General stuff...

[L-H@cup.portal.com]

Hi Love-Hounds,

Well, I've finally finished reading all my backed-up Digest messages-I 
lost my account with Portal for about a week and a half due to my credit
union screwing up and not paying Portal for the past 8 months (since I 
lost my wallet last november during Kon week), and work demands are taking
so much of my time these daze as I work toward my sabbatical (to include
a trip to Chicago to see C 'n V and Jorn and then down home to Tucson,
which will include a visit to Judi McKernan and her semi-hound hubby ;-).

I must say that I've been very touched by the kind posts about the N. Cal.
Katemass and celebration I recently hosted.  It really goes without saying,
but I'll say it anyway-Kate Bush fans, besides being the most knowlegeable
in the area of worthwhile music, truely are the nicest people in the 
world.  As someone stated, the party really was magic (as were all of the 
other parties, I know).  This very well may have been my best experience 
at a Kate party-everyone was really close (emotionally as well as 
physically-yeah, hee hee, it was crowded for awhile there!).  One of my
most vivid memories was after I went outside for some reason (probably 
to throw the latest filled trashcan) and then came back in.  The living 
and dining room were packed with people-it was as if I had not even come
into the door, so concentrated was everyone staring at the television as 
Andy was explaining some KatefaKT.  I don't even remember what it was-it
really didn't matter what it was anyway.  I just remember seeing people 
who mostly had only met each other that very day, looking completely at 
ease with one another.  Especially poignant and beautiful were the looks
on the faces of two teenage girls (well, they looked very young to me)
who I would guess had not known all that much about Kate to begin with
when they arrived as guests of another Love-Hound (Mark Kraft, I believe).
Though they had mostly hung around each other after first arriving, I 
remember them at this moment, no longer sitting next to each other, but 
next to a complete stranger.  One was asking the person next to her to 
please repeat a point Andy had just made, while at the same time trying 
to be discreet about it and not "disturb" to goings-on.  The fanzine 
she had been reading at the same time had slid from her cross-legged lap
to the floor without her even noticing it, so much was her desire not 
to miss any bit of information that was being discussed by IED and 
others at the moment. 

The house was covered in Kate-as Ed pointed out, we had not even put up
_half_ of the available posters!  At the end, though we had talked about
and had experienced so much, there was still so much that hadn't even
been touched upon.  When everyone had finally decided to call it a night
at about 3 am (well, those who were left, that is), I set up Ron Hill
on the sofa for the night, and tucked my weary bones into bed.  A half-
hour later, I awoke with a start to discover that the bed beneath my head
was completely soaked.  I had been crying in my sleep.  But they weren't
tears of sadness, believe me.  The first thing that came into my head
was a profound feeling of joy at just being alive at this time of the
world.   Thank you everybody for being so wonderful, and above all, 
thank you Robert and Hannah Bush.  Little did you know how happy you'd 
one day make a certain little Lion-Heart. 

She really IS! 

Larry (L-H@cup.portal.COM)