7.28.2006

Meet the BlogHers, or The One Where I Drop Many Names

I remember when the Muppet Movie first came out and Kermit was shown riding a bicycle. It was so funny that no one had ever considered what he would look like mobile.

That's how it's felt meeting all these women so far. They have legs! They can walk! Oh my God, Julie from MotherGoosemouse is walking - how cool! Plus they're all three-dimensional. Nothing at all like the little pixilated photos I've seen on their blogs for months. They even talk and smile and bounce their knees under the table and put pretty polish on their toenails.

Just like real people.

And for real? Everyone is seriously younger and prettier than they look on their blogs. I don't know why I thought that Mir was like 50 but she's this adorable petite young thing.

When I hopped the free shuttle to the Hyatt from the San Jose airport, the first person I met was Roo.



Pretty, pretty Roo, one of the first bloggers I ever discovered. And now she's here! Talking to me, every bit as eloquent and thoughtful as her writing; being nice enough to keep me company after the desk clerk informs us that, um, yeah, we're like four hours early for check-in.

We grabbed a table outside, while I looked for Catherine like a complete loser fan overeagerly stalking a rock star. The delightful Mary Tsao joined, and since pretty much everyone in the whole blogging world seems to know her, the table just sort of grew from there. It was like the student union in college, only without the turf wars with the rich Euro kids at the adjacent tables. Julie showed up (how much do I love Julie?) and it was instantly comfortable, like meeting a long-lost friend.

In fact, the whole weekend so far has seemed rather like attending a highschool reunion with amnesia. You know the people--you just aren't quite sure you could identify them without the nametags

Without further ado I announce the BlogHer (Night 1) Class of 2006:

(NB: This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the awesome people I've met so far. It's just the ones for whom I was able to put my wine glass down long enough to take a picture.)


Mary Tsao, Most Popular.


Catherine, Class Brain, In the requisite dorky "hey, let's take a picture of each other taking a picture" picture.


Asha, Most Likely to Succeed (and to be found giggling in the back with Mom101 through the lectures)

Karen Rani, Class Cleavage
Me, Class Drunken Shinyface
and Julie, Most Likely To Facilitate Drunkeness


Tracey, Class Rebel
Alice, Most Likely to Make me Starstruck and Incapable of Putting Words Together in a Sentence That's Not Quite English

Mir, Most Prolific
Stephania, Class Fashionplate

Izzy, Class Beauty (I mean holy cow, she's GORGEOUS!)


Dawn, Class Clown

Amy, Queen of the World (And not just because she agreed to wear a Mom-1o1 button, although it did help)

-----
PS: For those bloggers not at blogHer, Shannon at PhatMommy is doing a very cool virtual BlogHer thingie. Check it out! It's just like San Jose but the hangovers are optional and your beds are probably a little more comfortable.


41 Comments:

Blogger motherbumper said...

Mom-101, thank you for helping me feel like I'm kinda there (I'll be the wallflower in the corner because in real life I'm quiet and demure... ah who am I kidding, I'm socially inept and a fun drunk). ANYHOOOO... I'm actually happy that it looks like so much fun, whoops, I mean educational so I can convince myself to go next year. I might be sulking but I am glad that it's going well. I want to see more so keep the photos coming!

7/28/06, 2:31 PM  
Blogger Becky at lifeoutoffocus said...

awesome. these are great. i was checking in to see cuz i KNEW youd have stuff posted soon! have a great time! make sure you take a pic with jennster!

7/28/06, 2:55 PM  
Blogger Melissa said...

Look how pretty you are in that picture! And clearly having so much fun! Without all the rest of us.

Gotta tell you, though, Mir's ahead on the "number of breasts posted today" contest.

7/28/06, 2:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I somehow thought you'd look like that winking fifties woman at the top of your blog.

But look at you! So cute and so wee!

Glad you're having a great time.

7/28/06, 3:00 PM  
Blogger j.sterling said...

how dare you do class anything when i'm not there yet. WHORE!

7/28/06, 3:10 PM  
Blogger Silly Hily said...

Good heavens, this is like crack. I mean blogs are like crack but blogs being updated regularly.from BlogHer.WITH pictures! CRACK! I'm having a hard time keeping up but more, more, more! Everyone looks so sweet!

7/28/06, 3:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sad I missed all this last night.

(This is the comment I just told you (to your face) that I was going to leave.)

How do you like those double parenthesis.

7/28/06, 3:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sniffle. I'm gonna come over there and hug you.

7/28/06, 3:40 PM  
Blogger Amy said...

How fun! Now if you could just do a podcast of some of the conversations that are going on, I would feel like I am totally THERE!

Seriously, thanks for posting pics. Cool to see so many bloggers.

7/28/06, 3:45 PM  
Blogger Dawn said...

Your breasts are truly spectacular. And I mean that.

7/28/06, 3:49 PM  
Blogger Stefania Pomponi Butler aka CityMama said...

Oy to the vey re: my photo.

Everyone, Mom-101 is so veryvery cute IRL. And I have seen her breasts in person and agree: spectacular.

7/28/06, 4:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm with Dawn...GREAT BOOBS MOM-101!

7/28/06, 4:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So cool to be able to be at BlogHer vicariously through you, and to look at pretty faces and clevage.

7/28/06, 4:08 PM  
Blogger Andrea said...

Yes, jealous of your breasts. Much. And like Silly Hily, I CANNOT STOP REFRESHING! Totally addicted to you all.

MORE MORE MORE!

And thank you for updating, for those of us who couldn't go and have to live vicariously through everyone else.

7/28/06, 4:22 PM  
Blogger Movin Mom said...

Mom 101 you are so cute!!!! Your coming out picture was quite protected compared to this one!! ...And where are the glasses upon your head..how will I know which one is you???

I guess now I wish I was there. However I don't think I am quite worthy to share vino with all you
valedictorians of the Blog world until I can get rid of my polka dotted template and adding in a few drop down boxes!

But one day......perhaps my cleavage will meet all of your cleavage!!!
BlogHer2007 perhaps?

7/28/06, 4:25 PM  
Blogger Jezer said...

OMG I'm so jealous I want to cry!!! REally!


Tell everyone Jezer said HI!

Yeah, like they give a shit. Heh.

Have a wonderful time!

7/28/06, 4:27 PM  
Blogger Jaelithe said...

Tears are actually coming to my eyes seeing all of these people I love in the SAME PLACE. And I'm NOT THERE!

CURSE YOU, CAREFULLY CONTROLLED RESPONSIBLE SAVING-FOR-A-NEW-HOUSE BUDGET! *shakes fist at cruel unheeding sky*

Ah, well. I'd just feel like a total geek trying to talk to any of you anyway since I only ever get like eight comments on my site and all y'all's famous and such. The class picture of me would actually be a picture of someone way cooler with me in the background with half my face cut off by someone's margarita glass, and the caption would be "Class hopelessly shy nerdy hanger-on. Uh . . . Wazhername."

But next year, next year! I will be there so I can hide from you all in person! (Except for Dawn, of course. I think I would have to hug Dawn while wearing her t-shirt).

7/28/06, 4:39 PM  
Blogger Lisa said...

SO glad you posted pics. I was dying to know what everyone looks like! And Mary's Tatoo totally took me by surprise!

7/28/06, 4:51 PM  
Blogger Mom101 said...

Okay, for the record? It's all about the bra.

7/28/06, 4:53 PM  
Blogger Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Okay, I am now under my couch, hiding from my own neurosis because I'm not there and I feel left out. Okay, slighty less but yet slightly more left out because of this post. I'm going to need a lot of therapy after this weekend is done.

And, is it just me or does it seems like boobs rule at Blogher '06? Boobs! Everywhere! I have to admit they are spectacular (especially your's Liz - rwaarr).

7/28/06, 5:20 PM  
Blogger Jaelithe said...

Do, do tell which bra you speak of that can do such fantastic things to post-nursing knockers.

7/28/06, 5:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OMG I am going to go work on my acceptance speech right now. (I'm sure no one can tell that I never made it into the Who's Who in my real yearbook....)

7/28/06, 6:29 PM  
Blogger Shannon said...

OH! The wanton sorrow I am feeling right now.

And Mir - OMG - I totally always thought of her as the "Grandma" of blogging, too!

Thanks for the pics and the shout out.

7/28/06, 6:36 PM  
Blogger Ashley Lasbury said...

You all look so YOUNG! Are there any gray haired, hip 40-something mommy bloggers?

My demographic appears to underrepresented.

Lord, I wish I were there...very jealous.

7/28/06, 7:21 PM  
Blogger josetteplank.com said...

FIRST I miss the whole Beatlemania thing.

NOW I miss BlogHer.

This baby better really work it overtime to make this up to me.

;-)

You all are so stinking gorgeous! ACK! Next year! Next year!

7/28/06, 9:35 PM  
Blogger Blog Antagonist said...

Holy Cow that looks like a lot of fun. I'm not much of a, umm....chick groupie, and usually avoid those kinds of things like the plague. But they are usually made up of chicks with whom I have nothing in common and who are mind-numbingly ordinary. I would give my left labia to meet so many intelligent, creative and resourceful women.

Loved reading about your first day and hope there are many more details to follow.

7/28/06, 9:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As a show of solidarity, I was going to propose an all-night drunkfest/blogging extravaganza, but weekends are painfully slow in the BlogWorld and most everyone is...you know...out where you are. I envy seeing all of these people up close and personal. Have you met Tammie of Soul Gardening? She's Dawn's roommate...and a totaly sweetheart. Enjoy your weekend and continue to send pictures.

7/28/06, 10:27 PM  
Blogger mod*mom said...

you're just a baby yourself!

the san jose grand prix race cars are going to be racing around downtown. is that where you guys are?

have fun for me!

7/28/06, 11:46 PM  
Blogger S.T. said...

What a gorgeous group of fun lookin' ladies.

7/28/06, 11:59 PM  
Blogger GIRL'S GONE CHILD said...

Goddamn Liz! Looking HOT! Say hello to the bitches! Love.

7/29/06, 1:42 AM  
Blogger Her Bad Mother said...

Yes, well. My excuse for leaving this comment so late? I've been following you around, like, all day.

Now I stalk you virtually. Mwah ha ha.

7/29/06, 2:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for the honor, dear Mom-101. The question is: Most likely to succeed at what?

7/29/06, 3:15 AM  
Blogger Marie said...

Wait a minute, wait a minute....

You mean you don't have short curly hair and rectangular glasses? I have to redo my mental pic!

Y'all look great! & it looks like tons o'fun!

7/29/06, 7:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(wiping away tears)

If I were there I'd be: Most Likely to Be Running the Quarters Tournament Since She's Pregnant and Can't Actually Participate.

Forget all the intellectual discussion. I like to kick it HIGH school.

7/29/06, 10:01 AM  
Blogger Stacy said...

awesome, it's so nice to put a face to a name!!!

7/29/06, 10:45 AM  
Blogger the mystic said...

Okay, everyone looks great, but Liz, oh my god, you are such a fresh faced little cutie. Your writing is so incredible that I always feel like you're so much older and wiser than me... seeing your picture I'm like, oh my god, she looks young enough to be my daughter!

7/29/06, 11:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Alright, I'm mad now. I didn't get a Mom 101 button. Sheesh. And here I thought you loved me.

hehehehe

7/29/06, 1:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mom101, I can't imagine a person I'd rather sit with on a couch in a hotel lobby. It was such a pleasure meeting you, after coming to know and admire your work as a writer, here on your wonderful blog.

Here's hoping we can do it again next year, in Chicago...

7/30/06, 9:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, foxy lady! It was a great pleasure meeting you and, um, your fantastic boobs. I predict pasties will be big on all the runways this fall.

7/30/06, 11:31 PM  
Blogger Mary Tsao said...

365 days until BlogHer 07!

I am forever grateful to you for calling out my name when I wandered like a lost puppy into the pool area. Thank you for making me feel so welcome! Lunch with you and Roo (and Catherine and Julie and Meghan and oh! there's Danielle! and oh, there's Karen! and oh! there's Lisa! and oh, oh, oh!!!!!) was a nice, mellow, and thougtful way start a rather crazed weekend of shrieking, hugging, talking, and drinking.

I really enjoyed our conversation.

Oh, and Izzy is rock star beautiful.

7/31/06, 1:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was truly wonderful to meet you and put a face to the writing! You made me feel so comfortable, and you are so friendly and nice, just as I imagined. But although I have many photos of you on my Flickr page, there are none of your boobs. So apparently I was pointing my camera the wrong way! I hope we meet up again next year.

7/31/06, 4:10 AM  

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