Day: May 23, 2009

My events are done. The reading did not really happen because my presentation took up the entire hour, which was fine. I started the hour with only two attendees, but had gathered an additional four by the time I was done. So instead of the nervewracking packed room, I had an initially nervewracking small crowd, which turned out to be a nice size for a discussion later. I think the presentation went well, but I have some solid ideas for how to make it better next time. The same is true of the two Howard and Sandra panels.

The launch party was a huge success despite the fact that I left a critical box at home. We did not have our bag of change, our box cutter, or the numbered stamp for sketched editions. Fortunately we managed to scrounge up enough small bills to make change and just made do for the rest. It worked. The pizza arrived on schedule. For an hour or more, I was so busy helping customers, that there was no time for me to supervise the food at all. We are extremely fortunate that the wonderful Christie showed up and said “How can I help?” She stayed by my side and was an extra pair of hands for me through out the busy hours. Things wound down after a bit and I had time to visit with people. That is always the best bit. Getting to know all the amazing people who come to these events. We will have pictures sometime next week because Stacy Whitman showed up and volunteered to be our photographer.

Now I am tired, but it is a calm and happy tired. Everything went well. The presentations went well. The panels went well. I got to say useful things in front of other people. Next I get to throw my luggage into the van and head home. There I will find my kids who may or may not be in bed asleep. I will also find the dishes and laundry that I didn’t do before I left. But that’s fine. I’ve got two huge events completely taken care of. I have another two weeks to organize for the next big event. (The shipping party.) Further events will not happen until later in the summer. Which is good. Tomorrow is my day off.

I love the kids’ dance festival at the elementary school. I love watching my children so focused on the dance steps that they have been working on for weeks. I even enjoy sitting outside in the sunshine where I usually pick up a sunburn. Then I like to take them home and feed them all ice cream and sit around relaxing for the rest of the day. Festivals should have relaxing in them. But this year the dance festival was scheduled on the same day that CONduit began. Both activities are things I enjoy, but the enjoyments interfere with each other. I did not want to be arrive at CONduit sunburned and reeking of sunscreen. I did not want to dash away from the post festival relaxation, leaving my children with my neighbor for the night. But I did not get to choose the schedule, so I made the best compromise I could.

At CONduit I discovered that I had been elevated in status. My badge reads “Guest of Honor” and all of my events are scheduled in the primary spaces of the hotel. This means that my very first ever reading will not be tucked away in some quiet reading room which can only be found by those who really look for it. Instead my reading is in the main thoroughfare of the convention where many people can wander by and decide to attend. This is very cool, and very nervous-making. I’m used to that kind of attention when Howard and I present together, he’s famous. I’m less accustomed to it for my own things.

CONduit for us is a strange mix between a family reunion and a professional appearance. We know most of the panelists here by sight and by name. We stay up late talking with them for hours, catching up on how their projects are going, and laughing a lot. But this familiarity gives us the sense that our presentations are nothing new to the folks here. They’ve all heard us before, which makes it a little strange that we are wearing Guest of Honor badges and they aren’t. But we solace ourselves in knowing that this our one shot to be guests of CONduit. After this we’ll be back in the ranks of the participants.

The first Howard and Sandra panel went really well. The room was packed. If Howard and I give the presentation again, I want to be more organized. The outline was a good one to work from, but it was a bit sketchy. The segues from topic to topic were sometimes a little bumpy. But I think we covered the most important points and I think that we said some things that were useful to other people, which is the whole point.

Speaking of scattered, this scattershot entry needs to end. I’ve got to run to Sam’s Club and buy food for the launch party this afternoon. Howard is currently on the phone arranging for pizza delivery. He has a reading in 45 minutes and I have one an hour after that. We’d better get moving.