Well Hello Bookworms,
I hope you’ll forgive me, but today I shall be taking a small break from talking books. I hope you don’t mind. The thing is that I love me some blogging. I love it something fierce. Because I love it and have made so many AWESOME blogger friends, I decided to sign up for a blogging conference. Actually, I signed up for it waaaaay back in November because they were having an early bird special, and I like saving money. That’s right, I’m going to BlogHer! It’s in Chicago this year, which makes my life easier because that’s only a couple of hours from my little house in the middle of a cornfield.
Have I told you about my Slaw? (That’s short hand for sister-in-law, not cole, because coleslaw = gross.) Her name is Jenny and she is wonderful. (Yes, she likes books!) She is also a fancy marketing type for a fancy marketing firm in Chicago. She’s practically my agent (but 15 percent of zilch is still nothing, doll!) She said to me, “Katie! You need to post something on your page so that the whole INTERNET knows you’ll be at BlogHer! They might invite you to parties!” And I thought to myself, “hmmm Katie parties” because in my head I have an English accent and refer to myself in the third person. So I said, “Yes! I shall do this! I don’t know if anyone will want me at their parties, because there’s a fair chance I’ll try to hide in a corner with a book, but what the hey? I’ll do it!”
Like everything I do with blogging, I’m flying on a wing and a prayer. I have no idea what I’m doing. I thought it might be a good idea to set some goals before I go, so I do something OTHER than follow Chrissy, Joules, and Lauren around like a puppy. Anyway, here are my plans.
1. Attend panels on self-hosting and learn techy things.
2. Scour the exhibit hall and meet sponsors. I’m not opposed to collecting a little swag. We shall see.
3. Have grown up pajama party with blogging besties.
4. Attend BlogHer parties and shake my groove thang. (This may require a cocktail or two, but I can polka. I’m just saying.)
5. Get out of bed on time. This is something I need to work on in normal life as well. I am a very grouchy waker upper. I need lots and lots of sleep. I might be part bear, with my predisposition to hibernation.
6. Listen to the Keynote speaker from Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd! (ZOMBIES!!!)
7. Applaud LOUDLY for Lauren from Filing Jointly…Finally as she is honored in the Voices of the Year presentation. (Yaaaaaay Lauren!)
8. Make sure Joules has real Chicago style food. Particularly pizza and hot dogs. (Who am I kidding? Chrissy is really the one in charge of this. She knows the city much better than I do AND she’s a foodie. I’m just there for the hot dogs…)
9. Be friendly and not intimidated. Or at least, keep the intimidation on the inside. Resist urge to hide in hotel room with books. RESIST!
10. Watch my sister-in-law Jenny be fancy while she works a room. She’ll be there a-courting bloggers and networking. I’ll probably embarrass her at least a tiny bit, but what else is family for, you know?!
Anybody else out there going to BlogHer?! Any tips for me? Requests for me to do something weird? I once went into a bar in my penguin pajamas, I’m not opposed to pajama related dares…
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
You are gonna have SUCH a good time! I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Words for Worms
🙂 I’m looking forward to it, and the wrap up posts 🙂
Kelly
TOTES JEALOUS!!! I hope you have an amazing time! We need to see some pics of you doing something awesome-slash-awkward in those penguin PJs I think.
Words for Worms
This can be arranged. In fact, I feel it’s in the cards…
Nadia
How awesome!! Sounds like you are going to have so much fun!! I definitely can’t wait to read all about it 🙂
Words for Worms
I will definitely post about it. I’m sure it will be full of ridiculous!
Wayne
Can guys come to this thing? Probably not 😉 unless you’re a book publisher or someone in the media or the “significant other” of a Blogette. Remember, what happens in Chicago, STAYS in Chicago.
Words for Worms
Actually, guys can totally register for BlogHer. It’s dude friendly.
Liesel Hill
Jealous over here too. I love writing conferences of all kinds, though I tend to go to ones focused more on writing than on blogging, but still. Good luck! Hope you have tons of fun! 😀
Words for Worms
I’ve never been to a conference! I’m nervous/excited. Nervocited. I just made a new word.
Charleen
Is it weird that I kinda wish I was going to be in town that weekend so I could meet up with you guys for lunch or something? Does that make me a blogging groupie? (To be fair, I went to HS with Chrissy and you can’t really be a groupie to someone you know in real life, can you?)
Words for Worms
Awww if you’re in town another weekend, let us know! I go up to the burbs to visit my nephew pretty often, you never know when paths might cross!
Charleen
We are back quite a bit… we both grew up in Lombard and a lot of friends/family are still I’m the area. Actually we’ll be there the weekend after BlogHer for Bears’ Family Fest… so close! We’ll be like ships passing in the night.
Quirky Chrissy
yay! let’s hang out!
Megan M.
Ooooh you’re going to have so much fun! Document absolutely everything that happens so we can pretend we were there, too!
Words for Worms
Will do!
Lauren@FilingJointly
Yay! Can’t wait! But don’t cheer TOO loudly at the VOTY thing. Because that will cue panic attacks. If you’re looking for an alternative to cheering though, I wouldn’t complain if you tossed handfuls of mini eclairs in my direction. Like dessert confetti. Desserti.
Words for Worms
Would cookie crisp cereal count as Desserti? That seems more confetti-like than eclairs. We wouldn’t want to waste eclairs with throwing…
Lauren@FilingJointly
Yes that would be fine.
RebeccaScaglione - Love at First Book
Fabulous!!!! Have a blast! I’m so jealous but also very happy for you!!!
Leah
That’s awesome! Have fun and learn lots!
Words for Worms
Will do! Thanks Leah! 🙂
Jessie Lambert
Ah! Lucky! I was excited about BlogHer and then you mentioned that zombie keynote tidbit and I was like, “why am I not going too??!!” Hope you have a great time.
Words for Worms
Thanks! I’ll let you know all about the zombie bit, if it’s any consolation.
Jessie Lambert
Haha! Yes. That would be nice. 😀
Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader
Me <~~ ENVIOUS! I can't wait to hear alllllll about it!
Words for Worms
I promise to fill you in!
Sarah Says Read
I really need to move to a locale that has more things like this. It sounds like so much fun!
I will be mentally cheering you along to not be shy and hiding in the corner with books. I would totally do the same thing. Get out there and do your Katie thang!!! And have fun, of course 🙂
Words for Worms
Thanks! I’ll need all the good juju I can get!