Lunch with some Cherries

While updating the blog this morning, I got an email from Jill, Cherry Mash. Happily a group of Cherries was planning to go out to lunch, and I had but to wait til the ungodly hour of 12 noon to meet up and go with. Since I normally get up at 4:30 am, waiting til 12 noon is torture, but I was resigned to being stoic.

At 11:55 am, I spent seven minutes trying to get an elevator one floor up. There are probably stairs, but I thought this would be faster since my room is right next to the spoke to elevator.

Famished, I fell against Jill's door and she let me in. My first Cherry at my first National!



She has lots of cool Cherry gear.



Here is a close-up of the famous charm bracelet for Bet Me



After some desultory chatter, Jill went in pursuit of those other slackers who had failed to appear. They were right next door gabbing away happily in true Cherry fashion. As we were about to leave, I asked Jill, Chris, Sue, and Molly to pose for a photo, and just as the camera flashed, Heidi rushed in the door and made it in the pic right next to Molly. Tres dramatique! (I have a penchant for faux French. Be kind.)



Off we went through the hamster tunnel to the mall next door (thank god Sue knew the way).



As we made our way toward the food court and then wound our way through the seating areas looking for an empty table, the personalities of our group began to emerge. Sue and I were in the front, goal-oriented, scanning for tables; Jill, environment-oriented was thinking maybe it was too crowded and suggesting alternatives; while Sue and Molly, gab-oriented, were strolling along, chatting happily, and passed right by us and wandered down another hallway until recalled by the Generalissimos. (Probably some faux Italian will creep in. Sorry.)

We found a place to sit and organized the guarding of the table and the gathering of food, and spent a lovely hour chatting away. The whole time we were at lunch, a woman at a nearby jewelry kiosk had to try on every necklace there. As in make the vendor unclip the jewlery from the display, put it around her neck, hold up a mirror and then make observations on how much it suited her. An hour. We were betting she wouldn't buy anything in the end, but she did make a small purchase and depart to harrass another small business person elsewhere in the wide world.

The RWA conference goers were immediately noticeable with their badges covered with pins and/or the laptops they were carrying for blogging via the free wireless.

Best lines during lunch:
Chris: When she dies, I am going to bury her facedown so she can't climb back out again.
Molly: It's so hard to slip the drugs into their food without them noticing.

Chris had another classic line, but, sadly, my four brain cells were full.

On the way out, the vanguard began shrieking, there was a collision of hugs with a new group, and when the dust settled, our two groups merged, swarmed across the aisle forcing hapless patrons to weave through the tables to get by as we chatted with some of the Literary Chicks: Alesia, Michelle, and Lani. I think they have a Charlie's Angels thing going on because Alesia is blonde, Michelle has black hair, and Lani is auburn-tressed.





When we got back to the hotel (again, led by Sue thankfully), we ran into Cory and Chaz as they got out of the elevator.



Whilst we were gabbing, the elevator came, and wily hotel guests swarmed around us, and filled the elevator. Chagrinned we resolved to focus and were rewarded by an empty elevator coming along just seconds later.

I have been trying to capture what it is like to stand in the lobby and look up, but can't quite get the angle (and Blogger is messing with size of photo and making it superpixelated, gah).



Next up for today: Goody Room (maybe), Literacy Bookfair, The Gathering (FF&P chapter), then the Cherry Get-Together.

P.S. Me!