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I’ve got a bunch of stuff swirling around my head right now, but most of it is not really all that interesting. I doubt any of y’all really want to hear about:
* This chapter I’m writing, which is due on Friday, and has got me all sorts of stressed out. Oh, and how yesterday I drew the most awesome diagram of an Active Directory-integrated DNS zone in the entire history of diagrams of DNS zones. Yeah, baby.
* The fact that my house is a mess (because of the aforementioned book deadline) and it’s starting to gross me out. I’m already making a mental list of which tasks I’m going to tackle as soon as I’m done writing.
* House-hunting and my ridiculously long list of criteria, and how we sort of like this one new development, but there are a whole bunch of risks associated with new developments these days, and oh my god, how am I supposed to make a decision like this? Whine whine, woe is me and my privileged little life. People are losing their dream homes left and right and I’m debating over whether to buy resale or have a house custom-built for us. Yeah. Poor me, I know. Shut up, Cindy. God.

So instead, let’s talk about BlogHer. Because I’m going.

It’s next month, and I’m already getting a little nervous. As it turns out, when you go to BlogHer, it’s not just the conference itself (which is on Friday and Saturday), but there are also a bunch of parties. So, I’m flying in on Thursday evening, and I’ve already RSVP’ed to two different parties that night. And that’s just Thursday! Before the conference has even officially started!

And I’m also going to the Room 704 party that night (alas, their badges aren’t working).

The parties are at different times, so that’s fine, I should be able to attend both. But here’s the thing: everyone dresses up for these events. And my wardrobe consists mostly of jeans and hoodies. Seriously, you should see the shoes that some people plan on wearing. (Hi, Heather!) It’s crazy. I’m definitely feeling the pressure to cute-ify myself up a bit. (Yes, I just used cute as a verb. Shush.)

So I’m now shopping online for dresses that I can wear on the plane, so I can arrive at the hotel looking gorgeous and ready to party. It’s only an hour and a half direct flight, but you know, it’ll be July. So the sweatiness (and ensuing shiny forehead) is a concern. And I need a dress with at least a little bit of sleeve. Because as much as I might act like my flabby upper arms don’t bother me and I’m fine and “yeah, I’m cool with my size 12-ness” in person, I also know people will be taking pictures at these parties. And if I see photos of my flabby upper arms, my whole self-acceptance facade will fly out the window, and I will cry and beg people to delete the pictures of me. So that’s no good. But it does make it harder to shop, since it seems that most dresses are sleeveless.

I did, however, manage to find these online (thank you, Macys.com – now if you’d only make linking easier so I don’t have to copy & paste everything):

I think this one is my favorite. It’s so pretty and looks like it would be very flattering.

I honestly can’t tell if this is flattering or not because of that ridiculous pose the model is doing. But I think I might like it? Maybe?

I’m not sure what I think about the brown, but it also comes in black. It meets my two requirements as far as covering a little bit of arm and not being too clingy on my tummy area. And if worn with the right bra, it might actually give the illusion that I have boobs. Hmm.

I don’t usually like all-over prints on me, but something about this dress really appeals to me. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s cute.

This one might work, since I know I won’t look nearly as severe and dead-behind-the-eyes as the model. I probably won’t lean on walls like that either.

What do y’all think? Votes?

As for the shoes, I think I’m going to have to find some cute ballet flats or something, because I refuse to be That Woman who wears heels through the airport. Maybe I’ll toss something cuter in my bag to change into once I get to the party, but I haven’t figured that part out yet.

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Last week I made the decision to go to BlogHer. Well, I didn’t make the decision on my own, Dave is actively encouraging me to go, which kind of surprised me. I hemmed and hawed for a while. I mean, sure, I want to go, it sounds like a lot of fun. But it means 3 nights away from Catie, which is more than I’ve ever done (so far, I’ve spent a grand total of one night away from her. ONE! In her whole life!). Plus it’s expensive, paying for a plane ticket, hotel, conference pass, etc. And it’s scary to think about meeting some of the bloggers who I’ve been reading for years. I’m a little scared that it’s going to trigger some sort of high school flashback and I’ll be sitting by myself while all the cool kids party it up. (And yes, I do realize exactly how ridiculous I am for thinking that.)

But here’s the thing. Most of my job-hunting is turning up zilch, so in the meantime, I’ve started doing a little bit of freelance writing. And I love it. So if I really want to market myself as a freelance writer and blogger (and I think that I do), then it makes sense to go to a conference to learn more about the business side of blogging. Right? Honestly, I’m really looking forward to that side of it. I imagine that I’ll learn a lot.

Of course, there are a ton of bloggers who I would absolutely love to meet in person: Heather, Yvonne, Jodi, etc. I’m going to be totally overwhelmed by the Genius and Awesomeness. And there are also the rock star bloggers (you know who they are) who I will try really hard not to squee or pee my pants if I should happen to get the chance to meet them. But let’s face it, I’m a huge dork, anything could happen.

So I bought the conference pass, and I booked my plane ticket with frequent flyer miles (thank you, American Airlines!). All that’s left is the hotel. Which brings me to my main point: if anybody who reads this site is also going to BlogHer, and if you want a roommate to go halvsies on a hotel room with you, leave me a comment or drop me an email. (Um, women only, please. I don’t need to go getting myself into trouble with my husband.) I sort of love the idea of having a hotel room to myself for three whole nights with no one (read: Catie) to interrupt my sleep, but they’re hosting BlogHer at the Sheraton, and it’s kind of expensive.

Also: holy mother of God, I can’t believe I’m actually going. Only almost-5 months left to freak out about it!

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