It's Wednesday and I'm just getting back to normal from what was an amazing weekend filled with amazing people, amazing conversation and amazing events.

Yes, I know I could pull out the old Thesaurus and find a synonym for amazing, but, damnit, the word just fits.

I am speaking of my experiences at Chicago Lit-together 2, which was this past weekend at the Radisson O'Hare in Des Planes, IL. Over the course of the weekend, about 30 different Literotica members -- mostly members of the Author's Hangout and the Playground -- converged to talk about everything from writing techniques and new story ideas to life in general and various lifestyle options.

While I can't go into too many details -- because what happens at a Lit-together, stays at a Lit-together -- I can say the most amazing part was just the way everyone just seemed to fit together so naturally. There were people I had met before, many others I was meeting for the first time. Still, from moment one, I just felt like they were people I had known for years and we could sit down and talk about anything and everything and not have to worry about being looked at like you were strange.

Then again, after all the time we spend talking online, maybe we already did know each other.

And this group covered the gamut, with people ranging in age from early 20's to older and retired, tiny and petite to large and overweight. None of it mattered. You were looked at like a friend because of what you were on the inside and your outside packaging really didn't matter as friendly hugs and kisses were doled out as greetings and farewells.

Sure, as you would expect with a group that talks and writes about sex, there were some people that got lucky and got to know a certain someone special a little more "in depth" and others that had no interest in that. Again, it just didn't seem to matter because, no matter how much flirting we had done online before the event, no one seemed to be looking for sexual encounters. If they happened, great ... but it wasn't the reason we were there. It was the friendship and I firmly believe that every person there found that.

After three nights of not getting to bed until about 4 a.m. and then starting the next morning bright and early to go out for small group breakfasts and start the conversations all over again, the exhaustion was catching up with everyone on Monday. I was fortunate that I didn't have to drag myself to work that morning, but I definitely feel for those that did. Even being able to sleep in, today (Wednesday) is the first that I've woken up feeling largely back to normal.

Then again, my definition of normal has been slightly adjusted. As I talk online with these people, thoughts of what they looked like and sounded like will be in the back of my mind and help recreate some of the warm fuzzy feelings spawned by the weekend's activities. I have already started making plans with several people to get together again in the near future, as we clicked so strongly that we just can't wait until next year to see each other again.

But the one thing I can most definitely say is that I already can't wait for Chicago Lit-together 3 in 2009. Thanks so much to sweetsubsarahh, Pleaz_Me and Wenchie for all the work they put in to make this event such a success.

It's been a very long weekend around here, as we were on the receiving end of one of those phone calls every parent dreads. At 3 a.m. Saturday morning, our youngest daughter's best friend called to say that she was in the emergency room and they thought she "might" have broken her ankle.

Making matters worse, this is the daughter that goes to school out-of-state and is 300 miles away from home. After the 4 a.m. call saying it was definitely broken, we got packed, made a room reservation, called my parents and dropped the dog off with them and kicked out our houseguest before getting on the road at 6:30 a.m. We covered the 300 miles in exactly 4 hours. And her "might" be broken ankle was pretty much shattered -- as she broke the fibula and the tibia right where they join the ankle, as well as a third small break. She ended up having emergency orthopaedic surgery and, five screws, two pins and one titanium plate later they got the ankle reassembled. We arrived just a few minutes after she came back up to her room.

Unfortunately, all of this hardware didn't make her better, faster or stronger than she was before. She now can't put any weight on the ankle for at least six weeks and will then have a walking cast for several more weeks after that. Worse yet (in her mind) is that it is her right ankle, meaning she won't be able to drive for at least the first six weeks and likely longer. She moves everywhere on crutches and has the staples removed from the surgery in two weeks. Unless it causes any problems, the rest of the hardware stays -- meaning she gets a permanent note from her doctor explaining to any TSA people why the metal detector keeps going off on her ankle.

They let her come home yesterday and she's now resting comfortably on the couch. School has put her on emergency academic leave for the next two weeks, which is the start of spring break -- meaning she can spend up to three weeks at home without academic penalty. She's already talking about going back next week, but we'll see how things go.

But as for now it's trying to get caught up on sleep after not getting much rest all weekend and try to keep her on the mend. Hopefully we won't kill each other before she heals.

As promised, my latest story, "Forgotten Love" has been posted in the Literotica Valentine's Day Contest. Early comments call it "Sweet" and say things like "Awwww" -- so it is a little on the mushy/sappy side. But it does have a little twist at the end that you might not expect.

Unfortunately, it has been getting beat on by those "trolls" that love to go around and vote ones on stories for one reason or another. So I could really use some good votes to come in and give me a boost.

You can find the story HERE ... so come on over, give it a read, VOTE (fives are better than ones ), and then leave a comment to let me know what you thought. I'll be looking foward to hearing from you .