From: hays@TECHNET.NM.ORG (Larry 'Purple' Hays)
Newsgroups: soc.singles
Subject: Balloon Boink report
Date: 6 Oct 92 21:00:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: lynx.myfp6#r
Reply-To: hays@TECHNET.NM.ORG
Organization: New Mexico Technet   Albuquerque, NM

Ballonboink.  Ahhh, the very word is magic, evoking memories of having fun
until you drop, then getting up early to do it all again. . . 

Knowing well that the best laid plans of mice, men and boink-hosts will
go awry, rON and I cleverly refused to plan much at all.  Rumors that we
were in fact lazy, inexperienced and clueless should be ignored.  I think
it was an interesting boink for several reasons:  We got inquiries from a
couple of locals, but they didn't show.  So, everybody that was there was
from Far Away (I know, I know, everything's Far Away from Albuquerque. . .).
Also, everybody who was there was at least an occasional poster - not a lurker
in the bunch, though we did have several on the mailing list, but they didn't
show.  Their loss.  As you might imagine, we were severly underrepresented by
local lurkers. . .  One aspect of the boink, however, followed an honored
net.tradition:  Karen Gorman was hoping to attend, but didn't make it.  Too
bad, she missed a great boink, but I understand the importance of tradition.

Festivities kinda started with dinner.  Larry was late.  This was to become a
recurring theme of sorts.  Anyway, food was consumed and folks met.  Had a good
time chatting.  Present were Teri, Marcia, Ray, rON, Mel, Rob, Ed (Larry's
housemate) and yours truly.  We told lies, relived memories, and generally 
solved many of the world's problems.  Rob mentioned incriminating Photos
of Allison and the banana.  We all decided we'd like to see them, but they
were at the motel or in his car or something.  Anybody got any other anecdotes
that need relating?

After Dinner, those who'd just driven 22 hours decided to get some sleep,
since tomorrow was going to start at 5:30.  The hardier and more foolish
headed out to play pool (somehow "bowling" turned into "pool".  Anything having
to do with rolling balls, I guess. . .)  Ed and Mel Played Larry and Ray (once
we got a table), and it was pretty evenly matched.  Later rON showed up, having
picked up Lou at the airport, and it was still pretty evenly matched.  rON's
a barracuda, however - don't play pool with him for money!  This tendency was
exacerbated by the fact that we were all fading fast while rON (who works
graveyard) was just hitting his stride.  We ended up each taking turns kinda
listlessly hitting balls around the table, and then rON would spring to the
table and CRACK!  WHAM!  BANG! make a few.  Somebody (I seem to remember it
being rON, but that's because I suspect he was the only one with this kind
of energy) scratched off the table and hit someone at the next table on the
foot.  Poor guy, he'd been hit before.  As though mere exhaustion wasn't
enough, Ed suggested we play by what we called the "catch-up" rule, which
allowed whichever team was behind to catch up while the other team tried to
mauver the eight ball into the designated pocket.

Once it was entirely too late, everybody returned to their abodes of the
moment and slept, all too breifly, except, of course, rON, who headed out
to party.

Saturday morning at 5:30 (ish - Larry was late!) we gathered at the official
Rodeway inn of the balloon boink to head out to the balloon fiesta mass
ascencion.  Grumble, grumble.  As we pull away in the dark I'm thinking "this
was unneccesarily early - not really any traffic yet. . ."  Well, I was wrong. 
We inched the last 5 or so miles to the balloon field at a speed approximating
zero most of the time.  Saw some nice fireworks from the interstate, and,
what's more, had plenty of leisure to enjoy them, even the vehicle drivers.

Arrived at the parking, about a mile from the actual balloon field, and ate
a nutritous breakfast provided by rON.  Good job, buddy.  Fruit, croissants,
coffee, orange juice, coffee, bananas (of course), and coffee.  Then off in
the dawn's early light to see balloons.  Walk, walk, walk.  After a break for
neccesities (gotta love those New Mexican porta-potties!) we helped Rob get
his various cameras hung about his neck properly, and we all wandered off in
separate directions, agreeing to meet back at the loo at Ten.

Balloons started heading up in serious numbers.  I don't know what the count
was officially, but I imagine there were somewhere around a hundred?  Anybody
got a better number than that?  Mel and I saw the Ship (a HUGE balloon shaped
like one of Columbus' ships (the Santa Maria?)) take off, as well as one
shaped like an English cottage, the giant cow sponsored by Creamland Dairy,
and Santa Claus.  We also watched two giant bottles take off (J&B and Early
Times?) and were amused by the "labels" that read something like:
"Volume: 2,576,291 Liters"  We were also most amused by the pink piggy
balloon that circled around overhead all morning.  Albuquerque has an unusual
set of prevailing winds that tend to blow southerly at low altitudes and
northerly at higer altitudes, so a lot of the balloons would pass over quite
a number of times as they went back and forth.  Most of the big ones like the
ship and the cow seemed to ground right away, but the pig, the polar bear and
the house hung out for most of the morning, as did my personal favorite, the
tennis shoe (a high-top, natch).

As far as how it felt to be there, I think I'd like some of the other attendees
to relate that.  I had a good time, but I've seen it before and the first time
is very different.  Everyone certainly seemed to think it was worth getting up
at 5 for.

The boink meal was lunch at Sadie's.  Green chili everywhere.  Good stuff.
rON had climbed back into his coffin at this point, so he didn't get to attend,
which was disappointing to those of us who wanted to see HIM fading.  Oh well.
Good lunch, good company.  After lunch everybody had free time until 7 PM and
the boink party.  Naps were a big hit for this time stretch, by all accounts.

Party!  This was the sole event Larry wasn't late for, as it was at his
house.  Oh well, I tried.  We had clam chowder (not traditionally New Mexican,
but I had it in quantity, so whatthehell), green chili casserole, Chips and
Salsa a la Ed, Slime Jello *with* bananas, Blue Sky Natural Sodas, champagne,
and Fondue! Fondue! Fondue!  We had chocolate fondue with grapes, cake, apples,
strawberries (yum!) and of course, bananas.  At some point during the
fondueage, Mel did something unspeakable to a chocolate dipped banana, and,
yes, it was indeed a Kodak moment.  I think she's raising the stakes here,
Allison...

The net.band turned out to be a net.duet, but that rhymes better anyway.  We
tried to talk Teri into playing the piano, but no go.  Ray brought his guitar
and his considerable talent, and I had my guitar and not much else.  The second
most fun I had that night was following along, playing the wrong chords.  The
most fun thing I did, of course, was when Ray was following me on a song he
hadn't played, because then he played the wrong chords too.  I led that poor
man down any number of musical blind alleys.  We had sing-alongs from time to
time by everybody else.  We exhausted both my repitoire and my ability after
a while, and we got to hear Ray play and sing without my "help".  A real treat.
Gonna have to learn to play the blues, and get some Steve Goodman CD's.

We got tuckered out eventually, and all decided to sleep in till (GASP!) 11
or so on Sunday.  Gathered again at the official Rodeway in of the Balloon
boink to head to Santa Fe and be tourists.  Drove up the back roads and looked
at the scenery.  I think Mel still doesn't understand why all our roofs are
flat in New Mexico (and while attempting to explain I realised I don't,
either. . .)  Arrived in Santa Fe famished and went in search of food.  Got on
a waiting list and split up to gawk and wander.   Finally got into the
restaurant and ate.  This is a severely decadent bunch.  Sure was fun.  Lou
was kind enough to help many others with meal consumption duties.  Hadda be
careful passing the salt past this guy.  Again solved many world problems, etc.
Anecdotes?

At this point, Mel and I had to rush back to Albuquerque so we could miss her
plane, so somebody else'll have to relate anything else that happened.  We said
our goodbyes, and hit the road.

All in all, *I* at least had a whale of a time, and wouldn't mind doing it
again.  In my fevered brain I've even considered making it an annual event,
but we'll see how I feel after I've fully recovered.  Maybe I can get sponsored
by the board of Tourism or something. . .

And now, here's what you've all been waiting for - the quote list!

"What's a post?" - Ed           *<laughter>*

"The grapes have to be mounted manually" - Rob
"I've known men like that" - Teri (?)  Marcia(?)

"Rob, have you lost your banana?" - Teri

"It's better than losing cherries" - Lou

"Something is supposed to be in there by now" - Rob

"He lost his banana, you lost your stick, I'm worried" - rON

"Do you know anything *BUT* Bob Dylan?" - Marcia

"I generally avoid living food" - rON

"Turn the page, QUICK!" - Ray

"Given the choice, I think I'd rather be lousy at guitar" - Teri

"My God, we have an F!" - Marcia

". . . A telephone tease." - Lou

"It's got Grapes!" - Ray

"I actually like this better than yesterday's - It doesn't hurt." - Marcia

"I got to see the pig land this morning" - Ray

"This time of year, everything in Albuquerque is inflatable" - Larry
"Well, that's an interesting concept" - Teri
(and the conversation took a turn into the gutter at that point, as you
 might expect)

"That felt awfully good" - Mel

"And I'm not blonde anymore." - Mel

"Are the grasshoppers fresh?" - Larry

"So where DID you come from?  Alt.mooch?" - Larry

"It might be easier to pass the plate but it'd be far too risky." - Rob

"Maybe a mug will jump out and grab us." - Larry
"You mean get mugged?" - Mel

What else?   Is there a quote list from the stuff I missed?
I just realized that I never *DID* get to see Rob's incriminating photos of
Allison's banana trick.  D'yuh think we shoulda offered him money or something?


Balloon boink credits and thanks:  Thanks bunches to rON, for planning, mailing
list duties, a great breakfast at an hour that made it difficult for me to
tie my shoes and general co-hostage duties too numerous to mention.

Also, Thanks to Mel for helping me get ready for the party - duties above
and beyond what can reasonably be expected from crashspace users. . .

Thanks to Ray for risking his guitar as checked baggage so that he might
entertain us.

Thanks to Lou for insuring no food went uneaten Sunday at lunch.  How do you
stay so thin, dude?

Thanks to Teri for cleaning up party debris unasked and with no expectation of
notice or reward.  Sorry, I DID notice, and it was much appreciated.

Thanks to Marcia for opening whole new vistas of hedonism and decadence I
never knew existed.  This girl knows how to party!

Thanks to Rob for tauntimg us with alleged pictures of Allison and the BT,
while never actually showing them to us, as far as I know!

Thanks to Ed for putting up with this in his shared domicile, and you really
were going camping, not just avoiding us, right???

And, of course, last but never least, Thanks to Karen Gorman, who probably IS
an AI.

Everybody else, you missed a great boink!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larry 'Purple' Hays                                        hays@technet.nm.org

                   "I'll sleep when I'm dead" - Warren Zevon