BlogHer Conference

Having grown up in her outskirts I am stoked (yup – I said stoked) to be spending a summer weekend in NYC.   In addition to gelato in Little Italy, massive amounts of people watching, and an afternoon of theatre, oh yeah – I’ll be attending the BlogHer 2012 conference.

I found the conference quite by accident after reading a recommended piece about the founders of the BlogHer.com website.   If you haven’t been there yet, BlogHer.com is worth the look-see.  They have amassed a fine collection of bloggers who pontificate on a regular basis.  Like all blog spots there’s some fact, some fiction, and a lot of opinion in between.   The self-description on their website states:

“Today, BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog: 37 million unique visitors per month (December 2011, Nielsen Site Census). Engaged, influential and info-savvy, these women come to BlogHer to seek and share advice, opinions and recommendations. BlogHer’s team works hard to bring you the best and brightest conversations, writers and speakers – online and in person. That’s what we do best.”

The narcissist in me said, “Hmmm, I came to their site – I must be one of those engaging, savvy chicks” while her counterpart, my negative nemesis, gave me, “Oh please, I think you fall under the “unique aka oddball” category”.  Either way, I’m now part of this community.  (For the record, I am leaning toward my inner narcissist)

Here’s a wee bit of information on the conference:

“Welcome to BlogHer Conferences!    http://www.blogher.com/conferences

In 2005, BlogHer Co-founders Elisa Camahort Page, Jory Des Jardins and Lisa Stone held a conference to answer the question, “where are all the women who blog?” Today, BlogHer conferences bring together thousands of these women from around the world to discuss, inspire and connect with each other.”

 – BlogHer Webpage/ March 2012

For moi, the immediate gratification factor of an in person conference vs. online tutorial is the opportunity for spontaneity.  To get those tidbits of information that are not preformed, edited for content, and polished but instead drop unfettered during impromptu conversation.   It’s the chance to glean more about the inner workings of the blogosphere from those who have been there, done that, and are STILL right here, doing this.  In addition to the segments offered in structured speaker/audience format there are endless opportunities to connect with oodles of other people who spend their days pouring the fruits of intense neuron bursts out of their brains and into cyberspace.  It’s a chance to come out from behind the keyboard and meet up with heaps of other creatives who blog about hundreds of topics. I’ll equate it to summer camp for grown up geeky gals but with better breakfast foods.

Have you been to one of these before?  What’s your thought?  Would love to hear your opinions/suggestions/ideas on blog conferences.

Change of plans…

The post that I drafted yesterday is sitting in the queue in lieu of gracing this blog today.  I know, I know, the suspense of the why is killing you.  I threw it overboard when I read Christine Fonesca’s blog this morning, An Intense Life,  and was compelled to repost the quote below.   Now go out there and change the world you wild kids!

“Here’s to the crazy ones.         The misfits.             The rebels.                 The troublemakers.                     The round pegs in the square holes.                        

 The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing that you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.            

They invent.                They imagine.             They heal.             They explore.              They create.               They inspire. They push the human race forward.

 Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Apple Computer Advertisement

A frenzied pen…

Looking for something spunky to do this April?  Can’t wait to kick off a new writing project?  Stockpile some caffeine and check this out:  30 days + 100 pages = Script Frenzy©.

“Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants take on the challenge of writing 100 pages of scripted material in the month of April. As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or “best” scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages is victorious and awe-inspiring and will receive a handsome Script Frenzy Winner’s Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact.

Even those who fall short of the page goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt. Really, you have nothing to lose—except that nagging feeling that there’s a script inside you that may never get out.” – Script Frenzy© website/March 2012

Happy writing.

Is Zombie a food group?

“Bring out your dead!”  (if you cannot identify this quote then you need a Monty Python intervention stat)

Well this is not a reblog but more of a repost – kind of.  I am not actually sure what you call it when a close friend takes a cool picture and puts it on her FB page and she also happens to have a blog and you copy and paste that picture into your own blog and then give her kudos.  Is that Refacebooking or Reposting or stealing?  Such blurry fine lines.  Anyway, this photo is courtesy of my friend Kim who you can check out at http://kfsfindingmyway.blogspot.com.  We’ll file this under books you wish you had thought of yourself.

My big fat….

Mine is big.  Some might even say enormous.  In fact it’s so huge that I often don’t know where to put it.  Conundrum, conundrum….where should I put my big fat dictionary?

That’s right – I’ve got a supersized reference guide.  A few years ago (*ahem*…*cough*…decades ago…) I purchased the greatest book of all time.  I traded some green for a six-inch thick Webster© Dictionary.  This was not just any Webster© but a tome that included definitions, bios and pictures of all the United States presidents, a section of famous quotes, flags of the world, an English to Spanish section, and can you guess what else?  No, no you can’t, so I’ll tell you: a copy of the Constitution of the United States.  Oh it’s true – it’s that awesome!

I procured this incredible treasure from a band of gypsies a.k.a. the near extinct creatures known as travelling salesmen.

Our workplace was some sort of vortex that sucked in strange sales people the way a siren pulls in sea captains.   It’s so obvious now that our office full of vixens was inadvertently sending open wallet signals into the world.   We were blind to our own powers.

Over the years we’d been plied with all manner of products from plants and paintings to food, clothing, and office supplies.   I’m still not sure why we never locked the front door.  Anyway, except for the sandwich guy – we loved him – we generally sent the rest away with a round of smiles and “so sorry, maybe next time” platitudes.

When a couple of college kids wandered in one afternoon laden down with boxes we were prepared to usher them right back out the door with our usual grace.  That is until one of them said, “We have these surplus books…”  No idea what he said next because rainbows had burst from the ceiling, a unicorn was prancing around my desk, and the sandwich guy appeared.  Utopia was upon us (the sandwich guy is always in utopia – a girl has to eat).  People were bringing books RIGHT TO MY DESK.   FYI – this was pre-Amazon© so yeah, it was that exciting.

That day I purchased their last big fat Webster© and I’ve  been lugging it around the world ever since.    Every section has been poured over, pondered, and utilized.   My once shiny red book now sports a broken spine,  mended pages, some extra pictures thanks to my resident underage artists, and a garden of sorts made of flowers pressed between the covers of this heavy edition.   It is the ultimate “go to” book.

When my own wee little band of gypsies now find themselves in need of definitions I send them to the Webster©.   Yes, they could easily look the words up online using any one of a  myriad of websites but then the art of using a hardbound dictionary would be lost.   If you haven’t used your reference book  in a while I think it’s time you did.

Today’s a great day to learn a new word and annoy your friends and coworkers by using it ALL DAY LONG.  Developing a story and need some character or scene description?  Open to a random page, close your eyes and pick a word.  The next time you’re in the mood to palaver try the dictionary  game:  One person gets the book and picks a word and the rest need to try to spell and define it.  This can really go either way as a family night game or a drinking game.  You decide.

I’ll leave you with a little known fact about large dictionaries:  They have alternate uses such as dining table booster seat, door stop, and paper weight. You’re welcome.