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Two weeks and I'll be packing for Netroots Nation. Haven't missed one yet...
Thankfully, Mr. Brillig's sister is getting married the weekend before Netroots or there would have been an Uncomfortable Conversation taking place :-). K1 graciously accepted our apologies for missing her 13th birthday, although we have by way of apology promised her a party worthy of the sushi and chocolate fountain-laden Stratosphere party of YearlyKos One :-)
Non-Kossacks or NN attendees have asked me "what is it you get out of it?" I always sound tongue-tied; yes, me. It's partly the reunion with old friends, and the opportunity to make new ones. I thrive on the energy, dedication, passion and intelligence that flows in abundance when NN gets going.
The speakers and agenda are always fantastic, don't get me wrong. I've learned more than I will ever remember sitting in panels and forums, trying to decide if my question is one I should ask, or just tweet :-). But at my core I'm there for the Community, and NN is as much Political Revival Meeting as anything else. When I look back at NN's past, what I remember is:
The C&J Deathmarch in Vegas ... herding cats pooties fellow Kossacks to get us to dinner in Chicago ... working Registration last year and meeting an online friend come to check in ... late-night political discussions in which we solved every issue AND knocked off the deficit, then forgot it during the 3 hours of sleep allotted before the morning plenary...
Packing care packages for our troops overseas with Netroots For The Troops (please if you haven't donated, please do, read the diary series explaining why you should here), mindful that we should NOT have to provide socks to those serving in our military, yet glad to do so... looking for orange attire in the airports in an attempt to spot others headed to, or from, the Convention Center... singing in hallways, hotel lobbies, and Interfaith services...
The unheard-of sight of a crowded bar where everyone was careful not to jostle glasses, due to the exorbitantly high price of alcohol... crowded suites with beer chilling in bathtubs and new conversations through every doorway, thanks to the amazing folks of Drinking Liberally... a frenzy of Facebook and Twitter friendings ... and some amazing, spontaneous gatherings around hard-to-find outlet (Note: You will not lack for friends if you bring an extension cord and a 3-way splitter. Trust me on this.)
Oh yeah... thanks to Netroots Nation Chicago and a late-night conversation in the hallway between the overpriced bar and the bathroom near the amazingly-clad Shriners which was remembered the next morning, I was invited to join the Top Comments family as a diarist.
Lastly, though, what I bring home from Netroots Nation each year is exactly the same as that first YearlyKos: a sense that no matter our differences, no matter our political theologies, no matter our social and economic and educational backgrounds, we are all in this together. We need each other for this. I exhort everyone, whether or not you're going to Minneapolis, to remember this. At church this Sunday, the responsive reading seemed appropriate to close out this diary:
We Need One Another
We need one another when we mourn and would be comforted.
We need one another when we are in trouble and afraid.
We need one another when we are in despair, in temptation, and need to be recalled to our best selves again.
We need one another when we would accomplish some great purpose, and cannot do it alone.
We need one another in the hour of success, when we look for someone to share our triumphs.
We need one another in the hour of defeat, when with encouragement we might endure, and stand again.
We need one another when we come to die, and would have gentle hands prepare us for the journey.
All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.
- - George E. Odell (Singing the Living Tradition #468)
We need all of us. Never forget that.
= = = = =
Here at Top Comments, we definitely need you!! Thank you to all who sent in nominations, we can't do it any other way!
From Horace Boothroyd III:
I think we should be more proactive in making a mockery of their lunacy, as G2geek suggests.
From belinda ridgewood:
The whole comment thread in It's the Supreme Court Stupid's brilliant Hamlet parody, Sarah-let is pretty funny, but I especially loved Crashing Vor's "Out, out, brief candidacy!" response, as well as Upper West's suggestion for stage directions recycled from The Winter's Tale.
From psychodrew:
This comment by rserven in Clarknt67's diary is a top comment.
From JanF:
In J Town today, navajo was trying to get trashablanca to learn the new fangled "texting" thing that the kids are doing and when she finally gave up hilarity ensued.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
Meteor Blades reports on the myth that The Poor Pay No Taxes. prodigal makes a comparison.