BlogHer: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

First let me start off by saying that I had an amazing, wonderful, fantabulous time in Chicago.  Fantabulous is totally a word, and if you’re one of the people who had a hand in getting me there, you’re super special fantabulous.  For reals. So, thank you.

The good FAR outweighs the bad and the ugly, but I felt as if I needed to address all three.  Because, you know, what fun is it to read a post where someone gushes about something.  It’s really quite boring.  The gory details are what everyone wants, and the gory details are what everyone shall get.

So…let’s begin!  *claps hands in excitement*

The Good

• Getting to spend Wednesday in LA with Heather and Mike.
• Having dinner with Jayneoni, who is fantabulous in her own right.
• The awesome people on the Party Plane.
• The crew of our Southwest flight to Chicago, who graciously put up with us.
• Katie, who I became “close” friends with on the limo ride to the hotel.
• Roaming Chicago with my friend Fran.
• Seeing people I’ve missed since last July.  Like Amy, Jennifer, Shannon, Dawn, Lotus, Gudrun, Loralee & Leslie.
• Seeing people I saw in April, but having this be happier circumstances.  Like VDog, Tanis, Rachel, Shannon, Maya, Maura & Anissa.
• Spending time with other fantabulous people, whether I’d met them before or not.  Like Renee, Jen, Greis, Stacey, Issa, Kirstin, Yvonne, Stefanie, Marinka, Brittany & Janet.
• Meeting so many other fabulous people I can’t even link to them all or I’ll never get this posted.
• Seeing lightning and hearing THUNDER!!!  Even if it only happened once.
• Some people are JUST like their online persona.
• Some people are NOT AT ALL like their online persona.
• Getting my hair did by Anna, the super fantabulous stylist at the Suave booth.
• The #SuperSecretPizzaParty.  Which will hopefully be a yearly event.
• Feeling comfortable enough in my own blogging skin that I didn’t feel like I had to pretend to like people I don’t
• Feeling comfortable enough in my own blogging skin that I didn’t feel like I had to impress anyone
• Feeling comfortable enough to spend time concentrating on the people I WANTED to see, and not on the ones the internet tells me I should hang out with.  Because, you know, they’re the “cool” ones.

The Bad

• The “Water Situation.”  I bitched about this A LOT this weekend.  As someone who used to plan corporate events for a fancy schmancy hotel, I was ridiculously disappointed with the lack of water available to conference attendees.  I totally get the effort to save the world of many a plastic bottle that would need to be recycled.  But for future reference BlogHer event planners, put reusable water bottles in our bags.  Brand them.  The attendees will use them, and BELIEVE ME, it will be appreciated.
• The fact that the hotel provided bottled water at the parties and charged people for it.  That’s what pitchers and glasses are for, assholes.
• Holding a conference for internet addicted people at a hotel that doesn’t have wifi in the guest rooms. Duh.
• #NikonHatesBabies is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.  It’s unfortunate that the guest limitations weren’t clearly stated to attendees, but REALLY?  Saying Nikon hates babies because the fancy BAR at which they held their event  has a 21 & over policy?  Ridiculous.
• The pictures I’ve seen of myself need to be shine corrected.  Good lord my forehead is shiny.
• I missed seeing/meeting a bunch of people I wanted to.  Boo.
• I didn’t get to spend NEARLY enough time with everyone I wanted to.  I propose that we schedule at LEAST a week in NYC next year.  We can sleep 10 to a room if we have to.  For reals.
• I missed seeing Paula Deen.  Dammit. I love her.
• I missed the Vaginally Challenged Bloggers session.  I can roll my eyes with the best of ‘em.
• The DRAMA.  Because HOLY HELL people, are we 15 year old hormonal teenage girls, or are we grown ass women?  Sometimes I wonder.
• Some people are JUST like their online persona.
• Some people are NOT AT ALL like their online persona.
• Some people don’t understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them.  And every situation isn’t about YOU.
• The fact that the saying “With friends like these, who needs enemies?” popped into the conversation, and into my head, on numerous occasions.

The Ugly

• The disgusting behavior, exhibited by a few select people, when it came to procuring swag.  It’s free crap people.  Not diamonds or cash.  And even if it were, your behavior would still be objectionable.
• The backlash against those of us who got free swag.  In an orderly fashion, of course.  Once again, it’s free crap people.  Get over it.  If it wasn’t something I would use, I didn’t take it.  If it was in a bag and it wasn’t something I would use, I gave it away.   I’m not going to apologize for taking a free one time use sample of laundry detergent, or sample size jars of play-doh for my kids.  I’m also not a whore for doing it.  So, #alohahard and get over yourselves.
• Some people are JUST like their online persona.
• Some people are NOT AT ALL like their online persona.

I was lucky in that I was a removed party from all the drama.  I witnessed some of it firsthand, heard of some of it from involved parties and read about some of it on the interwebz. I suppose it’s to be expected when you get 1,500 people together for anything.  Especially when the majority of the people are women.   There were no knock down, drag out fights, though I heard there were ALMOST a few.  Which, really, I would have loved to see and would have totally taken me back to standing in the hallway at high school while two girls went at it.  And not in THAT way, perverts.  Also? If there HAD been a fight, I may or may not have picked a favorite and cheered silently from the sidelines.  You’ll never know.

Overall, I had a FABULOUS time in Chicago. Come hell or high water, I’ll be in New York next year.  I’m going to take MochaMomma’s advice and start saving now.  I suggest you do too!  Trust me, you won’t want to miss out on ALL the fun!

Related posts:

1. BlogHer Bound
2. When Life Hands You Lemons
3. Label Daddy is Sending Me to BlogHer ’09! *I HOPE*
4. When The Shit Hits The Fan, It Pours
5. I Survived BlogHer ’08…Barely