Excitment is building, but...

[Mary R]

I am, like so many others really getting excited about that trip up north to Timmins!
But I have to say, I'm a little nervous too! This will be a first for me, a trip without my hubby. We have for the last 26 years never ever have gone on a trip without one another, Ok there was one, an over night trip with my son and his friend when we went to a Shania concert. But other than that this is a first for me. He has always been the one making most of the plans for our trips. But now I'm the one having to do that! It's a little scary for me. I'm worried that I'm going to miss something in the planning. I'm so glad that Jessi, a fellow fan club member is helping with the planning and we'll be heading up together! I am really looking forward to this trip! I can't wait to meet all you guys & gals when we get there! The excitment builds!!
Mary R http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif

[DOC BILL]

The emotions are all part of the adventure Mary! Roll with it! The knot in your stomach eventually finds it's home in that warm part of your heart and the memories-well the memories are what make all worth while. Sharing those memories with your husband when you get home will warm his heart as well. DOC

[FV]

Hey Mary! It's getting close! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif YEAH! LOL..If any fan here from the board who is coming up to Timmins needs help with anything, just post your questions and I am sure all our minds together will be able to give the right answer! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif Not to mention that we have Roger, our real encyclopaedia.. http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif


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Cheers,
FV

[Joni]

Hey Mary I feel for ya! I too will be leaving my hubby at home, but I get nervous about leaving my kids! I know they'll be fine with Dad, but still, ugh! And then last night my husband said he's a little worried about me meeting people that I met on the internet...we all know those horror stories. I assured him I would take precautions against all the "Twainiacs" in Timmins! I hope I'll be able to relax out of the "mom" mode to enjoy myself!

Joni

[Roger]

I don't know how encyclopaedic I am but I'll be glad to help where I can. Mary, I feel nervous too but not about travelling. I guess I've done a fair bit of that. But I'm nervous about meeting you people. I know I'll look at those of you who are going and think "Gosh, these people are total strangers! What am I doing here?" This is because the internet reverses the normal order of meeting people. Normally, we meet people in person first so the first thing we know about each other is what we look like. Then we automatically slot people according to age, sex, race, economic level, etc. We learn all the externals about each other first and only get to the "real" people underneath, if at all, after a much longer period. On this board we reveal only as much as we are comfortable about ourselves but, for sure, our essential personality does come through. In many cases, I could read a post here written anonymously and still know who had written it. So we know each others' inner selves first. I guess this can be good in that prejudices based on externals don't prevent getting to know each other. In fact, friendships can develop on the net that just would never happen in "real" life. Still and all, I'm nervous about meeting you guys in person. Will most of you think I'm too old? But to answer my own question (what am I doing here?) I guess we'll all be there to celebrate our mutual passion. I have been struck by how nice the people on this board are. I'm sure by the end of the weekend when we have gotten over the shock of meeting in person and celebrated together, our friendships will have deepened.

Roger

[This message has been edited by Roger (edited 05-18-2001).]

[FV]

Well put it Roger! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif

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Cheers,
FV

[DOC BILL]

Be afraid Roger-Be very afraid! LOL
Actually what I thought would be really neat would be for each of us to try to guess who the others are. I thought of suggesting it but realized technically it would be impossible to do cause we'll be running into each other seperately I'm sure before we get together as a group. Your post was very good Roger. I too share your feelings on the issue. And Joni, tell your hubby Doc's just a teddy bear(at least according to FV!) and Mrs. Teddy and cubs are comin' too! DOC

[Bryce]

The way we are all going to meet really reminds me of how Mutt and Shania met. Which I feel is kinda fitting considering what we are journeying up to Timmins for. I guess the only difference is we used the internet to initially meet instead of the phone. http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif

Bryce

[cbspock]

Originally posted by Bryce:
The way we are all going to meet really reminds me of how Mutt and Shania met. Which I feel is kinda fitting considering what we are journeying up to Timmins for. I guess the only difference is we used the internet to initially meet instead of the phone. http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif

Bryce


LOL, I was thinking the same thing..
-Chris

[Bob]

I second the motion. Normally, initial impressions are made on the basis of physical appearance, age, gender etc. And we each tend to have our own likes and dislikes of similarities and differences. So our preferences or prejudices can often screen out relationships with greater potential that those we actually invest in. Most of us have limited time and resources so we have to prioritize somewhat. And it's natural to steer toward that which seems to offer the most benefit or gain.

For me, in contrast to Roger's concern, that includes people older than me. I've always gotten along better with those who have more experience, knowledge, connections, etc., than with my own age group. Partly it's because I've had to handle mature responsibilities at a much younger age than usual. So I was rewarded for what I could contribute that way, and not for the ability as a child, to be playful, teasing, fun loving. Makes me very productive and appreciated by my employers and elders. But it also results in a kind of seriousness, and stiffness that can be kind of a wet blanket at parties of peers whom I don't know well.

So it'll be interesting to see how this goes. We've all got our informal, internalized rankings of closeness amongst members here. How much will that be changed by the physical appearances we encounter in Timmins? Will there be some cognitive dissonance? I believe there will. There will also be some pleasant surprises. What we come back home with, will be different than when we started on the trip. But en sum, I'm quite confident it will be a big plus. I've seen you folks converse, discuss, debate, argue and even clobber each other verbally & briefly at times. We all have our quirks, and there will be some things we encounter that we'd just as soon do without. But there is an undeniable quality of character in this group that has the chemistry to generate warmth and depth of feeling which we won't fully recognize until after it happens.

[Roger]

Nice post, Bob. Don't worry about being serious and stiff. I think that's how I come across. Classic situation for the introvert. You know what? I think messageboards like this one actually allow introverts like me to express ourselves much more than in a traditional social situation. Socially we may be quiet-spoken and hesitant to put ourselves forward, possibly unskilled at social banter. On a board, we always have time to compose our thoughts and put things just the way we want. We get to assert ourselves more. I wonder how many of the rest of us on this board fit this mold?

Anyway, Bob, I look forward to meeting you. We can be serious and stiff together...LOL

Roger

[Mary R]

Wow, Roger, Bob & Doc Bill you guys sure have a way with words! I'm not the best with words but you have all said what I'm sure a lot of us thought! Joni I'm not too worried about leaving the kids, my oldest is 25 and my baby is 20! Besides, Jessi, will be my Kiddo away from home. I keep telling her that she has to lay off of the pop for our trip up north she's too hyper already without all that caffeine! Do you have pretty young kids that will be keeping dad busy while your away? My hubby said he would have liked to have come with me but couldn't take that length of time off of work. Hey, you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder! I'm sure that we all have in our minds an inmage of what we think someone is going to look like or be like from what has been posted by them on the messageboard! It will be interesting to see! I can't wait! Mary R http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif

[Bob]

Roger and Mary,

Thanks for your kind words.

Mary, I've had similar reservations to those cited above in this thread. And it's great that you raised the issues so we could work our way through them somewhat and understand one another.

Roger, I've been looking forward to this for some time on the plus side, desipte occasional concerns about issues such as those above. Londo has indicated he'll really miss not getting in on our in-person meeting and discussions.

A new reservation that came up just in your last post made me chuckle a little. I too will enjoy being serious and stiff together with a similarly disposed comrad in the way you intended that. However for others, I don't want them to get the wrong idea about the possible triple entendre meaning of "getting stiff together." I'm not especially attracted to alcohol, but I am attracted in the romantic sense, only to women.

[Roger]

Originally posted by Bob:

A new reservation that came up just in your last post made me chuckle a little. I too will enjoy being serious and stiff together with a similarly disposed comrad in the way you intended that. However for others, I don't want them to get the wrong idea about the possible triple entendre meaning of "getting stiff together." I'm not especially attracted to alcohol, but I am attracted in the romantic sense, only to women.

LOL...Bob. Silly, innocent me! I never thought of these other meanings. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.

Roger

[Steve F]

Well, here I am again late. I haven't been on here for 3 days. You all have posted some interesting things about us all meeting. I am as nervous as anyone, as well I should be. I've been a member of an Elvis fan club here in Maine for 24 years, but those people I met right up front when I started which, as some of you have indicated, is a lot different.

I look at it this way. If my spouse has enough guts to go to Timmins to meet you when she has absolutely no reason to, then I guess I should be able to do the same since I do have a reason. I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever contemplated attempting something like this. You know what Flip Wilson used to say, the Devil made me do it. Well, "Shania is making me do it." That's all I can say. I am really looking forward to this. Whether or not I make an idiot of myself in the process remains to be seen, but I hope you folks will cut me some slack while we are on this wild extended weekend together. I sure as heck will do that for all of you.

Steve

PS Besides, Joni already knows what some of us look like. http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/tongue.gif

[FV]

No prob Steve! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif We'll censor all the possible incriminating photos from Timmins! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/biggrin.gif

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Cheers,
FV

[Joni]

http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/otn/other/popworm.gif O.K. I'm busted. But actually only two of you that are going to be in Timmins have sent photos, so the majority I won't have a clue about! And yes Mary my kids are young. No one has hit double digits yet http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif

Joni

[Londo]

I’ll be having some exams around July 1st so I’ll have to dig deep in order to keep my focus on the problems at hand knowing that thousands of miles away you are having a blast in the part of the world that many of my fellow countrymen use to immigrate. However I have a feeling that by the end of the weekend all of you and the others will turn Timmins into ruins, so I’m happy that I won’t become a victim of Shania’s wrath when she finds out about it. (ok, ok, I know.... “Shania” and “wrath” don’t go very well together in the same sentence...) So behave yourselves, kids! http://www.shania-twain.org/messages/smile.gif