This year I finally learned to relax and enjoy what I was doing. I don't know what my pathology is, but usually I am always thinking "OMG, I am missing something!" Which, if you are at BlogHer, is always true. No matter what you are doing, there are 6 OTHER fun things you could be doing.
I relaxed into the moment and spent most of the conference chillin' like a villain, something I had never been able to do before. I had to keep reminding myself that I really, really hate big crowded parties where you have to scream at one another to be heard.
So Thursday night, instead of going to the People's Party, I sat outside in the warm Chicago night and snarfed tapas (Cheese and herb-stuffed eggplant! Garlicky garbanzo dip! Cheese & Olive plate!) with Suzanne and Maren.
On Friday, we (along with Count Mockula) skipped the hell that is Blogger Speed Dating (an introvert's worst nightmare - meeting 30 bloggers in an hour and giving them your spiel for a minute before listening to theirs. A headache waiting to happen, in my hermit-like little mind) and strolled to Marshall Fields (It is never gonna be Macy's to me!) to shop at Lush and pretend to be Ladies Who Lunch (except we lunched on Frango Mint Ice Cream Pie and banana splits) before returning just in time for MORE lunch and swag-collecting.
I seriously pondered going to a session or two, but that was before I found Laurie Writes and Goon Squad Sarah hanging out in a lower lobby near the latte place.
Since one of my top priorities this BlogHer was "spend more time with Laurie and Sarah," I ended up sitting with a view of the river in a comfy chair and enjoying myself thoroughly, as fascinating sessions sped by, unheard by me.
But I did not mind. I got all fancy and sparkled up for SparkleCorn and went out and shook my groove thing. The next night, I paraded my pajamas all over the hotel (much to the dismay of some other guests) for the Shutter Sisters PJ party (I explained to people in the elevator "I lost my clothes somewhere").
I missed out on Room 704, CheezeBurgHer, BowlHer, and most sessions. But I did what I wanted and it was pretty much perfect that way. It only took me four years to figure that out.
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8 comments:
Oh pretty lady, I am so glad you got to go and that you had a great time on your terms.
hi! i toally have a room of her own idea and want to know if you want to present it WITH me.. like we would host it???
Sarah can probably back me up about her and me (that looks wrong. She and I? Wrong.) and this brain-sharing thing that appears to have taken place this year, and how you make it the trifecta of lucky and magic friends who appeared in the Internet. This is why my blogher post is going to be a few more days coming, too much good stuff so I'm letting it settle.
And that you said that was one of your top priorities this year makes me feel - as Laurie Smithwick said yesterday - lucky to be me. I am so glad your plan came true and that you had the best experience for you. I went more free-form as you know too this year and it worked out perfectly.
And don't forget the boat ride! The boat ride! That was perfect too. xo.
Indeed! I think every time I saw you this year, I was on my way to somewhere I didn't end up going, and every time that was a good thing. :)
You told me what you were going to do ahead of time, and I did the exact opposite. Next time, I will take your advice. It was chaos!
I had the same sort of "float around the edges, do what I wanna do experience, and it was far preferable to any of my other BlogHer experiences. Screw "supposed to."
I wish I'd gotten to hang with you a bit more, though. Was lovely to see you for a few minutes!
That was one of my favorite parts too.
I love BlogHer, but even as an extrovert I wish there was more time to spend in small groups catching up with the people that I love that I only get to see once a year.
Marshall Field's was great. I could really go for some Frango Mint Pie right now. (And I LOVE the pic of Count Mockula!) I shall have to think of some super New York-y thing to do next year instead of speed dating. Mid-Town is a hard sell for interesting places, though. Well, we won't be too far from the random chunk of the Berlin Wall in an outdoor office plaza. Not so tasty, though.
Really, this year kind of was the best BlogHer I ever attended, too.
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