This is actually not so much a report as a Yay! Photos! post, with occasional commentary. That link goes to my Flickr set, which will in turn sometimes sync up to the Azkatraz Flickr Pool.
Here's my Mug Shot:

( Further adventures under the cut )

I've forgotten the LJ usernames of half the people I met already, but if anybody wants to pop in and remind me, feel free!

A Tale of Travel
( Day 1- Wednesday, full of delay )
( Day 2 - Thursday, full of play )
Amusements from the day:
Keri: Look at that Latin. I wish I had a camera. (pause) Ah, well - some things in life are meant to be experienced, not photographed.
E: Spoken like a woman with a broken camera.

New t-shirts to be made for Jaye and Lisa: "Ask me about the eightsix wives of Henry VIII."

Jaye: We've broken my wife with this talk of our post-marital sex life.

( Day 3 - Friday, more traveling, this time on time )
( Day 4 - Saturday, fabric stores and birdies )
( Day 5 - Sunday, in which there is a crowded breakfast and a lovely wedding, followed by dive bar clubbing and a limo ride )
( Day 6 - Monday, packing and departure, complete with delays! )

And that was my trip.

I had a fabulous week at Free Spirit out in the middle of nowhere Maryland. It actually felt very strange to get back to Astoria and see fully-clothed pedestrians walking around.
I went to some great workshops, I danced, I swam, I discovered that martinis definitely do not agree with me but strawberry lime mead hits the spot, I discovered some hot new bands, I gazed at stars, I spun myself dizzy by the bonfire, and I put in several shifts of work. It was very different attending this year as a staff member.
I wish I could spend the whole summer in sarongs, I really do. Alas. Coming home from a brilliant vacation is always tough, but this time I had some serious thinking to do. My future somehow always ends up under the microscope right around Litha. Maybe it's because summer is my favorite season. In any case, I'll probably wax on about that in a friends-locked post later.
The basic news is that starting next week I'm leaving the bulk of the Seminary hours behind and seeking alternative employment- temp for now, but I am definitely in full job-search mode now.
Now it's time to clean my room and try to find a place for the loot I got from Donna.
Oh, woe, Donna is flying to Houston on Tuesday! I miss her already!

I had a great week! I'm not coherent enough to really get into all of the coolness in prose, so I'll make this post in list form.
For those unaware, I spent most of this week at the Conference for the Network of Spiritual Progressives in Washington, DC. Then this weekend was spent largely in transit, and then a few hours at ebess & purvision's wedding in Connecticut.
Fun and / or exciting things that happened:

• I visited the office of my congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney, and spoke to one of her legislative aides about the Spiritual Progressive agenda and the need for more connection between Democrats and their constituents, especially the young ones. (Out of the six conference attendees in the office, I was the only one under 60. I was also the most casually dressed, in my capri-cut jeans and ratty almost-combat boots, wearing chunky goddess jewelry and a sherbet colored shirt. I definitely felt, for a moment, a bit out of place amongst the suits and business clothes. (Hey, nobody told me until I was already in DC that I would be doing this!) Then I introduced myself as "Reverend Keri Bas" and watched the wheels turn as a new paradigm clicked into place.) There was a delegation sent to Senator Schumer's office at the same time as my appointment with Carolyn's staff, and according to the folks who attended that, Chuck's chief of staff said that they had never had a visit from a larger group (there were 43 people there). So many people got positive responses, it was very uplifting. I was also really surprised (don't ask me why) that anybody can just walk into the offices and ask to talk to somebody in their representative's office.
  
• I participated in a protest and "Pray-In" for Peace at Lafayette Park outside the White House. I had never gone to a protest before. Cindy Sheehan was there, as were many many representatives from Washington's diverse religious community (including a couple of Evangelicals, so you just never can make assumptions, folks!). Toward the end of the gathering, some of the folks found themselves in an impromptu spiral dance. Others went to present a petition at the security gate. I took a photo with my Seminary buddies.
  
• I heard a lot of incredible speakers on many many topics of interest to the spiritually aware political left. Some of it encouraged me, some of it inspired me, some of it disappointed me, and some of it left me frankly appalled. Seems about par for the course at a gathering of so many minds and hearts.
  
• I ran into my old pal Russ, who I haven't seen in years, not since Cheryl was my roommate in Astoria and the three of us used to pile into Russ's car and find an all-night diner to write in.
  
• I stayed with my friend Jay in DC - Liz and I had a bit of a slumber party at his place, in fact - and we enjoyed fantastic conversations over wine on his deck almost every night we were there. It was a wonderful time.
  
• I ran into other folks I recognized - TC from Vassar, Phyllis Curott from the Circle of Ara, and of course whole heaps of fun new people were there and eager to chat.
  
• I read tarot for five people and have never felt quite so "on".
  
• I got a real talking-to from Liz, who was definitely in full preacher mode for me. She pushed me into examining some of my assumptions and into making some decisions.
  
• I promoted the Faces of God project throughout the conference, and specifically at the meeting of the caucus for the place of Arts in the Spiritual and Political worlds.
  
• I took the Amtrak down to Washington (I think I've done that before, actually), and then the 6:20AM train back to NYC to meet up with my ride to Connecticut on Saturday. I spent another 3.5 hours in transit to Woodstock, CT, where we enjoyed a (slightly rainy) beautiful wedding ceremony and a fantastic reception.
  
• I talked to total strangers at the wedding dinner and enjoyed myself immensely.
  
• I danced like a crazy person at the reception, and someone somewhere has photographic evidence of same.
  
  So all in all, it was a fantastic week, and I'm ever so glad I went.

Well, I am in a pausing point between wedding and visitation, getting myself together and getting ready to change states.
The wedding was a beautiful and fantastic and fun event for me, and I’m very happy that I was able to offer my support to the family in addition to just standing up front and doing the easy bit. Really, the bridal couple stole the show (as well they should!), and their glow illuminated the entire evening.
Defining quote of the evening, from Julie’s amazing grandad- “The Reverend can sure cut a rug. My pastor never did that.” Somehow by the end of the evening many of the guests thought I was Lutheran and complimented me on a very non-denominational, not very religious ceremony. That was all OK, though.
The day was highlighted by a series of transportation crises, but all things considered that was small potatoes compared to the joy of the day.

Now I am waiting for my ride into New Jersey to offer hugs and kisses to dear friends in their time of grief. Julie’s dad had it right with his wedding toast: we don’t *need* ceremonies; we need each other. This is what makes these people family for me. Not blood relation, but shared experience and emotional investment. We’re all in this together, and I’m so proud and grateful to have them all in my life.