Denouement

Okay, so my weekend in Chicago? Was terrific. I didn’t actually meet 800 people, which was good. Because that’s a lot of people. But I did meet beaucoup people. So many that it was crucial that everyone had nametags everyone’s name was on their boobs so we could all casually glance down and remind ourselves whose boobs we were glancing at. However, for successful glance-casual reading of boob-height nametags, the names on the tags must be printed very large. And I know that Blogher loves us and meant to print the names very large, but by accident they printed them very small. And that meant we were all walking around staring at each other’s boobs, not very casually, but serving the same end since you kinda feel as though you know someone pretty well after staring at their boobs for a good 15 seconds or so, y’know? Still, I think I would have preferred the large-printed names.

Nametag issues notwithstanding, there were highlights:

• Pre-Blogher party at the Whiskey Sky. Met pretty much everyone who “needed to be met,” (and managed to stay fairly un-star-struck, I think hope) and got lots of sk*rt love at our giveaway table. Plus free drinks thanks to the very lovely Amanda from Goodyblog.
• Meeting Gabby, one of my partners in sk*rt, for the first time! She is more lovely than I could have imagined — tall and graceful and beautiful with an easy laugh and quick wit — and she was a perfect roommate who likes to stay up too late just like me. I feel lucky to know her.
• More time with Laura, my other partner in sk*rt, who I had already met, but only briefly. She’s the stuff lifelong friends are made of. Just solid goodness with a smile that makes the whole room warmer.
• Awesome swag bags from BlogHer and AOL. I love good swag.
• 4 words: Amy Sedaris and Elizabeth Edwards. In the same day. Okay, 8 words.
• Standing up to ask a question during one of the panels and saying “I’m Laurie, from sk*rt” and having the whole room applaud.
• Crystal-like fireworks on Navy Pier and dinner at Sushi Samba with the awesome sk*rt ladies, and also Kyran. I could have stayed there for weeks and not noticed the passage of time. The evening felt like an investment in my person. As in, now I’m a better one.
• Brunch at West Egg Cafe (Gatsby goes to Chicago?) with Pundit Mom, Bossy and Average Jane. I’m starting to feel like an all-star just by being near all these all-stars.

But then the lowlights:

• Almost completely lost my voice the very first night. Stayed gone all weekend. Nice.
• I’m still in Chicago even though I left for the airport almost 12 hours ago. Thankfully I’m not actually still at the airport (way better — I’m at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport), but I will be returning to the airport tomorrow to try to get on a plane where the mechanic doesn’t open the emergency door activating the big yellow emergency slide requiring a special part to be flown in from Charlotte (oh the irony) before it can be fixed. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

And then one more highlight:

• Over halfway through Harry Potter. Will surely finish tomorrow. A midpoint review for those of you who didn’t finish it the first day you got it: slow moving start. Seems to be picking up a bit of speed right around page 360 or so.

It has been an exhilarating and exhausting weekend. I’m so glad I went and I learned a lot more about the blogging world than I ever imagined one was able to learn about the blogging world. It was fun being a sk*rt cheerleader and I love my teammates. Hooray for us!