A little addendum here courtesy of Armitagebesotted who received Flat Richie before our latest recipient, Monica, but did not have time to write down her own account of the flying visit until now. This was Flat Richie’s 10th leg, travelling from LA to NY.

All words and photos are Besotted’s! Enjoy:

I enter my building’s lobby and the doorman hands me a box: big, heavy, slathered in layers of tape, including some glittery and some with girly pictures. So much tape that the doorman, who is very OCD about writing apartment numbers on packages gave up on finding a place to apply his Sharpie and had to make the extra effort to tape a “4J” label on it. (Did I discern a little stink eye in my direction from said doorman? Too bad.)

What the….? Did I order something from an over-eager eBayer?

I look at the return address: Los Angeles. I don’t know anyone there. Light begins to dawn. I had just read a story on Guylty’s blog about Flat Richie being in LA, written by someone named LoLo. I look again at the name on the return address. Yes, that name could probably anagram itself into being “LoLo.”

Smile. BIG smile. Flat Richie has come to me!

I manage to refrain from laughing out loud in front of doorman and race to my apartment to dig in. Such fun!

Tons of items, individually wrapped, in exquisite papers, which I suspect Guylty supplied, based on bits/hints I’ve seen in her photos of other craft projects. I really like the peacock feather paper, Guylty. [Nope, credit to LoLo – she sent me the peacock tissue paper first, and cheap skate Guylty reused it!] Here’s a tiny preview for all:

I sort the content into “no” and “maybe” piles, then let it all sit over night.

“No” pile. Don’t take it personally anyone who contributed these items it’s really hard to choose

“Maybe” pile

I came back the next day for final choices and repacking.

Sorry to say, ladies, I retired that box. (It was beat.) But that’s why I photographed it carefully for posterity!

I repacked all in a fresh box, with my contributed items and a scribbled note in the Flat Richie book, and sent him on his way to the next recipient.

Flat Richie is on his way to the next lucky fangirl

Sounds like I did all this pronto, right? Wrong. Sorry to say, ladies, I was a laggard. Flat Richie was here for a week and he never left my apartment: didn’t see Brooklyn or New York City. Then it took me another week to write up this story. Bad fan, bad fan!

I am right in the middle of a big project and didn’t have time to show him around the city, which is not my usual life, I swear. I’ve been known to spend 12-hour stints in front of my computer reading fan fiction (if it’s sexy enough). This was just a bad coincidence of timing, and I apologize to anyone who was affected by my bad fan behavior.

So which items did I choose for myself? I’m a sucker for anything home made, and, of course, anything funny. I ticked both boxes with these three items.

Item 1: “Nevertheless, she persisted” button. For those not following the minutia of American politics, this was said by an asshole legislator about U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren when she didn’t follow his directions to stand down on some issue and barged on ahead with it anyway. Which issue? Can’t remember, and does it matter? She’s fabulous, and he’s a jerk: That’s all you need to know. So the statement has become a rallying cry for American women who are tired to being told what to do by asshole men. I will wear it proudly, and everyone will think I’m making a political statement, when really what I’m proclaiming is “Nevertheless, she persisted in adoring Richard Armitage despite judgmental idiots who think fangirling is ridiculously silly.” (It is, but why should that stop us?)

Item 2: Sexy Guy in a blingy frame needs no explanation, of course.

Item 3: This is a two-sided refrigerator magnet. Again, no explanation needed for us, and for anyone who doesn’t “get it?” Who cares!

Oh my God, that man in a tux….

My three contributions are commercial products with home-made “additions,” let’s call them, and I hope someone will enjoy them mightily.

(By the way, I saw “two items” in someone else’s story recently and wonder if I screwed up the directions and was only supposed to take/trade two items. Whatever, I kept it fair at three for three!)

It was hard to choose. There are many, many fun items in that box, and I will enjoy others’ stories in the future now that I’ve seen the loot they have to chose from.