Flying back home from ORD and being in a somewhat philosophical mood after a glass of wine, here are my thoughts and observations about the Chicago Do and some other recent FT gatherings.
- I would characterize most of the Do participants as either buzzing bees or wall flowers. Bees are like good politicians ( if there is such a thing ): they constantly are flying from flower to flower, being loved by everyboby but yet belonging to no one. Shy wall flowers on the other hand stay in their little corners and wait for the bees to come to them.
I love both types, but time and time again I find that it's among the flowers that one finds the most genuine and warm persons.
What group would you say you belong to ?
- There is not much change since high school days, meaning that the best place to get "The Scoop" is in a ladies restroom. Girls ( now ladies ) tend to congregate in a restroom and exchange the "dirt", i.e. who was with whom at the last gathering, who has a shady past, who did what to whom, who has the best bod... and other important and useful staff. I don't know what are you boys discussing in your restroom but if you ever see ladies disappearing in big numbers, that means that the discussion is reaching a crescendo in the ladies room. No amount of miles will make me disclose the secrets of such discussions, however 2-3 double class upgrades might do the trick. Whould you like to know if your name was mentioned in the privacy of Leona's restroom ?
- For being a FT event, there was surprisingly little talk about miles and points. Most of conversations centered on getting to know each other better as just people. IMHO, there were a lot of good friendships made that way.
- It's always been interesting to get an opinion of non-FTers about our group. I mean people that are spouses/partners/friends of the Do participants.
I am pleased to report that most of them do NOT think of us as nuts ( well, maybe a little bit ). They love us enough to forgive us for this little "personality defect".
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all these "better halves" for their support and for coming to Chicago. You guys ( and girls ) are wonderful!
- It is amazing how many of us are pet lovers. I always thought that an individual who loves his/her animals could not possibly be a bad person.
It is almost like an instant connection when you discover another FTer who left his/her four-legged creature behind to come to the Do and misses them terribly!
- Getting up on Sunday morning to catch my plane, I was counting blessings that Do's only last a weekend. Imagine if we had it for a week or so! We'll all die from lack of sleep and excessive food and alcohol consumption.
- It was great that most of us stayed at the same hotel during the Do. Whenever I showed up at the lobby, there was always a group of people getting ready to go somewhere. I can't thank the organizers enough for their flexibility during the event. Without any prior reservations or arrangements, I was accepted by every group and got a chance to participate in many events on a moment notice. ( I know, I know, we should be more prepared and organized before the event, but thanks to the organizers anyway for their ability to "bend the rules" for some of us, the disorganized ones ).
- For me, the highlight of the Chicago Do was the Saturday night at the Big Bar ( at the Hyatt ). It is amazing how many funny and kind people there are in our FT community! I still smile when I remember the "turn of events" and the "recovery efforts" followed our little "epizode". Mark, you are a sweetheart! One of the greatest things about you is the ability to laugh at yourself. We love you! ( And it is easy for me to say as I was in the BACK row during the "fireworks" )

In any case, those are some of my deep thoughts about the Chicago Do. It goes deeper from here. Do you have any thoughts of your own?