you can read an overview of the skate-aid turn-out and purpose here. i'm completely floored that, despite all the pressure of nationals and how busy these two were, that they still found the time to organise this relief effort, as well as the sponsors to back them up. not only was it a wonderful evening that i will never forget, but it was also for a great cause.

following are pictures in chronological order of my time at skate-aid. truly, i fet like an elephant among the most delicate and beautiful roses. even if my complexion will always be like 3-day post-mortem (thanks, anemia!) i shouldn't have let myself get so ... detestably disgusting. i mean .. talk about your wake-up call? i will not eat again. ever, ever, again. i usually try to keep such negative narration to myself.. but more on that in places no one can see. here is what you can see:

1. flat stanley is all ready to go! the flowers were
from lynnie, and yes those are blood collection
tubes i had to put them in for transport. flat stanley is a
character in a children's book (that i'd never heard of
until last night, haha) and he was here on behalf of jesi's
friend, courtesy of jesi. i asked if i could have a picture
of him with lynnie's flowers. why not?!

2. me and johnny weir. the ultimate : | face. i was shaking so badly.
i felt so stupid because i was shaking so badly. never in my life had i
wished so badly that i could be someone else and myself at the same time,
as i did right then (and then more later.) that makes no sense but i can't
explain it any other way. he was so, so, so sweet, though, during this whole
pre-show exchange.

3. this is jesi, who i met up with at this event. she was flat stanley's
surrogate mom, and was also kind enough to give me a photo for
autographing later on. she was awesome. she wins.

4. these were taken with a horrid camera, with hockey glass right smack
in front of me. even if the flash would've obediently stayed off when i
asked it too, the glass would still be an issue. i tried, really. anyway, above
is johnny during his warm-up, before he shed the white jacket.

5. this was the cutest warm-up ever. for a short time, johnny (where the arrow is, he is now sans
jacket, in a blue shirt) and katie were skating laps as if they were pairs--it would look like johnny was
going to throw her but then they'd stop. they did this twice, and the second time it was as though he
was presenting her to the crowd, it was so lovely. then he (arrow!), katie (center-blur) and garrett
(far right blur) did sets of jumps in unison. i am sorry to say i can't remember what jump they did, but they were triples.

6. this is the beginning of dan hollander's program. it was GREAT; it was hilarious
and i imagine it takes a lot of altheticism to be able to move the way he did, and jump
as he did with a fat-suit costume on, seriously. he even did his traditional backflip.

7. the introductory pose to johnny's new exhibition skate, to
"unchained melody." from what i have read about what inspired this
program; the choice of music and how he addresses it and delivers
it, the costume... i can only say that it simultaneously makes my
heart want to balloon and break when i watch him skate it. that said..
i hope he thinks he's conveyed it as he needs and to whom, too.

8. augh, blurrier than most. but once again this is johnny,
during his particular "encore" if you will; the pancake/lucinda
spin. each skater was brought back out after the show, and did one of
their signature moves. sadly, none of the pictures i took of johnny's
exquisite catchfoot spirals came out.

now, we move onto the reception. where i look downright frightening with the ones i admired the most; where i looked terrible with the rest. please don't get me wrong--my complete and utter contempt with myself does not mean i didn't have a wonderful time. i had a wonderful time. i don't know that i'll ever come down from this. it has become fuel. i won't look like this next time. not ever again.

9. this is a webcam picture OF a picture that jesi so
graciously gave to me to have signed when we went
through the reception line. thank you SO much to her,
for that. and yes, that says "to leander," not to heather.
that all got explained later on in the night, the rest is waiting
somewhere else. i didn't ask to have it personalised either,
so i was utterly floored when he added that on before giving it
back. :)

10.this was the start of the reception line (or.. table!) pictured: dan hollander, jerod swallow,
elizabeth punsalan, phillip dulebohn and tiffany scott.

11. the mmmmmm-middle of the reception-line; a very, very lovely
picture of timothy goebel and johnny weir. this was after the autograph
pictured above, and when he told me "if i don't find you before i leave,
just scream for me." haha. this was in regards to some gifts i had for
him; shiloh's drawing and lynnie's flowers.

12. down the line we go. this is john baldwin jr., evan lysacek, rena inoue
and i honestly hope that's alissa czisny.

13. oh yea, check out the 3-day dead/bloated creature standing
behind three beautiful roses, otherwise known as fedor andreev,
tanith belbin and ben agosto.

14. evan lysacek and i. despite looking fifty i at least didn't
come out like i do later on.

15. fedor again, and i. i give up trying to explain away my
facial atrocities and overall gross-ness factor.

16. this is another webcam picture OF a picture, as this
was taken on jesi's camera--i was out of film and yet i
swear this happened before johnny and then tim came to
our table. so... this was apparently when i had begun
drinking. yet i appear relatively normal and not lame-
faced. oh, not like what is coming up. this is the kind of
picture i was hoping for, with johnny, when i bombed out
the first time out by the ice due to being, like, frozen.

17. and so we come to THIS lovely picture of johnny and i.
which is a lovely picture--it has lynnie's flowers in it which was the best i could
do because although i had her on the phone up above when ben came
around, things got hectic around this point. i wish i could
have.. uh. not made that face? what makes up for that atrocious face
was that i got about three hugs in the span of 2 minutes, and 2
cheek-kisses, and a very nice conversation in which he said the
Best Phrase Ever in regards to my overt apologies for the State of
the Flowers (rumpled paper, beginning to wilt, etc). he said, "not
everything that's beautiful has to be perfect." then i apply that
to, oh, this photo instead of flowers, and i want to cry my eyes out.

18. this was after the giving of gifts and explaining of their contents and me looking
utterly terrible. i had asked timothy for a picture after he was done talking to jesi and
i had (i thought!) finished talking to johnny, and had gotten Lovely Hugs from Out
of the Blue. johnny somehow slid-stepped into this one, though, and iiii certainly am
not going to argue about getting to stand between these two beautiful souls.

19. and lastly. jesi had asked for goofy/silly pictures, and so she had gotten a shot
of her own. it seemed like a good idea and so i asked if they could point it this way,
and they changed poses a bit and you have this. jesi has the exact same picture, but a
different angle and far, far better lighting. this would be the lovely katie orscher and,
of course, johnny. what saucy kittens!

i had a wonderful time. more than that. despite my self-negativity above, you have no idea how happy i was and am, that i made it there (and back again.) seriously, they don't make words. johnny was so friendly, funny and easy-going, and everything was so casual and laid-back the entire time. i know there's certain kinds of electricty that follow competitions, COI and SOI and so on, but... i don't know. there was something in the atmosphere, last night. i can't put my finger on it, and they haven't invented the right words that could help me convey what i mean, so i'll stop here. some of you have access to my livejournal, and i will be cutting and pasting a 4-part report i made of the entire night. probably though, since it's not a public place, i'm sure i'll tear myself apart some more...

not that this will ever be seen, but a big thank you to ben, tanith and merrie for pulling this event together; another big thank you to all the skaters who set time aside to be there last night. you are all heartsparks.

sleep now.