A Visit from Steven

[drscott]

Friday I neatened up the house and shopped for the evening dinner party featuring special guest Steven Levine (unzeugmatic) and local special guest Lou Ceci, as well as regulars John and Mark. Steven arrived early (coming straight from work in Mountain View) and regaled us with a Morris dancing demo before the rest of the guests arrived. As usual I didn't get to partake of the pre-dinner repartee much, but dinner was fun -- we heard stories of how Steven was taken to dinner by Garrison Keillor, and discovered Steven and John had a good mutual friend whose first husband switched sexes [must be a really wrenching experience for everyone involved!] There was much discussion (most of it over my musical head) about shape note singing. While I was busy with food prep I got to overhear lots of interesting chatter about *me*, always my favorite topic. I didn't try anything new for dinner, but it turned out well.

Comments

[excessor.livejournal.com]

I got to overhear lots of interesting chatter about *me*, always my favorite topic.

But hon, we talk about you all the time. Really.

I didn't try anything new for dinner, but it turned out well.

It was a fun evening. It's always fascinating to meet someone completely new, such as unzeugmatic, and discover people, places, or events we know in common.

[robearal.livejournal.com]

I was a morris dancer for a year until my knees rebelled.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

And I forgot to mention that Steven looks just like Isaac Asimov in the picture, which should horrify him. :-)

[phornax.livejournal.com]

Steven is a truly amazing person, a boundless fount of energy and enthusiasm -- I first met him almost 12 years ago. So this John knows "God"? (That's an in-joke, son.)

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I have long since relinquished all memories of soc.motss to the dustbin, but they tried hard to revive them. No dice!

[qbear.livejournal.com]

Ah, shape-note singing--used to do that a lot. And contradance. But never at the same time...

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

That would involve *way* too much coordination. I don't think I could manage that either.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

And so, Steven, why were you taken to dinner by Garrison Keillor?

[phornax.livejournal.com]

Whuuuuuuh...?!?!? You participated in soc.motss?

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Actually no, I only read it. When I started at BBN (one of the lesser-known early Unix shops for things like TCP/IP code) I was warned never to post on Usenet because it would be a vast waste of time. Good advice, as it turns out, and I never did spend much time posting even after I left BBN.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Nice to see a picture of Steven with ya'll! I enjoyed meeting him when he came to "Evita" in Newark during the holidays! Hugs to you!

[phornax.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know BBN well. I used to reside in Boston and spend more time in Cambridge than Boston. Is that how you know unzeugmatic? I had assumed it was through dancing.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

No, we knew each other from being in the small coterie of MIT/Harvard/etc (he went to Brown) people in the early 80s. I tried to pick him up at an MIT dance once, but he didn't notice (or so he says!)

[phornax.livejournal.com]

Heheh. I used to go to the MIT gay grad student functions in the 1990s.

[unzeugmatic.livejournal.com]

It isn't so much a why as a how and probably merits an entry in my own journal. It would be more accurate to say that Garrison Keillor treated me to dinner than to say he took me to dinner, but yes I can tell the true story of "The Night Garrison Keillor Bought Me Dinner."

It will go on the list...

[unzeugmatic.livejournal.com]

We all of us live everywhere, I think.

I still feel all special and giggly that we got to meet you backstage and go out for a bit as a group. I'm just a Stagedoor Johnny at heart.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Curiouser and curiouser!

I look forward to it.