I always take a couple of weeks before I can put my thoughts together about each NEST. I go through that denial and shock - the Empty NEST syndrome that we talk about. For me, NEST is usually a week long because I begin to entertain my out of town friends early and they stay late. QB came on Wednesday, Jeff stayed until the following Wednesday. We were out for drinks with some friends and I still had visitors to my home on Tuesday.
I'm sure you all heard from everyone here, and from me in all my posts of the past 10 years, that NEST is more than a tickle party; that it's a reunion. I used to get all sloppy and weepy in my old threads. This is why I now take a week or 2 to breathe and collect my thoughts.
NEST has grown. That's nothing new. The question is, what has it grown INTO? Yes, we have a ton of fun at the Sunday event. We have matured. We serve a little alcohol and lots of food (always too much food). We have homemade cookies and cakes. Lots of water and soft drinks. We play games like Distraction and see incredible demonstrations of tickling. We are supported by video producers (The Last Laugh, Real Tickling, and more) and publishers (MTJ Publishing) who donate prizes. I'm sure the details have all been convered. I am eternally grateful for all the help that people are giving to make this happen. NEST has helped to define the word "Community".
The Internet is full of people you knew in High School that you always just wanted to hit. At NEST there's no pretense. We are real, flesh and blood people, drawn together because of this intense love of something so ridiculously simple that it deserves a belly laugh. Tickling? What the f*ck? How could anyone on the Outside, the Muggles, ever understand the attraction, the draw? We are all like the people from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS who all share a common pull to this one thing. NEST brings us together in a magical sort of way. You can't explain it if you haven't been there.
So what's next? We should have NESTs more than once a year. We are planning that. We need to be close to each other more often than one time a year. If I had my way, I'd have everyone living in one town, in one Community, like the Amish. Okay, bad analogy, but you get what I mean.
I want to do that. I want to work to keep bringing us together. At NEST, artists share their art, carpenters show their woodwork. We have jewelry makers and craftspeople and musicians and computer genius' and doctors and writers and cops. Holy Sh*t, we are a pretty self-sufficient culture.
Maybe we should start calling ourselves the Tickling Culture, rather than 'community'. It's a very NESTy thing to do. It shows us that we're more important than just a few thousand people on the Internet, a place full of madmen, clowns and genius'.
I believe that it's not only a cool thing to come to NEST but it is a necessity for you to peek out from behind your keyboards and see the faces of your TK Family. It's pretty freakin' earth-shattering, as NEST alumni will attest to.
We need to have NEST more than once a year and we WILL be doing that. We now have a nice core group, a crew, to help make that happen. I would love to see everyone help out so we can all feel like NEST belongs to all of us.
I want to see all of you in the years ahead. There's more than 30,000 members of this site alone. Now THAT'S a City! Let's all work to make this city a reality. The official NEST website will launch within the next couple of weeks. There, you will be able to read about the Gatherings, find friends in your area, pay for registration, buy NEST-related stuff like our t-shirts. We have plans in the making for creating an Ebay-type auction for just Tickle-related items you might want to buy or sell. I will let you know when it is up and running.
Thank you all for listening. I have so much in my mind, I can't express it all here and now. I'll keep you posted.
Max
I'm sure you all heard from everyone here, and from me in all my posts of the past 10 years, that NEST is more than a tickle party; that it's a reunion. I used to get all sloppy and weepy in my old threads. This is why I now take a week or 2 to breathe and collect my thoughts.
NEST has grown. That's nothing new. The question is, what has it grown INTO? Yes, we have a ton of fun at the Sunday event. We have matured. We serve a little alcohol and lots of food (always too much food). We have homemade cookies and cakes. Lots of water and soft drinks. We play games like Distraction and see incredible demonstrations of tickling. We are supported by video producers (The Last Laugh, Real Tickling, and more) and publishers (MTJ Publishing) who donate prizes. I'm sure the details have all been convered. I am eternally grateful for all the help that people are giving to make this happen. NEST has helped to define the word "Community".
The Internet is full of people you knew in High School that you always just wanted to hit. At NEST there's no pretense. We are real, flesh and blood people, drawn together because of this intense love of something so ridiculously simple that it deserves a belly laugh. Tickling? What the f*ck? How could anyone on the Outside, the Muggles, ever understand the attraction, the draw? We are all like the people from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS who all share a common pull to this one thing. NEST brings us together in a magical sort of way. You can't explain it if you haven't been there.
So what's next? We should have NESTs more than once a year. We are planning that. We need to be close to each other more often than one time a year. If I had my way, I'd have everyone living in one town, in one Community, like the Amish. Okay, bad analogy, but you get what I mean.
I want to do that. I want to work to keep bringing us together. At NEST, artists share their art, carpenters show their woodwork. We have jewelry makers and craftspeople and musicians and computer genius' and doctors and writers and cops. Holy Sh*t, we are a pretty self-sufficient culture.
Maybe we should start calling ourselves the Tickling Culture, rather than 'community'. It's a very NESTy thing to do. It shows us that we're more important than just a few thousand people on the Internet, a place full of madmen, clowns and genius'.
I believe that it's not only a cool thing to come to NEST but it is a necessity for you to peek out from behind your keyboards and see the faces of your TK Family. It's pretty freakin' earth-shattering, as NEST alumni will attest to.
We need to have NEST more than once a year and we WILL be doing that. We now have a nice core group, a crew, to help make that happen. I would love to see everyone help out so we can all feel like NEST belongs to all of us.
I want to see all of you in the years ahead. There's more than 30,000 members of this site alone. Now THAT'S a City! Let's all work to make this city a reality. The official NEST website will launch within the next couple of weeks. There, you will be able to read about the Gatherings, find friends in your area, pay for registration, buy NEST-related stuff like our t-shirts. We have plans in the making for creating an Ebay-type auction for just Tickle-related items you might want to buy or sell. I will let you know when it is up and running.
Thank you all for listening. I have so much in my mind, I can't express it all here and now. I'll keep you posted.
Max
