P3D Meeting p3D-eople at NSA '98!!!

[jacob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Gabriel Jacob)]

I really don't know where to start! I share everyone
sentiments that it was a great convention!!!

There were a few people that I had recognized from their
pictures on the Internet and others that I remember from
Rochester. I certainly knew how Dr.T looked but he didn't
recollect how I looked when we first met at Rochester.
This was my big chance to play a joke on him (I was going to
inquire about Realists and comment on how old fashion and
awkward they looked, etc..) but my cover was blown when
someone told him who I was as I approached him talking
with a group of people in the hotel lobby.

I didn't recognize Ron Labbe, I was quite surprised to
learn he was that person taking all those shots of the VM
people in the VM Collectors meeting. His picture on his web
site doesn't do him justice, he is much cooler in person! 

It was also a pleasure to meet others that I didn't know how
they looked. Of course I had some preconceived ideas, some
correct and some way of base (no not hyper!). It was of
course very easy to spot Tom Deering but I never would have
guessed that was him without his famous polyester red suit!
For those wondering, no he didn't look tacky but was pretty
spiffy looking! I kinda wished I had worn a blue polyester
suit, then we could have been an anaglyph pair!

Dr.T introduced me to a mystery lady but they didn't want to
tell me who she was. I couldn't take the torment of not
knowing and pleaded with him to tell me since I was soon
leaving and would ruin my trip not knowing! I never would
have guessed that it was the one and only Dalia!

I was kinda surprised at how many people were around my
age or younger! Examples were Eric Goldstein as Dr.T had
mentioned. Others were John Roberts, Tom Deering, Alex Klein,
Boris Starosta, Dale Walsh, all very nice and cool guys.
Dale Walsh lives in Montreal as I do, but we never got
to meet there. We finally got to, in Richmond!

I knew how Dan Shelley looked and we spend enjoyable late 
evenings, heck his room was right across from us! He was 
however nowhere to be seen during the day, other than the
first day, at the APEC, VM meeting and finally the Internet/
P3D meeting which he hosted.

At the Internet/P3D meeting and later at the trade fair it 
was alot of fun to meet John Dukes, the inventor of the 12X
VM viewer and a carrier for previewing uncut film with a
projector or with his custom made viewer! The viewers were
excellent! It was also fun to meet and talk to John Baird
and pick his brain for his vast photographic and light 
experience. I might try doing more slides now that he gave
me some pointers on duping.

I wasn't surprised with Brenda Nowlan and she was a very sweet
and nice person, as I had expected. We sat at the same table
for the Awards Banquet and Presidents Breakfast the next
morning. Andrea Blair was also as I had envisioned and she
knew her stuff pretty well, as it reflected in her macro slide
show!

Bob Aldridge also was as I had expected, a rather proper refined
English fellow! Lawrence Kaufman also was pretty well as how I
imagined (nice and swell guy... and he was!). I don't know where
I got this reputation for being a kidder ;-) but he can pull
some fast ones himself. He could have very well walked off
with my backpack when I had it on the floor while checking out
of the hotel the last day! Thanks Lawrence for bringing it BACK! :-)

Of course I met alot of other swell P3D and non P3D members but
I better save that for another post, since this one is starting
to get a bit rather l
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Gabriel


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