A change of scene would sure be great
July 20th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
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I will remember you
July 20th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
I’m sitting in the middle of my living room floor surrounded by laundry that needs to be washed, various USB cords, my digital camera, blog business cards, and various swag. The trip was great, but of course, it’s always good to come back home. Though, I do wish I could have one of those Westin beds. Ahhh…
A big thanks to everyone at BlogHer for putting on such a great experience. During the conference, someone mentioned the great idea of listing the URLs from all of the cards received. So, if you have some time, check out these sites. Note, some may have content that is not safe for work (NSFW).
Girlfriendology
dreamfish
Reno and Its Discontents
Great Au Pair
Beth’s blog
Tia’s blog
Enlightenment for Idiots
Retro-Food
No Appropriate Behavior
Inside Beauty
5 Minutes for Mom
Kristen Rudd
Lijit
Send Chocolate
Library Horse
I am Bossy
Women & Hollywood
Shannon Sez So
Meanwhile..Back at the Ranch
empowHer
Beth Snow, Ph.D.
Crummy Cupcake
Kimberly Petro
Stirrup Queens
On the Upside
A Year of Crockpotting
Parent Talk Today
Fourth Breakfast
SuperTiff
Megan’s Minute
Merlot Mom
Charlie & Nina
Hot Movies for Her
Love Babz
Sarah Auerswald
Our Lady of Weight Loss
Essence
Constant Chatter
Pasta Queen
Black Women in Europe
This is what the world is for
July 19th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
Unless next year’s BlogHer conference is held in Siberia, I will be in attendance again. While standing in line to get some veggies, I chatted with a woman who lives in Silver Spring, which is where I used to live before moving to Portland. She was in the yoga class this morning, too. She complimented me on my serious warrior pose. I do love that pose, but I also love the goddess pose. Both are powerful.
The photowalk was fun. I’ll post some of those photos soon. While out and about, I stopped in a store to pick up a pair of shoes for the closing party. Since I acquired so much swag during the conference, I took advantage of the special discount at Macy’s to buy a new tote bag to carry all the stuff back home.
This was taken while relaxing in the furniture area of Macy’s during tonight’s party. What a night. It’s time for bed.
Shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you
July 19th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
I did it. The alarm clock went off at 6:30 AM and I rolled out of bed. It took me nearly 20 minutes to pull on my clothes for the yoga class, but I made it and thankful for it. My muscles enjoyed the movements and I worked up a sweat before breakfast.
The morning sessions I attended were great. The subject of how traditional media is adopting (or slowly adopting) to the interactive space is something of great interest, both personally and relevant to my job. I also attended a panel discussion on pursuing your passion as it relates to blogging. This was also something of great interest given the blog brain farts I’ve been going through over the past few months. It was reassuring to hear from other bloggers who have gone through the same thing and hear their ways of getting past it. I know I love writing, so when my brain can’t wrap itself around getting the words together, it’s makes me anxious.
Although there’s still another day and a half of conference remaining, this trip has already been a personal success. This afternoon, I’m looking forward to the photo outing, the keynote address by Heather Armstrong, and of course, the big party at Macy’s.
Are you out in all that sunshine
July 18th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
It’s been a long day. I’ve been up for over 17 hours. Although I managed to sneak in some shopping/roaming the streets, nothing really stood out, so I came back to the hotel to get ready for the opening night reception. There were so many people in attendance that moving about with a plate of food and a drink was tricky. Nevermind, pulling out a business card. But, that was just the beginning of my evening.
Because it wouldn’t be my kind of trip without a visit to a local music venue, I was able to see Joseph Arthur perform tonight at the Great American Music Hall. I sat next to someone who lives in SF and said this was one of her favorite venues. I can see why. It’s a beautiful space. The show was great. While he played the usual suspects — “Honey and the Moon” and “In the Sun” — he also performed some songs from the new album being released in September. The show was available for sale at the end, which I always love.
Recently, when explaining to someone why I love going to concerts, I said it’s because no matter how many times you see someone perform, what you hear and see one particular night is something that won’t happen again. If only because that night will never exist again. Yes, it’s heady, but I enjoy being part of that moment in time. Having a recording of a particular night allows me to remember where I was when it was recorded and (usually) smile.
I’ll be awake in about six hours to get ready for the 7AM yoga class. There will be a nap in my future sometime Saturday afternoon.
You don’t have to speak, I feel
July 18th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
I’m back in my hotel room for some much needed downtime away from the crowds. It’s equally amazing and exhausting to interact with so many people. I know there are folks who thrive in these types of environments, but alas, I’m not one of those.
Already, I’ve met a couple of folks who have visited my blog before the conference — Hi Missy and Jennifer! So much for my unofficial tagline of writing for an audience of 15. I may have to bump that number up to 20 soon.
I also had a fangirl moment this morning when I ran into Janice Taylor in one of the break rooms. I’ve read Janice’s first book, Our Lady of Weightloss, and also subscribe to her Kick in the Tush e-newsletter. It was so great meeting her in person.
My first conference session was on introversion and blogging. It was fantastic to be in a room with other bloggers who are like me in that they’re able to find their voice online. But if I’m learning anything at this conference, it’s that there are a lot of people out there who are like me in a variety of ways. We may all write about different subjects, but at the core, we want our voices to be heard.
Just take a chance somehow
July 17th, 2008 by DimpleAndASmirk
After rolling through the BlogHer newbie mixer and the People’s Party, I return to my room to get ready for bed and the official start of the conference in the morning. There’s someone outside playing saxophone, which makes me feel like this is a movie with a smooth jazz soundtrack.
It’s been a long day. Work, flying, traveling, and mingling. I almost want to look in the mirror to see if it’s really me doing all of this social activity.
Walking into the newbie mixer was a strange experience. In theory, everyone was new, but who do I talk to? Fortunately, I was able to get over that initial nervousness and chat with several bloggers about their sites while giving them an overview of mine. I’m still fumbling through an explanation about of what I write about, alas. I managed to collect lots of business cards for other sites and cannot wait to read them all. It’s all exciting and like nothing I’ve done previously.
