starstruck

There have been times when I have been starstruck, not by movie stars (though I did see Jimmy Stewart at the Lincoln Memorial once) or musicians (I still remember standing next to Tex Perkins at a BDO) but writers. I either go mute and gaze at them adoringly (Alain deBotton) or I turn simple and ask them to come and stay at my house (Alexander McCall Smith and he demurred politely). I'm not sure what it is but my brain fries and I get all dorky and twitterpated. I long to be uber cool and utter some witticism that will have the author and I chuckling companionably but my brain says no dice. I think it's something about relating to what the author has said and how they have said it that makes me feel like I know them (sounding a little bit like a stalker now) and of course I don't simper around all authors. In fact I can pretty much guarantee it would be a simper free zone around Bryce or Dan.
And then there are blogs and the bloggers that write them. Finding a great blog can be a time sucking revelation and because there are so many details of the blogger's life revealed you do feel like you know them. There's the problem of catch ups with blogger friends who in turn read your own blog. It's easy to run out of conversation when you've both been reading what the other is up to.
My friend Amy and I have been fans of NQN's blog for a while now. We got a little competitive about Lorraine (NQN) leaving comments on our own blogs as we were quite enamoured with her blog and consequently with her. So when Alison (my web editor) organised a lunch last November for the online writers for webchild, I was excited for the following reasons:
a) I would be having yum cha
b) I would actually get to meet Alison instead of emailing and phoning
c) I would also get to meet Lorraine, my food blogging hero (and Amy was jealous hehe!)
I somehow managed to shoehorn it in between my haircut, shopping, the reunion, breakfast with my friend Soph and was rewarded. It was so good to eat dumplings and rice noodles again (sigh I might just pause a moment to think about the har gau) but of course it was also good to meet my cyber friends in person. I must say Lorraine was very well behaved when it came to claiming dumplings, maybe that's how she stays so tiny. As opposed to me who should have worn a t shirt saying,"Do you mind if I eat this last dumpling?"
I presented her and Alison with some culinary goodies from this area (yes, they do exist) such as some Junee Licorice factory chocolate, Harefield pistachios and of course the bum hummers that later got a mention on Lorraine's blog. I got some more books to review and of course I got to meet Linda who reviews the gadgets for webchild and Duncan who reviews games.
So was I a gibbering fool? No, I felt very relaxed and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Little did I know that my appendix was festering quietly away.

Me, Linda, Alison, Duncan and hiding away in the background,
Lorraine (she prefers photos of food)