20 Fun Things About BlogHer '10

1. My roommate.

2. Meeting Padma Lakshmi. Although I was eating turkey sausage on a stick right beforehand, which Jonna made me stick in her purse. "WE CANNOT MEET HER WHILE EATING SAUSAGE."

3. The Style Lush happy hour. We're just so proud of that site of ours, and it was fun sharing that happiness with some great supporters and friends. (Laurie & Sara, I still owe you a drink!)

4. Getting multiple noise violations for merely talking. Jonna and I are just that badass.

5. Alexa's book party because of 1) Alexa, 2) Alexa's beautiful, exquisite, poetic book Half Baked, 3) CUPCAKES!, 4) wine, 5) the balcony with a serious view, and 5) every single person there, and 6) everything else about it.

6. Meeting Meredith. I turned to her at one point and said, "I just met you the other day but it feels as if I've known you for years." She's calming and smart and classy and she also has the most beautiful and well-behaved baby there ever was.

7. Having dinner with Maura, Kristie, and Jess at Casellula. The adobo chicken wings were as unbelievable as the conversation.

8. Sitting in the hotel bar until 2 am talking to Meagan about creating the life and job you want. Also, she's smoking hot.

9. Champagne! (Although I'd have much preferred if it hadn't been $14 a glass, my god.)

10. Talking about babies with Jonna and Holly for a good hour or so. Holly didn't run away screaming, so I now have even more respect for her than I did before.

11. Sipping drinks and talking fitness, health, and life with Jonna, Kristin, and Kristin's boyfriend Corey until the bartender pulled out the vacuum and turned the bar lights up.

12. Meeting: Sara (she's supermodel pretty, people), Kate (as is she), Alana (who I instantly loved), Anna (she doesn't bite in person, turns out), Linda (fucking hilarious), TwoBusy (he handled all us crazy women quite well, I'd say), Jodi (finally we met!), Sam (so adorable!), Pocklock (she looks damn fantastic for being 30 weeks pregnant), The New Girl (hilarious), Katie (so smart), Yvonne (one of the nicest people I met), Leah (beautiful, inside and out), Tracey (I worked for her for years and was still a bit starstruck), Amy (stunning), Miss Banshee, Amber (both were just so damn kind and nice and looked amazing), Palinode (not surprisingly well-spoken but also really wonderful and warm), Schmutzie (as was she), Annabelle (oh, just amazing), Jen L. (her personality was contagious) and Sarah (so sweet).

(And saw some fun people again: Metalia, Slynnro, Ali, Kristin, Regan, Katie (all too briefly!).

13. The sausage on a stick I mentioned above. It was surprisingly delicious.

14. Nearly flooding our hotel room an hour after arriving. We were steaming some of our clothes via shower steam and somehow the tub got plugged. Five minutes longer and we'd have some mighty serious explaining to do to the front desk. And possibly the floor below us.

15. Paying for panels but not attending a single one. (Okay, that's not fun as much as it is lazy.)

16. Speaking of, sleeping in until almost 10 a.m. each morning. 

17. The art gala where I got to see Natalie's beautiful photo featured (and Laurie's too).

18. Being pleasantly surprised by 99% of the people in attendance. Seriously, people were just nice and kind and willing to shake my hand or hug hello no matter my stats or shoes.

19. Two crab cake sandwiches in four days. Scale, go easy on me tomorrow.

20. The sweaty walk we took around Central Park. It's Central Park, you walk without complaint, am I right?

BlogHer was clearly incredible.

It got me thinking.

One day I'll hand the keys of this site over to my son and it will all be his. While I'm sure some words will straight-up humiliate him, I'm also sure some won't. I write for the part that won't. I write for those words -- however few they may actually total up to be -- that may help him, save him, make him feel understood, make him feel warm, make him laugh, even.

The beautiful thing about blogging is that your readers' words live on, too. So, one day I will gift these hundreds of posts to Kyle, and along with my words, I'll give him yours. 

I may have been a little nervous going into a weekend like BlogHer because of my stats or traffic or (lack of) business cards or any number of stupid fears that bubble up when popularity is involved, but those fears melted almost instantly.

Because I now get to say to him one day that you're all just as loving and supportive and selfless as he'll think you to be.

Thank you for being just as funny, kind, decent, and smart as I thought you'd be. I have friends in all corners of the world. That's a beautiful thing indeed.

Pictures here.

Comments

[Willow]

I've been following you for a very long time, but I don't think I've actually ever commented.
The line that made me come out of hiding?

'One day I'll hand the keys of this site over to my son and it will all be his.'

That's a beautiful thought.

[jodifur]

oh my goodness, I'm so glad we finally meet. And you are everything i thought you would be and more. And we are so going to mom 2.0.

[TwoBusy]

It was a true pleasure to meet you — very much looking forward to burying you in good Indian food later this year.

[LizScott]

Oh, that's a nice thing to say. I've always been intrigued by BlogHer but have struggled to find a place there (the network) and wasn't really sure if it was appropriate to go (to the conference).

I think it would be infectious to be surrounded by people who love to write, who want to be inspired. And given the sniping that happen through the interwebs, it sounds just lovely to be in a place where everyone is on the same team

[Marie Green]

Have I mentioned that I am KICKING myself for now going this year? It looks like a wonderful time, and I'm loving hearing how wonderful everyone is/was... makes it less intimidating, ya know?

Next year... yes, definitely next year. :)

[Kristabella]

So great to see you and hang with you! It was too short! I think I need to come to Dallas or you to Chicago so we can drink and laugh!

[Sarah]

Jennie it was so great to meet you! Thanks for welcoming me with open arms to the Style Lush party. Hopefully my boys and I can meet you and your boys when we head to Ft. Worth this fall.

[Jen L.]

I was so, SO happy to meet you! I wish I hadn't just eaten so I could have gone to dinner with you ladies. You are lovely. I'm so glad you had a wonderful weekend...I did, too!

[Jen]

I'm so glad you had such a good time. I think it's neat that so many of my favorite bloggers are all good friends. Worlds colliding, but in the best way possible.

[Heather]

I am glad that you had such a blast! I have a girlfriend moving to Manhattan, so I am hoping to finagle a trip up there soon! And having taken a trip to meet people that I previously only knew online, I can agree that it's wonderful having friends in all corners of the world.

[Kristin]

We had too much fun hanging with you and Jonna. One of my conference highlights, and thank you again for sitting down and gabbing with us!

[Anna from ABDPBT]

It was nice to meet you, and I really like that idea of handing the keys over to your son. I never thought of it that way. Actually, I *do* bite in person, it's just that I decided that I liked you too much to bite you.

[agirlandaboy]

I never thought about the fact that in keeping a blog that my son will one day read, I'm giving him all of you as much as I'm giving him me and giving him himself. Now I'm even more glad that I've surrounded myself with such extraordinary people. Phew!

[Sara @ Belle Plaine]

GET OUT! Supermodel pretty? You are my new best friend and I will love you forever.

Seriously, you were my one "had to meet" and I am so glad I did. I am also so glad I was part of the Padma Lakshmi Sausage In The Handbag Debacle. Priceless, people, priceless.

And next time we're in the same place, you bet your ass we are going to sit down and have our heart to heart. I miss you already.

[Katy]

Well, I like to read this. Also, sausage in a handbag? Hilarious.

I love that you write for your son. I wish I could say that, but I write for me. It keeps me sane. And like you, I cherish every single comment.

[Meagan Francis]

I was SO happy to meet you and sit and talk....and, err, smokin' hot? Thanks! glad I got that sassy haircut before I came!

[Pocklock]

Just LOVED meeting you! You're just fantastic.

[Kristie]

Dinner was lovely and the glass of champagne was lovely and you're lovely. Also, was Padma as gorgeous in person??

[Lawyerish]

The pleasure is all on this side of the table.

BEACHES!