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I don't know how this is going to come out: I'm going to try to dump my memories of NEST and what I think it meant to me, in some kind of coherent fashion, but I have a feeling that it's going to end up being a jumble of random observations and emotions.
The first thing that has to be said is "Thank you," to LeeAllure, who put literally countless hours into making NEST happen this year. She really brought NEST to the next level, working tirelessly to make sure everything went perfectly and everyone had fun. And she NEVER stops... even at the goodbye brunch on Monday morning she was drifting from table to table, putting together an after-action report so the next NEST will be even better.
I don't want to start naming the people who touched my life this weekend (though there were many,)for fear of accidentally leaving someone out, but one person has to be mentioned by name: Tickle Emporer, because that guy was shot out of a cannon from the second I met him Thursday night, until the second he said goodbye Monday morning. As many people have already said, he's the poster boy for NEST: nobody had more fun than him, nobody made more new friends, and I've never heard someone say "I love you," so sincerely, to so many people, so many times.
My favorite moment of the entire weekend was definately Lee and I doing two-on-four in her hotel room. AnnieHall, CrystalLight and I went to Visit LeeAllure and Brighteyes in their room, and when we were confronted with the three little ticklee's, Lee and I started thinking about something we had discussed doing, which was making an audio clip of laughter as a sort of recorded theme for the TMF.
But we felt we needed one more voice for our impromptu chorus, so Lee called IrishGirl and asked her, in Lee's usual sweet, honey-voice, to please stop by the room. The others already knew our evil plan, but Irish had no idea what she was walking into. I wish we had a picture of how huge her eyes got when she heard what we were up to.
We had them take off their jackets, sweatshirts and shoes, and lined the four girls (brighteyes, anniehall, crystallight, and irishgirl, in case you're losing track) up side-by-side on the bed. They muttered and grumbled and sulked, but I didn't see anyone trying to escape.
Then Lee set her laptop to record audio and we started tickling all four of them at the same time. This went on for probably about five-ten minutes, and then we tested the clip. Sadly it hadn't recorded due to some unforseen, entirely regrettable, technical difficulties, and we were forced, against our will, to do the whole thing again.
I have never heard anything cuter or more endearing than the sound of four girls simultaneously squealing, giggling, shrieking, laughing their heads off, and in one case cursing up a storm and wishing death on us.
The first thing that happened at NEST for me this year was Thursday night, which ended up being an impromptu Guys' Night. None of the ladies had shown up yet, and DVNC, PokeyInMich, Kered, Rui, SnailShell, Jarret, Chaneda, TickleEmporer (I hope I got everyone) and I ended up hanging out for hours in the bar, drinking round after round and telling stories.
...
OK, I know I said I wasn't going to start naming names, but there's no way I can talk about NEST without talking about the people, so I'm going to break my own promise and discuss some of the ones I really got to know.
As everyone says at this point, I apologize in advance to the people I overlook. It's just that so much happened that it's almost impossible to keep it all straight. And I'm not going to discuss the people I already know so well from previous NESTs. There isn't enough room here to try to describe the deep bond we all share. You all know, hopefully, how much you mean to me.
I also met a lot of people who I felt an instant connection with, but the weekend was so busy that I never got a chance to really get to know them. I'm not going to name names there either, but hopefully you know who you are.
My preference for cute girls is well-documented, so first on the list have to be CrystalLight and Tortuga. It was great meeting you two, and you really brought a lot of energy to the weekend. I was never near either of you without the needle on my fun-o-meter pinning. Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right, does it? 😎
I only got to know Crystal a few weeks ago, and I already feel like we've been friends for years, giving each other a hard time and sharing our cynical view of life and people. One of my favorite NEST moments was Sunday night, after NEST itself, when Crystal and I were feeling fried from the weekend and anti-social, and we hung out in her room while she played TMF Chatroom Trivia and I called out answers to her.
Tortuga and I made a video during the weekend which I'll try to have online soon. And that reminds me of one of the funniest things I heard all weekend... we were in my room and suddenly Tortuga said "Who are you rooming with?" And I, in my innocence, said "Well, I'm rooming with Mairead, but how do you know I'm rooming with anyone?" and she said, barely able to keep from breaking up laughing, "Because I know you don't need that hairbrush on the table."
Of course then, whether she liked it or not, she was going to be laughing.
Tortuga is also one of at least three girls whose ribs I bruised this weekend tickling them. I should really take this moment to apologize to them... but I'm not going to: tough crap, it's what you get for being so cute.
I've met ASUTickler before, but this was the first time I got a chance to hang out with him. He's so laid back, and frankly sort of looming like a landscape, that it's easy to miss how hilariously funny he is.
Snail Shell is another guy I had met before, and even though I felt like we were already friends, this was the first year I really had a chance to hang out with him too. Another very funny guy, and also clearly several different kinds of madman who is definately NESTs Most Likely to Accidentally Kill Himself or Someone Else.
The third person that I already knew, but sort of met for the first time this year was Amnesiac. Amn was the cameraman for the NEST video shoot (coming soon to a clip4sale site near YOU!) and despite the fact that it was cramped, swelteringly hot under the lights, dangerously narrow, and completely improvised, he did an amazingly professional job.
Speaking of the video, let me go into some detail on that. We shot a live video at NEST this year, and I had a chance to watch it before the weekend was over. It came out amazingly well. Viper had two gorgeous girls tied up on a stage, and LeeAllure, BellaRisa, and KittenToes took them to school!
Not only did Amnesiac film some amazingly hot tickling action, but he also got some fantastic behind the scenes stuff, and comments from the cast. I found it absolutely riveting to watch and re-experience: it was so intense and immediate.
ViperGTS ran a very professional set. He was everywhere at once, and in control at all times. I've been making videos for ten years, and I know I learned some things from watching him operate.
And speaking of the event, it was amazing, as it always has been, from the days when it was 15 of us in Max Speer's apartment to this year when it was who knows how many (speaking of which, who knows how many were there?) in a huge club.
The Distraction Game was bigger than ever, with more than ten people on both the women's and men's teams. I think I laughed harder than the people being tickled, just from watching them fall apart on stage while trying to answer questions from Max.
The NEST kidnapping this year was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! To bring people up to speed, there is a signup sheet at NEST for people who want to be kidnapped (always by hand-picked teams who are well-known to the NEST Team,) and since that started there has always been a big production of a kidnapping in the middle of the event.
This year it was Spotlady who got snatched up while minding her own business, carried away kicking and screaming, strapped down and tickled mercilessly... by pirates!
It turned out that Alchemy (looking exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow,) Libertine, AffectionateDan, TickleChicago, LeeAllure, and Kittentoes (I think that's all of them, I was sort of at the back of the crowd) all had pirate costumes, and Spotlady had mentioned pirates in her kidnapping signup. So of course with that kind of explosive combination mayhem was bound to ensue.
And it did... Libertine conducted a wildly entertaining and hilarious interrogation (as he did last year,) looking for, if I have this right, an egg-salad recipe, which may or may not have even existed.
Speaking of kidnappings, I should mention AnnieHall's kidnapping. I'm not going to go into detail because it's her story to tell, but it was fun and intense.
The one funny detail that I will mention is that Annie is the only kidnappee that I've ever seen run. Every other one that I've witnessed, the victim just stands there and watches it happen to them, but Annie bolted! As soon as she saw us coming, she jumped to her feet and ran for it, and I mean a genuine bid for freedom. I had to tackle her from behind while DVNC raced in front of her, or she might have gotten away!
A lot of other things happened, but I've already gone on longer than I meant to. It was, without question, the best weekend I've ever experienced.
P.S. I apologize for yelling at you, Kered. I still can't believe anyone would willingly leave NEST early without a gun pointed at them. I mean, in all seriousness, you couldn't miss 2 hours of sleep and stay to the... ok, I'm going to stop 😎
The first thing that has to be said is "Thank you," to LeeAllure, who put literally countless hours into making NEST happen this year. She really brought NEST to the next level, working tirelessly to make sure everything went perfectly and everyone had fun. And she NEVER stops... even at the goodbye brunch on Monday morning she was drifting from table to table, putting together an after-action report so the next NEST will be even better.
I don't want to start naming the people who touched my life this weekend (though there were many,)for fear of accidentally leaving someone out, but one person has to be mentioned by name: Tickle Emporer, because that guy was shot out of a cannon from the second I met him Thursday night, until the second he said goodbye Monday morning. As many people have already said, he's the poster boy for NEST: nobody had more fun than him, nobody made more new friends, and I've never heard someone say "I love you," so sincerely, to so many people, so many times.
My favorite moment of the entire weekend was definately Lee and I doing two-on-four in her hotel room. AnnieHall, CrystalLight and I went to Visit LeeAllure and Brighteyes in their room, and when we were confronted with the three little ticklee's, Lee and I started thinking about something we had discussed doing, which was making an audio clip of laughter as a sort of recorded theme for the TMF.
But we felt we needed one more voice for our impromptu chorus, so Lee called IrishGirl and asked her, in Lee's usual sweet, honey-voice, to please stop by the room. The others already knew our evil plan, but Irish had no idea what she was walking into. I wish we had a picture of how huge her eyes got when she heard what we were up to.
We had them take off their jackets, sweatshirts and shoes, and lined the four girls (brighteyes, anniehall, crystallight, and irishgirl, in case you're losing track) up side-by-side on the bed. They muttered and grumbled and sulked, but I didn't see anyone trying to escape.
Then Lee set her laptop to record audio and we started tickling all four of them at the same time. This went on for probably about five-ten minutes, and then we tested the clip. Sadly it hadn't recorded due to some unforseen, entirely regrettable, technical difficulties, and we were forced, against our will, to do the whole thing again.
I have never heard anything cuter or more endearing than the sound of four girls simultaneously squealing, giggling, shrieking, laughing their heads off, and in one case cursing up a storm and wishing death on us.
The first thing that happened at NEST for me this year was Thursday night, which ended up being an impromptu Guys' Night. None of the ladies had shown up yet, and DVNC, PokeyInMich, Kered, Rui, SnailShell, Jarret, Chaneda, TickleEmporer (I hope I got everyone) and I ended up hanging out for hours in the bar, drinking round after round and telling stories.
...
OK, I know I said I wasn't going to start naming names, but there's no way I can talk about NEST without talking about the people, so I'm going to break my own promise and discuss some of the ones I really got to know.
As everyone says at this point, I apologize in advance to the people I overlook. It's just that so much happened that it's almost impossible to keep it all straight. And I'm not going to discuss the people I already know so well from previous NESTs. There isn't enough room here to try to describe the deep bond we all share. You all know, hopefully, how much you mean to me.
I also met a lot of people who I felt an instant connection with, but the weekend was so busy that I never got a chance to really get to know them. I'm not going to name names there either, but hopefully you know who you are.
My preference for cute girls is well-documented, so first on the list have to be CrystalLight and Tortuga. It was great meeting you two, and you really brought a lot of energy to the weekend. I was never near either of you without the needle on my fun-o-meter pinning. Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right, does it? 😎
I only got to know Crystal a few weeks ago, and I already feel like we've been friends for years, giving each other a hard time and sharing our cynical view of life and people. One of my favorite NEST moments was Sunday night, after NEST itself, when Crystal and I were feeling fried from the weekend and anti-social, and we hung out in her room while she played TMF Chatroom Trivia and I called out answers to her.
Tortuga and I made a video during the weekend which I'll try to have online soon. And that reminds me of one of the funniest things I heard all weekend... we were in my room and suddenly Tortuga said "Who are you rooming with?" And I, in my innocence, said "Well, I'm rooming with Mairead, but how do you know I'm rooming with anyone?" and she said, barely able to keep from breaking up laughing, "Because I know you don't need that hairbrush on the table."
Of course then, whether she liked it or not, she was going to be laughing.
Tortuga is also one of at least three girls whose ribs I bruised this weekend tickling them. I should really take this moment to apologize to them... but I'm not going to: tough crap, it's what you get for being so cute.
I've met ASUTickler before, but this was the first time I got a chance to hang out with him. He's so laid back, and frankly sort of looming like a landscape, that it's easy to miss how hilariously funny he is.
Snail Shell is another guy I had met before, and even though I felt like we were already friends, this was the first year I really had a chance to hang out with him too. Another very funny guy, and also clearly several different kinds of madman who is definately NESTs Most Likely to Accidentally Kill Himself or Someone Else.
The third person that I already knew, but sort of met for the first time this year was Amnesiac. Amn was the cameraman for the NEST video shoot (coming soon to a clip4sale site near YOU!) and despite the fact that it was cramped, swelteringly hot under the lights, dangerously narrow, and completely improvised, he did an amazingly professional job.
Speaking of the video, let me go into some detail on that. We shot a live video at NEST this year, and I had a chance to watch it before the weekend was over. It came out amazingly well. Viper had two gorgeous girls tied up on a stage, and LeeAllure, BellaRisa, and KittenToes took them to school!
Not only did Amnesiac film some amazingly hot tickling action, but he also got some fantastic behind the scenes stuff, and comments from the cast. I found it absolutely riveting to watch and re-experience: it was so intense and immediate.
ViperGTS ran a very professional set. He was everywhere at once, and in control at all times. I've been making videos for ten years, and I know I learned some things from watching him operate.
And speaking of the event, it was amazing, as it always has been, from the days when it was 15 of us in Max Speer's apartment to this year when it was who knows how many (speaking of which, who knows how many were there?) in a huge club.
The Distraction Game was bigger than ever, with more than ten people on both the women's and men's teams. I think I laughed harder than the people being tickled, just from watching them fall apart on stage while trying to answer questions from Max.
The NEST kidnapping this year was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! To bring people up to speed, there is a signup sheet at NEST for people who want to be kidnapped (always by hand-picked teams who are well-known to the NEST Team,) and since that started there has always been a big production of a kidnapping in the middle of the event.
This year it was Spotlady who got snatched up while minding her own business, carried away kicking and screaming, strapped down and tickled mercilessly... by pirates!
It turned out that Alchemy (looking exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow,) Libertine, AffectionateDan, TickleChicago, LeeAllure, and Kittentoes (I think that's all of them, I was sort of at the back of the crowd) all had pirate costumes, and Spotlady had mentioned pirates in her kidnapping signup. So of course with that kind of explosive combination mayhem was bound to ensue.
And it did... Libertine conducted a wildly entertaining and hilarious interrogation (as he did last year,) looking for, if I have this right, an egg-salad recipe, which may or may not have even existed.
Speaking of kidnappings, I should mention AnnieHall's kidnapping. I'm not going to go into detail because it's her story to tell, but it was fun and intense.
The one funny detail that I will mention is that Annie is the only kidnappee that I've ever seen run. Every other one that I've witnessed, the victim just stands there and watches it happen to them, but Annie bolted! As soon as she saw us coming, she jumped to her feet and ran for it, and I mean a genuine bid for freedom. I had to tackle her from behind while DVNC raced in front of her, or she might have gotten away!
A lot of other things happened, but I've already gone on longer than I meant to. It was, without question, the best weekend I've ever experienced.
P.S. I apologize for yelling at you, Kered. I still can't believe anyone would willingly leave NEST early without a gun pointed at them. I mean, in all seriousness, you couldn't miss 2 hours of sleep and stay to the... ok, I'm going to stop 😎
I'll remind you next year.
) I will definitely catch you next time. No reminder will be needed. I'm not sure Kered could handle another infidelity like that. But, we'll just be sneaky is all. lol
We'll make sure that doesn't happen next time. ...and perhaps we'll bring a soccer ball and watch you kick everyone's ass. 
It’s okay -- men can hug and still stay masculine! You just have to even it out with flexing, and eating steak, and working on cars... Better yet, cook that steak on a hot engine block while working out! Very manly! Grrr! Keep in touch. 
