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Before we start... I am one of the people you love to hate about now. The one who went to Netroots Nation with a camera and has not yet downloaded her pictures. This diary typed with my head hung in shame...
This was my fourth Netroots Nation/YearlyKos, and so I prepared for it knowing more or less what to expect. I packed comfortable shoes and clothes, knowing that while the fancy night-out stuff sounded good, it just wasn't me to wear it. I loaded my brand-new iPhone with the cell numbers of every Kossack I possibly had one for, sorted my Twitterfriends into Tweetdeck columns, and made sure my laptop was fully updated with Required Updates (every try to download the latest Windows update on convention center wireless? shudder). I reconciled myself to getting no sleep, drinking too much (or is that just enough?), eating too little, and hugging more people in 4 days than I do all year.
The hugging started in the airport waiting to board, when Sardonyx arrived. I was pleased & surprised when, as I fumbled with my seat belt, who should say hi but RubDMC. We four shared a shuttle to the hotel with BiPM and his partner CSM, which assures me that Rub will never again miss a Boston-area meetup invitation :-).
After a quick check-in, Mr. Brillig and I made our way to the convention center, where for the first time we were early enough to help stuff swag bags. I got to talk to so many people while doing so, most of whom I'd met in past years. My swag-bag stacking guru however, was a first-timer attending as a DFA Scholar. Naturally of course, I invited Something the Dog Said to the Cheers & Jeers dinner, helping to inflate our numbers from the expected 40-something to over 60!! In one of the nicest dinner conversations ever, slinkerwink, StDS, myself and others told "how we met" stories about our spouses. Sappy, but nice :-). Post dinner we holed up at the Westin Hotel lobby/bar, saying hi to friends old and new. Eternal gratefulness to cskendrick, who shared his midnight sushi order with myself and others.
Oh, yeah.. there was a conference. I made it to almost all of the big sessions in Hall B, and have Actual Proof I attended the opening session with President Clinton. As always I was blown away by the sheer intensity of it all, although the near-constant tweeting and facebook status-updating did provide a bit of distraction :-). I will sing the praises forever of any conference center that figures out a way to provide power outlets to individual tables. I am awed by the work that Raven, Mal, Nolan, ETinKC, AdamB and more do to make it all work.
I even moderated a panel, probably the most technologically challenging of all since three of my panelists - including Jesus' General - were appearing via Second Life. I cannot say enough about Mr. Brillig, who wore the hat Technical Director for NNinSL all weekend and did a spectacular job under stressful circumstances. It went off relatively smoothly, and I'm looking forward to next year when hopefully we can have a panel that just happens to contain members appearing via SL, instead of a panel about SL progressives. I also need to give a huge shout-out to my fellow NN attendees who were there via NNin SL... you are every bit as much a part of my Netroots Nation experience as the people I met in the flesh. And, I get to see you every day from now until next year's Netroots Nation!
What I carry back from this conference, as I do every year, isn't the content, good as it may be. It's the connections made. I had time to catch up with very dear friends, people I am lucky to see yearly at most, and in the case of Sherm and Doggie, even longer. SanDiegoDem, navajoPerfectStormer, Vicki, teacherken, Carnacki, and Cedwyn (with a hard, not soft, C :-)). I met friends for the first time.. Arenosa and HRM, gizmo59 and so many others. I chatted with one of the folks who attended my panel, then later at the dKos party bumped into him on the stairs and over the roar of the band learned I'd read his previous blog way back in 2001! I weaseled a few bites of sushi from StDS another late night; and over dinner with virgomusic, mkrell, mkrell's girlfriend-whose-kos-name-I-am-blanking-on, loggersbrat and others finally ordered my own damned sushi :-). I sang for the first time in 6 weeks in the hotel lobby with Timroff and his cast of many, then again Sunday morning at the 4th Annual Interfaith Service, organized by texasmom, Sharoney, csk, timroff, virgomusic, chacounne and more.
I know I've forgotten people with whom I spent meaningful time; blame my aging brain and the fact I'm writing on a deadline. When I tell non-Netroots people that I went to a conference and talked with 500 people, I'm not kidding. I may be underestimating, but I'm not kidding.
And I can't wait to see them again, whether it's in Vegas in 2010, or wherever it is the following year. Mr. Brillig and I already registered for next year; about 10 minutes after it was announced we could haz them. This is something we simply must do; gather with our friends and fellow progressives to recharge the batteries and remember that it's not just politics. It's PEOPLE.
It's also Top Comments!!! Let's see what all my lovely friends sent to the TC mailbox...
From Spedwybabs:
way too perfect is Ray Radlein's comment in a thread about vicki's drinking exploits in Pittsburgh this weekend (ok I admit it...I'm relieved someone ELSE's drinking habits are being discussed LOL)
From puddytat:
OMG it's too funny. In the Recommended Diary on the Glenn Beck boycott, I came across a real charmer by Kdoug that says it all for me. Excellent way to combinethe demise of Glenn Beck and his crying towel with what is needed action on Blue Dog obstructionism.
From Allison In Seattle:
BobOnLSD discusses his next shoe purchase.
From rjnerd:
A fine idea, by flagpole.
From Inland:
realityworld brings us the Cycle Of Doom.
From Benintn:
Progressive South nailed the argument against co-ops, and the benefits of a publicly-run plan.
From Guaunyu:
Hey! Whether you agree with the comment or not, lineatus makes a hilarious point in this response to the diarist's concern that President Obama isn't being sufficiently "Presidential." LOL is way overused, but I actually did laugh out loud at that one.
From carolita:
RO45 has an articulate and thoughtful comment on why the potential for violence is growing in sunspark says' excellent diary, the last stand of american racism. It is a little long, but well worth the read.
gmoke has a couple of excellent suggestions for what individuals and groups can do to combat global climate change in Bill McKibben's diary Surviving Colbert last night. BTW, if you didn't see Bill on the Colbert Report last night, check out the clip in the diary. He was great -- even made Colbert laugh!
From sberel:
Indexer reacts to Nulwee's teflon-coated diary with a very important question.
From sardonyx:
In ryeland's diary Howard Dean schools Morning Joe on public option strategy, localroger takes a look at Obama's game.
From your humble diarist me:
beltane on right-wingers. Front Toward Enemy's response pegs them right, too.
This comment by trashablanca is entirely accurate. AND it lets me give a shoutout to one of the coolest women around, navajo!!!
Next up, Top Mojo! Give your mojo tonite to virgomusic who did the job, and did it so well!!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) Joe did not understand what single payer means by joanneleon — 237
2) I love it!! by TomP — 194
3) Punish your enemies and reward your friends by PaulVA — 177
4) Intimidation by Hiranyagarbha — 165
5) Of course, counterboycotts won't work by anastasia p — 150
6) I'm not talking about fighters, but quitters. by LarsThorwald — 138
7) RIP by TexMex — 128
8) Absolutely agree: by aufklaerer — 107
9) No rocks--they roamed free in the Bush Years. by pacoyogi — 106
10) These People Are Shameless! by JekyllnHyde — 103
11) I have my back, and my kids', and my country's by Earth Ling — 102
12) Congressman Frank: Funniest Guy in Congress by JekyllnHyde — 102
13) Young healthy medicare clients by Bailey Savings and Loan — 99
14) Wow, he may not be able to speak... by KingofSpades — 98
15) For many Americans, myself included . . . by nyceve — 98
16) "Which side are you on, boys?" by political junquie — 98
17) Loved watching Joe the Scar's deer in the by karpaty lviv — 96
18) I really don't have much to say except this: by blueyescryinintherain — 92
19) I hadn't had time to diary yet by Vita Brevis — 88
20) No, some have stuck around to depress.... by LABobsterofAnaheim — 87
21) The Foxification of America by Brimi — 87
22) He was a Republican from the "redneck by blue jersey mom — 85
23) Even though he was 78 years old... by dvogel001 — 85
24) This is the kind of response by MadRuth — 85
25) TACKY by EntrWriter — 78
26) Limbaugh has his own event horizon by Mumon — 76
27) People who JUST HAVE to bring their guns by xxdr zombiexx — 76
28) Medicare IS single payer by Dallasdoc — 76
29) Thumbs up for this... by The Navigator — 74
30) A thing of BEAUTY - by CrissieP — 74
Top 30 Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar list :-):
1) Tip Jar by Yemtex — 608
2) Tip Jar by tim wise — 581
3) Tip Jar by PaulVA — 571
4) Tip Jar by Gamblndan — 569
5) Tip Jar by word player — 499
6) Tip Jar by LarsThorwald — 473
7) No tips needed by socratic — 399
8) Tip Jar by lostmypassword — 329
9) Guns, Torture, War - Good! by xxdr zombiexx — 320
10) Tip Jar by Angie in WA State — 305
11) Tip Jar by hekebolos — 278
12) Tip Jar by James Andre — 274
13) Tip Jar by Jonathon Cumberland — 257
14) Tips (or not) go here by Muzikal203 — 252
15) Joe did not understand what single payer means by joanneleon — 237
16) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 200
17) I love it!! by TomP — 194
18) Punish your enemies and reward your friends by PaulVA — 177
19) Tip Jar by nyceve — 177
20) Tip Jar by Deoliver47 — 174
21) Tip Jar by gjohnsit — 171
22) Tip Jar by Joe Sestak — 170
23) Tip jar. by joy sinha — 166
24) Intimidation by Hiranyagarbha — 165
25) Of course, counterboycotts won't work by anastasia p — 150
26) Tip Jar by thereisnospoon — 149
27) I Hope Blue Dog Democrats Pay Attention Too ... by Kdoug — 139
28) I'm not talking about fighters, but quitters. by LarsThorwald — 138
29) RIP by TexMex — 128
30) Absolutely agree: by aufklaerer — 107