Please check out my blog posts about the conference here: www.msrenegade.com
Did you like what you read? Let others know. Thanks!
Showing posts with label BlogHer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BlogHer. Show all posts
Friday, August 3, 2012
BlogHer Conference
I am very happy to currently be in New York City attending BlogHer'12, a conference for women bloggers. The keynote opening speaker yesterday was President Obama himself, through live video feed from the White House. Today's keynote speaker was Martha Stewart, tomorrow will be Katie Couric.
Please check out my blog posts about the conference here: www.msrenegade.com
Did you like what you read? Let others know. Thanks!
Please check out my blog posts about the conference here: www.msrenegade.com
Did you like what you read? Let others know. Thanks!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Some More Saturday and then, Sunday
I forgot to tell you!
Saturday afternoon I was sitting at the back of a session that overlapped another room where massage therapists were quietly giving chair massages. Sitting in my power chair, I was listening and knitting like Madame Defarge, when a woman crouched down next to me. It was one of the massage therapists and she whispered, “When the session is over, see me and I will give you a thorough hand and arm massage.”
Woo hoo!!
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I sought her out about twenty minutes later and we chatted while she worked my hands and arms. She was charming and interesting and soothing. We talked about the mystery of how we are drawn to people, as she said she was drawn to me that afternoon. We both believed that there is some sort of intangible connection that one sometimes never understands, but is there nonetheless. We talked about the power of alternative healing practices. We also discovered we had strong, loving ties still to our late grandmothers and viewed them as forces in our lives even though they were gone now. Altogether a fascinating and relaxing half an hour.
Also forgot to tell you…as the dinner in Tribeca was ending, one of the women there asked if anyone wanted one of the last flash drives that were being given out as a promotion. Out of, I guess, several hundred, a couple had $500 gift certificates to Target on them. Well, I wasn’t even considering the gift certificate, I needed a new flash drive for a project I was working on. So I jumped at grabbing one.
Got back to the hotel, hopped into my p.j.s, plugged in the flash drive and UP POPPED A $500 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO TARGET!!!!! AAAGGHHHH!!!! I couldn’t believe it. After contacting the Energizer Batteries, the contest sponsor, and after doing everything but signing my name in blood to prove I had received the flash drive under the proper circumstances, I received my card yesterday. New laptop, here I come!!! They also sent me a charger and four rechargable AA batteries. Now that is exciting.
Sunday
I had intended to go to church Sunday morning at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, the magnificent Episcopal church one block from the hotel. I had even verified access with my chair. Unfortunately, I, who am up at 5 a.m. every morning of my life, overslept and never made the service.
Instead I went with Hurricane Danielle down to the lobby Starbucks and bought a massive latte. God subsequently punished me for missing church by having me knock the whole thing over after I had taken one sip, saturating the hotel room carpet with Starbucks. I tried soaking it up and thereby ruined several hotel towels. I am still waiting for a bill.
The lesson here? Set your alarm and go to church.
So we packed our swag and sundries and checked out one by one. The four days had flown. I sat in the lobby and waited for Mary Kate to pick me up. A few hairy moments were spent when I found out Sixth Avenue was closed for an obscure parade and Mary Kate had to find a different route to the hotel. But she, who had never driven in the city before, did fine. We were home in an hour.
Here are some of the remarkable fellow writer/bloggers I met:
Kiratiana Travels
Awesomely Luvvie
Sandy Martinez
simple.green.organic.happy
Danielle Liss
kb-in-nyc
amajuamarket
Nancy's Garden Spot
Black Belt Mama (sounds scary but was very sweet)
Thanks Mail Carrier
An Island Life
A Frugal Friend
Simply Cathi
Organized Life by Design
My overall take on the conference? It was interesting, but ultimately a little disappointing.
While there were many sessions to attend, a lot of them had similar themes and consequently felt somewhat repetitive. Considering the range of subjects we blog about, I think there could have been a better variety. While the idea of tracks was a good one to organize the sessions, it was also limiting in subject matter. Perhaps it would be better to simply have a wide variety of sessions not attached to any particular theme?
Another issue, the sheer size. There were so many people, it was difficult to cultivate sustaining conversations, never mind relationships. Although everyone had business cards, which did help me remember connections. Attempts to address this were made through various parties and get togethers. However, at the end of the day, I was too exhausted to get to those.
My mobility limitations had a huge impact on my participation in all events, but I am going to write a separate post on that.
On the plus side, I was thrilled several times to have strangers tell me they read, and love, my blog!!
I do know it took a massive, unfathomable amount of work to organize an event like this. And for that alone I give the BlogHer staff enormous credit and thanks.
Next year in San Diego? We’ll see.
Saturday afternoon I was sitting at the back of a session that overlapped another room where massage therapists were quietly giving chair massages. Sitting in my power chair, I was listening and knitting like Madame Defarge, when a woman crouched down next to me. It was one of the massage therapists and she whispered, “When the session is over, see me and I will give you a thorough hand and arm massage.”
Woo hoo!!
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I sought her out about twenty minutes later and we chatted while she worked my hands and arms. She was charming and interesting and soothing. We talked about the mystery of how we are drawn to people, as she said she was drawn to me that afternoon. We both believed that there is some sort of intangible connection that one sometimes never understands, but is there nonetheless. We talked about the power of alternative healing practices. We also discovered we had strong, loving ties still to our late grandmothers and viewed them as forces in our lives even though they were gone now. Altogether a fascinating and relaxing half an hour.
Also forgot to tell you…as the dinner in Tribeca was ending, one of the women there asked if anyone wanted one of the last flash drives that were being given out as a promotion. Out of, I guess, several hundred, a couple had $500 gift certificates to Target on them. Well, I wasn’t even considering the gift certificate, I needed a new flash drive for a project I was working on. So I jumped at grabbing one.
Got back to the hotel, hopped into my p.j.s, plugged in the flash drive and UP POPPED A $500 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO TARGET!!!!! AAAGGHHHH!!!! I couldn’t believe it. After contacting the Energizer Batteries, the contest sponsor, and after doing everything but signing my name in blood to prove I had received the flash drive under the proper circumstances, I received my card yesterday. New laptop, here I come!!! They also sent me a charger and four rechargable AA batteries. Now that is exciting.
Sunday
I had intended to go to church Sunday morning at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, the magnificent Episcopal church one block from the hotel. I had even verified access with my chair. Unfortunately, I, who am up at 5 a.m. every morning of my life, overslept and never made the service.
Instead I went with Hurricane Danielle down to the lobby Starbucks and bought a massive latte. God subsequently punished me for missing church by having me knock the whole thing over after I had taken one sip, saturating the hotel room carpet with Starbucks. I tried soaking it up and thereby ruined several hotel towels. I am still waiting for a bill.
The lesson here? Set your alarm and go to church.
So we packed our swag and sundries and checked out one by one. The four days had flown. I sat in the lobby and waited for Mary Kate to pick me up. A few hairy moments were spent when I found out Sixth Avenue was closed for an obscure parade and Mary Kate had to find a different route to the hotel. But she, who had never driven in the city before, did fine. We were home in an hour.
Here are some of the remarkable fellow writer/bloggers I met:
Kiratiana Travels
Awesomely Luvvie
Sandy Martinez
simple.green.organic.happy
Danielle Liss
kb-in-nyc
amajuamarket
Nancy's Garden Spot
Black Belt Mama (sounds scary but was very sweet)
Thanks Mail Carrier
An Island Life
A Frugal Friend
Simply Cathi
Organized Life by Design
My overall take on the conference? It was interesting, but ultimately a little disappointing.
While there were many sessions to attend, a lot of them had similar themes and consequently felt somewhat repetitive. Considering the range of subjects we blog about, I think there could have been a better variety. While the idea of tracks was a good one to organize the sessions, it was also limiting in subject matter. Perhaps it would be better to simply have a wide variety of sessions not attached to any particular theme?
Another issue, the sheer size. There were so many people, it was difficult to cultivate sustaining conversations, never mind relationships. Although everyone had business cards, which did help me remember connections. Attempts to address this were made through various parties and get togethers. However, at the end of the day, I was too exhausted to get to those.
My mobility limitations had a huge impact on my participation in all events, but I am going to write a separate post on that.
On the plus side, I was thrilled several times to have strangers tell me they read, and love, my blog!!
I do know it took a massive, unfathomable amount of work to organize an event like this. And for that alone I give the BlogHer staff enormous credit and thanks.
Next year in San Diego? We’ll see.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Updates
This week I am going to a blogging conference sponsored by BlogHer, a site for women bloggers. It is in New York and over 1000 writers will gather to network and discuss things like legal matters, technical...things and writing topics.
It is an amazing opportunity to meet with other women writers and share ideas and talk about concerns.
I am sharing my hotel room with another writer, http://momotics.com, a 25 year old dynamo who has knocked my socks off with her energy and ambition.
Unfortunately, the third person we had lined up to share out room in order to reduce costs, bailed on us YESTERDAY, yep, that’s right, THREE DAYS before the conference. So we are scrambling to find another roommate.
Don’t you deserve a three night break in New York City?!?! E-mail me and we can talk.
____________________
The response from everyone who read about my sink was overwhelming. I am so blessed to have so many warm and loving people in my life.
One of my dear blogging friends has a friend who works for American Standard (bathroom and kitchen fixture manufacturer). She contacted her friend when she saw my post and American Standard is going to give me a sink for free!! I would have been grateful for something that had fallen off the truck, but they even let me pick out the sink and faucet!!
I don’t know when they will be delivered, but it is all in the works. I also have two people who have offered to install it for me. I am so lucky! I will do a post when everything is done.
Patty, the friend who initiated all of this, has two web sites. One is http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com/ and the other is http://pricillaspeaks.blogspot.com/. Patty has a farm and raises goats, makes wonderful goatmilk soap, which she sells on Etsy, and she also makes beautiful jewelry, also sold on Etsy. I have purchased her soap, which I love and have given as gifts and her jewelry, which I get constant compliments on. Here are her Etsy shops: http://www.etsy.com/shop/happygoatsoap and http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrokenTeepeeDesigns .
Originally a Jersey Girl, she is a good and generous friend. Thank you Patty!
____________________
The heat has broken and I starting to feel like a human being again.
A weak ‘yay’!
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