A little over three years ago, I got involved with chatting online and through that, I had the good fortune of meeting some wonderful people in the Chicago area. As things evolved, we one day decided to host a chat party here in Chicago, to meet some of the many friends that we had made around the country. We have just hosted our fourth chat party that was attended by 30 people from all over the country. The purpose of this page is to show the positive side of the internet. The media has bombarded us with so many boogie stories about the internet, that when you mention to someone you are on the internet, they look like they're gonna run for the holy water and douse you with it. So here you will find, with the help of my trusty sidekick and real life friend, ZGirlfrend, some Chatter Tidbits....some Chicago Tidbits and whatever other Tidbits we can think of.

Ok, kiddies. The time of anticipation for the 4th Annual Chicago Chat Party is over. It's now time to reminisce about all the fun we had over this past weekend. The power of the internet never ceases to amaze me. Here we are, a group of people from all over the nation, getting together to meet and enjoy each other. A group as diverse as they come. I often wonder if we had met on the street would we have formed the friendships that have developed. We come from all walks of life. Business men and women, EMT's, policemen, firemen, homemakers, Insurance salesmen/women, construction workers and truck drivers, and even a few "independently wealthy". We make up all the religions, races and industries. But the one common thread that runs between us is that we "like each other".

And that's what made this party so special. So here it was Friday, May 29, 1998. Let the fun begin!! Moana, ZGirlfriend, hybred, Eyez, Kelly, mrayj and CallMeAl worked together to make this a fun weekend for all. We had people arrive from California, Texas, South Dakota, Michigan, San Francisco, Indiana, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee and Ohio. Everyone had a great time meeting each other. Some old friends and some new. Moana collected childhood nicknames from some of the guests and posted them on the bulletin board. There was plenty of food and music and of course, the honored computer donated by hybred. It wouldn't be a Chitown party without my jello shots and Moana's Hot Damn Cherries. Yummmmmmm The cameras were flashing and the only difference was, instead of text on a screen, we were actually able to see and hear the laughter. Nothing compares to those real life hugs

Saturday morning everyone wandered in different directions. Some slept in, some went out for breakfast and some did the town. What a wonderful town it is!! Layla and Big John brought their son Josh and they went to the mall. Josh is a great little guy who won the hearts of all who met him.

By Saturday night we were all ready to party. We went as a group to Dumas Walkers for a lovely dinner. As always, good food and service made it worth the trip. Then back to the hospitality suite at the hotel for music, dancing and games. We started out the evening with a "Guess the Nickname" contest. Woooooo hoooooooo………..that was fun. There were some interesting nicks for these pre-cybernuts. Stinker, Babydoll, Trina, Glabe, Bookie, Scooter, PoohBear, Butch, Smitty, Leenybug, Bare, BoomBoom and Flash. All names of future chatters. The grand prize winner was Joshii who guessed the most with 7 correct answers. He went home with a very cool Chicago T-shirt.

Next we played the dictionary game. Moana found four words that everyone had to make up a definition for. Then we read all the creative answers along with the real def and everyone had to pick which they thought was correct. Let me tell you. We have some twisted minds in this group!! LOL Below you'll see how everyone fared and who was able to fool the group best of all. Let's see how creative you can be. Here are the words we used. Now no cheating, (put that dictionary away!). See if you can make up a good definition for each: Flabellation…………Bellibone………..Effluvium………..Coxcomb.

We also played Pseudo Pictionary. I didn't realize what arteeeests we had. Hehehe We split the room in half and each had to choose from phrases and words that are commonly used in chat. Oh boy, this group is good. The score was tied and the "A" Team only won by seconds. Congrats!!! After much laughter and smartass remarks we pulled names out of a box and some of our guests went home with souvenier Chicago pens and magnets.

Of course, I can't leave out the traditional group Tequilla Shots. With our hands raised high we licked, slammed and sucked. A toast to all the roomies for coming and sharing themselves for an unforgettable weekend!!!!

Well, once again, sports fans the Bulls have captured the NBA Championship title. Another very exciting season and a winning game that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. It looked kind of bleak going into the game, Harper sick with the stomach flu and Pippen with a back injury. But, the team jumped on Jordan's back and managed to pull it through. With seconds left in the game Jordan took his shot and the rest is, as they say, history. And the fans here celebrated in true Chicago fashion. Fireworks could be heard all over the city, one would have thought it was 4th of July. Division and Rush Streets were alive with excitement. The fans spilled out from the neigboring bars and continued their celebration in the streets. The downtown exits from the expressway were closed to keep everything contained and from all reports there were no major incidents. It was a great weekend for Chicago. Everyone is now waiting anxiously to hear if the team will stay together for one more season. We sure hope so guys...cuz SEVEN IS HEAVEN!

Congratulations to Kelly and Mr. Kel on the arrival of their new little daughter, Alyssa. Our newest little "Chicago Babe"! And, what a cutie-pie she is. They traveled all the way to Russia to get her. We're so happy for them and know that Kel and Mr. Kel will make a great mommy and daddy. We love you Ally! You can read more about their adoption experience at Patty's Potpourri.

Last week Skrunchie,from Florida, was in town visiting with MksMeSmil. I don't think Chicago will be the same with those two gals on the loose...(giggle). Last Monday night (7/6), we (Skrunchie, Mks, ZG, InphamousP and myself) met at Houlihan's in Schaumburg for dinner. As usual, we were never at a loss for words, and it was so great to see Skrunchie again.

ZGirlfrend and Mrayj took a jaunt up to Michican and got stuck in a three hour traffic jam. From what it sounded like, it ended up being one big tailgate party. I can see ZG now, running up and down the highway screaming, "I gotta go potty"!

This weekend (7/17) we will welcome Zandro, from California, to Chicago. It's his first time ever trip here. We'll all be meeting at Dumas Walker's in Arlington Heights on Friday night for dinner. On Saturday, we're planning on taking a trip to Navy Pier and maybe, do some wading in Buckingham Fountain..hehehe. It's always great to welcome one of our online buds to our wonderful city.

As for me, I've been spending a lot of my weekends at Bluff Lake up on the Chain Of Lakes. My brother has a place up there and we do the swimming, boating and wave running thing. After dumping on a gallon of suntan lotion at the highest SPF, donning a hat and long sleeves, I'm ready for action. The last time I came home from there, I had mosquito bites the size of Texas. I don't think the outdoors likes me. Our next adventure is going to be tubing...ack...I can hardly wait. As rumor has it, one of our buds did the tubing thing and unbeknownst to her, the bottom of her bathing suit had slid down. Needless to say, she mooned half the lake. I won't give her name...but her initals are ZG...hehehe.

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