When BlogHer announced the date and location of next year's conference two things went through my head:
1. Yay! It's closer to home next year. A bunch of us New England bloggers can take the train together and bond over mimosas in the club car and get to know each other better by chatting in our large, comfortable, non-airplane seats. Probably via Twitter but you know, still chatting.
and
2. Hmm, that date sounds awfully familiar, like I've already planned something for that weekend. But that's silly, I never plan anything that far in advance. It's an entire year away, I don't even know what I'm doing next week. Pshaw. I'm sure it's nothing.
And I swatted that notion away like a pesky fly. Until last night when I was checking my Facebook page.
I don't know what made me check Facebook. I hardly ever check Facebook anymore. I mean occasionally when Twitter is down I'll run to Facebook like a fickle lover. I'll whisper a few sweet nothings and send them out into the ether, just to get my fix. But for the most part, the people I have friended on Facebook are either the people I already chat with in on Twitter, friends I see every week anyway, or high school friends I haven't spoken with in almost 20 years so...
Almost 20 years. Wow. That's a long time.
Twenty years. Twenty years?
Shit, my 20th class reunion is next year. I'm not looking forward to attending that reunion.
My reunion. My reunion? My reunion!
My 20th high school reunion is the same weekend as BlogHer '10.
Okay, that's funny.
It's like the universe is absolving me from having to go to my reunion and mingle with people I didn't really much for when I was a naive 17 year old and will probably really dislike when I'm a much more worldly 37 year old.
Hey, I've had my passport stamped at least twice. Maybe more. That totally counts as being "worldly".
But still, I weighed my options. My 20th reunion should be something I want to go to, right? I have this girlfriend who didn't go to hers, and every once in a while, she gets this really terrible feeling--you know, like something is missing. She checks her purse, and then she checks her keys. She counts her kids, she goes crazy, and then she realizes that nothing is missing. She decided it was side effects from skipping the reunion. No wait, that was prom. And if you get that reference we can friends.
On the one hand, I told myself, I could go for four days to New York City and hang out with people I genuinely want to spend time with. Okay, they're people I met in the computer but as far as I know they're not going to slip me a horse tranquilizer and harvest my vital organs. Although, I do have my doubts about a few...
But on the other hand, maybe I should put aside petty differences and hurt feelings and resentments and all that and bury the hatchet - so to speak because, you know, not literally bury the hatchet, even though I may want to take something sharp to a certain girl who used to be my friend before she stole my boyfriend, bitch - and maybe reconnect with the few people I actually liked in high school.
I gave it a lot of thought (five minutes) and actually came up with a pros and cons list. Ready?
"Should Tania go to the BlogHer '10 conference in NEW YORK FREAKING CITY or go to her 20th high school class reunion and stand in the corner and muse over what happened to that hot boy she had a crush on when she was 16 years old and he never gave her the time of day's hair and probably leave after an hour?"
Going to Blogher -The Pros:- It's in New York City and despite being just a few hours away I've never been. And yes, I've just admitted that I'm really that lame on the internet.- Overwhelming, but in a good way.- Late night parties, good conversation, and you never know where you're going to end up at 3am.- SWAAAAAG: The steel cage match. Two people go in, one person comes out with a trial-sized bottle of laundry detergent.- I like to squee.- Where else can you gush over someone's business card and mean it?- Seeing friends I only see once, maybe twice a year. Even the ones who live twenty miles away from me.- *add something here about cultivating my craft and building business relationships and blah blah blahdee blah*The Cons:- The price. Wowza. I think I need my own street corner to pay for next year.- Overwhelming, but I'm working on my social anxiety. One drink at a time.- Exhaustion. Come to find out, I'm not twenty anymore. Who knew?- Four days of squeeing when I'm generally done after two.Going to my 20th reunion -The Pros:--.....-- Um.-- I'm sure the food won't be too bad?The Cons:- Really? Do I need to write it all down? I have kids to take care of before they go off to college.
So after much soul searching and wringing of hands and rendering of garments, I've decided to go to BlogHer.
Who wants to hit the nightclubs at 3am? Because if I'm going, I'm pretending I'm seventeen years old again... And paying for the after affects for the next year. I'll need the company.
