Hi everyone!
I'm sitting here in the lobby of Los Angeles's Farmer's Daughter hotel, looking out on a lobby strung with twinkling lights, listening to Etta James-style jazz and trying to measure exactly how tired I am. It's that bone-deep, heavy limb, eyeball-straining kind of tired, that only occurs after big events have run their course. After the Las Vegas podcst was such a success, and the recording of the official Scholastic are now complete, tonight will be like taking a well-deserved sleep after a fabulous adventure.
Not that it's all over: we do have our big - and I mean BIG - New York podcast on Wednesday. We're getting to see Jo - JO - on Tuesday night. And when I go home tomorrow, Moochka will be waiting for me. My mom tells me her tail is as long as her body now.
She's not the only one I miss; I was worried, when we booked our Vegas travel, that eight days with the Muggle boys would result in such overload that I'd break out in hives or, well, simply kill one of them...however, I have had more fun with that group of geeky, sweet, wonderful boys in the past week than in most other weeks of my life. Vegas was as successful as it was because our original suspicions were correct: We really do love each other, and hanging out together only yields the kind of goofiness and laughter that makes lifelong memories. They're almost all already back on the East Coast, and here in sunny, chill, flowerful, bright Los Angeles, it's not the same without random screams of "OHHHH, KEVIN!" or the worry over what - ahem - colorful message I'd find taped to my bedroom door next.
And the podcast... OK, yeah, we trounced MuggleNet. No one is more surprised about this than I; Emerson keeps saying that he's shocked we didn't think we would win. I had NO idea that Nick Rhein ws such a trivia god - and Susan, damn! I was glad to have gotten one question right, but that WICKED question nerly killed me. I knew the answer and wasn't on the panel, so had to cover my mouth and step on my foot and do a dance that only made me look like I needed the bathroom, to stop myself from saying it and therefore cheating.
Anyway, the last leg of this all commences tomorrow, when I'll be testing JUST how much I really do love those MuggleBoys, as they'll all be staying at my apartment. Thank goodness for air conditioning.
I feel like I've met more of you in the past week than I will for a long, long time. If I did, thank you for your support and your nice words. I've met so many Fitties, and that itself is a huge source of inspiration to me. You've given me coffee, and drawings of myself, and magnets with cats on them, and buttons with PotterCast phrases, and boxes of goodies designed to keep a girl vacationing with MuggleBoys sane, and such amazing cards with such heartfelt messages inside. A few of you even pulled me aside to express some very personal but nonetheless touching sentiments - you know who you are, and I can't begin to express how overwhelming and awe-inspiring it is, to me, that you would feel the need to say such things. I've met so many people this week with whom I'd love to be friends, that I'm actually sad that maintaining such friendships would be as big of a job as Leaky itself. If we don't get to say it loud enough, or often enough, we appreciate you all to the Nth degree, and can't wait to meet you over, and over, and over again.
See you soon!
Love you Melissa! :) It was amazing getting to meet you. and those -ahem- colorful messages on the doors... *giggle* LOL
Tell Emerson to let you sleep, or I'll have to come guard your door. :) *hugs* -Lizzie :)
Melissa Anelli, you are just so cool.
And just so you know, the live podcast wasn't only a success for those in the audience, but it was a success for those listening all over the country (and world!) as well. I was excited to get to listen to it live, but I was honestly surprised by just how much fun I had. I was chatting with various other people at the time, and we had so much fun listening to it and talking about it and being excited and happy together. It allowed a sense of community that you can't get listening to a podcast on your ipod. In some ways, that's isolating. But this was about experiencing the fun as a community, and the result was a whole lot of fun. A shocking amount of fun. An astonishing amount of fun. How much time do you have? I'll get my thesaurus.
Enjoy your incredibly well-deserved rest.
Aww, glad you had fun, Melissa! I'm so excited to meet you and everyone else at NYC! This, together with seeing Jo, is really going to be truly amazing. As for rooming with the MuggleBoys... uh... well, best of luck :-)
MELISSA!! I had so much fun today at The Grove. I was soo excited all week that I would be getting to go to a potter podcast event after having to miss all the rest, Even Vegas that was SOOOO close and yet too far away. I just wanted to say thank you for being so awesome, so nice and so friendly to everyone even though you are crazy tired. I loved that I got to talk to you for just a few moments ( Even if we only got to talk about the lost podcast, I totally get the busy thing;)) To sum it up I just really wanted to say thank you! just thanks for being soo cool
Melissa,
I'm sure you've heard this, oh, a couple million times over the past nine days, but I'm going to say it again. The work you do for this fandom means so much to so many people. Your dedication to the fans and to Jo makes you a positive role model for us all and for that, we can only say thank you. I hope that when Seven is published and the current speculation and debate stops that you will continue to bring us (and by us, I mean the fans) such excellent, intelligent material. Go on, get some rest. The ride's not over yet. Again, thank you for all you do.
A loyal fan of yours and Jo's,
Jordan
From the sounds of it, you had a great time in Vegas...and LA...and Chicago...and you deserve coming home to yet ANOTHER great adventure! The JO reading!! And, not to mention, another Live LeakyMug...which I am ecstatic that I will be attending! (Don't worry, I'll be sporting my Leaky T-Shirt that got here JUST in time!)
I, myself, am going to be on a plane in less than 10 hours. I'm so looking forward to NYC...as I've only been there once before and don't remember much about it. I'm looking forward to a memorable time there.
Anyway, thanks for all you do, and all you give, Melissa. I know it must get overwhelming, when you are out at events with Leaky fans, to hear about how much you bring to everyone's lives. But it's because you give so much of yourself, and that is truly felt throughout the fandom. You are loved; you are appreciated, and we are lucky to call you our "fearless leader".
Love ya chica! MJ
My one and only wish for the PC fandom, is for you guys to make a trip out to Australia. You guys would get such a great reception here, because no matter what part of Australia you go to, there will be fans from all over. I live in Brisbane, and would love love love love for you guys to come out here. I can't wait until the Lumos podcast is out on the feed, which should hopefully be with in the next 12 hours, so that when i get up in the morning, I can download and listen on my way to school. Thank you for everything that you do in our fanastic fandom. You'd be hard pushed to find a better one.
I'm from South America, i listened to the podcast from my computer, and i agree on every word with Melody! (tired for tiping it again, you understand :p)
Love you Melissa!!
hear hear Melody! I'm in australia and was listening to the Podcast live! It was the next best thing to being right there in Vegas, and it was so great to see the online community go crazy at exactly the same time as the lumos crowd were going crazy!
Melissa, you are amazing. what more can I say? And Lumos may be over but there is still New York to go. I have three simple words for you: "Bigger and Better!" Good Luck :)
Sounds like an incredible time you've had! Isn't it the greatest thing, meeting new people and sharing a good time? Have fun in NYC and...get some rest! -Will
I'm glad you had such a great time! If anyone deserved such a break, you guys at Leaky did! I'm kinda sad that I wasnt there but now even more excited about next year as I've promised myself I WILL be there!
Enjoy Jo! (Again)! ROCK ON!
Andy
Melissa,
It was so great to meet you. You are even nicer in person than I could have imagined and you blew me away. Thanks so much for making my first fan convention truly something to remember.
I still count myself VERY lucky to have gotten to meet you that wonderful day on Staten Island! You have no idea how many people I've made jelous with that. I'll be at the NYC podcast where I think there might be slightly more people than at the children's museum...just a few more. You're great, Melissa! Thanks for being 100% amazing.
Thank you Melissa (& John & Sue) for your willingness to make us feel important. My sister, Bev & I asked you guys to take a picture w/us at the Lumos Welcoming Feast. We didn't want to bother you, but all 3 of you jumped to your feet, took pictures & then started talking w/us like old friends. You guys are amazing, thanks again! Oh, and my sister was wondering if she can have her Mugglenet sticker back...
seems like you had a ton of fun. i cannot wait to see you in NY 2 DAYS FROM NOW! :)
Thanks for the update, Melissa! I am really excited to meet you on August 2nd, as I will be going to the live Leakymug podcast. How early should we actually get to Barnes and Noble in order to get a decent seat, since more than 1000 people have RSVPd? Also, is it true that we're not allowed to bring cameras to the JKR book reading?
I really admire you for all the hard work you put into Leaky and I'm so excited for Wednesday!
I wish that I could have been there! It's sad that you guys had such a blast at Lumos and will have the finale in NYC. I can't be their either, but I'll be excited none-the-less. Keep being awesome - not like you need someone to tell you! I couldn't listen live over the internet, so I'm very excited about the podcast! Have fun, get some sleep, and give the kitty a kiss for me!
Melissa, I was so excited to see pictures of the buttons I sent you in the Leaky Galleries. My family was outside when I first saw them, and my kids came running in to find out what I was exclaiming about -- I was so loud they heard me thru the window!
I had been so afraid, once I realized how really crazy your schedule was, that you hadn't had time to go to the PO Box before you left. I am looking forward to hearing the podcast once it's up on the feed -- it will be up on the feed, won't it? I wasn't available to hear it live. I'm glad you all had such a great time, and I've enjoyed seeing the pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share them.
I'm sad I missed the podcast! I waited for about 35ish minutes and then had to change out of my Ron outfit so I could eat dinner. I checked in around 7:30, right before I left, and Remus Lupins was still on state. :( It was great to see you again, if only for a bit. You look so good!!!
Hey Melissa!!
I haven't met you yet, but I really hope to. I'll be at the reading in New York, but I can only make it by the afternoon of August 2, so I (sadly) will be missing the podcast. I already forced my mom to change the plane tickets once...and now owe her some inordinate amount of money which I'm going to have to work for a while to pay off. Anyways, I've been listening to the podcasts and visiting TLC/Mugglenet for forever and I really want to be able to meet you when I get to New York, possibly at the reading? Anyways, if you have time (which I'm willing to bet you don't), please let me know how long the podcast is going to go on, because my flight gets in at 3 and I can run across Manhattan if need be(though taxi would be admittedly faster) to get there before it ends and meet you. I asked you to be my friend on myspace, so if you have time to tell me....that would be the place. But I know you won't have time and now I sound like a stalker....well I hope I meet you in New York, anyways. Thanks for being an incredible inspiration...if anyone made their dreams come true, it was you. See you!!!
-Kate
That's cool. Nice to know you had a fantastic time. New York now! Yay!
I agree michpotter! "Leaky Mug Down Under!" You all could stay at my place - I got plenty of room ;) lol!
Melissa, isn't your sister coming out to Australia next year? You could come visit her and do a live podcast while you're here! haha! It's an awesome idea, I swear! :)
Why hello Melissa!!
T'was a wonderful pleasure getting to meet you and an even greater pleasure getting to hang out and getting a bite to eat with you and the others.
Thanx again and holler at me if ya need any drawings.
-frak
Squeeee. Glad you guys had a good time. =3 I wish I could be there. :(
Have fun meeting Jo and having the MC Boys at your place. ;)
OH KEVIN!!
heheh
Now, you just have to make sure that Phoenix Rising next year is just as fun as Lumos seems to have been. Please do a podcast down there! I would love to come to one, but haven't been able to afford to do those cross country trecks. Thank God for whoever came up with Phoenix Rising! This Mississippi girl is thrilled to finally take this final step into the Harry Potter Fandom. Please do a podcast! PLEASE!
-Jennifer (vikehi on the forums)
Hey,
I just wanted to thank you for coming to Lumos--and even just for mentioning it in the first place way back in November. I had vaguely heard of the event, but when you guys thought you might be coming, I checked it out and decided to go. I had a ridiculous amount of fun there and it was so great meeting other HP crazy fans like myself, so thank you for that.
Also, the podcast was fantastic and I loved meeting you guys, especially you. You have done so much for the HP community and it was great to finally meet one of the people that I listen to each week. One more thing: I was the girl who told you that you looked even more pretty in person and you thought I meant that you looked really bad in the pictures online, but I didn't mean that! You just look even more fantastic in person :)
Have a good time at the podcast tomorrow, wish I could be there!
-Justine
Hello Melissa,
Many thanks for all the pleasure that you are bringing us and for all the hard work you must be putting into the leaky site, the podcasts and all.
I hope this will last for a long time.
Cheers
Mfree
Oh Melissa....I wish I had been able to come over and meet you at Vegas or NY. I'd liked to have met everyone but (ssssh don't tell anyone ;p ) you're my favourite! Glad you had a good time though
Melissa,
If you get a chance, can you please ask Jo if it is possible the Dumbledore faked his death using the Draught of Living Death?
I am dying to see he answer a question about him being alive rather than just asking why she killed him.
Hey Melissa!
I finally got my butt over here to come and say thank you for the Scholastic Podcast at The Grove. I had such a wonderful time. And then meeting you afterwards...just wow. I nearly died. I'm still sad that I just barely missed getting Emerson's autograph and a pic with him when he had to go back to the table, but just meeting you, even for a few seconds was one of the greatest moments of my life.
So thank you for everything. (And thank you for the huge intro to RENT, which, once again, has changed my life.) And I really hope you and the rest of the Leaky Mug crew will come out at the end of September for the Podcast Awards, and come meet my friends and I! We live in the city right next door, and would love to even just meet you.
You rock.
Love, Amanda
That was well, beautiful, Melissa.
First of all, sorry for pouncing on you today as you were leaving Barnes and Noble - that was me. It must get very overwhelming and stressful at times during crazy weeks like these, getting to meet thousands of people and coordinate so many things. So, I hope my pounce didn't stress you out even more. I was pretty starstruck to meet you, that I didn't have anything good to say, so I'll say it here. Thank you so much for giving fans an outlet and a common ground to stand on with Leaky. I don't have any friends who like Harry Potter, so meeting up with fellow potterheads like you gives us such a sense of community and belonging. You put an amazing amount of time and effort into it, and I just want you to know (as I'm sure you already do) how much we appreciate it. You're always the one posting the news, updating pottercast, keeping John in line (lol). You're wonderwoman and I adore you!!! Wish I had said all that today, but I was too in awe at meeting all of you to think. Can't wait to see you again soon,
Megan
Dear Melissa -- I am a friend of Julie Tynion. She told me she met/got to hug JKR in NYC. Did anyone get a picture of this? If so, can I get hold of it without Julie knowing? Her 50th birthday is coming up in September, and I would love to surprise her.
Thanks! Cynthia Kartman
Melissa, that dance you did when you wanted to anwser the Wicked question was HILARIOUS!
I was too nervous and ready to go to sleep to actually go up and meet you guys though. I kinda wish I did looking back, but then again I was out for the rest of the night only ten minutes after the podcast ended.
Melissa et al,
It was great hearing you, Emerson, and Cheryl here in Los Angeles this past Sunday paying tribute to our favorite boy wonder. For once I got a chance to see (and hear) true fans of Harry who are not 19 years old. (Sorry Emerson.) I am downloading the live NYC PotterCast. Get some rest!