let's see what we can get done in the next week.

It’s hard for me to even start telling stories of my Buffista field day in Boston yesterday- I could talk about a zillion and one things and still forget bits, but I’ll do my best.

vw bug and Emily met me at the train station in the morning, and they even made me a sign!! Well, the train actually beat them to the station by about a minute, so they didn’t actually get to HOLD the sign, but they gave it to me. And it makes me very happy. I actually had some butterflies in my stomach pulling into the station, because this was my very first F2F with anyone from the board ever, but they were gone almost right away. You lot all seem to have a knack for making people very comfortable!

We hopped a bus from the station to the Museum of Science where we met DXMachina, Matt the Bruins Fan, and of course, NILLY! And I’ll testify for Nora- Nilly is extraordinarily huggable. It’s a strange and wonderful thing to see someone across the room, see them wave frantically once you’re pointed out, and hurry across the room to give you a hug. She was a doll right from the start, saying she was so glad to be there the first time I met Buffistas.

From there, we went upstairs to the LOTR exhibit, which was just cool. We saw all kinds of costumes, weaponry, armor, an 8 foot tall anatomically correct cave troll, and THE ONE RING. (The room the ring was kept in was so neat, I had to go back three times……I miss The Precious.) Nilly was so cute- on walking in, she kept her hands in fists behind her back to keep herself from touching anything- really, the stuff ached to be touched. Also, Matt, I was true to my word- I’ve got The Fellowship of the Ring in the DVD player now.

After that, we went into another wing of the museum, and Nilly and I each took a turn on a bed of nails! (Yes, I’ve got pictures of that. It was too good to pass up.) In true Buffista style, we even played an actuary game, in which Matt ranked a touch more adventurous than me and DX, who were deemed boring. (And therefore, insurable, I suppose.) We also visited the Theater of Electricity (Not just a clever name.) As promised, there were loud noises and shiny things- Buffista heaven!

Next came the Math Room. Yes, the Math Room. Which, I won’t lie, went largely over my head. It was well worth it, however, to see the look on Nilly’s face as she strolled the “Wall of Math”. I’d have taken a picture, but I didn’t want her to notice and stop. Overall, she really seemed to enjoy the museum, and thought that the exhibits were such good ways to teach people.

I think I’m going to have to make this a two-parter- I feel like I’ve gone on forever as it is, but there is much more to tell! So…. To Be Continued. (If there’s interest. If I am prattling on and boring, just tell me!)

(If there’s interest. If I am prattling on and boring, just tell me!)

If you don't write more, I will kill you. Softly. With my song.

I agree that we should wait until Nilly returns to move on to the F2F 2005 issues. The important posts may (and probably will) get lost amongst the squealing and stories. One week will not kill us.

more stories ! NOW!