Questions to Answer Before I Get to BlogHer '08

Yes, it's that time of year again -- hundreds upon hundreds of women with blogs will be descending upon San Francisco for this year's BlogHer conference.  You know all the cool moms, including a bunch of us from this blog and all our sister blogs, will be there!

Isn't that a thought?  Close to a thousand women with blogs!  Without children! OOOOooooo!!!   That's almost Halloween scary!

So aside from wondering if I'll have time to finish laundry and get to the grocery store before I hop on that plane, there are a few questions I need to answer before I hook up with friends I made last year and hopefully make some new ones without stammering too much or spilling wine on myself.

1.  What WILL I talk about?  No, not the small talk, though that really isn't my forte.  I mean for the panel that I'll be speaking at:

What We Believe: Two Concurrent Sessions: Progressives & Conservatives Engaging those outside the political blogosphere in political discourse...and action

Wow.  That's a weighty subject even for my alter ego, PunditMom.  So why is my mind a blank??  Mr. PunditMom seems to have faith.  He said, "Well, you have five hours on the plane to figure it out."

2.  What should I pack?  This is no small matter.  You're probably thinking, well just toss in a skirt and pair of black pants, and you're good to go, right?  NOT quite. The stakes have been raised -- I found out that  Sweetney bought a prom dress.  MOM-101 is wearing purple!  I'm not sure I can compete on that level,  though I do have a really nice pair of kicks -- they went over well at a blogger gathering earlier this year!  (Lawyer Mama, hands off!)

3. How do I find the right mix of attending sessions and 'hanging' out?' Isn't that always the dilemma of any conference?  The whole point of going is learning new skills, but the networking is just as important.  So I'm going to try to go with the flow, and see if that works as a strategy.

4. How do I keep the insecurity bug from attacking? You know, the one where I want the Xanax!  The one that makes me feel like everyone is cooler, more together and more successful than I am in my little wonky corner of the blogosphere? The feeling where I know I'm going to drink too much wine, because I need that glass in my hand to navigate my fears.  I know some of you are laughing. (I know you are -- don't deny it!)

I didn't know anyone last year.  I mean it.  Sure, I read their blogs and had E-mailed with some and felt like I knew what they might be like.  But I knew NO ONE!  This year is different, but I still am worried.  So be gentle when you see me, OK?

The good news is, it's a few days away from mommy duty -- no carpooling to day camp, no trips to the pool, no settin up play-dayes.  AHHHHhhhhh.  If I keep all that in mind, maybe I can handle all the rest!

Original 50-Something Moms Blog post.  You can also find Joanne getting all wonky at her place, PunditMom, as well as at MOMocrats and BlogHer, where Joanne is a Contributing Editor for Politics & News.