The last word on BlogHer 06 (from me)

Update: The very cool Mary Tsao wrote up a little piece about what is now called The Red Stapler Project at BlogHer.org Take a read! I'm so flattered.

I also came in tonight to find my computer infected with some hellish virus, which is a new one on me, because I have a Mac. If you get email from snackishblog@yahoo.com that is more than a few K in size, please delete it. I bought the Norton and shouldn't have any more incidents.

I was going to write a big BlogHer '06 wrap up, but so many have been done already that they are already beginning to melt into a large amorphous BlogHer! Was! Wonderful! blob inside my tired head.

I figure writing about it even more would be redundant to those who were there and a crashing, self-indulgent bore to those who weren't. (I know, I know, being a crashing self-indulgent bore has never stopped me from posting before.

My real statement on the subject is my 95 extremely fabulous (the subjects, not the photography) Red Stapler Photos and comments at Flickr. This was the project that ended up consuming my every waking moment (except for standing in line in the bar and sometimes even then) and which allowed me to walk up and bravely talk to almost 100 heretofore-unknown-to-me BlogHers.

In reality, I am kind of shy. Friendly, but shy. Due to my journalism background, however, I feel comfortable walking up to almost any random stranger if it is for the sake of the story. So I assigned myself a story. I took the stapler to allow me to worm my way inside BlogHer. It let my inner journalist geek come out.

Talking to such a mass of interesting, smart, talented people made my heart pound with happiness. My only regret is the people I missed, almost 600 of them. There are a few I spent a lot of time with and whom I am shocked that I forgot to photograph. I guess I was having so much fun that it slipped my mind. MaryBeth from Supafine, Amy from Piece of Work, Liz from Mom-101 and Average Jane are all ones that didn't get taken, which makes me sad. Maybe next year.

Thanks to all my subjects for indulging my compulsion. Those who appear may use their photos however they wish. I am thinking of designing a calendar using some of the photos, however. Whaddya think?

It was a good time. Didn't learn much, but I am a bad student. After a few false starts of going to workshops, I began ditching and hanging out with the Bad Girls Club (you know who you are) by the pool instead of going to workshops. Next year I will skip the pretense and just go to the cocktail parties.

My only complaint: not enough guys. That's a joke, y'all. The few guys that were there didn't bother me much (except for Karl of Secondhand Tryptophan, who I assaulted with the Stapler - Taste the World has photographic evidence) and I am truly chagrined to have missed Mac Guru Guy Kawasaki, despite the fact that he has testicles, not ovaries. I forgive him because he is a genius.

Next year in Chicago.