After the epic Live Late Nite JengaJam, we stayed for a while to hang out in the lobby of the Sheraton Boston. There was an after-party atmosphere that was extremely cool to be a part of, as we continued to visit with old friends and get to know some new people as well. The night was well-spent, and afterward we broke down our make-shift studio and headed back to our hotel.
Our night wasn't quite finished. See, we'd been playing around on ChatRoulette a couple of nights before, and now that we had the stunning Barbara with us, we couldn't resist trying again. Our little prank was simple. Barbara would be the only one of us visible on the camera, and the rest of us would be out of frame. Barb would chat the unwitting mark up, and then would ask if they would like to see some boobs. Now, even though Barb would imply that it was her boobs that would be seen, this was obviously not going to be the case. Barb would then ask the mark if they were ready, count down, reach for the bottom of her shirt, and then...
John would pop out with his shirt up. The rest of us, including our cameraman Joe, would pop into frame and surprise the victim. Surprisingly, all of the guys that we did this to were very good-natured about it. It made the whole thing very fun and worthwhile. After repeating this about a dozen or so times, we called it a night.
The next day was somber. Don't get me wrong, it was still fun and all that, but it had an air of creeping finality to it that was kind of sad. We didn't get to the convention center until much later than we had originally intended, and once there I skipped all of the panels that I'd planned on going to. I figured the best use of my time was to hang out with my friends as much as I could. That said, I did spend some time waiting in line for the Closing Ceremonies with Joe and Ian, and I wouldn't have traded that for anything. As luck would have it, the line ended up taking way too long, and they were forced to leave for their drive back to Canada. We said our good-byes, and I left to return to the RT Booth.
Once at the expo hall, I got to see Jesse, Mary, and Chantell before they headed out. Again, today was mostly about saying good-bye and it was starting to take its toll. I did get to see a mosh pit started by the MEGA 64 guys before the expo hall closed, which was a riot. After the hall closed, we returned to the Sheraton lobby to have one last meal as a group. Everyone was there, games were still being played, and we even ran into Gabe and Tycho while we were hanging out. My focus was firmly on this motley group of people that I'd spent the last 72 hours with, and how leaving them was going to be harder than ever. Right before dinner, Jack, John and I decided that it would be best to hit the road before it got too late. The 5 hour drive back to Philly was arduous enough to warrant an early exit.
We said our farewells, and each one got harder than the last. I'm not sure how we pulled ourselves away, but before I knew it we were on our way to Philadelphia. All the while I was still messaging and texting my friends that I'd just left. These kinds of things are always bittersweet, because I'm leaving one group of friends to return to another. Speaking of which, I even got to call one of my buddies to clarify a Dominion rules question. The guys playing Dominion in the lobby were impressed that a boardgamegeek admin would take the time out of his busy day to answer there question, which apparently I had gotten wrong. :D
At about 1 am, we arrived in Philly for the night. About 10 hours after that, I was at the airport getting ready to fly back to OKC. There were more hard good-byes, but there was also a growing sense of appreciation for the experience I'd just had. Though I was tired and though having to leave was most difficult, I was happy to be returning home to my family and friends, and to share my stories with them. I was getting the notion that I was extraordinarily lucky to be able to do something like this, and I was already looking forward to doing it again.
That's my PAX East story, and I'm sticking to it.
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