Debra Hyde's Humble Homepage 
Mid-Life at the Millennium 

 
July 24 -- So, webzine 2001. Decent little event. Probably the first time in
years upon years I'd seen such an informal registration: You walk in and either
you're on the list as paid or you pay at the door. No lines for "Last name A-F"
sort of thing. You make your own nametag -- and find appropriate pictures out
of magazines to signal your interests. After a long train ride next to a chatty
would-be writer, I couldn't think creatively enough so, knowing Jane liked
Hello Kitty, I took a piece of said kitty from the notecase I carry and pasted
it next to my name. 

The event was in the basement of CB's Gallery. I think the last time i was in a
basement that dark with anything approaching the number of couches scattered
about was during my teen years. 

Now, if you're thinking the event sounds disorganized, it wasn't. Just low-key
and minimalist in its organization. The staff (particularly Bob and Amy) was
warm and welcoming. Bob, in fact, recognized me, which shocked me. (Howąd he do
that?) 

The panel set-up was just fine, with your website flashing on an overhead
projector as you spoke. However, the bar was at the far end of the long, narrow
room and that made for a mix of ambitions at the event. Serious panel attendees
stayed up front while social set stayed in the back. Honestly, I only noticed
the noise of schmoozing once while I was on the panel, which was good because
those of us on the erotica panel had a lot of catching up to do. 

I'm happy to say "catching up" started with a rich, hug from Heather, the kind
of fierce hug that really imparts "I'm so glad to see you." Honestly, Heather's
hugs are so sincere that you could fall in love with her based on hugs alone. 
I met Chris Bridges at the same time and, not long after, Jane Duvall and her
friend and escort, James. Meeting Jane was a real treat and she's every bit as
sweet and kind as I thought she'd be. Soon after, Todd shows up. 

I spent some time taking to James about various S/M stuff. He shared some
wonderful Aubrey Sparks stories. I have to get to Seattle someday!!! 
Brooks Talley, from Bondage.com, came east to be part of the panel. He wasn't
"an insider" to our group but fit in just fine and more than held his own. I
told him how bondage,com is liked by BDSM consumers in my region and how
impressed I've been by the size of the chat community his site managed to
capture and keep. From a business standpoint, he's accomplished a lot, but what
I liked best about Brooks was he enjoys what he's doing. He obviously cares
that people have a positive experience at his site, and was very adept at
answering questions that concerned the business of porn versus privacy. 
Which brings us to the panel. Because we were so diverse a group, Heather
opened our panel up for questions from the get-go. Unfortunately, there was
never a lack of hands. We covered several topics: Whether web-writing helps or
hurts getting into traditional print, protecting the privacy of porn shoppers,
first amendment concerns, getting harassed by social conservatives -- I don't
remember what else. 

And it was amazing how our diversity actually contributed to our ability to
answer questions. I guess it gave us different experiential angles from which
to speak, and, rather than diffuse the discussion, it actually enriched it. 
The hour was over before I knew it, and I bet we could've gone on longer. 
My only regret with webzine2001 was that I was too easily diverted away from
seeing many of the other panels at length. But that's my fault alone.
Fortunately, I'll be able to content myself with archived webcast in the near
future. 

Michael Moore's keynote address was as informal and
fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants as the rest of the event. But that made his
interaction with the crowd warm and, if not enlightening, at least inspiring. I
think the main message was don't let complacency disenfranchise you (especially
the young voter who doesn't vote) and never underestimate the power of protest. 
It's funny, but Michael Moore types were a dime a dozen when I was a teen.
Everywhere you looked, you could find alternative types -- or regular Joes like
Moore -- speaking out for some cause. Where did we all go? Did we die out with
the rise of disco? Or maybe when people cut off their long hair at the start of
the 80s? Why did baby boomers abandon their idealism as they embraced adult
living? And how, for Pete's sake, did we get so mainstream? We sure weren't
that way as teens. 

Not long ago, I mentioned to someone how amazed I am that the boomers have so
thoroughly screwed up sexuality for their kids. The sense I get about today's
parents is that they run hysterically in fear of their kids' sexuality. It's as
if sexuality's best left unexamined so they won't have to confront their own
messy pasts. Give me a break. How about remembering how messy it was because
your parents didn't tell you anything. Didn't you want to make that better for
your kids? So why aren't you? 

In a Moore-ish way, that's what I rant about: My generation's failure to make
sexuality a safer and more open topic to discuss. We should've plowed forward
from the sexual revolution and improved things for our kids, but we didn't. We
hide our faces like ostriches. And now our kids have to suffer through
abstinence-only programs, MTV mass marketing (which codifies sex to a
heightened degree), and parental cowardice. 
Eek. Enough ranting. 

You'll be happy to know that the day was far and away overwhelming positive,
compared to my diatribe. I got to schmooze movies, The Simpsons, and Diablo II
on more than one occasion. Hanging close to Chris and Todd brought out the
tomboy in me. And, when all was said and done, Todd escorted me to the funkiest
hotel in all New York, The Gershwin, where I fell into bed for just enough
sleep to get by. 


2001 Diary Page