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.