Posted by Dennis O'C (209.34.1.20) on July 02, 2001 at 15:41:15:
Friday morning: Elaine and Todd met our plane. By that time they had been ferrying folks from a nightmare of an airport for 4 days...Their generosity and committment to OUCH as an organization and to individuals in pain or need is unparalleled. They worked their asses off for us with a humility that was awsome. They are an shining inspiration which hopefully results in an enormous increase in OUCH members...but more importantly OUCH members who commit and follow through on the work that needs to be done...including allowing them to relax more and work less at the next cornvention...man they earned it...thanks again...
Listen...all this stuff i’m sayin is from my eyes...written to share this event with those who were not there...as well as ,thru imagination, smile as I once again look into the eyes of those I met....you know who you are and if I don’t mention you...it’s just that there were too many mind-fuckin moments to write about them all...or you were much uglier than I pictured you and I would rather forget I met you.
Imagine the most crowded chat room you have every dreamed of...a myriad of conversations occuring all at once...in big rooms at small tables , in hidden corners, halfway down hallways, in elevators, nearby resteraunts, small rooms with whispers and laughter every minute of the day...being an old fart here...99 % of the faces I saw evoked a mind rush of all their past posts...black squiggles...all their personalities I interacted with thru computer and phone...days of wading thru a river of now-revealed faces that I have grown to love.
Pick any possible combinations of the names you know were there...and now imagine being able to simply walk up to some corner and join in a conversation and long long hug with them...the mind reels...the heart dances.
Advice: Future cornventions and any other meetings with clusterheads...come as early as possible...stay as late as possible...you will thank me for this.
Such a dichotomy existed there...the worst pain known to man...and uh...babes... drew us together...a lonely self absorbed hell...butt the the shared atmousphere was one of unbridled joy...deep soul searching sharing...and serious attempts to to make OUCH a real vehicle to Understand Clusters...NOT ALONE in the deepest sence of that phase....
Pain and peace.
Business and Party.
Euli is pronounced OO(as in oo baby)-eh(as in Canadian )-Lee(as in All along The Lee Shore)....ooo-eh-lee...He is this extremely soft spoken guy that chain smokes teeny cigars....man I thought my teeth were shitty...If any of you pictured him as a Swiss kinda German accented Yoda...you were right...Ya gotta lean in ...listen close and discombuberate his English...it is worth the effort..He sits quietly...Anyone who slowed in the rush of partying...leaned in and spoke to him...was treated to the genius and gentleness of EULI....Know this...when he posts...it takes sometimes hours for him to compose a simple responce...because he wants to get the words right...he always does in my book.
THE FIGHT: Jonny...as I entered the hotel...there is a lounge...to the left that at any given time throughout the weekend held 2 to 30 clusterheads....He was the first one I saw ....we pointed at each other...”i want you” we both indicated...ferget checking in...I went straight for him...whatta smile he has...the fucker just beams...hugs men too...knowing that I was not at my best after the flight an stuff...I delayed the asskickin...Later...I snuck up and planted a foot on his butt...DEN1-Jonny zip...much later...much drunker...I started over the table at him...got physical...i got in the first punch...all of a sudden I felt myself bein lifted off the ground like ragdoll...on the floor face down...with his boot in my ass....what was i thinking! (someone took photos...)...I explained that I was a bleeder and a roid sufferer...to no avail...he only let me up when Adam looked scared that his dad was gettin beat up...From that moment on Adam was lookin fer Jonny all weekend...in every room...Once Jonny walked in Adam was ready to arm wrestle...which they did a few times...When he couldn’t find Jonny (I kept explainin to Adam that Jonny was havin sex somewhere) Jonny attended few of the organized meetings...He was having sex somewhere...Oh...By the by Prior to the real Physical confrontration...he went to pee...leavin Piper alone and voluptious in the lounge....I ravished her(there are pictures)DEN2-Jonny still Zip...
Ken...fuck you too...Leeza is too good fer you...She kept trappin me in elavators all weekend....whisperin...”what floor are we cumin to?”
I met people I had pissed off at this message board...when they actually saw what a down an out human I was ...they understood
I SAW DJ IN PERSON...my eyes riveted to him when he was in the room...who is this guy that opened up such a raw-opened-bucket-of assholes worlwide?...a place for us?...I never sat down fer a long discussion with him...I was too much in the prescence of royalty...of a diety...like seein Elaine and Todd and Boob...I kin perform in front of a room of people...but one on one gets me nervous...These folks who have led OUCH...are like holy people to me...an yet...the tiny moments I shared with them...will remain forever in my heart...like any generous person....they never will know how deeply they touch others.
At some point Georgia dared me to jump in the pool...no trunks had I...stripping down to bellbottom jeans...I did a flip in the ”no diving”pool...Adam wheelchair pushed her in next with her clothes on...We laughed till we hurt...at that same exact moment...someone was gettin hit...someone was helpin them...someone was preparing the next meeting...someone was sittin in the lounge discussin shrooms....someone was explainin some post they had posted...someone was sittin back...just a lookin at all these folks talkin and comin and goin and gettin off the elevator....and...and...”baskin in the indescribable joy of knowin....SEEIN...”im not alone”
JOIN AND WORK FER OUCH
I left my heart in Atlanta.
...in good hands
DEN