Tuesday, January 24, 2012

ALA Midwinter Conference

I just returned from Dallas where this year's Midwinter conference was held. It's also where my brother lives, near his son and new daughter-in-law.

Memory-bits:
  • Felt completely out of my depth at at least one point in every session I attended
  • Also felt completely welcomed at a couple of sessions where I actually was totally out of my depth
  • Librarians are wacky people, but really easy to identify...at hotels, restaurants, and airports...it was a sort of sport after the first 24 hours
  • Tex-Mex made by Greek-Americans is pretty good
  • Steak: also really good, if you're willing to pay for it
  • If you can, go to Texas de Brasile...unless you happen to be a vegetarian
  • I made the Dallas paper. This makes me laugh, but at least they didn't ferociously misquote me
  • I didn't see/meet anyone famous
  • I did see a ghost, and yes it was spooky as hell!
  • Got to see Ian Fairclough speak; I think I'm a very weird groupie
  • I sat by two French guys flying to Dallas and a middle-Eastern (I think, maybe) guy on the way home; I must be the Deals Well With Furr'ners person
  • Spent a LOT of time in the exhiibits
  • Picked up about 7 new carrier bags, along with the freebie they dole out at registration to everyone
  • Filled four (five?) bags full of books and other freebies; Beast is driving them home for me :-)
  • I got sicker most every day, and bailed on two OCLC breakfasts...
  • Having no voice makes talking to exhibitors all day difficult
  • I stayed in three hotels in five days. That was weird, but kind of fun
  • One of the hotels was quite a ways from the conference site, so Beast drove me back and forth; there was, however, a conference at that hotel, of gift shop owners....
  • ...gift shop owners' conferences seem to be full of snooty 20-somethings, but I snagged an abandoned carrier bag that is absolutely amazing...I will take a picture once Beast gets it home
  • The convention center...? Not in a great part of town, though they're working on it
  • Dallas drivers are insane
  • We landed a full half an hour early today. How often does that happen in January?!
I'm so tired I can't stop yawning. I think I'm going to skip Bible Study in the morning. Good night.

3 thing(s) to say:

Kwizgiver said...

Sounds like a GREAT trip! Sorry you were sick, though, that's a major bummer.

Welcome home!

amy said...

I <3 Ian Fairclough! That is SOOO cool - I am seriously impressed and jealous.

Cat. said...

K: Thanks! Sorta good to be home, though I still don't feel great, especially this morning

A: The thought of him Googling himself and reading this makes me giggle. He's very much what I expected, but yet not, from his listservs and posts.

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