BlogHer: Postmortem '12

     A week and a day have gone by since the whirl of gaiety that was my inaugural BlogHer outing.
     I confess to being slightly disappointed. Not by any of the myriad reasons other folks have been posting on Teh Intertubez the past several days (too crowded, too whiny, too dissed ...), either. No, I was saddened because I thought this was supposed to be a party happening ... and no one thought to break a champagne bottle over my noggin and call it a christening. Oh well, I guess no one wanted to risk arrest.
     There's always next year.
     So, yes ... more than a week has evaporated, and I haven't published a single, sodding word to this space. I have no excuse other than being sucked headlong back into the vortex of my regular night gig. Instead of writing, I've edited a host of copy about rail-trails and sewer bills ... oh, and some super genius who hijacked a pickup, crashed it, then swiped a tractor-trailer, crashed it and got shot at all while leading a bunch of PA staties on a 100-mph chase down the turnpike. You know, normal, every-day stuff.
     Honestly, I began writing this post a couple of times only to find myself blocked. Still processing, I guess. All the while, I've been reading a host of other wrapups and recaps, some positive, some negative.
     Perhaps I'm just not trying hard enough, but I can't summon up any rage to speak of.
     In fact, I had a pretty damned good time. I got to kick around New York for a bit, visit a great Lego store and attend a Disney movie screening and reception. What's not to like?

The Manhattan skyline at dusk, during
a rooftop reception after a Disney event.

Rockefeller Center ... in Lego.

 
     To be certain, there were hiccups. It was a conference with several thousand women milling about. Of course there were megalines for the ladies room and fighting over "swag." Have these people never shopped in an outlet store on Black Friday? You've not lived until you've witnessed a couple of grannies come to blows over an ugly purse at 3 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. OK, some of the swag was a little overrated, and if you haul around too much of it, you'll still have a crick in your neck several days later. But I can't complain. I got some useful stuff. Who am I to argue with free vitamins or vibrators? (Yes, you just read that correctly ... but, like many things, it's a whole other story.)
     And lines? Please. I'm a Disney-holic. Don't talk to me about waiting in lines. Pikers.
     Would I have liked to have made a few more personal connections? Sure. But, like every Disney addict will tell you, there's always the next trip. And I very much liked the new people I was fortunate enough to be introduced to. Many were Whovians, because, after all, we geeks do tend to naturally gravitate toward each other.
     Ultimately, despite some newbie fits and spurts, I was able to accomplish what I set out to do ... learn useful stuff and leave feeling inspired to do more.

The More You Nerd...

     As an added bonus, I got to team up for the weekend with my very dear friend April. Best move I could have possibly made. We got to split the cost of a room and hang out, which we seldom get to do, me being in Pennsylvania and she being in Connecticut. We also were able to cover a broader selection of conference sessions. In the long run I think that will be a real boon for the Disney-themed website she owns, I edit and for which both of us and several others write: Enjoying the Magic.
     Oh, and to top everything, I got to see an "Ace of Cakes" culinary sculpture live and in person at an annual shindig called "Sparklecorn." It was, appropriately, a giant silver unicorn with a Zachary Levi/Nathan Fillion-approved "The More You Nerd"-style logo on a fin erupting from its back. It was a thing of beauty.
     What more could anyone want?