Right now I’m blogging from the train, which is a spectacularly geeky experience in and of itself (on a related note, this whole sentence is full of misspelled words thanks to the motion of the train, this itty bitty netbook keyboard, and my weariness). I’m less than two hours from getting to the train station, and I can’t wait. I’m probably closer to four hours until I’m able to get home and collapse in our oh-so-comfy bed, but that’s because after Dan and the kids pick me up, we’re going out to dinner. I am super tired, but I’m also super in need of food. I haven’t eaten since 10:30pm last night, and to be honest it’s been hard to keep up with the protein intake since I was on the run for three days straight. So dinner first, and then home. Glorious home. And bed. Glorious bed.
One small event that stands out in my mind this weekend is something that took place at our dildo decorating party last night (yes, dildo decorating — I’m sure housekeeping thought we were nuts, seeing as how dildos, glitter and sequins took over our hotel suite for the majority of the weekend, and my boss and I were sharing a king-sized bed. Hah!). In the midst of our party, with 100+ women packing the suite, I noticed one of the bloggers sitting on the floor, just holding her knees and looking completely overwhelmed and miserable. Without even thinking I went over to her, crouched down in front of her, asked if she was all right, and then got her to talk to me, get up, and come into the bedroom with me where it was quieter. I asked her if she wanted a drink, to which she asked for water, so I got that and came back and struck up a conversation with her, so she wouldn’t have to focus on so much at once, and could instead just focus on me, one small thing, and block out everything else. I’m not going to presume that she is autistic, but I can’t help but wonder if she has, at the very least, issues with being over-stimulated easily. It’s the kind of situation where I just acted without thinking, because I’m used to it and can recognize it from my brothers and Ryan — especially Ryan. It’s also the kind of situation that makes me hope that if someone noticed my brothers or Ryan acting in a similar manner, being just totally overwhelmed by their surroundings, that they too would step in to try and calm them down and redirect them.
Other memorable events of the weekend include:
- Meeting The Bloggess
- Meeting The Pioneer Woman
- Meeting Sheena
- Meeting Techy Dad and his family
- Running into several bloggers who were like, “Hey, I read your blog!” (as soon as I find and organize all of the business cards I received I’ll plug you!)
- Getting hugged, kissed, licked and even groped by several memorable bloggers (plugs coming soon!)
- Getting 6.5 hours of sleep last night, which was about two hours more than we got both on Friday night and on Thursday night
My mom just called, and she’s like, “Dude, you sound like a total wreck”. My voice has been coming and going since Friday morning. Right now it’s mostly going. Yesterday was the worst — I woke up in the morning and when I went to say hello to my boss, not a word came out. Needless to say, it was definitely a chore to talk to people — and talking is one thing I did a lot of! Between the panel, the booth, our party, the various parties at BlogHer, and just general talking with bloggers and anyone who happened to make eye contact with me (I was quite the social butterfly this weekend, lol), I’ve been giving my poor vocal chords a hellish workout.
Right now we’re sitting at a train station for a thirty minute layover. I really cannot freaking wait until we get moving again. I want to get home! I miss Dan and the kids like crazy, and I want to get some food in me so I can go home and just crashhhhhhhhhhh.
Even though you are worn out and completely drained, sounds like you had a blast!
It was great meeting you. Oh and one correction: 200+ women and one guy at your party. And I didn’t feel out of place even once. Though I do admit that I was a “dildo decorating virgin” prior to that party. ;-) (Don’t think I’ve ever even held one before.)
Oh and putting me in the same class as the others on that list? I’m honored… and a bit scared that my ego will get too large. I’m sure TheAngelForever will see that it stays in check. ;-)
Sounds like you had an incredibly fun yet exhausting time! I know going to something called “Stand and Celebrate” when I worked at the daycare was my favorite because I ended up with a lot of swag so I can’t wait to see just what you snagged.
So nice to finally meet you stop by your overstimulating party, lol. How nice of you to help the blogger out on the floor. I can totally relate. Had a few parties I went to where I had to have air stat.
I can’t wait to veg out…whenever I can get caught up online…