I need to recover from the fever/snuffles/barking cough that have robbed me of a voice and made my head feel all woolly, then find a quiet place to sit and commune with my beloved laptop. It will take a day or two.
Meanwhile, just a few tidbits:
1. The London GVO conference was an amazing experience. I met some wonderful people, and the whole experience spoke to every idealistic-but-please-not-saccharine-sweet bone in my body. You can read a bit about it here, and various bloggers' and journalists' impressions here.
2. Here's an article about the conference that was posted on The Guardian's Web site. Scroll down to read my pithy pontificating.
3. The Flickr page for photos taken at the conference is here. Here's one of me speaking at the conference; and another taken following a group interview at the BBC radio studio.
Once I told Hadas that there are more good people than bad in the world. Here are some good people who touched my life over the past week:
- When Allison heard that I couldn't afford a hotel in London, she found someone to host me. When that someone had to back out at the last minute, another friend stepped in and called her husband's friends in Stockwell. One day later, two complete strangers welcomed me warmly into their small apartment. They fed me single malt whiskey, offered me a warm bed with clean sheets, gave me a key and told me to make myself at home.
- When Dina saw that my conversation with Haitham might continue past the time of the last train back to Stockwell, she told me that I should simply knock on her door at the Hilton. Don't bother calling, she said. Just come. And so I did - at 1.30 a.m. Dina greeted me with sympathetic conversation, a comfy bed and a "my room is your room" attitude. She and I had met for the first time that day.
- Judy invited me for lunch in the members' restaurant at the Tate Modern. We sat next to a window overlooking the Thames and St. Paul's Cathedral, and we had one of those lovely, mutually satisfying, stimulating conversations. That was the first time I met Judy, too.
- Some bloggers (1, 2, 3) stepped up to bat for me at a time when I was pretty anguished, and I thank them both so, so much for their support.
- And to my lovely sister: you rock.
