Two years ago I attended the BlogHer conference in San Jose thanks to a very generous friend, Ponzi, who had an extra sponsorship pass to give away. The whole trip worked out perfectly because Bryan was working down there that week, met me and the kids at the airport, and entertained them all weekend while I was busy. We even got to stay in the apartment of a friend who was out of town.
Last year I started out the weekend with a high level of social awkwardness. I’m not a great chit-chatter, so I mostly sat next to people and totally ignored them. Nice, huh? Way to make use of an awesome networking weekend. I did finally break through that social awkwardness on day two, and met some awesome friends that I’ve mostly kept in touch with, including the infamous Mommy Needs a Cocktail and Jen Lemen.
Ironically, in one of the posts I linked above I describe my social awkwardness like this:
It’s a funny thing about me – you could have put me in front of a microphone on stage to address all 400 people at Blogher today and I would have stunned you with my articulate genius. I commented freely and confidently in all the sessions I attended. But I couldn’t even manage to introduce myself to the gal I sat next to at lunch today.
As it turns out, when I head down to the Blogher conference next weekend I will be standing on a stage in front of everyone, holding a microphone. Only there won’t be 400 people, there will likely be close to 1,000. My essay submission was chosen to read during Friday’s Community Keynote, and I couldn’t be more excited. In fact, I screamed like a crazy woman on The Price Is Right when I read the email.
I’m sworn to secrecy on which post I’ll be reading, so if you already know or have a good guess, please keep it to yourself. I owe a great big thanks to Eden Kennedy of Fussy for this great opportunity, as she’s the brains behind the event. After reading her post on the excruciating selection process, I appreciate her desire to showcase bloggers like myself who are fairly unknown. Thank you, also, to the rest of the bloggers on the selection committees for taking the time to read so many posts.
So if you’re headed to Blogher ’08 next weekend, give me a holler. Would love to meet you, hand you one of my cards (below), and become fast friends.
I would love one of those cards. And I can’t wait to hear you speak!
Congratulations, Jen – this is so exciting!
Hi, Jen and many happy cheers and congratulations from me to you!!
Hope you received my telephone message the other day when no one was home at your house. It was sort of a deja vu exciting news bit for me as I remembered one day way back in your early writings on Rolf Ave. when you were chosen – in 6th grade OR Jr High – to read one of your short stories – or maybe it was a poem – at St. Paul’s Landmark Building where lots of important things happen and THAT, too, was a giddy moment!! I hope Bryan can capture some of your “moment in the spotlight” with his many ways of doing that! I am SO happy for you! Much love, MOM
Hooray! I can’t wait to hear about it! BlogHer was just not in the cards for me this year, as my mom’s health has been in a vortex since May.
I aim to go next year, and to spend the year prepping for it.
Can’t wait to hear about your account and hear how loudly everyone cheered for your essay! You go, girl!
funny aside – i “found” you a few years ago when Fussy blogged about your business card. I was thrilled you were nearby. Thanks for extending friendship to me! Hopefully I’ll be better able to participate and reciprocate that friendship this year.