Love, Love, Love My SoCal Trekkie Tweeps!

Saturday thirteen intrepid Twitterers converged on Riverside, CA for some Treknanigans.
The Star Trek Exhibition at the Riverside Municipal Museum was our excuse to meet, but we also enjoyed socializing at a few nearby establishments.

I carpooled to Riverside with my friends Melissa, Patsy and Stephanie. Being the overzealous overachiever that I am, we arrived an hour early. Our friend Chris was the next one to arrive, and he surprised us because we thought he wasn't coming! Little by little the rest of our group arrived: Mary, John, Brett, Ernie, Kurt, Jeff and Sonia. If all we did was hang out at the Coffee Bean all day, I would have been happy. Here were my Twitter buddies IN PERSON.  We played with our iPhone Tricorder apps, chatted and drank coffee until noon.

We walked to the museum where Helen was waiting for us, and then we all forked over our $15 to go inside.

The Exhibition itself was not that exciting. Melissa and I saw it a few years ago in Long Beach, and it was huge. At Long Beach there was a real bridge to be photographed on, a motion ride, a restaurant, and props and costumes from every franchise. Now the exhibit has been hacked up into little pieces and scattered across the country. What we saw in Riverside was probably 15% of what it once was. There were costumes and props, and a captain's chair in front of a green screen where you could spend $18 for a 5 x 7 photo of yourself.  There was a gift shop with inflated prices on old Trek toys and model ships, and most of us refrained from spending.

 Once we had ogled at the costumes and props enough, Helen left us and the rest hoofed down the street in search of lunch. We ate at  Crescent Jewell, a small restaurant with mostly Cajun selections on the menu. Everything from frickles to jambalaya to beignets were available. I think everyone was quite satisfied with their meal.

When lunch was finished, most of the group left, but six of us just couldn't say goodbye yet! We relaxed and chatted at the Presidential Bar at the Mission Inn for a spell. I think it was around 5:00 when us Escondido girls headed for home, blasting heavy metal music all the way down the 215 freeway.

I had a wonderful day and took lots of pictures with my iPhone. I'm still fumbling with the Hipstamatic app, but I did get some swell black and white shots. I only regret not taking more Incredibooth photo strip shots. I hope you enjoy them.

I joke that Twitter is ruining my social skills and shrinking my brain. I am known for saying that I even think in 140 characters at a time. I sometimes wake from a dream with Twitter friends in it, even if I've never met them in person.  I actually did put a hashtag in a handwritten thank you note last week. I spend too much time online (loving every minute) at the expense of all the piles of unfinished projects in my office. Despite all of that, I wouldn't trade my Tweeps for the world.  I would not know any of the people I spent the day with Saturday, with only three exceptions, without Twitter.We have met at conventions, restaurants, coffee shops, theme parks, and fairs, but all too infrequently.

Twitter is the place where we keep in touch, cheer each other up, and cheer each other on.

Follow me on Twitter if you like Star Trek,  Sci Fi, movies, birds, John Wayne, bacon, pickles or laughing! @starfleetmom