Definitely Saving Money by Conferencing from Home @NCTE @writingproject @ALAN - Although a Break From Cooking Would Be Nice

The good news is the kid has a 25th birthday on Wednesday and a decision has been made - we are ordering out (and bringing it in). I'm off duty that night.

Every single second of NCTE, NWP, and ALAN has been incredible, and the only thing that is catching me off guard (and whacking me upside the head) is: (a) not having to run from one end of a convention center to another for several days, (b) fear of leaving things in my hotel room that I might need, and (c) the complete loneliness of not socializing from sunrise to sunset (well, the bars close). I also miss breaking bread and well-researched restaurants with colleagues of today, yesteryear, and tomorrow. One of the greatest perks of gathering together is the plotting, planning, dreaming, and co-creating for what might be possible in the year ahead.

Alas, I grilled, steamed some beans, and panned another round of perogies  (my latest addiction, fanaticism, and obsession), Glamis the Wonder Dog just stared at me with a face that asked, "What are you doing? You've been on your laptop, the big screen TV, and in notebooks for the last 5 days. AND you've been power walking me twice a day since this began, because you've felt guilty that you are spending so much time online."

All this is true. 

I've been learning so much and thinking strategically of the work that needs to be done, not only next year, but over the next several years (if not decade). 

I saw Ann E. Burg! I saw Ann E. Burg!

Sort of. I was overly excited to finally hear Ann E Burg speak and Murphy's Law #$234324. 4GHj says the town inspectors scheduled to review the porch two months ago would come 30 seconds into the interview. Yep. And so I had to leave the interview to entertain them for exactly 30 minutes (I will be going into the archives to retrieve, post ALAN). 

But I did catch Tiffany Jackson....wonderful, wonderful Tiffany Jackson, and her interview with Julia E. Torres was a highlight of the day.

Now it is time to make some coffee and kick off the 2nd day of ALAN. I know I am spoiling myself this year and will unlikely not attend in the near future (a sabbatical and a pandemic afforded me this - what does that say about academia?). For now, I will carpe diem, especially because Laurie Halse Anderson is on the roster.