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BlogHer or Bust!

Blogher Here I Come!

Guess what time it is?! It’s time to pack up and go to BlogHer!!! Wooo Hooo! This is my first time. I’m a “blogher virgin.” Oooooh. Scary. I know everyone is probably sick of hearing about blogher this and blogher that…and I’m sorry to be yet another mouth spouting off but I have to write just a few things because I’m a tiny bit nervous.

However, unlike everyone else, I do not have any social anxiety disorders. Wow. Can you believe it? Three cheers for not needing meds! (Or three cheers for denial, either one.) I’m actually pretty good at small talk and I’m super-excited to be in the middle of a big noisy crowd! If there is really good music at the parties, I might even bust a move. I can’t promise that I’ll be a good dancer. I might smack you with my flailing “butterfly arms” but I’m not shy, usually. (Is there even going to be music at the blogher parties?)

Of course there was that one time ages and ages ago when I went bowling with the after-work crowd and I started getting really insecure when all the Hottie McHotties of the office showed up with their own engraved bowling balls and matching team shirts. And yes, I sort of um…snuck off and hid in some long dark maroon-carpeted hallway until the cops came looking for me. That was a bad moment for me.

But I’ve moved way way way past that. That was like fifty million years ago.

I think the hardest thing for me now in social situations is just not talking loud enough. I have a really soft voice that sounds loud in my head. You hear mouse squeaks and think I’m shy and demure but in my head I am shouting like a big attention-seeking maniac. It’s really hard for me to project for some stupid reason. So sometimes I just don’t talk at all because no one can ever hear me.

The other thing I’m worried about is that there are soooooooo many people I want to meet! I think I’m going to go crazy! I’m going to be that social butterfly whom everyone hates because she yappity-yaps so much and is distracted all the time. “Hey look there’s so-and-so gotta run!” I hate that. I’m going to try really hard to listen well and not explode from over-excitement.

The other thing I’m afraid of is that I’m going to blank on people’s names. Some of you comment every day and you really are a huge part of my life but I’m scared that when I meet you in person (and you better introduce yourself to me because I do want to meet you!!!) my brain hard drive is going to get stuck on search mode, trying to remember who you are, and I might crash and have to be re-booted.

That is one thing I really am ashamed of on this site. The fact that I don’t emotionally invest myself in my readers as much as you do in me. It’s all I can do to put a post together a few times a week and check on my family’s many many blogs. I try to get out and about to read your blogs but often I do not. I’m always getting surprised when I find out someone is moving all the way across the country or they just had a baby and I had no clue even though they had been writing about it for half a year.

I want to apologize for that. It’s something that I’ve thought about a lot and a choice I have made to keep my sanity. Maybe someday when Baby Bug is in school I’ll be a better blog-reader and commenter but for now I’m mostly just a one-sided blogger. So feel free to slap me upside the head when you meet me in person. I deserve it.

There you have it! I can’t wait to meet everybody. If you’re going to be there, please introduce yourself in the comments so I can study up and not be such an idiot.

A word about the illustration…I had this daydream that if I had a GIANT yellow bag I would feel less insecure about myself because you all would be dazzled by my bag. Just think of how handy it would be in photos. Everyone would say, oh there’s SAJ and her giant yellow bag! But sadly, I do not have a giant yellow bag. So it’ll just have to be in my imagination. I guess I could steal one from Ikea but I don’t want to do that and besides those bags are noisy and crinkly. I’ll survive. I’m tough.

Also, I’ll have my trusty sidekick cc with me.

23 Comments

  • chris

    I will be there!! We head up the 5 on Wednesday. I will be at the Newbie Mixer Thursday.

    I think I once saw T at the library. I almost went up to him and said hello, but thought he might think I was crazy and go home and shut the WIFI off.

    Hope to see you there!!

    SAJ says: Yay! Can’t wait to meet you! I don’t think that was Toby. He never goes to the library as far as I know. I’ll have to ask him about that.

  • Gingermog

    Wow have fun girls. I think it would be mind blowing to meet the people you read about inside the computer. Don’t beat yourself up about being one sided, I’m amazed you manage to fit so much into your days, let alone read all the people you have on your link page. I’m one sided too, I read and coment on a few sites and have done for years, but have no blog of my own (various reasons but mostly time issues). I’ve a new portfolio site called http://www.ellefolk.com which I’ve made with my friend Ellen – not that I expect you to go dashing over but my current website has remaind static since 2004 (hangs head in shame).

    I think a big, yellow, rubber bucket bag would be fantastic to throw in all your paraphanelia into. Hmm where would one source one of those?

    SAJ says: I wish you were coming! One of these days I’m going to hit you up for some help with Flash. When I do my site redesign, I’m determined to put up a gallery of work that people can’t steal. Your portfolio is amazing. I wonder if we’ve ever watched one of your cartoons.

  • Kuky

    I’m not going to Blogher. And if I can’t meet up with you any other time remember to send me your address for George. :)

    SAJ says: Let’s meet up! We still have Thursday am and Monday am open. :) I’ll email my address too. Can’t miss out on a great George offer!

  • amy

    I will be there and LOVE to see you! I will be at all the parties, trying to relive the 90’s for sure with too much alcohol consumption. I have never gone and am a major extrovert- but still quite nervous! Yahoo for blogher! xo

    SAJ says: Class of 1990!!!

  • a madhouse wife

    Have fun! Don’t feel bad that you don’t have time to read other blogs. I don’t see how anyone does. I read four pretty regularly and that’s all I could ever have time for. I’m sure I’m missing out on a lot of great stuff, but my toddler is currently pulling on my leg at this moment screaming, “mommy!” and crying, so you get my drift! ;)

    SAJ says: Thank you. I do get your drift, as BB climbs up on my laptop demanding “gummy bears” aka fruit gummy snacks…. She thinks gummies are a major food group. She must be deficient in keratin or something.

  • justJENN

    Does that mean your husbands are on babysitting patrol for the next few days? Good luck to them, ha! Have a good time!

    SAJ says: HAH HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHA! You are so funny. No, the kids are coming with us and getting babysat by Grandma and my friend Susan, the fairy godmother. We are not staying in the hotel and will probably be a little late in the am because we are making this a family trip. I’m sure I will be blogging all about it.

  • Katie

    I’m really looking forward to meeting you! I was wondering about dancing and music at BlogHer too, because I really do love to dance :)

  • sizzle

    I’ll be there. If you are coming to the Newbie Mixer I will be staffing the check in table from 7:45-9. That’s how easy it is to find me!

    SAJ says: You will be easy to remember since I practically have your face memorized! I’ll have to sketch you on a napkin as a fun party trick.

  • Susan

    You girls have a great time at Blogher! I’m so jealous that I can’t be there with everyone else but maybe next time. Can’t wait to read your post about all of it. Hey make your own big yellow bag with lots of sparkles. ;-)

  • BeachMama

    And here I sit back at home in Ottawa, dreaming of meeting all of you at Blogher. One day it will be close enough and all my fave bloggers will be there. Have a great time and be sure to post about it, don’t be shy we all want to hear about how much fun it is :)

  • Kate

    Sadly, I will not be there. It would be a blast, even though I too would be nervous (as seems to be a common theme among attendees). Maybe some other year. Have a great time!

  • Calee

    Maybe next year I’m feel like a reliable enough blogger to make it to the party. Have so much fun for all of us. And–when you get home and miss meeting commenting groupies, we live just down the way…

  • bluejaye

    You needed to have the Big Yellow Tote dream last week. I could have gotten one to you in time to stand out in the croud.

    Call me. Today is sewing day. I could send one to SF priority in time for the party.

  • Victoria

    Hope you have fun. And, I really don’t mind (or expect) you or any of the other blogs I read to read mine back. For me, it’s kind of like reading a novel and enjoying the characters. So, thanks for taking the time to get a post out as often as you do!

  • Leah

    So excited to see you again (it’s been far too long!) and to meet the rest of your posse. I hope you don’t mind if I rub up against you in hopes of absorbing some of your Magic Mom Mojo. :)

  • Jennifer

    I won’t be there but I hope we finally meet in August when we go fishing. I was on meds until recently. It was more from STRESS than social anxiety, I think, hahaha. I do have a confidence problem though. I assume that nobody wants to be around me. I’m recovering from crippling shyness. Once I get a thumbs up or some sign of acceptance you can’t shut me up though. Maybe I should go back on the meds…

    I hope you guys have a great time.

  • pinky

    Have fun!

    I don’t read too many blogs myself – it’s true, once you have a little one, it is all you can do to keep up your own and read just a bare few yourself.

    I am totally out-of-it in regards to blogher, I sort of stopped blogging once it blew up. I don’t know how everyone got involved it it when I wasn’t looking! But, I am a her, and I do blog, so I suppose I should investigate. I wish I was going so I could meet you!