I have a lot to say about BlogHer. It's going to take days. We might as well get started.
1. My kid didn't miss me that much
I am reading, amidst the complaints about crazy swag-grabbing psycho bitches and whining about corporate america's overtaking of the former kumbaya blog hugathon that some people believe they have lost, some adorable claims of children running to their mothers in airports with great fanfare and choirs of angels singing.
This did not happen for me.
The flight was torturous but it was really only an hour late. We circled over Pittsburgh for a while, even the pilot unsure why we could approach NYC airspace. Can I just say that one thing we New Yorkers do NOT like to hear is anything that might be construed as CLOSED AIRSPACE OVER NYC. That's a big dose of nasty memories, that little phrase.
Anyway, it was just weather. After half an hour, they let us fly to some point near Philadelphia and circle for another half hour. But at that point, the pilot informed us that we had enough fuel for about 20 more minutes of circling and would then need to land "elsewhere." Like, somewhere other than my home. Where my kid was waiting for me at the airport. That made me a little edgy.
And then, just before the 20 minutes were up, some air traffic controller who will never know he is my best friend gave the OK and we landed right away.
And I came shuffling and limping into the baggage claim (OH MY GOD THE FIBRO) and spotted Wes and he held up a finger and turned to grab our boy and bring him from where he was having a really lovely time rotating the nuts rack in the Hudson Newsstand. I think we both thought it was going to be... A Moment. And then, when I saw my boy and when he saw me, he looked... mostly annoyed that someone had removed him from that really fun twirly thing.
No, to be fair, I got a rather delighted, "Mommy! Hi, mommy!" And then he repeated it about a gazillion times and gave me a big hug complete with pats on the arm. But then he wanted to play with the rotating nut rack some more, totally oblivious to the way I wouldn't stop touching him or crying tears onto his head.
2. I know you are all dying to know about my boobs. And the answer is that after an ill-advised five minutes last night where I thought to myself, "I am DOING THIS. I am WEANING RIGHT NOW," I lost it. I stupidly sat down in the chair where I have nursed him to sleep every night of his life and he quite naturally perked right up and said, "Muk muk muk." And while I did try to explain that it was gone or that we weren't going to do it anymore, my heart wasn't in it at all and I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. It wasn't the right time.
And so... we will keep nursing to sleep. Unless I am otherwise engaged. Like, at a bar. Writing my freaking book proposal. Which I am now going to do. Because Mel and Becky told me to. And said they would tell me how. Consider this your reminder, ladies. Help?
3. I have thoughts on all things BlogHer. This is just the beginning. This is the part where the gushing starts. Look away if you find such things gross.
I am full of thoughts and excitement about this fabulous book that Liza was kind enough to give me and which I highly recommend. It's edited by a fellow IVP member (who no longer blogs so I can't link her) and Liza has an essay in it and I am totally IN THE ESSAY!
I really like how she makes me sounds so intensely popular. I owe her a drink. I would say I owe her several but she only drinks, like, three inches of a drink anyway. Heh.
Anyway, the book has essays by some really awesome bloggers and some academic types and is just SUCH thoughtful stuff about this medium, which really means the world to me. You should buy it as soon as Amazon restocks it.
And on the topic of highlights, one was meeting and brunching with LesbianDad, whom I have admired so so so so much online for the past year and whom I considered something of a celebrity. And who turned out to be the warmest and most full of ideas and most excited and most hypoglycemic (always knew where the food was) and most chatty and loving person I have met in quite some time. What a joy and honor. I didn't come out of the weekend with all that many new friends, honestly, but having Polly as one of them is more than I could have hoped for.
My feelings about the future and influence and importance and validity of blogs have really been enlightened by the weekend and then double enlightened by that lovely little queer brunch at the end and then triple enlightened by reading (almost all of) this book on the way home .
