Hooray! I feel like I should dig out my "Wil Wheaton Has a Posse" baseball jersey and wear it in celebration! WordPress is great! I use it and in spite of my mumblemumblebignumbermumblemumble of (mostly accidental) efforts, I've never managed to break it beyond repair. You'll be fine.

Buh! Dixit! YAYYYYY! I'm still new to board games. I'm the one at board game night saying "Um, I know how to play Uno...and Scrabble?" and I love that this show is going to exist because it looks like, in addition to just being fun to watch, I'll be able to learn more about games before I have/get to sit down and play them. My friends are awesome and heroically patient but they never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER just let me watch them play through something--they always make me play too and while I know this is a good thing, I worry a lot that my "wait, what does this card do?" brings down their level of fun. It has to be annoying to have to stop every round and explain things over and over (I have a slow and odd learning mechanism). Now I can watch this and then at board game night say "Hey, let's play that one they just played on Tabletop!" Thanks, man!

Well now I have something in both of *my* eyes. :) Maybe it's something in the water?

I am so glad that it was such a blast again! I am not at all jealous! (How can I be, really, when staying home gave me the chance to be part of the Doubleclicks' studio audience for Dot Con Fest?) I think one of the reasons that people aren't commenting here is that there is a teensy bit of pressure associated with the comment box that isn't on Facebook (or Google+? I dunno I keep forgetting I have Google+). On Facebook people just kind of accept that there are going to be typos and dashed off thoughts. If I'm taking the time to leave a comment in a comment box, on the other hand, I want it to be witty! And charming! And clever! And actually worth your time to read! When I look at my comment through all of those lenses, more of then than not I think "so not good enough" and I scrap it. You've met me :) I think I have proven that I am not so good at being clever on command :) I'm pretty sure that you're being read just as fervently as ever--we're just more respectful of your time and eyes than we have been in the past. :)

I love it when you tell us stories like this one. They make me smile. :) See?

You look so happy. This? Makes *me* so happy. :)

I'm kind of relieved about the no touch thing because it saves me from having to worry about how I smell when I am near you guys. (Even if you cake on the whole thing of deodorant, there is still zero chance of controlling how you smell at a con) I can safely stand an arm's length away just in case and not have to worry about feeling rude. Though if *you* decided you wanted to hug *me* I doubt I'd turn it down.... :)

It's hard to say what my favorite part of PAX was this year. Your talk was pretty epicly awesome (grammar I haz it). Doubleclicks Doubleclicking it up in Bandland on Saturday? The Saturday night concert? Getting to talk to Storm about writing? Watching you pin an "I touch wieners" button on Tracy? Epic game of hackey sacking with pretty much everyone in Bandland? Being officially adopted into the "Sea Monkey" tribe? All of these things were super awesome and fun. I think, though, that the very best part of the experience for me was having the excuse to spend three days with my tribe and feel like I was home, safe, and unconditionally loved even by thousands of people that I still have yet to meet.

This is not my first time reading this. I read it for the first time in 2004 and it has been my favorite part of the 4th of July every year since then. I look forward to this story every year just as much as I looked forward to my Mom reading "The Night Before Christmas" to me on Christmas Eve when I was a kid :)

Having been a reader for most of the decadeish that you've been blogging I've seen you go through this a couple of times before so I recognize the "I need to be in my own head for a while" post :) I also recognize that you might possibly be revisiting a fear that you need to start Saying Things or you'll lose us/be wasting time. So, for the record: You won't. :) But remember: keeping us happy isn't your priority. Keeping YOURSELF happy is the priority. Also, as a reader for most of the decadeish that you've been blogging I am, again, freakin' AMAZED that you somehow always manage to blog about the exact same things that are going on in my own head. It's just weird. But in a good way. :) *HUGS* If you were here in PDX and we actually knew each other well enough for it, I'd totally buy you a box of Vegan Voodoo Doughnuts. Those always help!

*HUGS* Those unexpected-smash-you-in-the-face-punch-you-in-the-gut-rip-your-heart-out-steal-your-breath-griefy moments can be really hard to get through and I'm glad that if you couldn't have your close family nearby to help you breathe again you had still had the comfort and kindness of the community to get you through it. By the way, this community is as wonderful as it is at least in part because you are the way you are :) Don't ever ever forget that!

It's not the size of your reach that counts it's how you use it! :) (And you, sir, use your phenomenal reach correctly. We know that when you ask your Monkeys to help with something it is because you REALLY care about that something and that makes us happy to jump in and help out!)

I probably shouldn't tell you how many times I closed and reopened your blog because I thought my brain was making me see your picture in the left sidebar instead of the right...you know, instead of it actually *being* on the left now. Apparently my stupid is self centered today. :)

If I were more popular I could be the captain of your "street team" and you wouldn't have to feel like you were eating your own modesty AND you could sell your stuff! As it stands now I'm still happy to do the promotion for you but there are only so many copies of things my Mom and husband can buy... To that end I do not think it is bad or icky to say "here's some stuff I worked on and I'm really proud of it so you should check it out!" (Also? I kind of miss the Cafepress store. It closed before I could buy a hat.) :)

I'm so happy for you :)

Reading about you going to do things that make you happy makes me happy. :) ...That sounded way less creepy in my head.

No really, thank *YOU*. These shows are what I've always imagined "coming home" is supposed to feel like. :)

Love.

That just makes me smile. :) <-- see?

*That's* why it was sunny in PDX today! The city is happy to see you! :)

And I will love them and hug them and pet them and name them George

You look so happy and that? makes me glad. :)

*happy sigh* I love "Wil & Anne" stories :)

Pretzel Shaped Frozen Hunks is the name of my Chippendales Cover Band

I was hoping I could come up with something insightful or, at the very least, intelligent sounding here but all I can think of is "Jeebus! How big is that TV?!?"