Top Of The Roller Coaster

Since it was to be a day of back-to-back classes, I dressed as School Gir: green Gir collared t-shirt with a tie, Gir hot pants, my Zim jacket, my Gir lanyard, a pair of black thigh high socks, and my black Vans.

Heading down stairs, I was more than excited. It felt like I was bouncing off the walls.

However, when I took a side elevator, I didn't realize I'd end up in a back hallway of the hotel. With some assistance from a hotel staffer, I found my way through the correct door and out into the fray.

The first person I glimpsed that I knew was TwistedView. He stood at the front of a small side room, RopenSpace t-shirt on, head set in ear. We greeted with a hug. Then I noticed his RopenSpace pin.

"Where can I get one of those?"
"The merch table."

He pointed not twenty-five feet behind me.

"Great. Thanks."

As I walked towards the table, Gray stepped into my path.

"You're suppose to go the other way."
"I was just grabbing a RopenSpace pin from the merch table."
"Go that way."

He turned me around.

"Um...Um... I'll get it later." I threw my decision over my shoulder to TwistedView as Gray ushered me and many others into the main ballroom.

There were multiple chairs setup around a small stage with aisles so you could easily walk up to the small platform. I took a front row seat and waited. Next to me sat some friends.

Before the festivities began, as more and more people took their seats, the topic of self suspension came up. All four of us had experience self suspending and began batting ideas off of one another.  One person talked about an alternative to a normal chest harness, and then demonstrated the technique to us. Our RopenSpace started just a little early.

At the very front of the room stood a plain white board; it was our yet to be determined schedule. This day would be created by us, for us. This was to be my first open space experience.

As the chairs filled up, and more folks in black RopenSpace t-shirts arrived, I could feel the anticipation in the room swelling. It was like the slow climb up a roller coaster. The pulse of the nerves in your stomach. The want to get to the top. But also the fear, and, excitement of what would happen when you fell.

"Welcome everyone to Shibaricon's first RopenSpace!"