Here is our first post from San Antonio. See the pictures at http://homepage.mac.com/hrunting/PhotoAlbum11.html
&
http://homepage.mac.com/hrunting/PhotoAlbum12.html

The following is what the STAB Antonian's (our BBYA group) has to say so far:

HELLLLOOOOO STABBBYA GROUPIES!!!!!
We all know you want to be here, but we’re here instead of you. HAHAHAHA. In San Antonio. Having the greatest time… ever.

“THE STARS AT NIGHT ARE BIG AND BRIGHT…”

Things that we have done so far:
1) thanks to Rick, left on a red-eye flight at 11 PM from seatac and arrived at dallas fort worth airport in the middle of the night. Staggered blindly through the airport trying to find our gate. Bought huge cups of starbucks and sat waiting for the flight to san Antonio. Molly spilled her chantico all over her pants and Alene’s bag. It was not happy, but we had snacks for later.
2. finally got to san Antonio, with about 3 hours of sleep between us. Found a van. Nina had to pay for it, because the responsible chaperone had no cash. Jackie and Molly almost had to brave the freeways of San Antonio without seatbelts, because the poor taxi-van had none for them. Nina also pinched herself. Hard. She blamed it on her
suitcase. See picture Blister from Hell.
3) We attempted to arrive at the hotel. They wouldn’t let us check in. But Thurston the Bell Captain was really nice, and directed us to an office cubicle disguised as ladies room, where we attempted to look more….human. We’re not sure it worked.
4) A random woman came in and talked to us about Seattle and books. We didn’t know her.
5) We got directions from Thurston to the Alamo, to go see if there was a basement. Disappointment of the Century: there is no basement, only a bunch of rocks piled on top of each other with random flags from different countries, that have nothing to do with Texas or Mexico or the Alamo… also, some memorials from dead people, and every possession Davey Crockett ever owned.
6) Then we went to the Convention Center. It was freezing. Though it wasn’t supposed to be. Rick lied. We theorize that Rick made up the weather report he gave us. Inside the Convention Center it was toasty warm, but outside it was like, 20 degrees. Maybe.
7.) We waited in like twenty different lines to get little slips of paper that let us into a big room with lots of SWAG! Here we met Rick. We screamed and cried like the groupies we are when we saw him. All the librarians passing were shocked that Rick knew such fashionable, charming, adorable, attractive, and likable people (that’s us). Then some guy who knew Rick was like, “hey, it’s Rick’s girls!” Um, hello, weird? So the guy who knew Rick said we were now the “Rickettes.” Which kind of sounds like rickets, which is like, a disease. But whatever. It was supposed to sound like Rockettes, like the dance group. We only do high kicks for a considerable fee. (We really are the next big thing,)
8) After we scored all kinds of swag, I mean SWAG, (sorry), including weird pencils and American history posters (YES!) we went to the mall and had lunch: orange chicken, according to Texas. It was actually more like elevensies, and now Rick thinks he’s a hobbit, which is really kind of sad because if you look at him closely he actually does resemble one. So now his new name is Ricko, like Frodo, and he’s going to stop shaving his feet and start living in a hole in the ground so he will stop hiding his true identity. At last! Molly also spilled on herself again, and has since stated that “Orange Chicken” sauce goes quite well with leftover Chantico Starbucks chocolate.
9) We tried to get Jackie’s ears pierced, but the fascists at Claire’s wouldn’t let us because her mom wasn’t there. We’re now on the lookout for red-headed people willing to go back with us.
10) We went BACK to the Convention Center, into HBC-214A (the room where they talk about teen books.) Also, coincidentally, the room farthest from the elevator. We put all our SWAG in the room which was a relief because our backs were actually broken, and our shoulders were going to pop out of our sockets, and our feet were melding to our shoes. We then proceeded to lie across three chairs each and fall into a deep slumber. Except for Molly, who kept watch for us, reading free graphic novels. Rick and the other librarians talked about teen books, which was fun for them.
-We take a short break for a passage from the Holy Bible. –
“And when Rachel saw that she beared Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, give me children, or else I die.”
BY THE WAY: WE LOVE ALENE LIKE WE LOVE OREOS, and that’s a lot of love, right there.

Back to the blog.
11) We heard Ricko Baggins dis Loyola Chin, and yet support Sandpiper all the way.(WHAT?) Then one guy was like, “Sandpiper begins where Rainbow Party ended.” Uh…. How about not? Let’s not even go there.
12) So then, we met Angie and her roommate, Jerene. WE went back to the hotel to freshen up. Nina was adamant that she takes a shower because she’s very aquatic. And so, we went back down to the lobby late because of Nina Aquatica.
ANYWAY, Angie & Jerene ditched us. SO, we traipsed around San Antonio without their help. We went to the MERCADO and bought lots of touristy stuff. Then we thought we’d get dinner but ended up getting ice cream instead!! And Nina almost had a near disaster with the point of her cone, which apparently you’re just supposed to shove in your mouth instead of chewing like a civilized person. It was determined that Nina didn’t know anything at this point, about ice cream or otherwise.
13) After this ice cream adventure, we walked down the River Walk, where you basically walk down the fake little river. Michelle took many pictures of Hitchcock-esque Birds(f.y.i: they were called Grackles), pretty things, and Molly waving to random boaters on the river. Alene called her mom, Nina spaced out as she shivered, and Jackie chilled.
14) We went back to our hotel, and Nina went upstairs to change. Again. A half hour later, she came back downstairs, where the party was goin on in the hotel lobby, where Ricko Baggins had just showed up in a dashing suit and yellow tie, and was about to go to a party we weren’t invited to. What a jerk. He did, however, buy us Oreos and Red Vines, so we allowed him to go and forgave him somewhat.
15) We are currently in Alene’s room, which is much bigger than ours, by the way, and watching a movie that every single actor in Hollywood seems to be in, including Will Smith, Jason Lee, Jack Black, Jon Voigt, Regina King, and Seth Green. And some little kids that play video games. We’re ordering pizza (Alene had to speak sharply to the pizza delivery people, since they were unfortunately not very intelligent.)
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY! Stay posted for more of our adventures in San Antonio. Tomorrow we’re going to unscrew all the traffic lights so that they hang the right way. People in Texas are incapable of putting them vertically and think they look best sideways. What a state.

“…DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!!!!!!”