Update II (9/13): Avery has the lowdown on the throwdown (You got that?).
I met Avery and Ambra almost two weeks ago, and I finally got a chance to post these photos. I’ve now met three members of the The Conservative Brotherhood in person (I met Juliette in June), and I look forward to being face-to-face with the rest.
The lovely Ambra Nykol, who’s from Seattle, was traveling on business that week. The three of us met for lunch in D.C., near my job. Ambra recently became a political columnist for a local Seattle magazine. She’s putting the finishing touches on her new site, so check out her current one (which looks good, by the way) while you still have the chance.
Avery Tooley is a graduate student at the University of Maryland at College Park. Look long and hard at his photo because I doubt you’ll ever see him smiling in any photos on his site. If you’ve ever been to his old blog, you may remember several unsmiling, hard-looking pictures. This is his new site. I don’t think he has plans to post a smiling photo of himself over there, either. It must be a guy thing.
Avery took this photo of us. He likes black and white pictures, so I removed the color from this one to see how it would look. In case you’re wondering why I have no prominent photos of myself in the post, it’s because I don’t like the way I look. The lighting was bad and I was having a bad hair day!
I first “met” Avery and Ambra around the same time, between December 2003 and February 2004, maybe earlier. Avery told me I was one of the reasons he started blogging (shameless plug). Although I felt as if I already knew them, I was still a little nervous because, as Ambra wrote in her post, “we can’t all possibly be as ‘cool’ as we come across in our blogs.”
But they’re both cool. It was almost surreal sitting there with them, talking like long-time friends. And you should have seen us during the picture-taking session. All three digital cameras were snapping away. We were totally oblivious to the people around us as we tried this pose and that. Let me come over there. No, I’ll come over there. Put the flash on. No, leave it off. Did you get the shot? Make sure you take one with my camera, too.
It was hilarious. But time flew and I had to get back to work. Avery headed to class and Ambra was meeting a friend. I’m waiting for the day when all the members of our conservative group get together. Can you imagine 11 people passing around 11 cameras as we arrange ourselves for the perfect shots?
Make sure you take one with my camera, too!
Update: Ambra “meets” Dan Rather.
That is wonderful! You always hear about the axe murderers and child molesters, so it’s nice to hear about people who got together and it was… you know… normal! lol You’re always welcome in my house.
Comment by RepJ — 09.11.04 @ 10:06 am
That was probably the best looking lunch table in DC that day!!
Comment by joy — 09.11.04 @ 11:51 am
I thought you looked lovely, along with your lunch buddies!
Comment by kellymo — 09.11.04 @ 4:50 pm
Fine looking group, LaShawn. Wish I could have been there too! I can only imagine the great conversations.
Comment by cooper — 09.11.04 @ 6:28 pm
La Shawn please! Although I’ll agree that the lighting was bad, you are being far too modest. I’ll direct folks over to MY site so they can see how lovely you are (he hee). And that latest snapshot up there in the left hand corner I LOVE.
Look forward to meeting again.
Comment by Ambra Nykol — 09.11.04 @ 6:59 pm
Thanks, Ambra. You’re too cool. As I said, I hope one day all 11 of us will be sitting at a dinner table, stuffing our faces and talking loud.!
Comment by La Shawn — 09.11.04 @ 7:30 pm
I think a panoramic-capability camera will be in order.
Oh, and you should know that you’ve inspired more bloggers than I’m sure you’re even aware of. You should be proud!
Comment by Ambra Nykol — 09.11.04 @ 9:22 pm
As a guy, I can attest: I don’t smile for pictures either.
Comment by Ray Phelps — 09.11.04 @ 9:24 pm
Miss Barber, you are too modest.
And yes, the not smiling is a guy thing.
Ambra is correct, I for one can attest to the fact that I was directly inspired to blog by you Miss Barber. Thank you.
Comment by Jerry McClellan — 09.12.04 @ 2:42 pm
First of all, La Shawn, you look good in those pictures. When I finally get around to posting pictures (cuz you don’t know I got over 100 shots…) you’ll see.
Comment by avery — 09.12.04 @ 8:21 pm
Ugh!
Comment by La Shawn — 09.12.04 @ 8:32 pm
La Shawn,
Your self-consciousness knows no bounds. Even with a bad hair day and bad lighting going on (as you made a point about) you look beautiful! I’m sure that many of your other faithful readers will back me up on that. I most enjoyed Avery’s comments on his website about how sweet you are in person as opposed to your tough talking here on the “Corner”. The secret is out!
Comment by Montie — 09.13.04 @ 1:55 pm
Thanks, Montie.
Comment by LB — 09.13.04 @ 3:09 pm
Surf Patrol
Zsallia Marieko over at Methuselah’s Daughter uses the literary device of being 3,500 years old, and her posts usually are infallibly constructed from the immortal’s viewpoint. So when she said “One thing I have learned over the past few centuries:…
Trackback by weaselteeth.com — 09.24.04 @ 12:55 pm