Whelp, it’s finally here! The time to Panic and Freak Out has officially arrived (possibly even a day early- last night my laptop gave me not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times the blue screen of death! I hadn’t even seen it in years, so repeated encounters didn’t make me feel my best. ‘Cause now it’s basically dead and I still have a paper to write. So much for using my plane time tomorrow!).
Today I’m packing up, trying to keep in mind all of the things I’ve read about what to wear, what to bring, what not to bring, etc. I’m getting my iPhone tomorrow, and borrowing my mom’s iPad for being *at* the conference. I’m bringing my loaner laptop up to Anaheim for the writing of end-of-day blog posts (and hopefully some time Sunday night to work on my paper!!). Of course, I have my kindle and one paperback (but it looks like I might finish that today, so I should probably find another book). I’ll grab a spiral at home, and I already have my favorite pens packed in my bag. I’m taking a big over the shoulder bag with a small clutch tucked inside so I can stash my hotel key, cash, credit cards, etc. and not have to dig through the whole goshdanged bag to find my ID for those times I’d like to enjoy adult beverages (because I hear that happens somewhat at ALA). I have my chargers, my camera (but with my new phone, might not be necessary!), bandaids, a Tide to Go pen, some Advil, hand sanitizer, and my fancy-pants library student business cards are waiting for me in Escondido.
[Note: I’m pretty excited about those business cards. I included a bit that says, “We met at: ” so that I can write in whatever event/discussion/session/etc I met my new friend at so they remember me! I read that on a blog somewhere, not my original idea!]
And then there’s the actual packing, the bit where I have to decide now what I’m wearing each day. I wrote it out on my whiteboard (see picture below). It was hard to decide, because the Californian in me just wants to dress like a Californian, which means flip flops every day, the brand shiny new New Yorker in me wants to rock my favorite pair of heels 24/7, and the library student bit of me just wants to get a job in six months. So I compromised by picking two dresses (Friday and Saturday), my favorite casual skirt mixed with one fancy top (Sunday) and one more casual top (Monday), with my boat shoes, comfy Steven Madden flats, and a pair of leather sandals that I can wear for days at a time (true story: I took them with me to my friend’s graduation from UCLA and they were the only pair of shoes I had. That’s a freakishly large campus, and I hiked the whole thing in these sandals. Win.). I’m bringing my favorite pair of fuschia heels for the events Friday and Saturday night (so look for me! Bright pink shoes, you can’t miss ’em).
To top everything off, I have my blue blazer (that’s made from a beautifully cozy almost sweatshirt fabric) and a green cotton sweater. California is hot during the day, cold at night, and I’m assuming it’ll be freezing in the Convention Center. I’ll probably throw a wrap in for the plane/when the sessions are just freezing.
[My favorite outfit? Either the black maxi dress with a red belt and leather sandals I’ve picked out for Friday, or the blue polka dots and flowers dress with black flats for Saturday. Both so cute!]
I think I’ve done a good job of packing clothing I’m comfortable in, while looking both professional, like I’m from NYC, and from San Diego all at the same time. Multiple personalities? Yes. But so worth it. AND I’ve done it so it all fits in my small bag, leaving my rolly bag free for all the swag! All the books!!
How I plan.
And last but not least, and probably most important, I’m bringing my reusable water bottle and stopping at Target on the way up on Saturday, to grab some Luna bars and bananas. I can’t go more than a couple of hours without eating something, else I turn into Miss Hyde, so I’ll always have some snacks on me.
See you at the conference! (Remember, Friday and Saturday night, pink heels!)
Pratt Goes to ALA Annual Conference 2012 