I often feel terribly shy when I meet Buffistas in person, sadly. I mean, you'd think that I'd be able to talk to people I've spoken to online daily for 12 years, but sometimes, no.

Awww, I felt completely at ease hanging out with you eating pie in your kitchen.

Me too, sometimes.

...and watching you geek out at the Apple store and hitting up the Disney Store for my Edna Mode mug and big Violet doll (which Matilda now owns).

I regretted leaving early that night at your reading, Amy, because staying would have been fun. I just...level reached.

At least I got to see you! That wasn't the night I meant, though -- it was in Boulder, two nights later, when I was getting sick and was just worn out. As soon as the Q&A and readings and signing was over, I went out to have a cigarette with Suzi and Nicole and K-Bug and burst into tears. Very mortifying. It was just suddenly Too Much.

Skipping over lots of posts to say congratulations to Nilly and family on your new baby girl!

ION, I just had to google to learn that Conan O'Brien's TBS show is still on. Huh.

The joy of meeting other awkward people is that they are too busy worrying that they, too, are the MOST AWKWARD HUMAN EVER!

Oh my god, Plei, the day I met up with you and Jilli and explored the air conditioned environs of Seattle, I left with my friend convinced neither of you liked me. Which is not your fault, just my own neuroses projecting.

I am a shy extrovert who gets twitchy in large crowds and prefers attending parties to hosting (but often jumps in to help out, because hey something to do plus feels nice to help).

Sometimes I just have nothing to say. I also need process time. I need time to think before I speak. I've learned to use it well at the library. A 'well' followed by a pause will often get that next piece of info out of a patron

The difference between me and my 20year old self is that I have learned to use what I am.

I am grateful that my line of work has limitedc networking and little oppertunities for things like salary negotiation

Whew. Home was not anywhere near as bad as I had worried--it was bad enough that I couldn't make my exit coming through downtown LA, and god, lord, I hate trying to get back onto the freeway from downtown, since Google doesn't know about the no left turn signs, and definitely not the time-controlled ones. Lots of looping around to get back on track.

But, basically, the training session is a decent example of my complete disregard for propriety and shutting the fuck up--I had an example (or a counter, or a question) for every point, and I dominated the group discussions because that's the simplest way to a) get group participation credit, b) stay awake, c) not have to listen to other people talk.

Oh, and I amuse the fuck out of myself when I take the "not at work" shutters down. Oh, god, did they ever hear about incompetent developer (who's back on the incompetence full force this morning--I'm tempted to tell her manager that she's not well suited to a particular task because she has zero initiative, but I think I will give her another go round. "So how did you plan to do it?" is not an appropriate question to ask your business analyst. Although I do have ideas, it's on her to solve the problem, not me, and also SHE REFUSES TO TAKE MY SUGGESTIONS for fear of that rogue development thing.

The project management training had a section on resolving conflict with real life examples, and I was all up in that shit. I am going to take some class suggestions and double down on the giving enough rope and the documentation stuff.

If there had been anyone there that I wanted to talk to again I'd have exchanged an email address, but as things go, one guy has my autograph, and that's as much of an imprint as I will leave. Another woman came over and discussed art with me--her daughter is making her living selling on Etsy, and I meant to ask for the URL, but didn't get a chance.

Does anyone know who the originator of the "We will get the blah blah blah we need, and the yadda yadda yadda we deserve?" formulation is?

Speaking of project management--wow, the Sepulveda pass renovation is going to be delayed by a year. That is a 25% extension, easy. I would not like to be on that project management team. I bet they're getting used as an object lesson in local classes (apparently the move into the new UCLA Ronald Reagan hospital was so mismanaged it was class fodder--sheeit. Using the Panama Canal is nice and safe and remote, you know?)

Oh, congrats to Nilly & fam on the new girl!

See, that's why I'm so confused about me. Because I can totally bully a business meeting.

And I can do it online, too.

But I also don't want to talk to you.

I think I'm not an introvert; I think I'm just a misanthropist!

Oh, how could I forget? Many congratulations and best wishes to Nilly and family, and Welcome, Little One to new little Nilly's girl!