Blo Your Po

It seems like it should be the end of November, doesn't it? I'm feeling very November 30th-ish. Blogging every day apparently makes time screech to a halt. I have blog ideas, oh you bet your sweet bippy I do. I just don't want to actually write them because my mind is elsewhere. Where is my mind? Well... Top 3 Places Where My Mind Is Not

1. The gutter - My mind is very rarely in the gutter. Actually, I should work on this and gutter up my brain.
2. Hogwarts - I know Harry Potter 7 opens this weekend but I'm not going. So there.
3. Margaritaville - Is this actually a real place or a state of mind? I never drink margaritas.

Top 3 Places Where My Mind is

1. Thanksgiving - We're hosting and I have a bunch of phone calls and arrangin' to do.
2. Work - I volunteered to be in the first wave of social workers cast into the wind. This is what passes for control.
3. Oak Lake - I'm heading to Oak Lake tonight for a writing weekend.

That's right, I'm going to write a book this weekend. Well, I don't think I'll finish it but my co-conspirator thinks we will. She's a "glass half-full" kinda gal while I'm a "I don't care what's in the glass as long as it tastes good" kinda gal. Anyway, this is a project that has been in the works for a long time. It has changed a lot in the past year or so and now it's time to just sit down and write a big ol' chunk of it. So, we'll be at the cabin by ourselves (no partners, no children) and there is no television and...I can hardly stand to type this but...there is no internet. I know what you are thinking...you are thinking, "Great. Big deal about the book. What about me? How are you going to Blo your Po without internet?" Well, I tried to wrangle Luisa into guest posting and she refused. Zeca has volunteered but is slacking. I plan to lock her in her room until she has a draft of a blog post scrawled on tear-stained Hello Kitty stationary. We'll all just have to trust that somehow this will work. Stay tuned...

Laura Wants to Know It Was Awesome

Hyperbole is one of my closest allies. I can take a simple moment and spin it to epic proportions. Sometimes, I do it to entertain. Sometimes, I do it because I think it’s expected of me. Sometimes, I do it because it’s easy. The past two posts were written for all of those reasons. I don’t really know how to write about the rest of BlogHer in a way that would have meaning for all of you. I was thrilled to meet some of the people I’ve come to know and respect online – Grace Yip, Grace Chu, Polly (not a meeting so much as a reunion), Deborah, Deb on the Rocks, Liza, and Riese, Alex and Jess from Autostraddle. Check this post (but ignore the menacing and/or unflattering pictures of me) – Alex talks about two of our meet-ups. I had unexpected encounters that I thoroughly enjoyed – I ogled a woman in an unfortunate mini skirt with Kat as we sipped drinks in some random NY bar and I danced like crazy with Sarah while decked out in glow sticks. I met many more people but I'm afraid to start a list for fear of forgetting someone. I don’t think I learned much from the conference sessions themselves though Alex did teach me about graphs! When I left New York, I was sure that BlogHer was not the place for me but, now, I’m not so sure. This brings to mind a favorite piece of movie dialogue: "Are you really so sure of everything you’re so sure of?/ Sure, aren’t you?/ Not as sure." Can you name the characters and movie?

In the end, I have realized that BlogHer made me feel a little lost. I find myself wondering what I’m doing, with this blog, with my writing. Maybe this is the best kind of lost there is. Maybe in recognizing that I’m lost, I will find my way. To be found, I know that I must trust and believe in myself. I’m not sure how to do that but I know if I don’t, I will once again find myself in that hammock on the Path of Least Resistance. Advice is welcome.

One other thing…

Every week, I am all over the internet and read tons of posts and articles. Sometimes, friends in the real world ask me to compile a list of links for them to read and I realized I'd like to start doing that here too. There is so much out there! So, here are a few things that I loved this week:

• Deb on the Rocks wrote an inspiring piece about her stay at the Chelsea Hotel in NY: Pilgrimage, New York, Hotel Chelsea, BlogHer
• Rachel wrote a thought-provoking post on Autostraddle about being alone:  Eat Pray Love Won’t Teach You How to Be Alone (or, “First Try to See Something, Anything Else”)
• Esra'a spoke at BlogHer about her work with the site Mideast Youth and she was hilarious and amazing. Check out Mideast Youth so you too can be amazed.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back next week. I'm sure of that.