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That’ll Teach Me To Read More Carefully

As I was perusing the BlogHer website last week, I saw a tab that said "Conferences".  And I thought, Oooh!  Oooh!  I wonder if they’ve announced the location for the BlogHer 2008!!  So I clicked.

BlogHer 2006 was in L.A.  I was just a baby blogger, and I couldn’t imagine anyone being so serious about blogging that they would go to a conference about it.  But as I read the blogs of those who went, it sounded like so much fun, and even though I just knew I’d never be a serious blogger like Chris and Y and Liz, I avidly read their accounts of the fabulous blogger party in L.A.

BlogHer 2007 was in Chicago.  By then my blog was no longer just a personal diary; it was becoming a hobby.  I was gaining readers and challenging myself to become a better writer.  And the thought of going to a conference and learning more about blogging and meeting some of the bloggers I’d gotten to know suddenly seemed very realistic.

I saw that Shannon and Melanie were going, and I wanted so badly to join them.  But when Steph (or was it Beth?  I know it was one of my Chicago blogging pals) asked me about meeting up with her in Chicago, I sadly declined.  I just couldn’t ask my husband to go gallivanting halfway across the country to meet up with a bunch of girls I had never even met in real life.  Could I?  I didn’t dare ask.  If only it were closer, I thought.   Then, just maybe…

Then I got to thinking.  It’s been in L.A. and Chicago.  It’s time for BlogHer to come to the East coast.  And I started thinking what a perfect location New York would be for the third annual BlogHer conference.  And how easy it would be for me to get to New York.

So last week when I eagerly clicked on the Conferences tab on the BlogHer website, lo and behold, there it was!  There are conferences scheduled in San Francisco AND NEW YORK!

And I was all Omigosh!  They’re having two conferences this year!  One for each coast!  And it’s in New York!  That means I can go! 

And I started entertaining all sorts of fanciful notions of meeting up with bloggers from all over the country (the world??) and meeting in real life some of the women I’ve gotten to know and admire online.

And then I started plotting.  I would call girlymama and tell her we were going to BlogHer, and of course she would agree to go because it sounds like way too much fun to pass up, and my husband would let me go because I would have a roommate that I actually, well, know.  And there wouldn’t even be airfare to worry about.

And then I’d email all my blogging friends who might be considering the BlogHer conference and nag them until they agreed to come to New York instead of San Francisco.  And it would be such an amazing weekend!

The next night I mentioned it to my husband and logged onto the BlogHer website to show him the details.  And that’s when I saw it.

BlogHer BUSINESS ’08 (emphasis mine) in New York, New York.

And BlogHer ’08 in friggin’ liggin’ San Francisco. (friggin’ liggin’ addition mine)

And at that very instant, my illusions of BlogHer grandeur flew right out the window.

I don’t have a business.  The "real" BlogHer conference is in San Francisco.  Of course I would LOVE to go to San Francisco.  It’s supposed to be such a cool city, and I’ve never been.  But it might as well be the other side of the earth for all the chance there is that I’ll get there for a blogging conference.

As my balloon of excitement rapidly deflated, I felt sort of like I had just gotten home from a fabulous vacation.  Except without the fabulous vacation.  Just dreams of a fabulous vacation.  Dreams that were shattered in an instant all because of that little b-word — business.

But.  I will not lose hope.  I shall rise up and overcome my profuse disappointment.  I will blog on.  *shakes fist at the sky*

After all, in the spirit of Scarlet O’Hara, Next year is another year!

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21 Responses

  1. DLH – Yes, healing. That’s what I need. But I think healing would be better achieved on a Caribbean island somewhere, don’t you?

    Jenn – We actually talked about it. Except without kids. (Are you NUTS??) 😉 Hubs would love to see San Fran too. But it’s probably not in the cards for this year. We have a big wedding to attend in October in SC, so we’ll be saving our pennies for those plane flights.

  2. Actually, there are three conference events in 2008. BlogHer Biz, in NYC – BlogHer Con in San Fran and the BlogHer Reach Out Tour hitting 6 cities in the east/south east part of the US. For the Reach Out Tour, you can attend one or more… The Reach Out Tour dates haven’t been set in stone, but think middle of October. The cities are Boston, DC, Greensboro, Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans.

    https://www.blogher.com/blogher_conference/conf/6/agenda/3

  3. Maybe you should plan a trip of your own to New York, to help you get over the disappointment. You could talk about blogging while you’re there and pretend it was a blogging conference or just shop whichever would help you heal.

  4. Just convince your husband that you need a vacation to San Francisco and drag him and the kids along with you – it is an awesome city and there is so much to see and do and you could still catch some of the BlogHer conference and spend some time with the family… (I know, easier said than done – I have a husband too!)

  5. I don’t know what to say except that I wish you could go too! I love your blog and would be willing to bet that you would share much of the new knowledge you would acquire. Keeping my fingers crossed for you for next year…

  6. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, chick.

    San Fran? My favorite city? Sigh. Is it in July? Fudge – probably too late to fly across country – I’d be due in a few weeks. But oh how I’d love to go.

    You find a way to go and let me live vicariously through you. Please?

  7. Oh, I would have definitely gone to NY and would love any excuse to go to San Fran. It is one of the coolest cities in the United States. But, you are right, that is the other side of the world. bummer. Maybe next year!

  8. I know–we were disappointed, too.

    I just can’t justify that far away from the kids right now. Luckily, Nashville is on the tour…whatever that turns out to be.

  9. SAN FRANCISCO!?!?!?! Woo hoo! I am so there! Why, that’s just 45 minutes from my front door! Maybe next year it’ll be in Philadelphia for you!

  10. Oh my! That was so well written that I now feel your pain! What a letdown.

    San Francisco is nice. You could do a family vacation out there and visit all kinds of surrounding areas.

  11. I enjoyed reading about the BlogHer people last year and thought it would be a blast to be a part of. The great thing is that you have girlymama so you two together would have fun. I don’t really have any real life blogging friends, otherwise I would totally go. Bummer it is not in NY! Maybe next year!

  12. Aw man, I was really excited there for a minute. Blogher does need to have a conference on the east coast, what are they thinking? San Francisco would be nice – maybe you’ll get to go anyhow.

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