(PICTURES FORTHCOMING!)
Greetings everyone! After a LO~ONG absence from TDF on account of the LA Doll Meet, I am back, rested (for the most part... *Yawn*), and ready to post!
I had an absolutely blast at the LA Meet this year! I was admittedly worried about the initial lack of interest in the Meet a few months back, but everything went splendidly! This ended up being every bit as fun as the Hershey Meet back in May, and has me stoked for next year's California (as it may not be in LA...
) Meet, which promises to be bigger and better than ever!
Here's how things went down...
PRE-MEET
DAY ONE: Monday, August 22nd
Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona: I flew in around 12:30 PM, local time. The temperature was in the high one-tens, but it was a dry heat, which made it somewhat nice. It wasn't humid like back in Minnesota, which meant no mosquitoes. I called Midiman from the airport and found a hotel for us--a Day's Inn.
Midi wouldn't arrive for a few hours, so I went to the hotel and then gave myself an on-foot tour of Tempe as I hunted down a CVS Pharmacy and adult toy store. My beloved Teddy Babe Deluxe Lisa, Deseray, was turned away at the airport because the box she was in was too big and would have cost me $175.00 to let her fly as checked luggage. My mother offered to ship Des to the B&B we'll be staying at in LA, but she won't arrive until Friday. I neglected to pack one of my inflatable girls, so I'm doll-less at the moment. I wanted a substitute, hence the toy store.
8:00 PM -- Fuck the Tempe Bus system. I found one adult store with the help of Hanuman, but got as far as the bus stop and decided to turn back. It's a good thing I did, as an internet search revealed the store to be closed. No big. There was another shop in town that was open late. I'd have a substitute doll yet. In the meantime, Midi, Hanuman, and I went out for dinner at a very nice, historic restaurant in Phoenix. One 20+ ounce steak, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a cocktail later, we hit the aforementioned shop. I bought two cheap throw-away inflatables that would keep me until Friday.
That done, Midi and I brought Hanuman home, returned to the hotel, and retired to our respective rooms, and rested up for what would be a busy day--which, as it turned out, would be the first of many.
DAY TWO: Tuesday, August 23rd
I had planned on riding with Midiman from Phoenix to California, but as it turned out, between three dolls and Midi's luggage, there wasn't enough room for me and my bags. That was no matter, as I got a rental car for a week for less than $400.00. After a nice lunch, I tailed Midiman at not always legal speeds to San Marcos, California.
After several hours of driving and several surprise Border Patrol checkpoints (and one stunned border guard as he shined his flashlight on Midi's Jenny Densuke doll, who was riding shotgun with me), we made it to the nearest affordable hotel to Abyss, where we would spend a good part of the next day. It was after midnight, so we hit up a local 24 hour Mexican restaurant before retiring for the night...er...morning.
DAY THREE: Wednesday, August 24th
Morning came and I followed Midiman straight to Abyss. We were welcomed by Abyss staff and shortly thereafter by Matt McMullen himself. As Midiman's 'doll wrangler' for the week, I helped unload the infamous Bianca, the less famous but no less beautiful Jenny Densuke, and the lovely Jessica Drake Wicked RealDoll for a checkup. I also served as cameraman for Midi, filming while he talked with Matt and the staff about what it would take to make his dolls as good as new. Afterwards, we went out to lunch with Matt McMullen!
Let me take this moment to say that Matt McMullen is one of the most WONDERFUL people I have ever met. He is extremely down to earth and sociable. It was an immense pleasure to get to spend time with him in a more casual, personal setting, especially over sushi.
After a day at the birthplace of the modern love doll, Midiman and I ate at an amazing Italian restaurant and prepared to rest up for the last leg of our trip to Los Angeles. I would need all the rest I could get for the drives that would follow...
DAY FOUR: Thursday, August 25th
Midiman and I returned to Abyss to check on the status of Midi's dolls. We picked up Bianca and Jessica Drake, who were fixed up and ready for the road. Jenny required a bit more work yet, so she'd have to spend another day at Abyss getting pampered at the RealDoll spa. Believe me, this extra time would pay off in spades...
Jenny was a cutie to begin with, but on Friday...a goddess would be born.
We took Amanda, the PR Rep at Abyss, out to brunch before hitting the road again and making for LA--in rush hour traffic. I have never driven in LA before, but I can safely say that if I can manage keeping up with a performance driver used to hitting speeds exceeding most people's IQs in Los Angeles traffic, I should be able to drive anywhere in the world. Midi and I reached the Secret Garden Bed and Breakfast in the evening, as the sun was going down. After unloading our vehicles and setting into our rooms, we got ready to meet the rest of the Meet-goers, who would arrive the following morning.
Next up... THE MEET PROPER! Stay tuned!
Edit:
Um, how did this post get in this topic? I made my own thread...
Maybe I should have just added it into this one...? Halp, plox... (<-- Lolspeak for: 'help please'. Sorry, the internet has corrupted me.
)