I Was a Community Leader at Blissdom Canada '12, and a Lot of Things Happened

Whenever I go to a social media conference, I am left with a month's worth of stories, but no one wants me to dedicate an entire month to posts about my four days in Toronto at Blissdom Canada '12. Damn you all for having taste.

So, a whirlwind tour it is!

I dyed my hair before going, because I saw hair salon tweets from conference-goers, and I am easily influenced when suffering pre-conference anxiety.



I wore my Christmas argyle toe socks for the flight from Regina to Toronto, because they are what keep the airplanes I ride in up in the air.



On Friday morning, the entire Marilyn Denis Show audience was made up of Blissdom Canada people, of which I was one. And these people (aka Shannon McKarney, Bon Stewart, and Susie Parker):



This little guy hung out with us at the show:



I would show you the picture of me with Marilyn Denis, but I ended up looking like a psychotic Weeble Wobble with three chins who'd just been hit in the back of the head with two-by-four, so I erased it in a fit of good sense and human decency.

Then, I decompressed next to a pond with some ducks:



And then, I had supper with Annie of PhD in Parenting, where I neglected to take any photos, because I was busy dealing with some pretty tasty spaetzle.

And then, the Palinode and I met up with Gayla Trail and her partner, Davin. They took us all over Chinatown, and then we had coffee in a little coffee shop with a bathroom that looked like this:





Not to knock their tour-guiding skills, though! They were lovely, even if the bathroom was a health violation. The Palinode and I are secretly selling our apartment and have bought a lovely little bungalow next door to them.



No, that's not happening. We only wish that we were that dedicated to stalking fabulous people.



Did you know that, according to the In Case Of Fire notice in the hotel hallway, if you make or cause to be made an alarm of Fire, you are guilty of an offense. Make an alarm of fire, and you are guilty of some nondescript offense! They'll tell you what that is later!

The Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General needs an editor.



During the actual conference, from the party on Friday night straight through the microsessions and the speakers all day on Saturday, I didn't take any photos. I forget to take out my phone when I am being overwhelmed by hundreds of people, sponsors, and events.

Even though there is no evidence here, I assure you that I was a Blissdom Canada Community Leader, I attended the opening party, I lead three microsessions on iPhoneography, I watched great speakers, and the presence of a Starbucks booth giving out free coffee nearly cured me of my atheism.

Later, the Palinode and I had supper with Bon Stewart, Motherbumper, Redneck Mommy, and Jessica. I only mention this because I'm name-dropping.

The Palinode was a rather well-dressed dragon for the traditional closing Blissdom Canada Halloween party.



I dressed in a black turtleneck with comfortable shoes and told people alternately that I was an academic, a member of the French Resistance, or a lesbian spy.

Barbara Jones and Bon Stewart both win for being kick ass:



JC Little wins for going meta with me and drawing me while I took photos of her doing the drawing:



And here's her drawing of me!



Look, I know this entry is really long, but it's mostly scrolling, and we're almost done! I swear!

Motherbumper and I lead an excursion on Sunday to the Canadian Movember headquarters and then on a short photowalk.





RadioRedHead and I mo-sista-ed it up:





Here's our whole Movember excursion crew:



And then on Monday, the Palinode and I hung out with Mrs. Wilson and her wonderful aunt, flew home, and were welcomed back by horrifying raw chicken carnage care of our three evil-genius cats.

And that, my last remaining readers, was Blissdom Canada '12!

The End.

I'm a Community Leader at Blissdom Canada '12!

I did a short interview with Blissdom Canada to introduce me as a community leader at their fall conference in Toronto. I talk about creativity, the origin of my online name, and give some advice for newer bloggers that, I promise, you won't find irritating:

"Introducing our Community Leader: Elan Morgan (Schmutzie)!"

What I Did At Blissdom Canada '11

I just got back from Blissdom Canada '11 last night, and it exhausted me. I sat down to watch some television while I spooned hello on the couch with my Onion, and I was unconscious by nine o'clock. It was a good kind of exhausted, though, being that it was born out of squishing as much goodness as I could out of the two days I had to spend with mah peeps.

I will keep this Blissdom Canada recap short on words for you, because my brain can only do pictures this morning. Sentencing is hard.

First, the Palinode and I arrived at our hotel in the lovely city of Toronto:


This is the view from our hotel room at the Hilton Toronto.

We partied at the CBC on Thursday night:


Barbara Jones and Catherine Connors worked the room.

We took a walk down Nostalgia Lane,


The Palinode waited patiently for me, which is one of his many talents.

where we saw Mr. Dressup's treehouse:


Mr. Dressup's treehouse!

I got to meet my long-time media crush, Nora Young, after Scarbiedoll dragged me over and stood me right next to her, because I am in grade six. I have no photo documentation of this, because I was trying to act really cool while I tried to breathe normally and not dribble my coke down my chin.

On Saturday, I spoke with Bon Stewart and Tanis Miller on the panel The Art And Science Of Finding Inspiration – And Using It. I also have no photo documentation on hand of this blessed event, but it is unforgettable for me.

Any time I have done public speaking in the past, I was so terrified that I had to sit on my own hands to hide my shaking, but this year? I'm not shy to say that I loved it. It was such an honour to speak with Tanis and Bon, and the session attendees filled the room with such warmth, and no one kicked me out when I got teary not once, not twice, but THREE times.

It means an incredible amount to me that I was given so much support when, while talking about things that matter so very much, my emotions got the better of me. If you were there, thank you!

And then it was Bon's turn to be a giant baby:


Fisher Price should make furniture for grown-ups.

On Saturday, I started my day next to one Kyran Pittman, which is nothing to sneeze at:


Kyran does bedhead right.

The Palinode took his turn at bat on the panel Take Your Craft to the Next Level with Karen Green and AngellaD:


The Palinode is a smartie.

A quote which came out of that session is one I could write a lot about, so I'm sticking it here to keep it around:

The story teller makes no choice. Soon you will not hear his voice.
His job is to shed light, and not to master.

     – "Terrapin Station", Grateful Dead

I fell in love with Catherine Jackson, who is brave and beautiful and wickedly smart with a spirit I cannot begin to tell you about. As I told the Palinode, I want to move to her city and make her be my best friend and hang out and listen to records and learn to smoke cigarettes together.


I hope she doesn't curse me for posting her photo.

Saturday night, I helped Bon finish orange-ing her hair for Blissdom Canada's traditional Halloween karaoke party. She makes a hot Annie Lennox:


Hot-cha-cha.

And here she joins Catherine Connors and the Palinode. I can't decide if the Palinode is a Catherine wannabe or Garth Algar:


Snort.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that New Kids On the Block's Jordan Knight was there, because he totally was:


From left to right and clockwise, we have Eric Alper, Alli Worthington, Jordan Knight, Catherine Connors, and Barbara Jones.

Mr. Knight even came into the party to karaoke with us:


I was never a screamy NKOTB fan, but this was some serious fun.

And then, I dragged myself back up to my hotel room and passed out, because I'm an old lady who finds fluffy hotel room beds more exciting than almost anything else after over-extending her introverted self all over a social media conference for two days.

And now that my What I Did At Blissdom Canada '11 slideshow is over, I'm going to spend some time snuggling up to my little kittens. This cat lady's got to get her some cuddles after three days away.