Welcome to the Hotel California

Sunday in San Francisco and I am sitting at an airport bar, drinking a peach martini, and staring down the clock with the knowledge that I have eight more hours to go before my flight.  Eight more hours, on top of the six that I have already been sitting here.

Welcome to the Hotel California.  You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.

My San Francisco airport experience so far has included lost luggage, flight delays, flight cancellations, rebookings, rebookings on nonexistant flights, feeble admissions that those nonexistant flights apparently existed after all but are now booked, and resignations to the fact that I had best make friends with the staff of the Mission Bar & Grill or I'll lose the only table with a working electrical outlet that I can find.

"Such a lovely place....  Such a lovely face."

That should buy me another ten minutes or so.

This has been a lovely weekend, The People's Party was a raging success, more so than we had anticipated (ahem...  there were free drink tickets and swag bags, but they flat out ran out), the sessions were so-so, but the people were beyond fabulous.  If I ever doubted once that there was such thing as community among bloggers, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt now that it is not a mirage.

I decided not to blog or twitter during BlogHer and that once home, I would write one single solitary post about it and then let it be.  But I find myself now in this strange limbo between BlogHer and home and feel justified to fudge a bit on that resolve.

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

I will absolutely go to BlogHer next year, assuming that I am still blogging.  You never know.  Life.

It is worth it.  Perhaps not so much for the sessions, but for what you learn outside of the sessions.  So many times I would be heading to some conference room to learn how to become a wicked smaht blogger and get distracted by someone that I had been longing to meet. 

It was in the hallways that I learned about blogging.

Did I have fun?  Yes.  Were there awkward moments?  Don't even ask me to elaborate, but yes.  Gah.  I don't know when to shut up.  Was it full of cliques?  I saw one or two, but I was so distracted by the different faces that surrounded me every day, that it was hard to believe that this was an issue.

I ate every meal with a completely different group of people.  I watched every session from my place at a table full of completely different people from the last session table.  I watched every keynote with different ears to whisper into by my side.

The downside to this diversity is that I rarely spoke with the same person more than twice and more than 20 minutes.  From that perspective, I can see that some people could leave BlogHer feeling slighted by this woman or that, but you are looking at the wrong aspect of the experience, in that case.

By the end, I was utterly saturated and completely drained. 

Yet full of joy. 

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before

See you when I finally make it home.  If they ever do let me leave.

...........................

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Comments

[Kiki]

I'm enjoying reading everyone's posts on Blogher... can't wait for yours.

[Anissa@Hope4Peyton]

I can't wait to hear more about it from your point of view. Have been reading from the ridiculously enthusiastic and from the overly poor me moments. I spent the evening in a chat room hoping for some live feed and got to experience some of my own blogger fun and appreciated that all by itself.

Hope you do go to '09 because I wouldn't miss it.

[Mrs. Schmitty]

I can't wait to hear all about BlogHer '08. I am DEFINITELY going to try to make it to '09!

[Amy in Ohio]

Not meeting you will go down in the top five disappointments this weekend.

You were like Clark Kent, I'd hear someone say you were just over there and when I looked - poof you were gone to fight crime and save the world I imagine.

You're just gonna have to invite me to your house I guess.

[merlotmom]

Sorry CA is treating you so badly. If it makes you feel ANY better, my flight was delayed too and me and my bags had to split up to make the journey. I would have liked to meet you this weekend but our paths did not cross. Maybe '09. Nice post.

[In the Trenches of Mommyhood]

Can't wait to hear more about it!

[heather]

I'm so glad I managed to carve out a bit of time with you - but it definitely wasn't enough. I wish we were delayed at the same airport right now, but, you know. Life.

Is it weird to say I miss you? Because I do. Can't wait for '09.

[threeundertwo]

Sorry you're stuck at the airport and it's interesting to hear that the best of blogher was in the hallways. Kind of what I suspected.

[Krista]

Oy vey, the time warp that is airports! Here's hoping you get home in one piece! :)
And I'd be lying if I didn't say I hope to be going next year!

[Lara]

and let's not forget the high school throwback note-passing. :-P

i'm so glad i got to meet you and share a meal with you. i knew you would be awesome, but still, it's nice to know i was so right. :)

[nanette]

It was nice to meet you! (I believe Heather from The Spohrs Are Multiplying introduced us at Ruby Skye.)

[Adventures In Babywearing]

You are one of the few that I never did bump into! Even at the People's Party... I didn't see actually any of the hosts. Ah, maybe next time!

Steph

[Kristabella]

It is so hard to meet all those people and actually have decent conversations with them. So many people, so little time!

I'm glad I did get to meet you for a brief second!

[Jennifer H]

Before BlogHer, I was disappointed not to be able to go. And now, I still am but with a slightly better idea of what it will be like. It's been a while since I've had to meet a lot of people at once--intimidating! Thank goodness for name tags?

Hope to meet you next year.

[Neil]

Hope you finally made it home safely!

[Mrs. G.]

You make it sound like so much fun. I hope to start saving $ and go next year.

[Bri]

I'm so bummed that we didn't get to talk, but yeah, my weekend was like that too. There were some people I ran into over and over and others that I never saw, but I believe I've made some lasting friendships and I'm so incredibly glad I went!

[karla]

so glad your party was a smashing success!

I hope to be able to meet you one day - BlogHer or not.

You? Me? Alli?
Just name the place.

xo~K

[Deb (Missives From Suburbia)]

Not blog next year? Don't threaten me like that. I owe you a cocktail at BlogHer '09. At a minimum, you have to keep blogging long enough to help corrupt a nursing mother at next year's conference.

[Alli]

Next year, babe. I'll hog all your attention.

[themommykelly]

sounds like an awesome time. Just not the getting home part.

[andi]

How did you write something this eloquent about the weekend? Sheesh. You make me look bad every time. I was all, "Squee! Everyone was awesome!"

I hope you know that meeting you was one of the best parts of the conference. You were even better than I thought you'd be. You're such a brilliant writer and a lovely person and I'm honored to know you Miss Megan. :)

[Maria]

It was so, so much fun. I was drained as well but it was so very worth it! :)