Miami Bound
I'm still exhausted from my illness, though I am officially "better" and have been back at work since Wednesday. I went into the office today for a half-day, even though it's a holiday. When I got home, I was so tired I had to skip country-western daycare; too bad, since I was really looking forward to it, hand sanitizer at the ready.
So how crazy is this? After a post-dinner nap, I vacuumed and dusted the apartment and did laundry, activities that require as much energy as two-stepping. But the place really, really needed it. I hope to squeeze in a bath before bed to make up for the fact that I had to go into work on a holiday.
On Thursday I head to Miami for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention. I'll be there till Sunday. I don't have any responsibilities -- am neither presenting nor attending for work -- so I'll be able to treat it like as much of a vacation as I want to. I'll be staying at a hotel that I normally wouldn't be able to afford at its regular rates. I'll know at least a couple of people there and am open to meeting more. Or just sleeping in and lying on the beach all day. Whatever.
The whole deal is a bit of a splurge for me, but something formless and nameless has been compelling me to go. (I just joined the group's local chapter late last year.) When something formless and nameless compels me like that, I've learned to listen. In a similar way, I felt compelled to go to my 15th college reunion several years ago even though none of my close friends could make it; the night before, I rented a car, and I drove up the next morning for the day. I had a great time -- revisiting, mostly by myself, the person I'd been in college all those years ago and also having some nice conversations with people I hadn't known well back then (including the longest conversation, over dinner, with a guy I hadn't known at all; he had been an unhappy out gay person; I had been a mostly happy not-out-even-to-myself person; we compared notes). I had such a good time that when the 20th rolled around, I made sure my circle of friends did attend (they all thanked me profusely), and I plan to do the same for the 25th.
Anyway, not all of the reasons I feel compelled to go to this convention are clear to me. The ones that are clear to me have to do with things I don't have time to blog about at the moment. (I kept losing my DSL connection last night, the date on this post, and I'm now trying to finish this up before work.) A certain kind of invisibility at work, a don't-ask-don't-tell ethic that pervades not only certain aspects of my life there but also the product we put out. I feel the need to be energized and inspired.
So how crazy is this? After a post-dinner nap, I vacuumed and dusted the apartment and did laundry, activities that require as much energy as two-stepping. But the place really, really needed it. I hope to squeeze in a bath before bed to make up for the fact that I had to go into work on a holiday.
On Thursday I head to Miami for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention. I'll be there till Sunday. I don't have any responsibilities -- am neither presenting nor attending for work -- so I'll be able to treat it like as much of a vacation as I want to. I'll be staying at a hotel that I normally wouldn't be able to afford at its regular rates. I'll know at least a couple of people there and am open to meeting more. Or just sleeping in and lying on the beach all day. Whatever.
The whole deal is a bit of a splurge for me, but something formless and nameless has been compelling me to go. (I just joined the group's local chapter late last year.) When something formless and nameless compels me like that, I've learned to listen. In a similar way, I felt compelled to go to my 15th college reunion several years ago even though none of my close friends could make it; the night before, I rented a car, and I drove up the next morning for the day. I had a great time -- revisiting, mostly by myself, the person I'd been in college all those years ago and also having some nice conversations with people I hadn't known well back then (including the longest conversation, over dinner, with a guy I hadn't known at all; he had been an unhappy out gay person; I had been a mostly happy not-out-even-to-myself person; we compared notes). I had such a good time that when the 20th rolled around, I made sure my circle of friends did attend (they all thanked me profusely), and I plan to do the same for the 25th.
Anyway, not all of the reasons I feel compelled to go to this convention are clear to me. The ones that are clear to me have to do with things I don't have time to blog about at the moment. (I kept losing my DSL connection last night, the date on this post, and I'm now trying to finish this up before work.) A certain kind of invisibility at work, a don't-ask-don't-tell ethic that pervades not only certain aspects of my life there but also the product we put out. I feel the need to be energized and inspired.
posted by Billy at 10:55 PM
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